A field study on rational choice of medication: The use of Tilmicosin and Cefquinome in ovine footrot treatment

Abstract

In veterinary medicine, it is extremely important to use drugs that will not put human health at risk. In the treatment of animal diseases, the preference of drugs that accumulate in muscle tissue (meat) and are excreted from the body with milk because they create low treatment costs poses a public health and food safety risk. Veterinarians and animal breeders should pay attention to the use of drugs that do not leave residues in animal foods in the treatment of diseases of animals whose meat is eaten. With this study, it was aimed to reveal the healing time of Tilmicosin, which passed to milk and Cefquinome, which is not passed to milk are used in the treatment of footrot, especially in sheep raised for meat and milk, and what are the costs (medicine, labor, etc.) of both drugs to animal owners. The study was conducted on 80 sheep with footrot from sheep raised in Muş, Türkiye in 2020-21. As a result of field observations, anamnesis and clinical examinations, sheep with footrot were divided into two groups in equal numbers. One group was administered Cefquinome (1 mL·50 kg-1 im. every 24 hours –h–, 3 applications), while the other group was administered Tilmicosin (1 mL·30 kg-1 sc. 48 h later, 2 applications) and the animals were observed for 10 day (d). In the Cefquinome group, footrot could be treated at a rate of 90% on the 4th d and did not bring additional costs to the animal owners. It has been concluded that Cefquinome should be preferred in treatment in terms of animal health, food safety and public health due to its high treatment success, easy application in pasture conditions, and the availability of milk during treatment.