Month: January 2023

Over the Counter Antibiotics will Require Veterinary Oversight

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All animal owners please see the information below about new regulations regarding over-the-counter antibiotics.

By June of 2023, all medically important antibiotics currently available at most feed or farm supply stores will now require veterinary oversight (written Rx) to be used in animals, even if the animals are not intended for food production. Examples of affected antibiotics include injectable penicillin and oxytetracycline. In addition, some retail suppliers who were able to sell these drugs/products in the past may no longer sell them after June of 2023. To continue using medically important antimicrobials, you may need to establish a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR). Consult your veterinarian for more information.

What is a veterinarian-client-patient-relationship?
A veterinarian-client-patient-relationship (VCPR) is defined by the American Veterinary Medical Association as the basis for interaction among veterinarians, their clients, and their patients and is critical to health of your animals(s). The practical explanation is that it is a formal relationship that you have with a veterinarian who serves as your primary contact for all veterinary services and is familiar with you, your livestock/animals, and your farm operation. This veterinarian is referred to as your Veterinarian of Record (VoR), and both the VoR and the client should sign a form to document this relationship.

What species are included?
From companion dogs and cats to backyard poultry, and from rabbits and show pigs to large livestock farms. The same restrictions will apply to all companion and farm animal species.

How do your health protocols measure up?
Health protocols are customized for individuals and farm-specific, and practicing veterinarians are often asked to develop and write protocols for individual farms, particularly health protocols. Injectable antimicrobials alone will not work as intended if animals are experiencing pain (drop feed and water intake) and/or dehydration. OSU Veterinary Extension is available to review your health protocols, but must be submitted by a practicing veterinarian to Dr. Gustavo Schuenemann at schuenemann.5@osu.edu.

Resources:
1. Over-the-Counter Antibiotics will Require Veterinary Oversight (Rx) Beginning in June of 2023
2. Veterinary Client-Patient Relationship
3. Veterinary Feed Directive
4. List of Approved New Animal Drug Applications Affected by GFI #263
5. Antibiotic Stewardship for Beef and Dairy Cattle
6. Antibiotic Stewardship for Poultry
7. Antibiotic Stewardship for Sheep and Goats

Brown County Master Gardener Seminars

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The Brown County Master Gardeners host seminars once a month from October – April of the following year. These seminars provide the opportunity to expand your knowledge on a variety of topics related to horticulture. Seminars are FREE to attend and take place on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 7:00pm-8:00pm in the Community Room at Western Brown High School. The Community Room is located on the west side of the school across from the tennis courts. See the flyer below for the full list of spring seminar topics and presenters.

Ohio 4-H Conference 2023 & Congratulations

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Calling all Teens and Volunteers:

2023 is in full swing which means now is the time for youth and adults to be enrolling in 4-H for the year and signing up for all the things such as the Ohio 4-H Conference. More information on training and such will be coming soon but we wanted to get this announcement out quickly.

Congratulations to Jamie Loudon on being recognized as one of the Ohio 4-H Alumni Award Winners. Jamie is a Brown Co. 4-H alumnus and has been a volunteer for 20+ years. He is currently serving as the head advisor of the Georgetown Hooves and Halters 4-H Club and is active in multiple 4-H and community events.

Jamie will be recognized during the adult luncheon at the Ohio 4-H Conference scheduled for March 11th at the Columbus Convention Center. This is a great opportunity for adults and teens to participate in a variety of educational sessions! There is truly something for everyone.

The Brown County 4-H Committee is once again sponsoring this event to reduce the cost to just $15 for any current 4-H volunteer or member who would like to attend.

Registration and payment are due to the Extension Office by February 10th by 4:30pm. The registration form as well as the list of sessions can be found online at: https://ohio4h.org/events/ohio-4-h-conference

Please share this with all the teens in your club (youth 13+). There have been lots of great ideas and activities come out of those who have attended in the past. If someone who is not a current volunteer would like to attend, they may at the full cost of registration.

Debating if you should attend? There are two luncheons. One just for teens and one for adults. During the adult luncheon is the awards ceremony for various awards and where Jamie will be recognized. We would love to see as many of our volunteers in attendance as possible.

And just a couple of other friendly reminders: