VETERINARY PHARMACOLOGY
PRESENTATION
1. Drugs used to treat heart and blood vessel disorders in
animals
2. Drugs used to treat heartworms
GROUP 1
MEMBERS
1. CHANDA KATONGO
2. MIRRIAM KHONDOWE
3. KELVIN MWILA
4. EZILEN NAMBELA
5. NAMAKAU KAYWALA
6. CHINTU CHIMIMBA
INTRODUCTION
• Pharmacologic interventions allow the veterinarian to impact
pathophysiologic processes in animals with cardiovascular (CV)
diseases.
• To effectively use drugs affecting the heart and circulation, the
clinician must understand the pathophysiology of the disease and
appreciate the relevant pharmacology of the drugs prescribed.
• Most drugs used to treat CV diseases in dogs and in cats prescribed in
an extra-label manner and dosages are at best approximate for many of
these agents
DRUGS USED TO TREAT HEART AND
BLOOD VESSEL DISORDERS
• Most of the drugs used to treat heart and blood vessel disorders in
human are also used to treat the same in animals.
• These include drugs used to manage:
Congestive heart failure
Hypertension
Arrhythmias
Anaemia
Bleeding disorders
thromboembolism
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE
• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) occurs when the heart is unable to
pump blood throughout the body efficiently to meet the demand.
• This can be manage with the use of the following drugs:
1. Drugs with positive inotropic properties
2. Diuretics
3. ACEIs (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE cont’d.
DRUGS WITH POSITIVE INOTROPIC PROPERTIES
These increase the force of heart muscle contraction by increase
availability of calcium in the cardiomyocytes. These include:
• cardiac glycosides eg Digoxin
• beta-adrenergic agonists eg Adrenaline
• phosphodiesterase inhibitors eg Sildenafil
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE cont’d.
DIURETICS
• Diuretics are a standard of chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) therapy
and are administered for two main purposes:
1. diuresis of the patient with pulmonary edema or body cavity effusions and
1 prevention of the chronic sodium and water retention that characterizes
chronic CHF.
Diuretics are also anti-hypertensive agents but do not represent an important
treatment approach for high arterial blood pressure (ABP) in dogs and cats.
• Diuretics should be administered with a sodium-restricted diet that is
proportional to the severity of CHF.
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE cont’d.
Furosemide
• Furosemide is the most often used diuretic. It acts by inhibiting the co-
transporter of chloride in Henle’s loop with resultant losses of
chloride, sodium, water, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and water-
soluble vitamins in the urine
• Bumetanide and torsemide are related human drugs infrequently used
in veterinary practice.
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE cont’d.
Spironolactone
• Spironolactone is a potassium (and magnesium) sparing diuretic that
antagonizes the effects of aldosterone by binding to mineralocorticoid
receptors in the distal collecting duct.
• Though a weak diuretic, it is often added to a comprehensive CHF
therapy regimen that includes furosemide, an ACEI, and a positive
inotrope.
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE cont’d
Angiotensin-converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors
Eg. captopril, enalapril
• widely used to treat chronic congestive heart failure in Dogs and Cats
through the following mechanisms
1. Prevention of vasoconstriction by preventing the conversion of
angiotensin 1 to angiotensin 2 ( potent vasoconstrictor)
2. Also helps in the removal of sodium and water that build up as a result
of CHF.
• Use of these drugs helps increase the output of the heart and increases the
animal’s ability to exercise
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE cont’d.
Nesiritide
• Nesiritide, or synthetic human brain natriuretic factor (h-BNP), has
been developed as a “smart diuretic” and this drug may be applicable
to veterinary practice.
• Naturally occurring BNP is released from the heart during volume
expansion and leads to natriuresis and vasodilation.
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE cont’d.
• VASOACTIVE DRUGS
Arterial dilators
• Dilates the Arterial blood vessels making easier for heart to pump
blood away.
Venous dilators
• dilates the veins coming to the heart and increases the amount of
blood that enters the heart.
ARRHYTHMIA
• A heart arrhythmia (uh-RITH-me-uh) is an irregular heartbeat.
• Heart rhythm problems (heart arrhythmias) occur when the electrical
signals that coordinate the heart's beats don't work properly. The faulty
signaling causes the heart to beat too fast (tachycardia), too slow
(bradycardia) or irregularly.
• it is generally accepted that cardiac arrhythmias arise as the result of
either of
• a) Disorders of impulse formation and/ or
• b) Disorders of impulse conduction
ANTIARRHYTHMIC DRUGS
• These drugs helps the heart beat in its normal, rhythmic patterns.
• There are 5 classes grouped according to how they affect the heart cells.
• Class (I): Sodium channel blockers which include quinidine, lidocaine, etc.
• Class (II): Beta adrenergic blockers which include propranolol, atenolol, etc.
• Class (III): Potassium channel blockers e.g. amiodarone,
• Class (IV): Calcium channel blockers e.g. verapamil, etc.
• Class (V): Digitalis [Link]
NB: for mechanism of action and side effects, refer to CVS lecture notes
by DR Jimmy Hangoma
ANAEMIA
• Anaemia is the reduction in the hemoglobin concentration below the
normal range.
Hematinics
• Are drugs that increase the amount of Hb and the number of red blood
cells in the blood and used to treat anemia eg iron sucrose.
BLEEDING DISORDERS
The inability of the body to form a clot within the normal range of time
may result in bleeding disorders.
Local haemostatic
• Drugs administered to help the blood to clot (Lyophilized concentrates
are applied to the skin or a particular area to control capillary bleeding
and these products are normally absorbed by the body.
• Astringents are used directly at the site of bleeding to control bleeding.
• They constrict the blood vessels and tissue to help slow and stop the
blood flow.
• Epinephrine and Norepinephrine are used to constrict the blood vessels
and decrease the blood flow to the tissues.
BLEEDING DISORDERS cont’d….
• Systemic haemostatics
• These include fresh blood or blood components that are given to
animals that cannot clot correctly
ANTICOAGULANT
• Anticoagulants are drugs used to prevent clot formation usually by
inactivating the body’s natural clotting factors or increasing the rate at
which the body dissolves clots.
• Examples: Standard heparin, enoxaparin
DRUGS USED TO PREVENT AND TREAT
HEARTWORMS
PREVENTIVE
• Macrolides Drugs
• Examples: Ivermectin, milbemycin, oxime, moxidectin, and
selamectin .
CURATIVE
• Melarsomine dihydrochloride is the only available drug to kill the
adult worms.
• Ivermectin can also be used to kill microfilariae and immature
heartworms.
THE END
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
