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Pharmacology for Cats and Dogs By Rebecca J. Anderson, PhD For a long while, Fluffy had not been feeling quite herself. The 15-year-old calico was tired, frequently irritable and just didn’t want to play. Fluffy suffered from chronic kidney disease, and like many older cats with kidney disease, her blood pressure was too high. The family’s veterinarian was concerned because hypertension often accelerates kidney deterioration, leading to kidney failure. He invited Fluffy’s owners to have her participate in an experimental study, which was testing a new antihypertensive treatment for cats.
The Pharmacologist • September 2023
Comparative Pharmacology There are about 1,600 drugs specifically labeled for veterinary use, compared to about 20,000 drugs approved for people (1). In fact, for many animal species, there are diseases and conditions for which no suitable veterinary drug is available. Veterinarians, like physicians, may legally prescribe human drugs for conditions (and species) not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the veterinary community, off-label prescriptions are called “extra label” use (1, 2).
