New condition-specific toolkits launched by RUMA CA&E at BVA Live aim to help practices turn national ambitions on antimicrobial stewardship into practical action
The responsible use of Medicines Alliance – Companion Animal & Equine (RUMA CA&E) has launched two new condition-specific online toolkits at BVA Live today (12 June 2026), marking the next phase of its work to support and help the profession deliver the first national antimicrobial use (AMU) reduction targets for dogs and cats. The digital toolkits focus on canine acute diarrhoea and cat bite abscesses/cat fight wounds – two common presentations where a combination of evidence and clinical experience suggests antibiotics are not needed in the majority of cases.
The first ever national AMU reduction targets for dogs and cats were announced by RUMA CA&E back in November 2025; these targets aim for a 30% reduction in overall AMU in dogs and cats, and a 50% reduction in highest priority critically important antibiotic use in cats over the next five years. These new toolkits are designed to support the delivery of those goals by helping veterinary teams apply evidence-based prescribing and antibiotic stewardship more consistently in everyday practice.
The RUMA CA&E Alliance has identified these two conditions as the first ‘in practice focus areas’ because antimicrobial use has traditionally been high, while evidence and clinical experience increasingly shows that most patients do not require treatment with antibiotics. By focusing on common cases where change is achievable, RUMA CA&E aims to help practices make measurable progress against the national targets whilst ensuring patient care is not compromised.
In canine acute diarrhoea, the evidence clearly shows that, unless dogs show significant systemic signs, they will recover without antibiotics, without the potential risk of antibiotic side effects. In cat bite abscesses and cat fight wounds, drainage and flushing are considered the key interventions, with antibiotics being unnecessary unless there are complicating factors.
The digital toolkits provide practical support for practices, including signposting to evidence and research, decision-making flowcharts, ideas for audit and review, and client-facing materials enabling effective conversations with owners to manage expectations around antibiotic use. RUMA CA&E believes this practical, condition-specific approach will help support even more progress and embed antibiotic stewardship further into day-to-day action across the profession.
Gwyn Jones, Chair of RUMA CA&E, says: “Antimicrobial stewardship in companion animal practice is not a new concept and the profession has made real progress in recent years. Ten years of CA&E sales data show significant reductions in antimicrobial use but maintaining that momentum will require sustained focus and practical support. That is why the new antimicrobial use targets for the companion animal sector, launched last November (2025) matter. But the bigger opportunity now is turning that ambition into tangible change in everyday practice through focused work on conditions where antibiotics are still used too often.”
Steve Howard, Secretary General of RUMA CA&E, said: “Targets alone will not change prescribing; we want to support teams to make incremental changes to contribute to achieving those targets. This next phase of work from RUMA CA&E which focuses on specific conditions where antimicrobial use has traditionally been high, but where evidence and clinical experience indicates most patients do not require them, is about giving practices practical, evidence-based support in areas where there is evidence antibiotics are still used too often, so that teams can make confident and informed decisions and help deliver further antibiotic use reductions.”
Kit Sturgess, who Chairs the RUMA CA&E Targets and Measures Working Group, the members of which have helped develop the condition specific toolkits, says: “RUMA Companion Animal & Equine has set out a clear direction of travel: reduce unnecessary antimicrobial use, improve consistency across practice, and support the profession with practical resources that make evidence-based prescribing easier. That matters because antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat, and responsible use is essential if we are to protect the effectiveness of these important medicines while maintaining high standards of patient care.”
Steve concludes: “If stewardship efforts are going to gain traction, they need to begin with conditions where the evidence is strong, the case for change is clear, and the impact can be meaningful. Canine acute diarrhoea and cat bite abscesses/cat fight wounds fit that criteria well. Both are common in first-opinion practice, both have historically been associated with antimicrobial prescribing, and in both cases the combination of evidence and clinical opinion and experience suggests that most patients do not require antibiotics. That makes them practical, high-impact starting points for helping teams review prescribing in everyday consultations.”
The toolkits can be accessed here: National AMU Reduction targets – RUMA CA&E
Industry quotes of support:
- The Animals, Plants, Food and Environment Delivery Board for the UK AMR National Action Plan: ‘The UK AMR NAP Animals, Plants, Food and Environment Delivery Board endorses the RUMA CA&E National Antibiotic Use Reduction Targets as an ambitious but achievable step toward tackling antimicrobial resistance. These targets, alongside the creation and sharing of condition-specific guidance and advice, reflect strong sector commitment to responsible antibiotic use and directly support the outcomes of the UK AMR National Action Plan. The Board welcomes the CA&E sector’s commitment to transparent reporting, ongoing evaluation, and evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship, recognising this as an important step in protecting the effectiveness of key antibiotics and sustain progress against AMR.’
