But any time antibiotics are used when they are not truly necessary makes the problem worse. Horse owners can play a role to help curb antibiotic resistance. Frivolous use leads to the development of more and more strains of resistant bacteria. When bacteria develop ways to outfox a certain antibiotic, they are said to be resistant. A resistant strain of bacteria can spread the ability to outsmart a certain antibiotic to other types of bacteria that infect animals or people.
Resistant bacteria are hard to treat and can cause serious problems and even death.
One of the deadliest and most resistant bacteria of all has been established in human and equine infections. That's why horse owners who try to medicate their animals are many times doing more harm than good. Dr. Freeman thinks that antibiotic misuse may have already produced so many resistant strains of bacteria that the antibiotics available to veterinarians are not working as well as they once did. Now, both human physicians and veterinarians have just a few antibiotics to rely on when nothing else works. All horse owners want the best possible treatment for their animal.