Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Flashcards
What makes a substance toxic or poisonous?
Dosage
Ex. Salt is used as treatment in animals, but giving too much can cause swelling in the brain and even death
Drugs is all about quantity
What are the catagories of drugs?
- Biologicals
- Antimicrobials
- Other Pharmaceuticals (many exist)
Biologicals
Pharmaceuticals
Products (usually proteins) that are typically synthesized by a living organism
Examples
* Vaccines (traditional vaccines) (killed or inactivated pathogens) (attenuation, “breeding” viruses to be useless)
* Antibody preparations, blood or blood products, cells or tissues
* Often very expensive, but very effective
* Some hormones and growth factors
* Insulin
* Antibody/immunoglobulin products
* Colostrum sourced from other animals
* Probiotics
Antimicrobials
Pharmaceuticals
Broad term for any natural or synthetic compound that kills microorganisms or suppresses their growth
* Includes antibiotics, ionophores, antiseptics, disinfectants
Antibiotics - Specifically a drug (which may be derived from a substance produced by a microorganism, eg. penicillin)
* Can be made synthetically
* If it ends with “mycin” it typically came from a mold
Other Drugs
Catagory of pharmaceutical
Parasiticides
Fungicides
Tranquillisers and anesthetics
Anaesic (pain) medications
Hormones
Cardiovascular drugs
Chemotherapy drugs
Vitamins, minerals
MORE
How do we treat food animals different than companion animals with pharmaceuticals?
Food animals have less treatments available to them then companion animals, because you have to consider that someone is going to eat that animals
* We’re worried about passing on resistant bacteria
When should we use drugs in animals?
Should be in the right context
* Don’t give animals drugs when they don’t need them
* Drug supply is gate kept by veterinarians and pharmacists
Animals should be given preventative care (or herd health)
Diagnosis should be made before prescribing drugs
* There should be a treatment plan
Management changes
* Sometimes you just need to move the animals
* Sometimes you need to vaccinate them more often
* Change biosecurity policies
Catagories of hazards
Food Safety
Biological (pathogenic bacteria)
Chemical (drug residues, pesticide residues)
Physical (Needles in meat, flies or straw in milk)
Reasons for drug use in livestock
Therapeutic
* Treatment for infection, parasites, pain, inflammation etc.
* Nutrients to treat deficiencies
* Reproductive management (reproductive hormones)
Preventive
* Vaccines to prevent infection
* Nutrients to prevent malnutrition
Growth Promotion
* Antibiotics
* Creates the risk of antibiotic resistance
* Most antibiotics used in animals are not used for humans to mitigate the risk of antibiotic resistance
* Hormones
* We do not use hormones in pigs, chickens, and turkeys
* In most cases there are nano levels of hormones added
* Hormones are added very early in the animal’s lifespan
How do we treat companion animals with drugs?
Drugs are used as often are they are used in human medicine
Includes many classes of drugs seldom or never used in food animals
They are treated for things not treated for in food animals
* Cancers
* Immune diseases
* Organ failures
We don’t need to worry about the animal residues, but some drug residues might need to be avoided
* Animal drugs have effects on humans too
Explain Theraputic Goal
Pharmaceuticals
What is the specific process you want to alter?
Is it absolutely necessary to use the drug?
* Bacterial infection? - Use the Specific antibiotic for they bacteria
* Heart Disease? - May choose a drug that will decrease blood pressure, or increase heart contractility
Routes of Administration
Pharmaceuticals
Which route can the chosen drug be given?
* IV, IM, Subcut, Oral, Topical, etc.
Which do you use?
An what basis do you make these choices
Advantages or disadvantages
Can the owner or caretaker do it?
Dose, Interval, duration
What dose to choose within the range for this drug?
What interval
* Once a day, twice a day, constant infusion?
What duration
How do these factors fit the particular animal
What do you consider with respect to cost?
Pharmeceuticals
Cost per treatment
* Remember to count how long the animal will be taking it
Cost compared to the value of animal and budget of owner
Cost appropriate to disease?
Include related expenses
* Must the drug be administered in the clinic?
