Anyone with a pet knows how much they become part of the family, but just like us, they can get sick and need medication. Luckily there are plenty available, and when you get a prescription from your vet, your local pharmacy may be able to provide these. This is really handy if you also need prescriptions for other members of your family, as you can order them all at the same time.
We get a lot of questions about pet care & medications here at Walker’s Drug Store. Here are three of the most common.
“How should I administer pet medication?”
You’ll need to see a veterinary professional if you think your pet is unwell. Like with our own health, a prescription must be created before you can get hold of the right pet medication. Things to be aware of when speaking to your vet or pharmacist about administering medication will include the method which suits both yourself and your pet. The main challenge is to find the best way to effectively administer the drug without causing too much hassle or distress to both parties. It’s essential your pet gets the dose they require, so when you’re with your vet or pharmacist, make sure you establish the following:
- How fussy is your pet and how have they coped when given medication in the past?
- Does the administration requirements fit in with your lifestyle and schedule?
- Is there any safety advice you need?
- What are the dosage & application instructions? Check with your pharmacist if there’s something you don’t understand.
- Don’t be afraid to go back to your vet if you don’t see any changes or need another prescription.
“Can you add flavoring to medications?”
While some animals just eat whatever you give them, others are a little fussier. Even if you hide medication in their food, pets such as cats are quite clever at figuring out there’s something different about their meal, making administering their required dosage a little more challenging than expected. When customers have difficulty giving medication to their pets, one of the ways we can help with compliance is to add flavoring to a liquid compound of the drug. This can be anything from beef, bacon, chicken, liver or tuna flavoring. This makes the medication more pleasant tasting for your pet, and sometimes the liquid is easier to swallow than a tablet or capsule, hopefully encouraging them to take their prescribed dose. If still no luck, and for the more fussy of animals, there are other tricks we can try.
“I’m still having trouble giving medication to my pets, what can I do?”
If changing the flavoring doesn’t help, we can also create custom compounds for pets which are easier to administer. Pet medication compounds are alternative forms of an existing product which sometimes aren’t readily available. For example, we make some medication in transdermal creams that can be applied to the pet’s outer ear. Not all medications can be prepared in this manner, but the ones that can have been well received. One of the most common pet medications we get requests for is methimazole, mainly used to treat elevated thyroids (often seen in cats). We can prepare a transdermal application for absorption through the skin, making it much easier to administer. Another drug we see is metronidazole which is an antibiotic for infections. We can create a compound liquid metronidazole to the exact mg strength and flavor with whatever the owner would prefer. Another pet compound that we make is piroxicam capsules that are used for inflammation due to arthritis.
Getting your beloved pet back to full health often requires a little patience and ensuring they take their full drug dosage when they’re meant to. If you’re having any difficulty with administering your pet medication, come in and speak to our team about your options.
To speak to one of our pharmacists, contact us or pop in and see us. We’re happy to help.