Pet Prescriptions: Questions for Your Pharmacist

Pharmacies fill prescriptions for pets as well as people, and a medicine can be compounded when a veterinarian decides an animal needs a form or strength that is not commercially available. Whatever the medicine, your veterinarian directs its use. These questions can help you give it safely.

Your veterinarian directs treatment

Give your pet only medicines your veterinarian has prescribed or approved, at the dose and schedule on the label. Doses for animals depend on species, weight, age, health conditions, and other medicines, so a dose that suits one pet may not suit another, even in the same household.

Do not share human medicines with pets

Some common human medicines, including certain pain relievers, can be dangerous for pets, and some products contain ingredients such as the sweetener xylitol that are toxic to dogs. Do not give a pet your own medicine or one prescribed for another animal unless your veterinarian tells you to. If a pet swallows a medicine by accident, contact your veterinarian or an animal poison control service right away.

Questions to ask at pickup

• Does the label show the right pet name, species, and the medicine my veterinarian described?
• How much do I give, how often, and for how long?
• Should it be given with food or on an empty stomach?
• How should it be stored, and when should any leftover medicine be discarded?
• What should I do if a dose is missed, spat out, or vomited?
• Which side effects should prompt a call to the veterinarian?

Measuring liquid doses

Use the oral syringe or measuring device supplied with the medicine, not a kitchen spoon. Check the units on the label, such as milliliters, before drawing up a dose, and ask the pharmacist to show you how to measure it if you are unsure. If the strength on a new bottle differs from a previous fill, ask before giving it.

If your pet will not take the medicine

Do not crush tablets, open capsules, or mix a medicine into food unless the label, your veterinarian, or your pharmacist says that is suitable, because some medicines should not be altered. If giving the medicine is a struggle, ask your veterinarian and pharmacist whether a different form may be appropriate. Any change in formulation needs your veterinarian's prescription. Compounded animal medicines are not FDA-approved, so they should be used when your veterinarian decides an approved product will not work for your pet.

What to tell the pharmacist

• Your pet's species, approximate weight, and any known allergies
• Other medicines, supplements, or flea and tick products your pet receives
• Your veterinarian's name and phone number
• Any trouble you have had giving medicine in the past

For questions about a pet prescription, call RxByDesign at 720-507-6344. We can work with your veterinarian on questions about the prescription.