When you receive veterinary drugs for dispensing: ensure that there is sufficient storage place,

prepare and clean the storage areas, inspect packages for damaged and/or expired products,
check that all original boxes, tins, or bottles are unopened and are in good condition. If products
are defective: separate the damaged or expired stock from the usable stock, refuse to accept the
products and note the problem on the delivery note, follow your facility’s procedure for
handling damaged or expired stock. Report quality problem to the nearest regulatory body and
fill prepaid adverse drug event report form and send to regulatory body.

If products are not damaged fill issue voucher and requisition voucher, count the number of units
for each product received and compares to issue voucher, record received item on receiving
voucher, stock card, bin card and computer, ensure the expiry date is visibly marked on every
package or unit, arrange products in the storage area in such a way to facilitate the dispensing of
the first to expire by first expiry first out or first in first out procedure. Separate damaged,
expired and returned products from the usable stock without delay and dispose using established
disposal procedures and report to the appropriate body for redistribution of veterinary drugs with
nearer expiry date.

Arrangement of veterinary drugs: Veterinary drugs should be arranged on shelves made of

steel or treated wood and the shelves should be strong and robust . Animal health institutions and
veterinary drugs retail outlets can use one or a combination of the following commonly used
methods of veterinary drugs arrangement: Pharmacotherapeutic category, Alphabetical order by
generic name and dosage forms . In arranging veterinary drugs, the following points should be
considered: Each dosage form of veterinary drug is arranged in separate and distinct areas,
sufficient empty space should demarcate one veterinary drug or dosage form from another.
Storageconditions
The veterinary drugs used to treat export livestock must be stored in accordance with the
manufacturer’s recommendations . Storage conditions can be arranged in two classes:
Normal storage conditions: It’s Storage in dry, well-ventilated premises at temperatures of 15-
25 °C or, depending on climatic conditions, up to 30 °C. Extraneous odor, other indications of
contamination, and intense light must be excluded . Veterinary drugs that must be stored under
defined conditions require appropriate storage instructions. Deviation may be tolerated only
during shortterm interruptions, for example, during local transportation unless otherwise
specifically stated, for instances continuous maintenance of cold storage. Unless special storage
conditions are stated, it is vital that veterinary drugs be stored in a dry, adequately ventilated
shady and cool store room. Efforts should be made to maintain the specified storage conditions
with regard to exposure to humidity, sun light, and heat, and so on.
• To reduce the effects of humidity: by opening windows, using fans or air conditioners and
hygrometertoregulatehumidity.
• To protect products from sunlight for photosensitive substance; Shade the windows or use
curtains, Keep products in intact cartoon, do not store or pack products in sunlight and Maintain
treesonthepremisesaroundthefacility.
 • To protect products from heat for heat sensitive substance; It is important to have thermometers
inordertoregulate the temperature .
Special storage conditions: Special storage conditions which can be further classified in two
three as cold storage conditions, combustible or flammable storage conditions, secured storage .
Cold storage conditions: Cold storage conditions maintained by using refrigerators and freezers
for products that may be degraded rapidly when kept at room temperature, like vaccines and
insulin .
When using refrigerators and freezers: Refrigerators that open on the top are more efficient than
vertical ones, because hot rises while cold air falls, Store products that are sensitive to freezing or
very low temperatures on the upper shelves. If there is enough space, place a few plastic bottles
of water in the refrigerator. This will help maintain the temperature for a longer period of time if
the power is cut off. Do not keep staff food in the refrigerator . Opening and closing
the door may lower the temperature and cause veterinary drugs to deteriorate. Record the
temperature daily. Check that there is enough space around the refrigerator so air can move freel.
Combustible (Flammable): Combustibles such as alcohol, ether and other organic solvents
must be stored in special or separate rooms, since it virtually guarantees that fire will not spread
throughout the store. All stores should be equipped with fire extinguishers. A good
alternative to fire extinguishers is represented by wooden or metal buckets filled with sand .

Secured storage conditions: Narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their documents
should be kept in securely locked rooms or cupboards. The keys should be kept in a secure place
and it is preferable that only the chief of pharmacy should have access to them

S/n Terms used Applications

1 Store frozen(deep frozing)-20oc(4oF) For products such as certain vaccines, need to be transported
within a cold chain
2 Store at 0oc(-4oF) For product Labeled store at refrigerator temperature
3 Store at 2-8oc (36-46oF) For products which are very heat sensitive but must not be
frozen
4 Keep cool To be kept between 8-15oc(45-59F)
5 Store at room temperature For Product labeled to be kept between 8-15oc(45-59oF)

