What Every Producer Should Know About Judicious Antibiotic Use

Responsibly using antibiotics is fundamental to raising healthy, productive and profitable cattle.



DULUTH, Ga. (July 29, 2025) — Judicious use of antibiotics is tremendously important for the future of beef and dairy production.

“If we’re going to preserve the effectiveness of the limited number of antimicrobials that we have in the cattle industry, using them appropriately to minimize the development of antimicrobial resistance is vital,” said Pat Gorden, DVM, PhD, professor at Iowa State University, and specializing in dairy production medicine and clinical pharmacology.

Utilizing antibiotics responsibly also supports the long-term success of cattle operations, and helps reinforce consumer trust in our industry.

“Keeping cattle healthy is always the goal,” stated Nathan Meyer, DVM, PhD, Boehringer Ingelheim. “When antibiotics are used judiciously, it improves the lives of cattle, producers and consumers.”

Using antibiotics judiciously requires implementing these fundamental herd health practices on your operation:



Maintain a veterinarian-client-patient relationship 

The foundation of responsible antibiotic use begins with establishing and maintaining a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR), which is required to access prescription antibiotics.

With a VCPR, your veterinarian can be a true partner in supporting your herd’s health. It can help them gain a better understanding of your herd and be more aligned with your operation’s goals.

“Before a disease occurs, your veterinarian can help develop protocols for receiving cattle, or moving cattle through an operation that can minimize the stress and the risk of disease,” noted Dr. Gorden.

Then, when treatment is needed, your veterinarian can provide more timely and accurate treatment advice. “Your veterinarian can help identify the correct animals that need treatment, and recommend when to implement metaphylaxis protocols,” related Dr. Meyer.

A strong VCPR allows you to work with your veterinarian to build more effective protocols, preventing problems before they start, and ensuring long-term success for your herd.

 

Maximize antibiotic efficacy

A key strategy to judicious antibiotic use is accurately identifying which cattle need treatment.

“Making sure we identify sick cattle quickly and treat them soon after detecting signs of illness is very important,” said Dr. Meyer. Tools like digital sensors, stethoscopes and rectal thermometers can help improve the odds of finding sick animals. However, it still ultimately comes down to the human eye to properly identify illness, so it’s important that anyone working with the animals is trained to recognize the signs early.

Once an animal has been identified for treatment, the right antibiotic should be selected. “For instance, if you’re treating bovine respiratory disease [BRD], a broad-spectrum antibiotic might be advised,” shared Dr. Meyer. “The macrolide class of antimicrobials is broad-spectrum, meaning they treat the four primary BRD pathogens. So, choosing the correct antibiotic is crucial, based on what you’re observing for clinical illness.”

Following the treatment protocols and label recommendations is also a must. This includes withdrawal periods, dosage and post-treatment intervals.

“Where we could improve is accurately knowing the weight of cattle, so we deliver the right dosage,” Dr. Gorden pointed out. When determining the correct dosage, try to weigh cattle individually to get an accurate weight, or, at a minimum, use a weight tape.

Once cattle have been treated, keep thorough records on each individual animal to better adhere to withdrawal periods and know what to do if additional treatment is required.

“Frequently monitor records to see what’s changing,” continued Dr. Gorden. “If you’re typically seeing a certain prevalence of a disease, and it suddenly increases, that’s an indication that something changed. Unless somebody’s looking at those records on a regular basis, an issue may not be found until it’s too late.”

 

Management matters

Strong management practices are imperative to preventing disease and reducing the need for antibiotics. Implementing tactics such as biosecurity, low-stress handling, limiting overcrowding, housing in well-ventilated buildings and providing a clean environment are just a few ways to help minimize stress and disease risk.

“Cover the basics, like trying to minimize stress by purchasing high-health cattle if they’re on the beef side,” said Dr. Gorden. “Taking care of nutrition on the dairy cattle side is hugely important to grow those animals at a faster rate, but at the same time, feed the immune system so it’s ready to help fight off any infections that may come.”

Vaccinations are another way to prepare cattle for a battle with disease and reduce the need for antibiotics. “The cornerstone to any herd health plan is prevention,” asserted Dr. Meyer. “We want to build immunity through vaccination to have a good herd health status. Whenever cattle are challenged, they normally mount a strong immune response. The key is prevention, so vaccination must precede the challenge to have maximum effect.”

Work with your veterinarian to create protocols that help optimize the health of your herd and reduce the need for antibiotics. Visit CattleFirst.com for more details on how to support your herd’s health.


About Boehringer Ingelheim – Animal Health business 

Boehringer Ingelheim provides innovation for preventing and treating diseases in animals. The company offers a wide range of vaccines, parasite-control products and medicines for pets, horses and livestock to veterinarians, animal owners, farmers and governments. As a leader in animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim values that the health of humans and animals is deeply connected, and strives to make a difference for people, animals and society. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us/animal-health.