Ceva & Gram
Rational use is not a new principle.
For several years, Ceva has advocated that antibiotics should only be used “as little as possible and only as much as necessary” and that “the veterinarian alone is in the position to make the right diagnosis, to choose the best antibiotic to prescribe to the right patient, at the right time and only for animals that are infected.”
However, Ceva would like to take the difficult path of rational prescription for dogs and cats a step further by providing an aid for veterinarians in the form of the GRAM (Guidance for the Rational use of AntiMicrobials).
Why did Ceva invest in GRAM?
Given the many guidelines already published, the idea was to synthesize what already exists, reach consensus on knowledge gaps and simplify this in order to assist veterinary surgeons in answering, in a practical way, a wide range of questions in relation to rational antimicrobial use in canine and feline surgery and medicine..
Ceva treatment solutions?
In line with rational prescription and the support tool that GRAM is, Ceva also offers practitioners an extensive range of antibiotics in addition to non-antibiotic alternatives wherever possible. "A drug will only work if the owner can and will give it" says Dr Tim Nuttall, which is why compliance is one of the key factors of rational prescribing. Ceva contributes to this with a range of DELICAMENTS® which are highly palatable antibiotics easily accepted by pets.
THE FOUR PILLARS OF RATIONAL USE
How can you help limit the development of resistance when using antibiotics?
- Accurate diagnosis is essential to limit the use of systemic antibiotics. Always ensure that there is an infection, and avoid systemic antibiotics whenever possible (e.g. superficial pyoderma, abscesses).
- Diagnose and treat underlying disease, as bacterial infections are almost always secondary.
- Select the appropriate antibiotic, guided by cytology and/or sensitivity testing as well as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties and host factors. Prefer narrow over broad-spectrum antibiotics and avoid the use of critically important antibiotics.
- Administer at the correct dosing regimen (dose, administration intervals, duration) until clinical cure.