* By IV line?
* By a technician or vet?
* Cost of syringes or other administration devices
What special precautions do you need to consider when administering and disributing drugs
Any special considerations based on this animal?
* its age
* other health conditions
* its use
* its strain
* breed or species
What contraindications for this drug?
* When should it not be used (is it a food animal?)
What adverse reactions might be expected?
* How do we monitor this
* What do we do if detected
How should you evaluate results of a pharmaceutical?
How do we tell if the drug is working, or has worked?
* Physical response?
* Blood tests?
What follow up procedures do we need?
* Re-examination?
* Diagnostics
Name 4
Consequences of improper drug use
Pharaceuticals
- Delay in diagnosis
- Failure to properly treat life-threatening but curable disease
- Prolonged disease state
- Toxicity
- Development of disorder to which patient would not otherwise be subject
- Drug residues in food or antibiotic resistance in bacteria
- Treatment failures
- Increased costs
Name 4
Possible causes of treatment failure
Pharmacuticals
Wrong diagnosis
* Viral infection misdiagnosed as bacterial
Multiple problems nat all recognized
Right diagnosis but very virulent pathogen
Late initiation of treatment
Inaccessible infection (brain, joints, scar tissue, abscess)
Resistant bacteria
* Do culture/sensitivity testing of bacteria first
Ineffective medicine or use of medicine
* Choice of product
* Dose or duration inadequate
* Other concurrent meds interfering
* Expired or degraded product
* Resistant bacteria
Drug Reaction
Pharmaceuticals
Any noxious change in a patient’s condition which a physician/veterinarian believes to be caused by a drug
* Intrisic drug reaction
* Idiosyncratic drug reaction
* Allergic response
Intrinsic Drug Reaction
Pharmaceuticals
Expected side effects of the drug
* Dose related
Idiosyncratic Drug Reactions
Pharmaceuticals
Not predictable, peculiar to the individual
* Usually not dose related
* Occurs in a small proportion of exposed animals
* Associated with drug specific, patient-specific characteristics or environmental factors
* Can be related to enzyme deficiencies in the individual, or may be immune-mediated (still not allergies)
Allergic Responses
Pharmaceuticles
- Not usually dose related
- Unrelated to pharmacological effects
- Can be severe
- May require treatment
- May be minimalized with other drugs
**Nature of reaction depends on organ specificity and Ag-Ab reaction **
* Immediate reaction (anaphylactic)
* Immune Complex reactions (rashes)
* Drug fever
Vetrinary Profession Act
Regulates the veterinary profession, confers self-governing status
Defines qualification and requirements for registration of veterinarians, scope of practice (what is veterinary medicine), who can perform vet medicine, and gives authority to prescribe and dispense drugs for animals
* This creates a potential conflict of interest where the vet overcharges for medicine to make more profit
Prescription (Pr) Drugs for Veterinary Use (Under the CANADA Food and Drug Act)
The Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR)
The relationship and responsibilities of the vet, client, and animal
Under bylaws of the Alberta Vet Med Assoc.
Vet:
◦ Vet is responsible for clinical judgments re animal’s health and treatment and Client agrees to follow vet instructions
◦ Vet has sufficient knowledge of animals to have general Dx of condition
◦ Vet has recently seen animal, personally acquainted with circumstances
◦ Vet is available for followup and emergencies
Client:
* The client agrees to follow the vet’s recommendations and prescription
Extra-Lable Use of drugs
Pharmacueticals
Using the pharmaceutical product in a way not in accordance with Health Canada’s approved label or package insert
* Even if approved in other countries
* Must be done under recommendation of the veterinarian (it changes the withdrawal times)
Any approved drug that is administered in a manner not explicitly stated on the approved label with regard to indication, dosage regimen, route or frequency of administration, duration of treatment, or target species
There are many species where there are no specific approval label directions
* Reptiles
* Llamas
* Birds
* Zoo animals
Which Immunoglobulin Causes Allergic Reactions
IgE
What are Cytokines?
Signaling Molecules
* They trigger an immune response
