Back
This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only. 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. In clinical veterinary practice side-effects to drugs sometimes occur and most are well recognised by veterinarians. However, owners sometimes believe that a drug has caused a problem even when their veterinarian does not. Unfortunately, until now, there has been no central recording of owner observations so that a detailed analysis can be performed over time. Every year pet owners and breeders report their suspicions of a link between the administration of a drug or vaccine and the subsequent onset of problems in their animals. In some cases breeders exchange views and conclude that there is a problem - even though their veterinarians individually advise them that there is no association between the drug and the observed problem. Provet has been informed that many breeders are not having booster vaccinations for their dogs because they believe that they cause health problems. Veterinarians know what side-effects are likely to occur following the administration of a drug and they must report all suspect adverse effects to the authorities. In this way a central record is kept and any association between a drug and a side-effect will be noticed. However, the system may be flawed, because veterinarians will only report side-effects if they believe that they are likely to be associated with the drug. If a drug is given and, at some time later, a problem does develop in the patient it does not necessarily mean that the drug is responsible for the problem. If the problem is one that has not previously been recognised as being caused by the drug in question, it is more likely to be a coincidental event. Nevertheless, there can be room for doubt ! At the current time there is no central recording of observations of suspect side-effects from pet owners and breeders. Yet, subjective observations recorded by owners is an accepted way of gathering information for scientific studies, including clinical trials for drugs. So, why shouldn't owner observations be recorded when there is a suspicion of a problem being caused by a drug? Provet believes that they should be and so it is launching a new initiative. Provet's Animal Owners Register of Suspected Drug Side-effects If you are an animal owner and believe that you know of a drug side-effect that your veterinarian does not recognise, please send all relevant details to Provet at feedback@provet.co.uk and we will add it to our database for future evaluation. You can only submit information if you have witnessed events at first hand. If you are not sure about what information to send contact Provet at info@provet.co.uk . Thank You
Updated October 2013 | |||