Exotic Animal Formulary5

Table 14-5
Recommendations for Meat Withdrawal Times in Game Species for Select
Medications. 3,14,27,82,89
Drug use in wild animals is considered extra-label and as such is regulated by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) through the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act
(AMDUCA). This act is divided into food-producing animals and non–food-producing
animals. Drug residues in game animals are a potential public health risk to those who
consume the meat. Game animals are defined by the FDA as “an animal, the products of
which are food, that is not classified as livestock, sheep, swine, goat, horse, mule or other
equine, or as poultry or fish.” Game animals include mammals such as deer, antelope,
rabbit, squirrel, opossum, raccoon, nutria, or muskrat, and nonaquatic reptiles such as
land snakes. The FDA classifies wild game birds as “poultry” and includes “migratory
waterfowl or game birds, pheasant, partridge, quail, grouse, or pigeon.”
Practitioners need to be aware of potential meat withdrawal times (defined as the time
between drug administration and when the meat can safely be consumed by a human)
when administering drugs to game species during or just before established hunting and
trapping seasons. There are very few established withdrawal times for wildlife, and
practitioners should check the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database (FARAD) for
guidance on drug administration in game species that could be consumed. If a game
animal cannot be held until the meat withdrawal time has passed, it should be identified
with a unique number and warning that the meat should not be consumed. Permission
to tag wildlife may also require permission from state or federal authorities.
Some drugs may never be used in food-producing animals throughout the year. These
include: chloramphenicol, clenbuterol, diethylstilbestrol, dimetridazole, ipronidazole,
metronidazole, other nitromidazoles, furazolidone, nitrofurazone, glycopeptides, and
fluoroquinolones. Adamantane and neuraminidase inhibitors are prohibited in wild
game birds. The following is a list of recommended withdrawal times for select drugs used
in wildlife.
Agent
Meat Withdrawal Time
(days)
Agent
Meat Withdrawal Time
(days)
Acepromazine 14 Naloxone 30
Atipamezole 14 Naltrexone 30
Diazepam 14 Penicillin (long-acting) 21
Diprenorphine 30 Tolazoline 30
Etorphine 30 Xylazine 30
Ivermectin 49 Yohimbine 30
Ketamine 3 Zolazepam and
tiletamine (1:1)
14
Medetomidine 14
Table 14-6
892