Certain diseases in humans, such as Lyme disease, are treated with
antibiotics such as Amoxicillin. It appears to have become a routine
practice in veterinary medicine to utilize antibiotics, such as
Amoxicillin, to treat infections in domesticated animals. There are, in
fact, places on the Web where you can purchase "Non-Prescription
Antibiotics" which contain Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Tetracycline,
Penicillin, etc. Since certain diseases, such as Lyme disease, can infect
both animals AND humans, is it not possible that a drug-resistant disease
that can infect both humans and animals could emerge from the
indiscriminate use of these antibiotics to treat ailments in dogs and
cats?
My interest in this subject was prompted by the fact that I am
currently taking Amoxicillin to treat an infection, and was impressed with
its effectiveness. In browsing the web for further information on this
antibiotic, I discovered that veterinarians are dispensing it to treat
infections in house cats! I love dogs and cats as much as the next person,
but it would be regrettable is future generations of humans were deprived
of the benefits of effective and inexpensive antibiotics because humans in
our generation want to keep their dogs and cats alive and well for as long
as is possible.
If anyone knows of any scientific research that establishes a
degradation in the effectiveness of antibiotics in the treatment of human
diseases because of the concerns mentioned above,I would be interested in
examining it. Thanks,
--- Bill Angel
