Of all the tools in the toolbox available to the Canadian beef producer, the Compendium of Veterinary Products, specifically, the Canadian Edition, is an important one. This resource is available online through the VBP+ website as an icon on the home page under Featured Resources, and lists all veterinary health products approved for use in Canada.
When producers use any animal health product for prevention or intervention of disease in beef cattle, there is some important information that is needed for on-farm food safety and responsible antibiotic usage. The Compendium is a useful quick-reference tool for producers to help ensure these standards are maintained.
After entering the online tool, the site is divided into several tabs across the top. The first tab, Products, lists all veterinary products approved for use in Canada alphabetically according to their brand name. Icons beside product names indicate special classifications, such as Prescription Drug or Medically Important Antimicrobial. Clicking on the name of the product will reveal more information about each one.
After choosing a specific product from the list, users can select one of two tabs from the top of the page: Label or Use/Dose. Most producers will benefit from using the Use/Dose tab, which provides a short list of the most commonly needed information about the product. For producers, some key points from this tab are the uses of the product, its route of administration, dosage, and withdrawal time. These key facts are both a component of required VBP+ treatment records and generally important to maintaining on-farm food safety.
The Label tab shows a more extensive description of the product and its associated considerations, much like what a producer could find on the paper insert that comes inside a product box. For a producer using this tab, a few key sections are especially relevant. The name and description of the product appear first, and help the producer identify the product. The Indications section lists the conditions for which the drug is approved for use in treatment. This is important for producers, since off-label drug use requires a specific veterinary prescription. The Dosage and Administration directions will help the producer understand how to use the product on their animals. Cautions and Warnings will provide important considerations for the producer to avoid unintended consequences and maintain food safety. Specifically, the withdrawal times for products are contained in the Warnings section. Finally, the Storage information offers key directions to help maintain the effectiveness of the product.
Along the very top of the page, producers can also access different tabs to search for products by other characteristics. The Companies, Categories, Uses, and Ingredients tabs categorize products by the company that sells them, the type of product (ex. local anesthetic), the type of condition that the product could be used to treat, or ingredients in the product. These tabs can be useful for a producer who wants to compare similar products. Finally, the Information tab at the top of the site has links to other documents regarding specific relevant topics.
The Charts tab at the top of the Compendium site can be a very useful starting point for producers using the tool. Specifically, the Withdrawal Time Chart for Beef Cattle offers an alphabetical list of all veterinary products approved for use in Canada with key details pulled out into a convenient table format. For each product, the withdrawal times and route of administration are listed directly beside the product name, with key notes below select products. Producers can also click on the name of a product to access its label and further information about it.
The Compendium of Veterinary Products is a useful tool for a producer who requires quick access to information that allows them to maintain on-farm food safety and use health products responsibly. It should be noted that the VBP+ website contains a link to the Canadian Edition, so the site only lists products approved for use in Canada. Certain information and product inclusions will differ between countries. For quick access out in the field, also check out the Compendium mobile app.
