Carbimazole caplets are just one of the many formulations of pet medicine
available through a compounding pharmacy. Photo: Melissa Garcia Logan
If you've ever had a sick pet, you know it can sometimes be a trial to administer the medication your pet needs. Pets don't understand "it's for your own good" they only understand that medicine tastes bad, or is uncomfortable to swallow. Some animals fight tooth and nail, literally, to prevent being medicated, which can have devastating consequences for their health. It's particularly important to ensure that patients with chronic illness receive the full dosage of their medicine on a regular schedule.
To that end, there are several innovations in pet medicine that can help make administering medication easier for you and easier on your pet. Many of us are familiar with hiding the pill in cheese or peanut butter. Pill Pockets are an innovation along this line; made from beef or chicken, they have a built in hole to hide the pill and most dogs enjoy the flavor so much they don't notice the medicine. If you have a food motivated dog, these options can work well with very little fuss.
More options are available for owners of pets who are more finicky about swallowing pills, and who can sniff out a pill from a mile away. Parents know that many liquid medicines can be compounded to add bubble gum or berry flavors, but did you know that pharmacies that cater to pets can also create pet-friendly flavors, such as chicken or salmon—even marshmallow? The Wedgewood Pet Pharmacy in Wedgewood, NJ, offers 30 flavors of liquid medicine! In addition, they sell transdermal gels (with special applicator) for medications that have been compounded for topical use, "tiny tablets" for small animals, flavored chewables, and even low-dust medicine for horses.
Flavors and new methods of administration aren't the only boon that these compounding pharmacies provide. They also make it possible to administer medicines that aren't commercially available in pet-friendly doses, or even medicines that aren't commercially available...period.
If you have to administer medicine to your pet, ask your veterinarian if a pet-friendly dosage is available at a pet pharmacy, or ask about the new methods of administering medicine to see if one of them might be right for your pet. Of course, if your dog has no problem scarfing down a pill rolled in a piece of cheese, that's okay too. In the end, it's about creating happy, healthy pets.
For more information: Contact your veterinarian or:
Wedgewood Pet Pharmacy
405 Heron Drive
Suite 200
Swedesbor0, Nj 08085-1749
(800) 331-8272
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All text in this article is copyrighted and the sole possession of Melissa Garcia Logan, unless otherwise indicated. Available for reprint and/or publishing only with written permission from author. Contact Melissa Garcia Logan with your comments, suggestions, questions, and ideas.
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