The irrational use of veterinary medicines: a prospective analysis

The indiscriminate use of medicines in animals is a common practice in Brazil, and has become a worldwide concern, especially for the bacterial resistance acquired through this type of practice. Therefore this work has as objective to determine the prevalence of the irrational use of medicines by owners of small animals in the city of Londrina- PR. The survey is of the investigative type, and was made available through the online questionnaire platform Google Forms and sent to several veterinary. The questionnaire was voluntarily answered by 53 (fifty-three) professionals who previously agreed to participate in the survey. According to the results self-medication is more frequent in dogs than in cats, and a considerable number of animals are intoxicated by their tutors through the irrational use of medication. It is concluded that it is necessary to implement measures such as educational campaigns of the population, as well as changes in the legislation regarding the purchase without the requirement of veterinary prescription.