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Bayer launches online webinar series: New perspectives on tackling bacterial infections

Following a recent veterinary survey commissioned by Bayer Animal Health on the topic of antimicrobials and their use, Bayer is producing a range of educational resources, as part of the Veraflox What Lies Beneath campaign. These will address commonly raised concerns, including those surrounding owner compliance, laboratory testing, and prescribing policies in different clinical scenarios. 

The research amongst 135 veterinary professionals highlights challenges faced when treating bacterial infections, from selecting the right antimicrobial, to struggling with owner compliance.  73 per cent of vets cited poor owner compliance as a frequent cause of treatment failure when tackling bacterial infections, and only five per cent1 of vets said that they send samples for culture and sensitivity testing routinely in cases where they suspect bacterial involvement.

To address these issues whilst introducing a fresh perspective, the webinars feature expert speakers from a variety of disciplines within the veterinary profession, who tackle the approach to bacterial infections from different angles.

Matt Jones, Microbiology Manager at IDEXX Laboratories leads the first series of short webinars, which focus on the importance of culture and sensitivity testing, and crucially how to interpret results from these tests.  Matt discusses the merits and drawbacks of various testing techniques available, both in-house and from external laboratories.

The second webinar features Liz Watkins, founder of Chunk Training, a veterinary training provider who specialises in customer service.  Liz provides useful communication tips to improve consultation technique and increase owner compliance when a course of antimicrobials has been prescribed.

The third webinar by Ian Battersby, Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Davies Veterinary Specialists answers commonly asked questions submitted by vets about antibiotics.  Questions range from how to adopt a practice antimicrobial policy, to how to decide when it is appropriate to use antibiotics in GI disease, and how to approach cases that are not responding as expected to antimicrobial treatment, and use specific clinical scenarios to illustrate key points. 

Hannah Watts, Group Product Manager at Bayer says: ‘‘The issues highlighted by the research need to be addressed in order to help promote responsible antimicrobial use.  One of the key findings from the survey was the relatively low number of culture and sensitivity tests that are routinely performed.  This may in part be due to financial constraints, but in addition to assisting in appropriate antimicrobial selection, culture and sensitivity tests often save money for the client in the long run, as well as helping to resolve the condition as quickly as possible, leading to improved treatment outcomes for the pet.‘’

The webinars have been launched exclusively to veterinary professionals as part of the Veraflox, What Lies Beneath campaign, which aims to help vets achieve bacteriological cure through education. The webinars are now available on the Bayer Animal Health Vet Portal and can be used towards CPD training.

To view them, head to the Knowledge Centre at www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk

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