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Chapter 13 Pharmacy Skills 247

2. Name of the prescribing veterinarian 250 mg/tablet / (strength available) 500 mg/tablet = 0.5
3. Client name (and address if the drug is a con- tablet or ½ tablet per dose. Instead of 1 full tablet twice a day
trolled substance [CS]) we would send home and mark the label as ½ tablet twice a
4. Patient’s name and/or identification number day. This also works if only 100 mg tablets are available,
5. Drug name 250 mg (strength requested) /100 mg (strength available) =
6. Drug strength 2.5. The patient would need 2½ tablets per dose.
7. Quantity dispensed Some medications are dispensed as a dose/body
8. Expiration date of the drug weight. For example, an anesthetic is to be given
9. Number of refills 0.1 mL/2 pounds and you have a dog that weighs 36 lb.
10. Directions for use in plain English including You would take the 36 / 2 = 18 and then multiply by
• dose per treatment 0.1 = 1.8 mL of anesthetic.
• frequency of treatments
• duration of treatments
11. Withholding time. If the drug is administered to an Learning Exercises
animal meant for consumption (i.e., food animals • Utilizing the prescription for Rubi above, how
such as cattle) or if any of its products are con- many 500 mg tablets would be sent home to
sumed, the withholding time required before fulfill the prescription? How many 100 mg tablets
processing the animal must be listed. This is the would be sent home to fulfill the prescription?
time from the last dose of medication until the time • Jack needs an antiparasitic and the dose is
of slaughter or use of products for human consump- 4 mL/kg and he weighs 24 lb. How much would
tion. This information is included on the bottle or you give Jack?
on the package insert that comes with every medica-
tion. If it is missing, veterinarians usually keep a
compendium of drugs book that will contain the
same information as found on the package insert. Safe Handling of Dispensed
Drugs

Learning Exercise Some drugs are hazardous to the people dispensing and
administering them. Steroids and chemotherapeutics
The following is an example of a prescription are examples of the types of drugs that can harm per-
for the antibiotic cephalexin. Break it down and sonnel. Pregnant personnel should never handle either
write out a label as you decipher the following of these medications. When handling these drugs, the
prescription. person must wear gloves, goggles, and a mask. Gloves and
Rubi, Teresa Sonsthagen, Rx: Cephalexin goggles are the minimum for all the other types of drugs
250 mg, PO, bid × 10 days, 0 refills dispensed or administered in the veterinary facility.

Hospital info: (use your imagination) Use a pill counting tray to avoid touching any pills or
Who: capsules (Figure 13.1). A pill counting tray has a flat
What: surface that pills can be dumped upon, then using a
When: tongue depressor or a flat icing knife the pills can be
How/where: separated into “twos” – “fives” as they are pushed into
Duration: the tube section of the tray with the knife. Continue to
# of units: count the pills until you have reached the required
Refills: quantity to fill the prescription, then put the cover over
the tube. If there are pills remaining on the tray, they
can be tipped back into the primary container by tilting
the tray toward the small funnel on the corner of the
Many medications come in more than one strength tray opposite to the tube opening. By tipping the tray in
and so you may need to determine the amount per dose the opposite direction you can put the pills into the
needed because the milligram per tablet in the phar- secondary container utilizing the covered tube with its
macy is not equal to the dose prescribed. In our learning funnel‐like opening.
exercise above the what was 250 mg/tablet cephalexin. If you must split pills in half, utilize the pill splitter
If the pharmacy only has 500 mg/tablet cephalexin you (Figure 13.1). Count out the number of pills required
can still fill the prescription by doing some simple math. on the pill counting tray. Place them one at a time into
Dividing the requested strength/unit by the strength/ the splitter. If they have score marks or small dents indi-
unit available. For example (the requested strength) cating halves and/or quarters, line the dent up with the