As a devoted pet owner, you undoubtedly want the best possible veterinary care for your beloved companion.
Pharmacy compounding is becoming an increasingly popular approach to address various veterinary issues. Compounding involves the art and science of crafting tailored medications for individual patients, whether they have two legs or four. Animals can suffer from similar diseases as humans, including skin conditions, eye and ear infections, heart ailments, cancer, and diabetes. Administering medication to pets often presents unique challenges that compounding can effectively overcome.
As any pet owner can attest, medicating animals can be a daunting task. Cats are notorious for refusing to swallow pills, often cleverly avoiding them even when hidden in their food. Determining the right dosage for dogs can be tricky; a medication dose suitable for an 80-pound Golden Retriever might overwhelm a six-pound Yorkie. Large and exotic pets introduce additional complexities to medication administration, but compounding pharmacists are equipped to address them all:
- Cats
- Dogs
- Horses
- Rabbits
- Birds
- Ferrets
- Reptiles
- Even animals in zoos and aquariums!
Pets that reject medication due to taste provide an ideal opportunity for compounding. Cats may dislike pills, but they adore tuna. Dogs may resist traditional liquid medication, but they’ll gladly accept it when it’s meat-flavored or incorporated into a tasty biscuit or treat. Birds may struggle with large volumes of liquid medication, but they’ll readily consume a small, flavorful, fruit-infused concentrated solution. By collaborating closely with your veterinarian, a compounding pharmacist can prepare medications in delightful, easy-to-administer flavored forms that your pet will happily consume, regardless of whether they are a cat, dog, bird, ferret, or snake.
Much like their human counterparts, animals are unique individuals with distinct shapes, sizes, and sensitivities. Not all commercially available medications are suitable for every pet. Your veterinarian can prescribe a flavored liquid, treat, or another customized dosage form that precisely matches your pet’s size and condition.
Occasionally, a manufacturer discontinues a veterinary medication, typically because it isn’t needed in the vast quantities necessary for cost-effective mass production. However, some pets may still require that medication, especially if it has proven effective. In such cases, a compounding pharmacist can create a prescription that replicates the discontinued product, tailoring the strength, dosage form, and flavor to meet your pet’s specific requirements.
With the collaboration of a caring veterinarian and our compounding pharmacist, you can significantly improve your pet’s health and happiness.