Why there shouldn't be Antibiotics in Pet Food

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Why there shouldn't be Antibiotics in Pet Food
Introduction
When antibiotics were discovered, the world of medicine changed, giving people the chance to cure illnesses that were then considered to be fatal. Using antibiotics on animals was considered to be effective in preventing diseases without considering other future complications. Some researches indicate that the use of antibiotics in animals has increased, as much as antibiotics have contributed to modern medicine and saved lives both of humans and animals (Palmer 32). People do not taker caution when it comes to using antibiotics; antibiotics are frequently misused as people forget how powerful the drugs can be (Levy 33). Reports have indicated that substantial amounts of antibiotics are sometimes found in pet foods, something that animal rights ambassadors condemn, affirming that it is a violation of animals rights (Portnoy). Of much concern, is that most of such antibiotics are added to pet foods deliberately and sometimes results from the negligence of pet foods manufacturers. The emerging question is that, is it really Ok to provide pets with foods intoxicated with antibodies? This essay analyses why there should not be antibiotics in pet food looking at the issues from a different perspective, besides analyzing their effects on pets and some of the recommendations from experts.
Overview
Many organizations in the US like the Union of Concerned Scientists, argue that the majority of antibiotics sold are used in animals. Most people use small doses of antibiotics in industrialized pet foods to enhance the weight of pets like cats, dogs, and fish. According to the researchers, the consumption of antibiotics by the animals leads to antibiotic resistance. The use of antibiotics has been an ongoing debate, which has become a mainstream issue. Antibiotics are readily available in stores; people use them to respond to any sign of illness in animals, overdosing their pets (McDermott et al. 15).
Treating animals with antibiotics is not a good idea for various reasons. One of the reasons is that, the pet might be having a fungal infection, in this case using antibiotics will not be helpful and it might even worsen the situation. In addition not all antibiotics are the same; each antibiotic have a bacteria to target (Palmer 32). Curing bacterial in the animal will have little effect because the antibiotic may not be designed to fight the type of bacteria. Moreover, using antibiotics regularly is not good for any pet’s immune system; regular use leads to antibiotics resistance, which can be difficult to treat even with the right medication. It is more advisable that when pets are sick accurate diagnosis from an experienced veterinarian is appropriate (McDermott et al. 15).
In America, over eight billion animals are raised by using antibiotics in their feeds (Goforth & Goforth 32). Antibiotics is usually used for disease prevention and recently discovered that it could also enhance growth in pets. Most pet-handlers use antibiotics to get more money because the bigger the pet, the more money it attracts in any market. According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, up to 80% of antimicrobials in America are use...