A positive diagnosis of an existing cause of disease should be followed by a treatment regimen that is designed to treat the specific disease in an affected animal. The importance of having a veterinarian involved in the diagnosis and treatment of disease cannot be over-emphasised. In most cases, the initial infection can lead to secondary infections and prevent the animal from functioning properly again.
Factors that should be considered when developing a treatment regimen include:
- All of the symptoms, including the close-up examination.
- The cause of the disease.
- The predisposing factors.
- Drug factors.
- Animal factors.
Example factors to consider when developing a treatment plan for Bluetongue in sheep
Drug factors that should be taken into consideration before designing a treatment regimen include the following:
- Pharmaceutical formulation – the process in which different chemical substances, including the active drug, are combined to produce a final medicinal product.
- Pharmacodynamics –the effects of drugs and the mechanism of their action.
- Pharmacokinetics – the activity of drugs in the body over some time, including the processes by which drugs are absorbed, distributed in the body, localised in the tissues, and excreted.
- Instructions for use – this is usually attached on the side of the container with details.
- Dosage – a specified amount of medication taken at one time.
- Route of administration – there are enteral (oral, rectal and sublingual) and parenteral (injections, inhalations and topical application) routes of drug administration.
- Withdrawal period – the minimum period from administering the last dose of medication and the production of meat or other animal-derived products for food.
- Adverse drug reactions – an appreciably harmful or unpleasant reaction resulting from an intervention related to the use of a medicinal product.
Animal factors that should be considered include the following:
- Species and breed of the specific animals.
- Age of the animal.
- Condition – body condition, behaviour and period of illness.
- Sex of the animal.
- History preceding disease (husbandry; feeding; preventative care).
- Disease development stage (early, moderate or advanced).