Benchmarking: A Tool for Veterinary Practices to Improve Prudent Use of Antibiotics in Cats and Dogs in Switzerland

Background/Objectives: Antibiotic use (ABU) in cats and dogs is a potential public health issue due to its direct contribution to the emergence of antibiotic resistance. In Switzerland, data on animal antibiotic treatments has been collected since 2020 via the Information System for ABU in Veterinary Medicine. This study focuses on the first implementation of a national benchmarking tool for ABU in cats and dogs in veterinary practices. Methods: The benchmarking tool is based on a practice-level indicator derived from the number of therapy days (pATI). Practices are compared separately for small animal practices and mixed practices, and for each animal species. The pATI is calculated based on the number of therapy days and is normalized by the number of consultations per species and per year. Practices were classified into four ABU categories based on their pATI: very high, high, acceptable, and no ABU. Thresholds for these categories are set according to Swiss legislation, using the 75th and 95th percentiles of the pATI values of all comparable practices. Results: By 2025, benchmarks were implemented in 686 veterinary facilities; a total of 667 (97.2%) received a pATI classification for ABU in dogs and 670 (97.7%) for ABU in cats. The median pATI was higher for cats than for dogs across all practice types. Similarly, the 75th and 95th percentile thresholds were also almost always twice as high for cats as for dogs across all practice types. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first time a benchmarking tool for ABU has been implemented at a national level for cats and dogs. The benchmarking tool is expected to drive long-term changes in ABU practices.