Antibiotic Guardianship at Animal Trust
At Animal Trust, we place great importance on the responsible use of medicines, particularly antibiotics, which are a critical resource in human and animal health.
The development of resistance to antimicrobials (including antibiotics) is a significant concern for both animal and public health. Over time, inappropriate or overuse of antibiotics can result in the development of resistance to, and eventually a lack of response to, these very important medications. The World Health Organisation (WHO) list Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths (1). These numbers are expected to continue to rise in the future if we are not able to address the continued development of resistance.
An evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship program can ensure that antibiotics, particularly those of most concern, or those that need to be reserved for treatment of certain conditions, are used responsibly and that the development of resistance is limited as much as possible.
Why is this of concern in the veterinary industry? Many veterinary antibiotics are also used in humans, and the use of these drugs in animals will also result in resistance in bacteria affecting humans.
Our Approach to Antibiotic Use
We strive to use antibiotics in an evidence based and sustainable way, to ensure that we are able to treat our patients appropriately and effectively, while also ensuring that we do this sustainably and with as little impact on human health as possible.
To ensure that we are able to deliver on this goal, the Animal Trust Quality Team has developed a Highest Priority Critically Important Antibiotic (HPCIA) Monitoring and Reduction Scheme. Use of HPCIA antibiotics are audited across the company, on a quarterly basis and levels of use compared, alongside areas of appropriate practice such as use of bacterial culture and sensitivity testing.
Notable successes of this scheme include:
Reducing our average use of HPCIA across the company from 27.4 prescriptions per 1000 consults mid-2023 down to 8.9 prescriptions per 1000 consults in the July 2025 audit.
Reducing our use of Cefovecin (a third generation cephalosporin) from 542 prescriptions in a quarter in mid-2023, to 6 prescriptions in the July 2025 quarterly audit, despite growing as a company and opening more sites.
Reducing our use of fluoroquinolones from 11.6 prescriptions per 1000 consults in the audited quarter in 2023, to 8.8 prescriptions per 1000 consults in July 2025
Doubling our use of swabbing to identify bacterial infections and determine the most appropriate treatment from 5.6 uses per 1000 consults in mid-2023, to 10.3 uses per 1000 consults in July 2025.
In addition to the companywide scheme led by the Quality Team, our Dewsbury site won a national RCVS Knowledge award in 2025, for a Quality Improvement project to reduce use of these medications (see RCVS Knowledge article link).
References
Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. (2022). Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. The Lancet; 399(10325): P629-655. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0