Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology

Course goals

This course offers students the opportunity to learn advanced concepts in veterinary pharmacology and toxicology, building on knowledge from earlier courses in the veterinary curriculum.  Students interested in careers in the (veterinary) pharmaceutical industry, academia (as researcher or educator), diagnostic and forensic laboratories, or with regulatory bodies such as the European Medicines Agency may find this course particularly interesting. The knowledge gained in this course is also directly applicable to clinical practice, where  a deeper knowledge of pharmacology and toxicology  enables safer and more effective use of medications in animals, and helps to manage cases involving toxic exposures.

Specifically, the course aims to:

• Deepen students’ understanding of pharmacological principles: Students will learn more advanced concepts in pharmacology and toxicology, including comparative kinetics and dynamics. Specifically, students will learn how different species metabolise and respond to drugs. This will build on knowledge from earlier courses, allowing students to understand how drugs work in the body at a more complex level.
• Emphasize the safe and effective use of veterinary medicines, including the concepts of therapeutic indices, dosing regimens and potential side effects.
• Explore veterinary-specific drug therapies: Since veterinary medicine deals with many animal species with different anatomies and physiologies, a comparative approach will be used to explore the nuances of prescribing and administering drugs to veterinary patients.
• Present regulatory and ethical considerations in veterinary pharmacology and toxicology, including prescription regulations, medication compounding and the responsible use of antibiotics and controlled substances.
• Introduce research and development into new and innovative therapies for animal health.
• Toxicology: A significant part of the course will cover clinical toxicology, including the identification and treatment of poisoning in animals. This will involve understanding common toxins, their sources and their physiological effect on different animal species.

By the end of the course, veterinary students will understand how veterinary medicines are discovered, developed and brought to market, and how they should be used safely, effectively and ethically. Special attention will be given to vaccines, ecto- and endoparasiticides, as these are not covered in depth in the regular curriculum. Students will also have a deeper understanding of important poisonings, and how these can be diagnosed, treated and prevented.

 

Content

This 5-week elective course "Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology" is part of the "profiling space" (profileringsruimte) of the MSc Veterinary Medicine.

The five weeks will be divided equally between the subjects of pharmacology and toxicology. There will also be an excursion to the botanical gardens of Utrecht University to learn about toxic and medicinal plants. Students will be required to apply their new knowledge by completing an in-depth assignment that will involve creating a drug profile for a selected veterinary medicine.