42 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN August 2025 “The Ward Labs team helped me navigate the purchase of some high nitrate hay for my feedlot. . . I now feel comfortable feeding the appropriate amount of high nitrate feed to my calves in order to achieve the lowest feed cost that I can.” - Austin O. Minden, NE Join the prime producers! Order your feed testing kit today! 308-234-2418 www.wardlab.com 4007 Cherry Ave. Kearney, NE 68847 PEERS BEYOND THE LABEL RESPONSIBLE EXTRA-LABEL DRUG USE IN BEEF CATTLE LINDSAY WAECHTER-MEAD, DVM, MS | EXTENSION EDUCATOR AND INTERIM DIRECTOR OF NEBRASKA BEEF QUALITY ASSURANCE, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN The responsible use of medications in food animals is essential for protecting animal health and food safety, with established guidelines in place to ensure regulatory compliance. One important aspect of this is extra-label drug use (ELDU), which is defined as any use of a drug that is different than the instructions on the FDA-approved label. Medication use is considered extra-label in any of the following situations: • Administering to a different species than on the label • Administering a different dose than listed on the label • Administering a different volume per injection site than is on the label • Administering the drug in a different route (SQ, IM, IV) than listed on the label • Administering for a different duration than what is listed on the label • Administering for a different purpose (indication) than what is listed on the label The legal use of approved human and animal drugs in an extra-label manner was introduced by Congress in 1994 via the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA). Before this, federal law did not allow any extra-label drug use in food animals. Important regulations oversee ELDU, including who is authorized to prescribe it, the specific circumstances under which it is permitted and which medications are strictly prohibited from such use. Extra label drug use is only allowed under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian in the context of a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR). Nebraska statute 718908 defines VCPR as having three core principles. First, the veterinarian assumes responsibility for diagnosis and treatment of the animal, and the client agrees to follow the recommendations. Second, the veterinarian has enough information to accurately diagnosis the problem. This is accomplished by on-site visits, physical exams of animal(s) in question, timely review of operation records and open communication with clients regarding the operation’s goals and outcomes. Finally, the veterinarian remains available for follow-up care or has made appropriate arrangements for emergency treatment in the event of therapy failure. This relationship can best be documented by maintaining a contract and renewing it annuCONTINUED ON PAGE 44
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