reproductive equipment
• a Burdizzo, for castration
• a McLean’s teat knife
Equipment for Post-mortem (PM)
These articles are not normally carried by an ambulatory clinician:
• large plastic bucket with disinfectant, warm water, soap and towel
• butcher’s knife and flaying knife
• scalpel and blades that fit
• rat-toothed forceps (15 cm)
• fine forceps (15 cm)
• blunt-nosed straight scissors (20 cm)
• bowel scissors
• bone cutters, saw and hedge loppers
Sampling materials
These include the following:
• plastic trays (50 × 30 × 5 cm)
• plastic bags or various sizes
• sterile universal bottles
• plastic jars (1 l)
• bottles of formalin (kept separate)
• pots containing 50% glycerol for virus isolation
• swabs (plain, transport media and specialized for respiratory pathogens)
• red Vacutainers® for collecting blood, aqueous humour, body fluids
• Pasteur pipettes and rubber sucker
• clipboard
• PM report form, lab submission form
Specialist Equipment
The pieces of equipment listed below are included for completeness. It would be very useful to have the use these items, although within the scope of this book a full description would not be worthwhile. Throughout the text a feasible alternative will be suggested wherever possible to save on financial investment. The list is as follows:
• blood analyser
• centrifuge
• gaseous anaesthetic machine
• operating table
• refractometer
• ultrasound scanner
• X-ray machine
2
Veterinary Medicines
Introduction
In the UK, veterinary medicines are licensed for use in a particular species. They may only be used in a different species if there is no licensed product for that species available. There are very few medicines licensed for goats and no medicines licensed for camelids, although all products licensed for sheep and cattle can be used in goats and camelids (excepting those that contain the antibiotic tilmicosin). Only products required for emergency veterinary cases (i.e. no mastitis prevention antibiotics, no vaccines and no products for disease prevention) are included in the drug lists below, which are arranged first by animal species (cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry) and then by medicine type; proprietary names are used throughout.
The lists that are presented cover the majority of licensed medicines available for cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry in the UK; these are included as a guide only. Practitioners from other countries will have other products available which are similar or are actually generic replicas. Such generic products may well be not only suitable but also legal in other countries; however, they are not legal in the UK.
General advice on products that need to be carried and/or used by the emergency practitioner is given at the head of each main category of medicines.
Cattle Medicines
Anti-inflammatory preparations
Practitioners need to be very selective with these preparations. Only a single NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug – indicated at the end of the drug description) is essential so, on balance, the author would choose a preparation containing flunixin meglumine. This drug will be useful for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antitoxic properties. A preparation containing dexamethasone which can be given iv is also required. A solution containing butylscopolamine 4 mg/ml and metamizole 500 mg/ml should be included as well. The complete list follows:
• Binixin: flunixin meglumine 50 mg/ml; 2 ml/45 kg iv daily for up to 5 days. Meat withhold 8 days. Milk withhold 12 h. NSAID.
• Buscopan: hyoscine butylbromide 20 mg/ml; 2 ml/100 kg im as a single injection. Meat withhold 2 days. Not to be used in lactating animals.
• Buscopan Compositium: butylscopolamine 4 mg/ml and metamizole 500 mg/ml; 5 ml/100 kg iv or im as a single injection. Meat withhold 9 days after iv and 28 days after im. Not to be used in lactating animals. NSAID.
• Carprieve Solution for Injection for Cattle: carprofen 50 mg/ml; 1 ml/35 kg as a single injection sub cut. Meat withhold 21 days. Zero milk withhold. NSAID.
• Colvasone: dexamethazone 2 mg/ml; 1 ml/25 kg iv or im as a single injection. Milk withhold 84 h. Meat withhold 21 days.
• Comforion vet 100 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Horse, Cattle and Swine: ketoprofen 100 mg/ml; 1 ml/33 kg iv or im daily. Meat withhold 4 days. Zero milk withhold. NSAID.
• Dexadreson: dexamethasone 2 mg/ml; 1.5 ml/50 kg iv or im once and repeated in 48 h. Meat withhold 7 days. Milk withhold 60 h.
• Dexafort: dexamethazone sodium phosphate 1.38 mg/ml and dexamethazone phenylpropionate 2.67 mg/ml; 1 ml/50 kg im. Meat withhold 63 days. Milk withhold 6 days.
• Duphacort Q: dexamethasone 2 mg/ml; 1 ml/25 kg iv or im. Meat withhold 21 days. Milk withhold 84 h.
• Finadyne Solution: flunixin meglumine 50 mg/ml; 2 ml/45 kg im. Meat withhold 5 days. Milk withhold 24 h. NSAID.
• Flunixin Injection: flunixin meglumine 50 mg/ml; 2 ml/45 kg im. Meat withhold 7 days. Milk withhold 36 h. NSAID.
• Ketodale 100 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Horses, Cattle and Swine: ketoprofen 100 mg/ml; 3 ml/100 kg im. Meat withhold 4 days. Zero milk withhold. NSAID.
• Ketofen 10%: ketoprofen 100 mg/ml; 3 ml/100 kg im. Meat withhold 4 days. NSAID.
• Melovem 5 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Cattle and Pigs: meloxicam 5 mg/ml; 2 ml/25 kg im daily for two injections. Meat withhold 5 days.
