Pet Owners' Knowledge of Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Resistance and Their Antibiotic Practices: Comparison Between Contexts of Self and Pet

Objective: This study aimed to compare pet owners' knowledge of antibiotic use, understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic practices for themselves and their pets to guide behavioral interventions to reduce AMR. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted between March 2023 and December 2023 involved 1080 pet owners recruited from 16 veterinary clinics in Singapore. An anonymous self-administered survey assessed the participants' knowledge of antibiotic use and AMR as well as their adherence to recommended antibiotic practices for themselves and their pets. McNemar's Chi-square test was used to identify significant differences in the outcome variables between self and pets. The differences between the type of pet owned (dog owner/non-dog owner) were assessed using Pearson's Chi-square test. Results: Among the 1080 pet owners surveyed, poorer knowledge of antibiotic use (46.3% vs. 33.2%; p < 0.001) and inappropriate antibiotic use (33.9% vs. 23.5%; p < 0.001) was more common for participants' pets than for themselves. Compared to dog owners, non-dog owners had poorer knowledge of antibiotic use for their pets (poor knowledge, 55.2%; 42.4%; p < 0.001), but the knowledge of AMR occurrence and antibiotic practices did not differ between the dog owners and the non-dog owners. Conclusions: Pet owners have significantly poorer antibiotic use knowledge and antibiotic practices for their pets than for themselves. Compared to dog owners, non-dog owners have poorer knowledge of antibiotic use. Educational initiatives addressing pet owners' knowledge deficits may improve their antibiotic practices for their pets and themselves, emphasizing the importance of cross-sectoral One Health planning.