Drug administration in K9s/Felines
Introduction:
To administer a drug is to make the drug accessible to the patient’s body where the effect is desired.
The drug therefore, is desired to elicit or manifests an effect where it is desired.
For this to occur, the drug must come in contact with the tissues of organs and cells of tissues by one way or the other,
*** the way that makes the drug comes in contact or is made accessible to the tissue, cells, extracellular and intracellular fluids is the route of administration of drug
Various routes may be followed, some common are
- Topical
- Rectal
- Intrauterine
- Intramammary
Choice of Route of Administration
as solid – Oxytetracycline bolus
oxytetracycline tablet
Paracetamol tablet
Dimenhydrinate pill
as solution - codeine syrup
as suspension – insulin, penicillin procaine, cough syrup.
Aerosol – beclomethasone, nebulizers
Volatile liquid - halothane or nitrous oxide
or
as ointments, lotions, pastes etc.
2) Based on the nature of the drug, oil based or water based; organic, Polar or non polar solvent etc.
3) The desired bioavailability of the therapist.
4) Desired onset of action - how fast the therapist wants to see the manifest effect of the drug.
This is important, especially in life threatening conditions or circumstances that require immediate onset of action; as shock, circulatory collapse, the nature of the disease and location of the disease.
5) Duration of action – If a duration is required to be long; the drug is administered 2-4 times daily.
This could be done in a depot form as a patch on the skin, or by increasing dosing frequency as in treating anaplasmosis, inj. Oxytetracycline is administered 2-3 days by I/M, S/C or I/V injection.
The long acting oxytetracycline (OTC- LA), which is designated for slow absorption absorbs over 3 days.
1. Per oral administration
Most common & easy route. Via this route, tab/cap/pv & liq. medicines can be administered.
po (from the Latin per os) is the abbreviation used to indicate oral route of medication administration
This route is not to be used when
Gastric astringents & protectants are very suitable to be given by this route.
Administration of liquid medicine
Dog unable to eat or unwilling to eat, too can be fed by oral route if he is physically fit.
- At first, muzzle the dog
- Tilt the Head at 45˚ angle, then make a pouch by pulling skin of the angle of mouth with index finger.
- Instill desired amount of liquid into the pouch by a syringe/dropper/spoon.
Precaution
Head mustn’t be held too high as liquid may enter in lungs, -inspiratory pneumonia.
Administering liquid medicine orally
Forming a cheek pouch
for administration of liquids
- Fit a mouth gag.
- Apply a tape muzzle.
- Insert stomach tube lubricated with liquid paraffin slowly. As tube reaches the oropharyngeal region, allow some time so that dog swallows the tube. Then insert right up to the stomach.
- Make sure that it had entered the stomach
- Then, desired quantity of liquid may be poured.
Administration of liquids by stomach tube
- Secure the dog in position.
- Grasp upper jaw with one hand so that upper teeth are covered with the skin fold of upper lip.
- Pushed lower jaw downward with little finger to open mouth.
- Place Tablet or capsule on the base of tongue & close the mouth immediately.
- Keep the mouth closed until dog swallows the drug.
Administration of tablet, capsule, pills etc
Drug MASKING is the common process but may not work for all dogs
- If it does not swallow, rub the throat gently or nostrils may be closed for a little while.
Use forceps to hold
capsule/tablet
Placing capsule on
base of tongue
Advantages of ORAL Route
Convenient - can be self- administered, pain free, easy to take
Absorption - takes place along the whole length of the GI tract
Cheap - compared to most other parenteral routes
Disadvantages of ORAL Route
First-pass Effect
The first pass effect (also known as first-pass metabolism or presystemic metabolism) is a phenomenon of drug metabolism whereby the concentration of a drug is greatly reduced before it reaches the systemic circulation.
OR
The first-pass effect is the term used for the hepatic metabolism of a pharmacological agent when it is absorbed from the gut and delivered to the liver via the portal circulation.
The greater the first-pass effect, the less the agent will reach the systemic circulation when the agent is administered orally
2. Parenteral administration
Subcutaneous (S/C) Route
Easiest route & larger volume can be injected.
Absorption rate is slow & irritants can not be given by S/c
may produce suppuration & sloughing off of tissue as vascularity is very poor.
No more than 5-10 ml of 10% soln & 20-40 ml of 5% soln to be injected at a site.
Commonly used sites are loose skin of shoulder & flank region.
Placement of needle for subcutaneous injection
Intramuscular I/M Route
Placement of intramuscular injection into quadriceps
Intravenous Injection (I/V)
Lateral saphenous venipuncture
Intra-cardiac (IC)
Injection through the chest wall into the heart
Emergency administration of drugs during cardiac resuscitation, adrenaline
Euthanasia
Moribund animals
Epidural
Animal positioned on sternum, with back legs drawn forwards
Advantages of Parenteral route of drug administration
Disadvantages
It is generally more risky
The preparation must be sterile
The technique is intensive and painful.
Drug administered by all routes except intra-arterial might still be eliminated by first pass elimination in liver prior to distribution to the rest of the body.
3. Rectal route
Commonly used for suppositories for clearing the bowel; also used on nutritional, anthelmintic, purgative enema etc.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
4. Topical route
Medications intra-uterine
Pessaries
Solutions
Administered via the cervix with a pipette or balloon (Foley) catheter
Dose forms for topical administration include:
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Topical Route
Transdermal is a route of administration wherein active ingredients are delivered across the skin for systemic distribution. Examples; Transdermal patches used for medicine delivery, and transdermal implants used for medical or aesthetic purposes.
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Route for administration
-Time until effect-
The ROA is determined by :
SELECTION OF ROUTE
Others……..
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