Medicine management and dosage
Safe handling of medicines in the clinic
Medicine is a powerful tool and a real risk at the same time. Discipline around prescription, dosage, storage and documentation is what distinguishes safe treatment from a mistake with consequences.
§Administrative routes
| Vej | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Orally | Administered by mouth — tablets, liquid or mixed with feed |
| Injection | Administered by injection, e.g. under the skin, in muscle or in vein |
| Locally | Applied to skin, eyes, or ears |
| Inhalation | Inhaled for example anaesthetic gas or aerosolised medicine |
§Dosage and calculation
Dosage often depends on the animal's weight, and even a small calculation error can become dangerous on a small animal. Weigh the patient, calculate carefully according to the prescription, and if possible get a colleague to check the calculation for critical medicines.
- 01Weigh the animal so dosage is based on correct weight.
- 02Calculate dosage precisely according to prescription and check units.
- 03Double-check with potent or high-risk medicines.
- 04Use correct measuring equipment and read precisely.
§Storage and shelf life
- 01Store medicines according to prescription — several must be kept cool or dark.
- 02Keep track of expiration dates and use oldest stock first.
- 03Store prescription and specially regulated medicines locked and separated.
- 04Dispose of expired and remaining medication according to regulations — not in ordinary waste.
§Documentation
Everything administered must go in the record: medication, dose, route of administration and time, as prescribed. Good documentation ensures that the next person in the course of care knows exactly what the patient has received — and when the next dose is due.
“With medicines there is no 'roughly right'. It is either correctly calculated and documented — or an error.”