Principles of rational prescribing

Good prescribing practice is prescribing the right veterinary drug for the right patient, in the right
dosage of the right formulation and for the right length of time. Good prescribing practice also
includes not prescribing any veterinary drug at all if it is not needed. It requires detailed
knowledge of the patho-physiology of the diseases and clinical pharmacology of the veterinary
drugs. The use of international non proprietary names or generic names of veterinary drugs in
prescribing is an essential component of good prescribing practice. This is because generic
veterinary drugs are less costly, and for a by generic prescription any suitable product can be
dispensed hence avoiding delay while looking for a specific brand .
Good prescribing practice needs:
A) Assessment of the benefit-to-risk and/or benefit-to-cost
ratio of prescribing
During prescription, professionals should consider the following assessment tools: seriousness of
the problem to be treated, appropriateness for the animal and optimal use of the veterinary drug
with respect to: the safety, efficacy and quality of the veterinary drug, possible contraindications
example, albendazole should not be given during early pregnancy due to the possibility of
embryo toxicity, drug to drug interactions example, oxytetracycline should not be given
together with di/trivalent cautions such as ca+2, mg+2, al+3 or fe+2 due to the chelating
behavior of oxytetracycline with these cautions, drug-feed interactions. Example: fatty meals
facilitate the absorption of albendazole where as full rumen may impair its absorption and
treatment history .
B) Public health significance
The effect of the drug on consumers of products from treated animals. Example: Nowadays,
chloramphenicol is banned from use in food-producing animals because of its high risk in human
from consumption of products from treated animals .
C) The cost of veterinary drug
The cost of the drug should be reasonable. Example: treatment of chronic bovine tuberculosis by
isozanaide is not advised because of its high cost to benefit ratio

D) justification for veterinary drug therapy

One has to justify the need for treatment before prescribing. The professionals should avoid
unjustifiable prescription. Example: prescribing of broad spectrum antibiotics for all animal
patients with coughing, prescription of drugs based on the owners interest .
E) selection of appropriate drug
Once treatment is justified, to decide which particular veterinary drug to use, the prescriber
should go through the process of: selecting the therapeutic class; example: antibiotics for
infection, selecting group of veterinary drugs within the class and selecting a particular
medicine in the group; example: streptomycin among aminoglycosides. The choice of drugs
should also consider; sensitivities, site of infection, feature of animal patients such as
contraindications, availability of the drug, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic
properties .

F) Route of administration
Choice of route of administration of drugs depends on site of desired action systemic or local;
physical and chemical property of the drug and its formulation solid, liquid, gas, solubility, ph,
irritancy; the rapidity with which the response is desired which is fast action, intravenous;
patient’s condition just unconscious, vomiting; the ability of the drug to withstand the conditions
of the gastrointestinal tract example: insulin cannot be administered orally since it is degraded in
the gastrointestinal tract. Example: intravenous route is preferable for severe infections such as
milk fever and cowdriosis.
G) Dosage and course of treatment
The dosage of the drug and course of treatment may vary with characteristics of the patient body
weight, age, species, physiological status and pathology; the nature of the disease that means
chronic or acute; and type and strength of the drug. Example 1: A single dose of diaminazine
aceturate is given for the treatment of bovine trypanosomosis but oxytetracycline 10% is given
from 3 to 5 days for treatment of pneumonic pasteurellosis. Example 2: A single dose
of oxytetracycline 20% is enough for the treatment of pneumonic pasteurellosis but
oxytetracycline 10% is given from 3 to 5 days.
Prescription processes: There are six major steps to be followed in the prescribing process
Step 1: Defining the diagnosis, the first step in rational treatment
is defining the patient’s problem, which is making a correct diagnosis.
Step 2: Specifying the therapeutic objectives, once a diagnosis is made, one has to specify his or
her therapeutic objective, what the prescriber wants to achieve with treatment to be applied, to
cure a disease.
Step 3: Selecting the suitable veterinary drugs, select veterinary drugs as described above.
Selected veterinary drugs are the veterinary drugs you have chosen to prescribe regularly, and
with which you have become familiar with their therapeutic effects and side effects.
Step 4: Prescription writing, a prescription is a written order of the prescriber for one or more
medication, and instructs the dispenser how to prepare and dispense veterinary drugs and the
owner how to use them.
Step 5: Give information, instructions and warnings, most owners do not give the prescribed
drugs correctly to patient animals; give them irregularly, or not at all.

The six points listed below summarize the minimum information that should be given to the
owner:
• Effects of the drug: which symptoms will disappear; and when; how important is it to give the
drug; what happens if it is not given.
• Side effects: which side effects may occur; how to recognize them; how long will they remain;
how serious they are; what to do if they occur.
• Instructions: when to give; how to give; how to store; how long to continue the treatment; what
to do in case of problems.
• Warnings: it is what not to do; maximum dose; need to continue treatment.
• Next appointment: when to come back or not; when to come earlier; what to do with left-over
drugs; what information will be needed.
• Everything understood; repeat the information; any more questions.
Step 6: Record keeping and Monitoring of the treatment:
Information containing the date of prescription, the owner name, the animal patients name,
species, sex, age, the disease diagnosed, the prescribed drug name, dosage strength and dosage
form and amount, the prescriber name and initials should be recorded on the case book.