title: Characteristics of drug use on sheep farms in Ontario, Canada.
abstract: This study examined characteristics of the use of drugs, especially antimicrobials, on Ontario sheep farms. Forty-nine sheep farms participated in a 12-month prospective study. Producers documented treatment events during the study period and drug use data from the records were summarized. The most frequently used drugs of the 15 drug categories used by producers belonged to the following categories: antimicrobial (40.7%, n=2710), vitamin/mineral (12.0%), and biological (11.1%). Short-acting penicillin (27.2%, n=1103), long-acting oxytetracycline (22.9%), and long-acting penicillin (21.9%) were the most frequently used antimicrobials. The drugs that were used most frequently on sheep farms were antimicrobials, of which 93% of treatments were extra-label. Extensive extra-label drug use may be the result of the limited number of drugs that are approved in Canada for use in sheep.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. cmoon5@uwo.ca
authors.forename: Catherine S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Berke
authors.forename: Brent P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Avery
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McEwen
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Reid-Smith
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menzies
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008903:Minerals / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009864:Ontario; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019155:Veterinary Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008903:Minerals; D019155:Veterinary Drugs; D014815:Vitamins