[Problems and recommendations concerning treatment of exotic pets]

When wanting to treat birds and other unusual companion animals, veterinarians must often refer to data for other animal species and humans. Doses must often be extrapolated from data for other animals, and there is little, or only empirical, information about pharmacology, toxicity, effectiveness, etc. On the basis of what is known, and especially for 'ordinary' companion animals and farm animals, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs vary considerably as a result of species differences in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination. Differences in anatomy, physiology and genetics underlie these variations. For instance, environmental temperature is important in the elimination of drugs by cold-blooded animals. The character and nature of unusual companion animals, their zootechnology, feeding habits, housing requirements etc. often require special and imaginative solutions to the problem of how to administer veterinary medicines. Moreover, when the Veterinary Medicine Act becomes law, terms such as 'off-label use', 'orphan drugs' and 'minor species' will also play a role.