1. Pharmacy Michael Lavoie 6/18/12 Middlesex Community College
Veterinary Assistant Program

2. Types of Drugs Chemical Name Geriatric (nonproprietary) name:
Provides scientific and technical information
Is a precise description of the substance
Geriatric (nonproprietary) name:
Official identifying name of the drug
Describes the active drug (i.e. famotidine)
Written using lowercase letters

3. Types of Drugs Brand (trade, proprietary) name:
Establishes legal proprietary recognition for the corporation that developed the drug
Is registered with the U.S. patent office and is used only by the company that has registered the drugs
Is written in capital letters or begins with a capital letter and has a superscript R by its name
Example: Pepcid AC

4. Sources of Drug Information
Package insert
Provided with drugs to reach regulatory requirements
Registered trade name, generic name, controlled substance notation if warranted
Description or composition statement
Clinical pharmacology, actions or mode of action
Contradictions
Warnings
Adverse reactions or side effects
Overdosage information
Dosage administration
Storage
How supplied

5. Sources of Drug Information
Drug References
Bound book of information on package inserts
Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR): human approved drugs
Veterinary Pharmaceuticals and Biologicals (VPB)
Compendium of Veterinary Products (CVP)

6. Expiration Dates
Expiration dates is the date before which a drug meets all specifications and which the drug can no longer be used
Expiration dates are assigned based on the stability of or experience with the drug
Expiration dates with drugs that are mixed at the clinic may vary depending on the reconstitution and refrigeration status of the drug

7. Drugs used in the Veterinary Clinic
Veterinary drugs are those approved only for use in animals
Human drugs are approved by the FDA and guidelines for their use in food-producing animals is provided in the Compliance Policy Guide
A veterinary/client/patient relationship must be established before any medication is prescribed for an animal

8. System of Measurement in the Veterinary Field
House hold system: Lacks stardardization; not accurate for measuring medicine.
Metric system: developed in the 18th century to standardize measurement for European countries
Prefixes denote increases or decreases in size of unit
Apothecary system: system of liquid units of measure used chiefly by pharmacists

9. Metric System Units are based on factors of 10
Base units are meter (length), liter (volume), and grams (weight)
Prefixes commonly used:
Micro= one millionth of a unit=
Milli-= one thousandth of a unit= 0.001
Centi-= one hundredth of unit= 0.01
Kilo-= one thousand units= 1,000

10. Conversion Move decimal point appropriate direction based on units
Examples:
-kg to g= move decimal point 3 places to the right
- g to kg= move decimal point 3 places to the left
l to ml= move decimal point 3 places to the right
ml to l= move decimal point 3 places to the left

11. Remember…
When converting from larger units to smaller units the quantity gets larger
When converting from smaller units to larger units the quantity gets smaller

12. Temperature Conversions
In the Fahrenheit system, water freezes at 32 degrees: water boils at 212 degrees
In the Celsius system, water freezes at 0 degrees; and water boils at 100 degrees
Comparison
C= F - 32/1.8
F=1.8C + 32

13. Dose Calculations
Must know the correct amount of drug to administer to a patient
Must be in a system of measurement
Weight conversion factor: 2.2 lbs = 1 kg
Remember that drugs can be measured in mcg, mg, g, ml, l, units
Remember that drugs can be dispensed or administered in tablets, ml, l and capsules.

14. Skin anatomy and physiology
The skin is made up of three layers:
Epidermis: (the most superficial layer that contains cells but not blood vessels
Dermis: middle layer that is composed of blood and lymph tissues, nerve tissues, and accessory organs of skin such as glands and hair follicles
Subcutaneous: deepest layer that is composed of connective tissue

16. Drugs Used for Treating Skin Disorders
Topical treatments consist of agents applied to the surface; they affect the area in which they are applied
Systematic treatments consist of drugs that are given systematically that affect many areas of the body

17. Drugs Used in Treating Pruritus
Topical antipruritics provide moderate relief of itching (may be used with systemic medication)
Topical nonsteroidal antipruritics
Local anesthetics such as lidocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine, and pramoxine
Soothing agents
Oatmeal has soothing and anti-inflammatory effects
Antihistamines
Products containing diphenhydramine calm pain and itching due to allergic reactions and sensitive skin
Topical corticosteroids
Variety of products such as hydrocortisone

18. Drugs Used in Treating Seborrhea
Seborrhea is characterized by abnormal flaking or scaling of the epidermis and may be accompanied by increased oil production (seborrhea oleasa) or not (seborrhea sicca)
Keratolytics are an important group of antiseborrheics
Keratolytics remove excess keratin and promote loosening of the outer layers of the epidermis
Keratolytics break down the protein structure of the keratin layer, permitting easier removal of this material

