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Agvetlink Special Issue for Veterinarians March 2005

Balancing Act – Adverse Effects vs Benefits to the Animal

The ACVM Group recognises that there are circumstances in which either there is no registered product available for a particular purpose or there is a product that is not registered that is more appropriate than the registered products that are available. Veterinarians are given the opportunity to use their discretion in such circumstances and use a human medicine or a medicinal preparation specially compounded for that purpose (see article on page 5).

Balance

Veterinarians must recognise their particular responsibility to consider the balance that must be struck between the potential adverse effects from the use of the preparation and the benefits to the animal that would be expected from that use. An extreme example would be in balancing the toxic effects of an anti-cancer treatment with the advantages to the animal in controlling or causing remission in the cancer being targeted.

This type of balance has already been struck by the ACVM Group for products that are registered. However, the balance has not been considered in regard to human medicines and specially compounded preparations. The prescribing veterinarian must carry out that evaluation before deciding to use a product in a discretionary manner. 

Welfare of animal

The balance is relatively easy to strike in cases where the potential adverse effects and the benefits to the animal are obvious. Where this is not the case, veterinarians must be cautious and have the welfare of the animal uppermost in mind.

Benefit to owner, not animal

Some preparations are used to increase animal production or performance, or to facilitate farm management efficiencies. They may have minimal or no direct benefit to the health and welfare of the animal. They benefit the owner of the animal, not the animal.  If this is the case, the veterinarian must assess adverse effects from the product as negligible before discretionary use can be justified. Veterinarians should not use potential increases in production, performance or efficiency to justify discretionary use.