You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Owners of animals occasionally notice an apparent "reaction" following the administration of a medicine. Such reactions should be reported to the attending veterinarian and he/she will usually report them to the manufactureres or regulatory authorities. However, sometimes such reports do not get passed on .....

If a veterinarian suspects that an animal has shown an adverse reaction to a medicine he/she will usually be obliged to report it to the manufacturers and to the regulatory authorities in the country in which he/she works. Many licensed drugs are known to occasionally cause side-effects in a few animals, and so if your animal develops a known side-effect  it will get reported. An unusual side-effect will also be reported if your vet suspects that it was indeed associated with the administration of a medicine. 

However, if your vet thinks that the "reaction" you noticed was not due to the drug at all , but that it was due to some other factor, and the timing related to the treatment was simply a coincidence -  your report may not be sent on to the manufacturers or to the regulatory authorities.

This can be frustrating for owners who genuinely believe that the medicine in question was to blame for the reaction. Provet is interested in collecting data about suspected adverse side-effects and is inviting owners to submit their observations and concerns to its web site. All information sent in will be kept in a database, and as time goes on the information can be analysed to see if there really is a problem which is not being recognised by veterinarians or the pharmaceutical companies.

So, if you have observed an apparent side-effect or "reaction" following the administration of a drug, or any other medicine, please send in as much as possible of the following  information :

• Details about your animal - species, sex, breed, age
• Details about your pets illness - including other medicines that are/were being given
• The drug/medicine concerned
• What side-effect or reaction you noticed, and how long after the medicine was given you noticed the suspect side-effect
• The name, address and telephone number of your veterinary practice, and the attending vet.
• Your name, address and email contact

In return Provet will :

• Let your practice know that you have submitted the case and keep them informed about any developments in the future
• Search the world-wide  literature to see if there is a similar report on record and let you know
• Store the information you provide in a database to be collated with any similar reports
• If Provet finds any trends over a period of time suggesting that the reaction you have reported might indeed be occurring in other patients it will notify you, your practice and if appropriate the regulatory authorities 

So send in your details to feedback@provet.co.uk NOW

Thank YOU

Last updated : September 2013