Regulatory Concerns

Ensuring we don’t have unwanted drugs in our food supply is an important component of working with food producing species. In the USA, these species are primarily cattle, swine and chickens. Since we generally don’t do surgery on chickens, those aren’t discussed here. Sheep, goats and camelids are food producing animals but are considered as minor species and have different guidelines. While most pot bellied pigs are not considered food animals, they are still swine and must meet federal guidelines for a major species.

FARAD, the food animal residue avoidance databank, should be your first step for determining whether or not a drug can be used in your patient. FARAD is highly useful but can be confusing as it serves many different groups. And not everything you will want to know is on there. This section will help you navigate FARAD, let you practice applying drug withholding information to cases, and expand your ability to find information elsewhere.

Resources

Milk and dairy beef residue manual, 2019

Drug residues in poultry – a review; 2018 JVPT

More resources including Veterinary Feed Directive