CVA Veterinary Pharmacology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which drug class is commonly used as a pre-anesthetic to reduce anxiety and provide sedation?
- Beta-blockers
- Phenothiazines such as acepromazine (Correct answer)
- Antifungals
- ACE inhibitors
Correct answer: Phenothiazines such as acepromazine
Phenothiazines like acepromazine are widely used pre-anesthetic tranquilizers that reduce anxiety and decrease required anesthetic doses.
Acepromazine blocks dopamine receptors producing sedation and anxiolysis. It causes dose-dependent hypotension through alpha-adrenergic blockade. It has no analgesic properties and is typically combined with an opioid.
Question 2: Why should NSAIDs not be combined with corticosteroids in veterinary patients?
- They cancel out each other's effects
- The combination dramatically increases gastrointestinal ulceration risk (Correct answer)
- Corticosteroids make NSAIDs less effective at reducing fever
- NSAIDs prevent corticosteroid absorption
Correct answer: The combination dramatically increases gastrointestinal ulceration risk
Both drug classes independently inhibit protective prostaglandins in the GI tract, and concurrent use dramatically increases ulceration, bleeding, and perforation risk.
NSAIDs inhibit COX enzymes and corticosteroids also reduce prostaglandin synthesis. Combined use shows up to 15-fold increased GI ulceration risk. A 5-7 day washout period is recommended when switching between these classes.
Question 3: Which controlled substance schedule includes morphine and fentanyl?
- Schedule I
- Schedule II (Correct answer)
- Schedule III
- Schedule V
Correct answer: Schedule II
Schedule II substances have high abuse potential with accepted medical use, including potent opioids like morphine and fentanyl requiring strict documentation.
Schedule I has no accepted medical use. Schedule II includes morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone. Schedule III includes butorphanol and buprenorphine. Schedule IV includes benzodiazepines. Veterinary practices must maintain logs and double-lock storage for Schedule II.
Question 4: What is the correct route for subcutaneous injections in a cat?
- Into the hind leg muscle
- Into loose skin over the scruff or lateral thorax at 45 degrees with a 22-25 gauge needle (Correct answer)
- Directly into a front leg vein
- Into the peritoneal cavity
Correct answer: Into loose skin over the scruff or lateral thorax at 45 degrees with a 22-25 gauge needle
Subcutaneous injections are given by tenting loose skin and inserting a small gauge needle at approximately 45 degrees.
SC injection in cats involves tenting loose skin between the shoulder blades, along the lateral thorax, or over the lateral abdomen. The interscapular area should be avoided for vaccines due to injection-site sarcoma risk.
Question 5: Why must oral suspension medications be shaken thoroughly before dispensing?
- To warm the medication
- To ensure uniform distribution of active ingredient for accurate dosing (Correct answer)
- To activate the chemical compounds
- To remove air bubbles
Correct answer: To ensure uniform distribution of active ingredient for accurate dosing
Insoluble drug particles settle over time. Shaking resuspends them evenly so each dose contains the correct amount.
Without shaking, early doses from the bottle are subtherapeutic while later doses from concentrated sediment are overdoses. Vigorous shaking for 10-15 seconds is required before each administration.
Question 6: What is the primary mechanism of action of amoxicillin?
- Inhibits protein synthesis at the ribosome
- Inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis by binding to penicillin-binding proteins (Correct answer)
- Disrupts the bacterial cell membrane
- Inhibits bacterial DNA replication
Correct answer: Inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis by binding to penicillin-binding proteins
Amoxicillin kills bacteria by binding to penicillin-binding proteins and inhibiting peptidoglycan cross-linking in the cell wall, leading to lysis.
Amoxicillin is a broad-spectrum bactericidal beta-lactam antibiotic. It is often combined with clavulanic acid to protect against beta-lactamase-producing resistant bacteria. It has excellent oral bioavailability.
CVA Veterinary Pharmacology 2
Which drug class is commonly used as a pre-anesthetic to reduce anxiety and provide sedation?