Bayer Animal Health has announced the launch of three new educational videos which look at some common concerns in the profession about antimicrobials, including owner compliance, laboratory testing, and prescribing policies in different clinical scenarios.

The videos follow research conducted by Bayer as part of its Veraflox What Lies Beneath campaign in which 73% of veterinary surgeons cited owner compliance as a frequent cause of treatment failure when tackling bacterial infections, and only 5%¹ of vets said that they send samples for culture and sensitivity testing routinely in cases where they suspect bacterial involvement.

In the first video presentation, Matt Jones, Microbiology Manager at IDEXX Laboratories, focuses on the importance of culture and sensitivity testing, and how to interpret results from these tests. Matt discusses the merits and drawbacks of various testing techniques available, both in-house and from external laboratories. 

In the second presentation, Liz Watkins, founder of Chunk Training, a veterinary training provider which specialises in customer service, provides communication tips to improve consultation technique and increase owner compliance when a course of antimicrobials has been prescribed.

In the final presentation, Ian Battersby, Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Davies Veterinary Specialists answers commonly asked questions submitted by vets about antibiotics. Questions include how to adopt a practice antimicrobial policy,  how to decide when it is appropriate to use antibiotics in GI disease and how to approach cases that are not responding as expected to antimicrobial treatment.

Hannah Watts, Group Product Manager at Bayer said: ‘‘The issues highlighted by the research need to be addressed in order to help promote responsible antimicrobial use. One of the key findings from the survey was the relatively low number of culture and sensitivity tests that are routinely performed. This may in part be due to financial constraints, but in addition to assisting in appropriate antimicrobial selection, culture and sensitivity tests often save money for the client in the long run, as well as helping to resolve the condition as quickly as possible, leading to improved treatment outcomes for the pet.‘’ 

Watching the videos can be used to count towards your annual CPD requirement. They're now available at www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk. 

PS: Whilst you're here, take a moment to see our latest job opportunities for vet nurses.