The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has launched a survey intended to help improve the center better understand the veterinary community’s level of awareness and concern within the regarding antiparasitic resistance in grazing species, including horses.

According to the FDA, “antiparasitic resistance is the genetic ability of parasites to survive treatment with an antiparasitic drug that was generally effective against those parasites in the past. After an animal is treated with an antiparasitic drug, the susceptible parasites die and the resistant parasites survive to pass on resistance genes to their offspring.”

The CVM is encourages equine, bovine, and small ruminant practitioners and veterinary parasitologists to participate in the survey, which opened Sept. 29 and will remain available until Nov. 3.

“Responses will directly impact future educational outreach efforts to encourage the sustainable use of approved antiparasitic drugs and various strategies to slow the development of resistance,” the FDA said in a statement on its website