New animal antibiotic guidelines go into effect June 11, 2023, and will require a veterinarian prescription for purchase.
Products that fall under the new antibiotic guidelines will begin being labeled for prescription only purchase on June 11. Products already in circulation for over the counter sale will remain in stores until those products are depleted. Once all over the counter medications listed in the guideline fall out-of-stock, the replacements will be prescription only, according to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
That means several antibiotics currently commonplace among farmers and ranchers—especially for cattle producers—will no longer be available for over-the-counter sales. Some of the affected antibiotics include penicillin, tetracycline, sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethazine, cephapirin and more.
According to a University of Wisconsin-Madison online article, the following will not require veterinary prescription:
- Dewormers
- Vaccines
- Injectable and oral nutritional supplements
- Pro/prebiotics
- Topical non-antibiotic treatments
How Do I Get Necessary Animal Antibiotics?
A veterinarian-client-patient relationship and prescription written by the veterinarian will ensure you can purchase necessary animal antibiotics. The FDA says the new regulations “limit or reverse resistance arising from the use of antibiotics in animals, while continuing to ensure the availability of safe and effective antibiotics for use in animals and humans.”
“Valley Vet Supply and other NABP-approved pharmacies can assist you with fulfilling your veterinary-approved antibiotic purchase order. We recommend reaching out to your business of choice for full details on the process required to obtain prescription medication,” Valley Vet Supply Sr. Category Manager Julie Haggard said.
