T5: Animal medications and the vet nurses responsibility Flashcards
What are antibiotics?
drugs used to treat bacterial infections
What are anti-inflammatories?
drugs used to suppress the symptoms of inflammation and allergies, including swelling, fever and local pain
What are anthelmintics?
anti-parasite drugs used to kill internal parasites (helminths = worms)
What is external parasite control?
drugs and chemicals used to control parasitic organisms such as fleas, ticks and mites
What are analgesics?
pain killers
What are disinfectants and antiseptics?
chemicals used to prevent the spread of infection
Name two endocrine or metabolic drugs
thyroxine
insulin
Name two common types of drugs used during/before surgery
sedatives & anaesthetic drugs
Body system: Integument
Organs?
Drug action?
Skin
To treat diseases of the skin
Body system: Respiratory system
Organs?
Drug action?
Airways (nostrils, pharynx, trachea, bronchi) and Lungs
To improve breathing and treat diseases of these organs
Body system: Cardiovascular system
Organs?
Drug action?
Heart and blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries)
To improve blood flow, heart function and control blood pressure
Body system: Digestive system
Organs?
Drug action?
Oesophagus, stomach, small & large intestine, pancreas and liver
To act upon symptoms such as Inappetence (not eating), vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, as well as to treat specific organ diseases
Body system: Reproductive system
Organs?
Drug action?
Female
Ovaries, uterus, cervix & vagina
To treat diseases of these organs, and to regulate reproduction through hormone control; also to aid in pregnancy & parturition (birth)
Male
Testes, spermatic cord, prostate (in some species) and penis
To aid in the function and treatment of specific organ disease
Body system: Endocrine system
Organs?
Drug action?
Organs and glands that produce hormones including the reproductive organs, pituatory & hypothalamus glands, adrenal glands, pancreas (insulin) and thyroid
To regulate hormone levels and treat diseases of the endocrine system & organs, eg diabetes
Body system: Immune system
Organs?
Drug action?
Red and white blood cells arising from the bone marrow; also other infection fighting & inflammatory cells of the lymph nodes, liver & spleen
To improve the immune function and treat diseases of the immune system
What are two actions of a drug?
LOCAL OR SYSTEMIC
What are the various ways a drug may be absorbed into the blood stream?
- by directly being injected into a blood vessel
- by being absorbed through the skin (topical application)
- through the lining of the gut (oral administration)
- being absorbed from the tissues of the body (subcutaneous or intramuscular injection) into blood capillaries and into the circulation.
How do you calculate a drug dose?
weight of animal x dose rate
/
concentration
What do the following prefixes mean?
SID
BID
TID
QID
EOD/QOD
NPO
ad lib
q2
qh
qd
Prefix Meaning
SID Once daily
BID Twice daily
TID Three times daily
QID For times daily
EOD/QOD Every other day (every second day)
NPO Nil Per Os (not orally)
ad lib as desired
q2 q=every 2=hours between dose i.e. every 2 hours
qh q=every, h=hour i.e. every hour
qd d=day i.e. every day
What is the purpose of a loading dose?
allows the drug concentration to reach higher levels, quite quickly in the circulation or wherever it is required, so that it can carry out its specific function (reach therapeutic levels)
Use of a drug for other purposes than what it is designed or registered for is called?
off-label use
What information may a drug label include?
- dose rate
- dose interval
- species use
- age range
- safety info
- contraindications
- side effects
- route and method of admin
- concentration of drug
*
List some common toxicities seen in practice
chocolate
rodenticides
NSAIDS (aspirin, ibruprofen, panadol)
pesticides
Some OHS considerations when administering meds?
MSDS provides good info
may need to wear gloves
bite/scratch/kick from animal
sharps
zoonotic disease
Describe a Schedule 2 drug
Pharmacy Medicines
These are poisons for therapeutic use that should be handled with care and only available to the public from pharmacies or persons licensed to sell Pharmacy Medicines
Example - Canasten (antifungal treatment)
Describe a Schedule 3 drug
Pharmacist Only Medicines
These are potent substances for therapeutic use which are of a sufficiently dangerous nature to warrant their distribution to be restricted to pharmacists or authorised persons only.
Example - Insulin
Describe a Schedule 4 drug
Prescription Only Medicines or Prescription Animal Remedy
These are poisons that, in the interest of public safety, prescription and supply should be restricted to medical, dental or veterinary authorised persons
Example - Penicillin
Describe a Schedule 5 drug
Caution
substances or preparations of a hazardous nature which must be readily available to the public, but do require caution in handling, use and storage. These substances may be sold by an animal product retailer providing they are sold in the containers in which they were supplied to the business, and these containers are unopened. An authorised person must supervise the transfer of these into smaller quantities for sale.
Example - Equimec, many worming preparations
Describe a Schedule 6 drug
Poison
Substances or preparations of a poisonous nature which must be readily available to the public for domestic, pastoral, horticultural, veterinary, photographic, for industrial purposes, or for the destruction of pests. Like S5 substances, these may be sold by an animal product retailer, on the condition that they are in the containers in which they were received by the business and these containers have not been opened. Only an authorised person may transfer these substances into smaller quantities for sale.
Example – Tiguvon
Describe a Schedule 7 drug
Dangerous Poison
Theses are substances or preparations of exceptional danger which require special precautions in manufacture, storage and use, for which individual labelling and distribution regulations are required.
Example - Arsenic
Describe a Schedule 8 drug
Controlled Drugs
These are substances or preparations which are dependence producing or potentially dependence producing. These include amphetamines, narcotics and other drugs of addiction. Strict regulations regarding the prescription, supply, storage and record keeping apply.
Animal Carers and Veterinary nurses are not legally allowed to dispense (or redispense), or prescribe:
- Controlled Drugs (Schedule 8)
- Dangerous Poison (Schedule 7)
- Prescription Only Medicines (Schedule 4).
A veterinary nurse may dispense or administer S4 under direct supervision from a veterinarian. - Pharmacist Only Medicine (Schedule 3) drugs may be sold over the counter, without a prescription. However, a veterinarian must supervise the sale to give advice on directions for use.
What S11 drugs?
- 1999 amendment
- KETAMINE and ANABOLIC and ANDROGENIC STEROIDS.
- This amendment caused Ketamine and Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids to be classified as Schedule 11. The effect of this is to provide for a greater range of law enforcement tools to be used in investigating their misuse, and to provide penalties appropriate to trafficking offences
Storage requirements of S2 and S3 drugs?
- Retail stock must be stored in a place that is not accessible to the public.
- Store so the substance cannot mix with or contaminate food, drink, drugs, or other poisons if the container breaks.
- Store out of reach of children, at least 1.4 m off the floor
Storage requirements of S4 drugs?
- Store in a lockable cupboard, dispensary, drawer, storeroom or other place to which the public does not have access
Storage requirements of S5 drugs?
- Stored so it cannot mix or contaminate food, drink, drugs, or other poisons if the container breaks.
- Store out of reach of children, at least 1.4 m off the floor
Storage requirements of S6 drugs?
- Store contaminate food, drior other poisons if the container breaks.
- Store out of reach of children, at least 1.4 m off the floor.
Storage requirements of S7 drugs?
- Retail stock must be stored in a locked receptacle or store room.
- Store so the substance cannot mix or contaminate food, drink, drugs, or other poisons if the container breaks
Storage requirements of S8 and S11 drugs?
- Must be kept in an approved fixed and locked receptacle, the key to which is kept on the vet and records must be kept.
