Prescribing antibiotics to poultry

Scenario

In June, Vanessa (a veterinary surgeon) visited the large-scale commercial broiler unit managed by Jorge as part of the annual quality assurance audit and veterinary health plan consultation.

The following February, Jorge contacts Vanessa and reports that mortality rates in the unit are rising.

Vanessa does not attend the unit, but requests that post-mortems are carried out on the affected birds.

She carries out a clinical assessment based on those results, together with other production and laboratory data.

Based on her clinical assessment, Vanessa prescribes oxytetracycline to be delivered via the drinking system.

Things to think about...

Under the new guidance, before antibiotics can be prescribed for production animals - in this case poultry - veterinary surgeon should have an in-depth knowledge of the premises, including its production systems, the environment, disease challenges and general health status of the flock.

In the vast majority of cases involving production animals, veterinary surgeons are required to attend and inspect the premises and physically examine one representative animal prior to prescribing or have done so recently enough to ensure they have current information and knowledge to prescribe safely and effectively, taking into account relevant data.

However, there is an exception which allows veterinary surgeons to prescribe antibiotics without attending the premises or examining a representative animal in exceptional circumstances.

The way that the large-scale commercial poultry sector works means that prescribing decisions are seldom (if ever) based on physical examination or attendance at the premises. Instead, the focus is on laboratory data, and post-mortems in particular.

Other than in fish enterprises, this is not the case in other sectors and as such, is an exceptional way of working that may amount to exceptional circumstances.

Where veterinary surgeons find themselves in exceptional circumstances and prescribe antibiotics without attending the premises or examining a representative animal, they are obliged to record their justification in the clinical notes.

In this case, Vanessa should note that she had access to reliable data from post-mortem examinations and other laboratory data meaning that physically attending the premises was unlikely to provide any further clinically relevant information.