- Abi Seager, Chief Executive Officer, Veterinary Medicines Directorate: “Following the launch of RUMA CA&E’s national antibiotic reduction targets last year, it is encouraging to see this next phase delivered through condition-specific campaigns for dogs and cats. By focusing on areas such as canine acute diarrhoea and cat bite abscesses, this work helps turn ambition into practical support for veterinary teams. Accessible, evidence-based guidance is key to everyday clinical decision-making and to sustaining progress on antimicrobial stewardship. These resources will help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use while maintaining effective treatment and high standards of animal health and welfare. We look forward to continuing to work with partners to ensure this contributes to national efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance.”
- British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux: “By using antimicrobials to treat infections in dogs and cats only when necessary and backed by testing, small animal vets in the UK are helping achieve positive reductions in the use of these essential medicines and preserving them for both people as well as animals in the future.The new condition-specific antimicrobial use toolkits from RUMA CA&E, which BVA is a proud member of, will be a valuable addition to the existing antimicrobial stewardship resources such as those developed by BVA and our specialist divisions, and will help further reduce and refine the use of these critical medicines in the future.”
- BSAVA President, Julian Hoad: “We welcome the launch of RUMA CA&E’s condition-specific campaigns, which will play an important role in supporting national antimicrobial use reduction targets in dogs and cats. The toolkits developed for canine acute diarrhoea and cat bite abscesses give practices practical, evidence-based support to strengthen antibiotic stewardship. By focusing on conditions where antibiotics are not needed in most cases, these resources will help veterinary teams use antimicrobials responsibly and only where they are clinically indicated.”
- Dr Fergus Allerton, an Internal Medicine Specialist at Willows Veterinary Centre has been a key member of the RUMA CA&E Targets and Measures Working Group and has fed heavily into the development of the Alliance’s condition specific work: “RUMA CA&Es aim is to galvanise and support the veterinary profession to reduce antibiotic use in common conditions where the evidence shows they are not needed. By providing practical resources focused on canine acute diarrhoea and cat bite abscesses/cat fight wounds, we want to give veterinary teams the confidence to make evidence-based choices. This work supports the delivery of the national reduction targets by optimising antibiotic use in frequently encountered conditions.”
- Veterinarian Paul Stanley from White Lodge Veterinary Surgery (CVS) in Exmouth, UK, conducted an award-winning audit demonstrating that 86% of cats with bite abscesses can be successfully treated without antibiotics. He has played a key role in supporting the development of the condition specific campaign work with RUMA CA&E: “Through RUMA CA&Es condition-specific work focused on cat bite wounds and abscesses and canine acute diarrhoea, we’ve been able to create digital toolkits that focus on practical, evidence-based ways to support clinicians in making confident decisions on antimicrobial use – it’s all about providing resources and guidance to empower vets to prescribe responsibly and with confidence. A really important message is that choosing not to prescribe antibiotics is not a lesser standard of care. When an animal has been properly assessed and the clinical picture supports it, not using antibiotics is the right and responsible decision.”
- Katie Mantell, Chief Executive Officer, RCVS Knowledge: “It is great to see the launch of these condition-specific toolkits from RUMA C&E, which provide focused support for veterinary teams to improve responsible use of antimicrobials in cases of cat bite abscesses and canine acute diarrhoea. It is important we address these more focused areas of antimicrobial use as part of broader work to address this issue as a sector and in support of the national reduction targets.”
- Ian Battersby BVSc DSAM DipECVIM-CA FRCVS – RCVS and European Specialists in Internal Medicine – Independent Consultant is a committed clinician with experience in private practice, charities, governance, leadership, One Health and global organisations and has been heavily involved in the development of the condition specific work by RUMA CA&E: “I’ve been delighted to support the development of RUMA CA&Es condition-specific toolkits as part of its antimicrobial stewardship work. Canine acute diarrhoea and cat bite abscesses/cat fight wounds are sensible starting points: they are common presentations, have historically involved antimicrobial prescribing, and in most routine cases antibiotics are not needed. These new digital toolkit resources, launching at BVA Live, will help veterinary teams make confident, evidence-based decisions about antimicrobial use and turn stewardship into something practical and measurable. Importantly and uniquely, they provide guidance on how to engage the whole practice to adopt a uniform approach for a clinical presentation. This type of change not only requires education from an evidence base, but also collaborative discussions within teams as the decision to prescribe also includes human factors. By focusing on achievable, evidence-led change, and working collaboratively within teams the profession can demonstrate progress and maintain momentum across the sector.”