Antibiotic resistance is a big deal. Lots of people and animals die because of it every year. It costs the healthcare systems (human and veterinary) tremendous amounts of money and it’s not getting better.

It’s been clear for years that we have to do a better job of using antibiotics responsibly, in both animals and humans. It’s a complex area, and people often spend too much time complaining about the "other" side (human vs veterinary) rather than trying to address their own problems. However, there are issues with certain practices that seem so straightforward I’m amazed they’re allowed to continue and that they haven’t already been addressed.

One such issue is the ability to buy certain antibiotics in large volumes over the counter at feed stores in some countries (like Canada), with no veterinary involvement.

Another is the plethora of fish antibiotics you can buy all too easily in pet stores (and which often end up being used on dogs and cats).

And today’s rant is about a group of products that’s ongoing use boggles my mind: tear stain prevention products like Angels’ Eyes. These are over-the-counter products marketed to reduce tear staining, mostly in small, white dogs. Yes, tear staining – an entirely cosmetic problem that has absolutely no impact on health. The scary part is that products like Angels’ Eyes contain tylosin, an antibiotic of the macrolide family. (How much it contains is a bit of a mystery since that information isn’t even included on the label.)

Does it make any sense to treat animals for a purely cosmetic problem for long periods of time (or lifelong) with a (presumably) low dose of any antibiotic, let alone one in a drug class that includes many antibiotics that are important for treating infections in people and animals?

In some countries, irrational antibiotic use like this is banned. More countries need to follow suit.