New practice posters for companion animal vets

Tallinn, June 2018 – Four practice posters and a new hygiene poster were launched at the 24th European congress for companion animal veterinarians, held in Tallinn, Estonia. The posters – four updates and a new addition– aim to help raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance, good hygiene practices and the appropriate use of antibiotics in pets:

1. Advice on the responsible use of antimicrobials

‘Should I use antimicrobials in this patient?’

This poster provides a simple algorithm helping vets making the right choice and to help decide whether or not antibiotics are indicated.

2. Recommendations for appropriate antimicrobial therapy

Which antibiotic should I use – and when?

This poster gives an overview of the most common microbial diseases in pets and provides clear indications on the steps to undertake, whether to prescribe antibiotics and if yes, which ones to use (and how to use them).

3. Key recommendations for hygiene and infection control

Effective measures to prevent infection

This practice poster is aimed at the entire practice team: how to clean and disinfect premises, clothing and bedding, the use of gloves and staff training.

4. Clean hands save lives (new!)

Pre-surgical hand asepsis protocol

This poster should hang in every scrub room. The four hand washing steps (hygiene – wash – disinfect – care) are illustrated in a clear and practical manner. This is a new addition to the poster series.

5. Advice to companion animal owners on the responsible use of antibiotics

Don’t expect antibiotics’

This is a poster aimed at raising awareness among pet owners about antibiotic use and answers a few of the most commonly asked questions about hygiene and antibiotic treatment.

All posters were produced by the Hygiene working group of the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA), in collaboration with the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) and the Bella Moss Foundation. The working group currently included experts Luca Guardabassi, Ana Mateus, Ulrike Grönlund, David Lloyd, Denis Verwilghen, Alexandra Vilén and Peter Murphy and FECAVA board member Danny Holmes (chair).

Danny Holmes commented. ‘The text has been revised in light of scientific advances since 2013, when the posters were initially launched at the FECAVA EuroCongress in Dublin. Updates include revised appropriate antibiotic choices. The posters are so up to date that even the recent 2018 legal restrictions placed on our German colleagues will not affect the validity of the advice given.’

He added: ‘The posters’ initial print run is in English. There will be a Spanish and German edition available in time for the Southern European Veterinary Congress in Madrid in October. But we hope to be able to provide at least 4 more translations before the end of the year.’

Pdfs of the English version are available from the FECAVA website. For print versions or non-English versions, please contact the FECAVA secretariat. Sponsors of future editions include Laboklin.

Leave a reply