Basic knowledge of veterinary drug definitions, sources, and dosage forms

I. What are veterinary drugs?
1. Veterinary drugs refer to substances used for the treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of animal diseases, as well as for promoting animal growth and reproduction and enhancing production performance. Veterinary drugs are also artificially categorized into livestock drugs, poultry drugs, aquatic animal drugs, bee drugs, silkworm drugs, pet drugs, and so forth. In fact, many of these drugs share the same active ingredients; the differences lie only in the dosage and method of administration. Based on their mode of action, veterinary drugs can be further classified into disinfectants, antibacterial agents, antiviral agents, antiparasitic agents, vaccines, nutritional supplements, and functional regulators, among others.
2. A substance that is used appropriately as a poison can become a medicine, while a substance used improperly as a medicine can turn into a poison. That’s why I often say that discussing drug toxicity without considering dosage and the specific disease is nothing but misleading and downright deceptive.
We know that the Chinese herb Aconitum is toxic, yet when properly processed according to scientific methods, it becomes an excellent medicine that warms the interior, tonifies yang energy, and rescues from collapse due to yang deficiency. It is also frequently used in clinical practice. Aminoglycoside antibiotics are highly effective against Gram-negative bacteria; however, they do carry certain risks of nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. Yet, as long as the dosage is carefully controlled, they can be quite safe.
II. Source of Veterinary Drugs:
1. Veterinary drugs are derived from natural sources.
Natural medicines primarily originate from nature—specifically, substances that can be used without any processing or with only minimal treatment. These include plant-based medicines (where virtually all herbs can be used medicinally, such as licorice, indigofera root, bupleurum, dandelion, garlic chives, aloe vera, and more), animal-based medicines (such as deer antler, cattle horn, donkey-hide gelatin, dragon bone, turtle shell, earthworm, centipede, and silkworm exuviae), minerals (including table salt, magnesium sulfate, sodium sulfate, gypsum, sulfur, cinnabar, and montmorillonite), and microbial fermentation products (such as penicillin and streptomycin).
2. The veterinary drug is synthetically produced.
Currently, many drugs are synthetically produced, such as quinolone antibiotics, sulfonamides, ethanol, formaldehyde, procaine, neostigmine, and diclazuril.
3. Veterinary drugs are derived from modern biotechnology.
These types of drugs include fermentation engineering technology, genetic engineering technology, enzyme engineering technology, and cell engineering technology. In veterinary clinical practice, they are commonly used in vaccine production, enhancing animal immunity, and improving animal reproductive performance.