We are heading towards two years since the horrors of Covid and lockdowns began – I suspect that if you had asked any of us in March 2020 how long it would last no-one would have predicted this long.

Now that we are more aware of global disease risk let me open your eyes to another potential issue – antibiotic resistance.

This is something that you may have heard talked about over the years but not necessarily registered and yet it is a serious threat to our health in the future.

Increasingly, human medics are finding people presenting with bacterial infections that are resistant to all normal antibiotics, if this trend continues then the consequences are genuinely worrying.

In terms of human medicine, doctors are being much more cautious with antibiotic usage and we vets are following suit. But what can you owners do to help? The answer is simple – if your pet is prescribed an antibiotic course then PLEASE – even if they seem better after the first few days, do complete the course.

I never cease to be amazed by how many owners say to me “well he had something wrong, so I used some antibiotics I had left over from last time.” NO-ONE should have antibiotics “left over”! If your pet is prescribed a course of antibiotics, then it should be given to completion.

In combination with overuse of antibiotics, the misuse of them (i.e., stopping a course halfway) can add to the build-up of resistance. Believe me, if you thought Covid was bad, you wait until we have widespread antibiotic resistance – that will be much worse – so it is worth doing everything you can to help prevent this happening.

Alice Moore is a vet at Castle Veterinary Clinic, Dorchester and Weymouth. Tel 01305 267083