DOCTOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE ANYWHERE, USA DATE: JANUARY 1, 2017
You Might Need a Prescription for that... by Karla Blackstock
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule on June 2, 2015, regarding the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), which will limit the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. In doing so, the FDA placed the use of many antibiotics, administered through feed and water additives, in the hands of veterinarians. Antibiotic drugs, such as tetracycline, tylosin and sulpha drugs can currently be purchased as supplements for feed and water from most feed stores. However, by this time next year, producers and veterinarians will be preparing for changes that will require prescriptions for these additives. Producers have self-regulated the usage of these medications through supplements since the late 1990s. However, the FDA’s recent ruling will place the regulation of feed and water supplement or VFD antibiotics under the supervision of veterinarians, who will decide the use and medical importance. While you will not need a veterinarian to dispense the antibiotics, veterinarians will be involved in the decision-making process. The FDA has announced that their goal is to ensure the judicious use of medically important antimicrobials in
24 - The Boer Goat
food-producing animals. While there is a withdrawal period for many antibiotics, the FDA is taking this additional step in an attempt to reduce drug resistance in humans. The administration’s website also states that it hopes the ruling will bring the use of these drugs under veterinary supervision so that they are only used when necessary for treating animal health and wellness. “The FDA took a number of tools away from producers,” said Dr. Gerald Stokka, associate professor of livestock stewardship at North Dakota State University. “For example, if a significant number of animals need treatment for foot rot, producers know that tetracycline works and that they can use it for large numbers of animals through feed additives.” In his example, producers can medicate their herd to keep diseases from spreading quickly. In the future, however, Stokka is concerned that some issues like foot rot and pinkeye might not get treated as quickly because of the additional process. “From an animal welfare standpoint, this is not a good ruling,” he said. “Some of the products used for controlling diseases will be limited, and we don’t have other large-scale solutions for these conditions.” After implementation of the new FDA ruling, producers will need a veterinarian’s prescription for antibiotics purchased as feed and water supplements. But Stokka said the problem for goat producers is two-fold. Here is the problem for goat producers. There are