19. Other Agents Used to Treat Skin Disorders
Astringents are agents that constrict tissues
Antiseptics are substances that kill or inhibit the growth of microbes on living tissue
Soaks and dressings are substances applied to areas to draw out fluid or relieve itching

20. Ophthalmic Drugs
Things to consider when using topical ophthalmic drugs
They must be absorbed into the anterior chamber
They may be administered at different frequencies depending on whether they are in ointment or solution form
They must be relatively easy to administer so that client compliance occurs

21. Otic Medications
Many drug combinations are used in veterinary medicine to treat ear disease, including:
Antibiotics
Antiparasitics
Antifungals
Corticosteroids (in combination with anti-infectives)
Otic drying agents
Otic cleansing agents
Otic dewaxing agents

22. Inflammatory drugs
Inflammation is a useful and normal process that consists of a series of events, including vascular changes and release of chemicals that help destroy harmful agents at the injury site and repair damaged tissue
Vasodilation increases permeability of blood vessels in the early phase
Accumulation of leukocytes, reduced blood flow, chemical release (histamine, prostaglandin, and bradykinin) and tissue damage in cellular phase
Severe inflammation must be reduced to avoid additional damage to the body

23. Antibiotics
An antimicrobial is a chemical substance that has the capacity, in diluted solutions, to kill (biocidal activity) or inhibit the growth (biostatic activity) of microbes
The goal of antimicrobial treatment is to render the microbe helpless (either by killing them or inhibiting their replication) and not to hurt the animal being treated
Antimicrobials can be classified as:
Antibiotics
Antifungals
Antivirals
Antiprotozoals
Antiparasitics

24. Antibiotics
Antibiotics work only on bacteria and are described by their spectrum of action (range of bacteria for which the agent is effective)
Narrow-spectrum antibiotics work only on either gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria (not both)
Broad-spectrum antibiotics work on both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (but not necessarily all)
Antibiotics can be classified as bactericidal or bacteriostatic
Bactericidals kill the bacteria
Bacteriostatics inhibit the growth or replication of bacteria

25. Considerations When Using Antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance
Means that the bacteria survive and continue to multiply after administration of the antibiotic
Occurs when bacteria change in some way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of the agent used to cure or prevent the infection
Can develop through bacterial mutation, bacteria acquiring genes that code for resistance, or other means

26. Behavior Modification Drugs
The use of drugs to treat problem behaviors is only a small part of treating animal behavior problems
Must correctly diagnose the condition, examine the social conditions, and alter external stimuli
Potential side effects of long-term use
Liver, kidney, and cardiovascular problems
Used extra-label
Must have veterinarian/client/patient relationship

27. Classes of Behavior-Modifying Drugs
Anti-anxiety drugs: Attempt to decrease anxiety
Examples include diphenhydramine and hydroxzine
Antidepressants: are used to treat various mood changing disorders (such as aggression), and cognitive dysfunction in animals
Prozac, etc.
Hormones: Progestrins and estrogens have calming effects due to their suppression of male-like behaviors

28. Herbal Medicines
Alternative medicine refers to treatments or therapies that are outside accepted conventional medicine
Complementary medicine refers to the use of alternative therapies with or in addition to conventional treatment

29. Types of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Veterinary acupuncture and acutherapy
Examination and stimulation of body points by use of acupuncture needles, injections, and other techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions
Veterinary chiropractic
Examination, diagnosis, and treatment of animals through manipulation and adjustments
Veterinary physical therapy
Use of noninvasive techniques for rehabilitation
Veterinary homeopathy
Treatment by administration of substances that are capable of producing clinical signs in healthy animals

30. Types of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Veterinary botanical medicine
Uses plants and plant derivatives as therapeutic agents
Nutraceutical medicine
Uses micronutrients, macronutrients, and other nutritional supplements as therapeutic agents
Holistic veterinary medicine
Comprehensive approach to health care using both alternative and conventional diagnostic techniques and therapeutic approaches

31. General Guidelines for Herbs
Ask all clients whether they give herbs or other supplements to their animals
Inform clients that herb-drug interactions exist
Encourage the use of standardized products from respected manufacturers
Use herbal therapies in recommended doses
Avoid herbs with known toxicities
Do not use herbs in pregnant or nursing animals, the very young, or the very old
Accurate diagnosis of the animal’s condition is essential to evaluate all therapeutic options
Document all herb or supplement use in the animal’s medical record