A One Health Perspective on Multidrug Resistance Amongst Iberian Exotic Pet Owners
by
, , , and
Fábio Cardoso-Freitas
1
,
Stéphanie M. Mota
2, 
Vanessa Silva
3,4,5,6
,
Albert Martinez-Silvestre
7
,
Ângela Martins
1,8 and
Patrícia Poeta
1,3,4,8,*
1
Veterinary and Animal Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-Os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
2
Veterinary Department, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh EH12 6TS, UK
3
MicroART—Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance Team, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-Os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
4
Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV-REQUIMTE), University NOVA of Lisboa, 1099-085 Lisboa, Portugal
5
Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Trás-Os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
6
Functional Genomics and Proteomics Unit, University of Trás-Os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
7
Catalonian Reptiles and Amphibians Rescue Center (CRARC), 08783 Masquefa, Barcelona, Spain
8
Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vet. Sci. 2025, 12(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12010064
Submission received: 21 November 2024
/
Revised: 2 January 2025
/
Accepted: 14 January 2025
/
Published: 16 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology)
Simple Summary
Understanding owners’ realities and perceptions may be crucial to helping veterinarians be more effective in their daily work. So, we aimed to gather the insights of non-traditional companion animal owners in Portugal and Spain on trade, zoonosis, and antibiotic and parasiticide use. We found that there is still a considerable part of unregistered animals and that, overall, owners acknowledged antimicrobial resistance and inadequate use of parasiticides. Hopefully, these data will help veterinarians in tackling these problems and enhance owners’ education
Abstract
Understanding owners’ realities and perceptions may be crucial to helping veterinarians be more effective in their daily work. Noticing the lack of publications in this area, specifically on exotic pets, prompted us to gather insights into non-traditional companion animal owners. A survey was conducted, resulting in 541 respondents from Portugal and Spain. The results were characterised based on demographics, data on trade and antibiotic and parasiticide use, and the relations between these variables. We found that there is still a considerable part of unregistered animals and that, overall, owners acknowledged antimicrobial resistance and inadequate use of parasiticides. Hopefully, these data will help veterinarians in tackling these problems and enhance owners’ education and compliance.
