Why there shouldn't be Antibiotics in Pet Food

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Why there shouldn't be Antibiotics in Pet Food
Introduction
When antibiotics were discovered, the world of medicine changed, giving people the chance to cure illnesses that were then considered to be fatal. Using antibiotics on animals was considered to be effective in preventing diseases without considering other future complications. Some researches indicate that the use of antibiotics in animals has increased, as much as antibiotics have contributed to modern medicine and saved lives both of humans and animals (Palmer 32). People do not taker caution when it comes to using antibiotics; antibiotics are frequently misused as people forget how powerful the drugs can be (Levy 33). Reports have indicated that substantial amounts of antibiotics are sometimes found in pet foods, something that animal rights ambassadors condemn, affirming that it is a violation of animals rights (Portnoy). Of much concern, is that most of such antibiotics are added to pet foods deliberately and sometimes results from the negligence of pet foods manufacturers. The emerging question is that, is it really Ok to provide pets with foods intoxicated with antibodies? This essay analyses why there should not be antibiotics in pet food looking at the issues from a different perspective, besides analyzing their effects on pets and some of the recommendations from experts.
Overview
Many organizations in the US like the Union of Concerned Scientists, argue that the majority of antibiotics sold are used in animals. Most people use small doses of antibiotics in industrialized pet foods to enhance the weight of pets like cats, dogs, and fish. According to the researchers, the consumption of antibiotics by the animals leads to antibiotic resistance. The use of antibiotics has been an ongoing debate, which has become a mainstream issue. Antibiotics are readily available in stores; people use them to respond to any sign of illness in animals, overdosing their pets (McDermott et al. 15).
Treating animals with antibiotics is not a good idea for various reasons. One of the reasons is that, the pet might be having a fungal infection, in this case using antibiotics will not be helpful and it might even worsen the situation. In addition not all antibiotics are the same; each antibiotic have a bacteria to target (Palmer 32). Curing bacterial in the animal will have little effect because the antibiotic may not be designed to fight the type of bacteria. Moreover, using antibiotics regularly is not good for any pet’s immune system; regular use leads to antibiotics resistance, which can be difficult to treat even with the right medication. It is more advisable that when pets are sick accurate diagnosis from an experienced veterinarian is appropriate (McDermott et al. 15).
In America, over eight billion animals are raised by using antibiotics in their feeds (Goforth & Goforth 32). Antibiotics is usually used for disease prevention and recently discovered that it could also enhance growth in pets. Most pet-handlers use antibiotics to get more money because the bigger the pet, the more money it attracts in any market. According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, up to 80% of antimicrobials in America are used in animals. Most of antibiotics are added to animal’s feeds to make them looks healthier, meaning that the purpose for use is not to treat any diseases, but to make animals bigger especially the ones that are for sale. This has been a major concern for Food and Drug Association in America (Goforth & Goforth 32).
There have been various recommendations to phase out the use of antibiotics as growth promoter; however, the proposal needs to be approved by the veterinary. For years, lobby groups for animals and drug companies have collided when it comes to linking antibiotics to antibiotic-resistance bacteria in animals. Contrary to their opinion the same groups still acknowledge the Food and Drug Association recommendations. Despite decades of scientific evidence that frequent use of antibiotics on animal’s feed causes bacteria resistance, the end results have been just recommendations. These recommendations do not have any mandatory requirement to enforce certain measures to stop the use of antibiotics on animals. Abuse of antibiotics will continue because it has become a trend (Salyers 4).
Reasons why we need to rethink about using antibiotics in pets
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention state that at least 2 million pets in America are infected with antibiotic resistance bacteria every year and 23,000 die eventually (Goforth & Goforth 39). Based on the above statistics, the common practices that people embrace, largely contribute to these facts. People commonly give antibiotics to pets when they are not needed. The act encourages anti-bacterial resistance instead of discouraging it. It does nothing good, but only endangers the lives of the animals involved. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, animals carry at least 4 pounds of friendly bacteria; the number of bacteria cells in the body is about 100 trillion, meaning that it outnumbers the number of human cells because bacteria cells play a crucial role in maintaining good health. In this regard, it is important to trust the natural immune systems to protect animals from diseases, instead of resorting to antibiotics (Turnidge 12).
Unfortunately, 80% of antibiotics produced in America today are used on food animals especially pets (Salyers 4). These animals are given doses of antibiotics in their feeds or water as a way of keeping animals healthy. In June 2013, Consumer Report indicated that potential disease-causing organisms were found in 70% of pets treated as the identified bacteria species were resistant to more than three antibiotic drug classes (Turnidge 27). However, major drug industries claim that there is no conclusive scientific evidence that links antibiotics with bacteria resistance infections. Contrary, such claims have been disproved by Center for Disease Control and Prevention as it calls for the responsible use of antibiotics; that drugs should only be used to treat infection whether in humans or animals. Science has proved several times that bacteria become resistant to antibiotics through overexposure (Turnidge 26). Bacteria are able to survive the exposure and can pass the trait to the next generation. Antibiotics destroy all the vulnerable bacteria, leaving only the resistant bacteria to survive eventually destroying cells ability to fight bacterial infections, which is dangerous to the lives of the animals (Palmer 32).
Many experts believe that the routine practice of giving antibiotics to animals in food is the major contributor to the problem. Others argue that it is not much of a problem if antibiotic residues are found in animal food, but the problem comes when the spread of resistant bacteria becomes rampant. Other studies have also indicated that antibiotics found in animal feed can also result in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can be found in the air. In addition, animal feeds also can spread resistant bacteria into the ground water getting into the soil. This poses resistance risks to humans also. To further prove that antibiotics can be harmful when used frequently, several studies have investigated the relationship between antibiotic resistance and pet foods. A report published by the Institute of Academy of Sciences after a two years review of 500 scientific studies, indicates that there is a higher risk of resistance to antibiotics if used frequently in animals (Goforth & Goforth 32). It f...