There’s an old joke about pilling a cat. It starts with cradling the cat in the crook of your arm—and ends with a trip to the emergency room. Cats are notoriously difficult to give medication to; I’m not sure if it’s because they can be curmudgeonlier than dogs or if they simply dislike having anything forced upon them. Whatever the reason, having an alternative to forcing a pill down a cat’s throat is necessary. Dogs can also be fussy, if only because they don’t like the taste or texture of a medication. However, it can also be difficult to get a pill down a dog’s throat, too, especially if the dog is the size of a guinea pig.
That’s where compounding comes in. Surprised? It’s not just for humans; animals also benefit from compounded medications in the same way we do. The added bonus is compounding can also make it much easier to get necessary medications into our pets with little to no fuss.
Compounding is as much art as it is science. The result is a customized medication for your pet’s specific needs. Because animals often suffer from cancer, skin rashes, ear and eye infections, heart conditions, diabetes and more, giving the proper medication in the right dosage can be the difference between life and death. Since our pets aren’t always willing to cooperate, even when it’s in their best interest, compounding takes the stress out of giving vital medications.
Sometimes the animal is willing to accept medications, but won’t because they often taste bad to the animal’s sensitive taste buds. This is an area where compounding shines. Birds can often be tricky to medicate because of their size. However, feeding them right-sized dose of a fruit-flavored concentrated
solution is just what the doctor ordered. Cats that might try to claw or bite when pilled happily come running for a fish-flavored treat that just happens to include necessary medication. Dogs may object when liquid medication is drizzled on their food, but bark excitedly when given a meat-flavored solution or treat.
Compounding is also helpful when animals are unable to take mass-produced medications because of ingredients. We can include only the parts of the medicines essential to promote health in the animal while leaving out ingredients, such as preservatives, that may cause allergic or other negative reactions. Compounding takes the scary guesswork out dosing your pet, too. Sometimes traditional pills are too high a dosage, so the veterinarian will advise the pet guardian to cut the pills in half. Unless you’re expert at it, cutting hard pills exactly in half can be difficult, meaning your pet may not always be getting the right dose. Having medications specifically created for your pet can give you peace of mind and your pet exactly what it needs.
Compounding pharmacists can also recreate medications discontinued by manufacturers for lack of profitability reasons. Often, medicines simply don’t meet the profit expectations of pharmaceutical companies, so the drug is no longer mass-produced. For animals that benefit from the medication, compounding then becomes the only way to obtain it. This allows the
animal to continue on a drug that is working instead of attempting to find a replacement that might or might not work.
By working closely with your veterinarian, we can prepare medicines in easy-to-give flavored dosage forms that animals happily devour, whether your pet is a cat, dog, bird, reptile, ferret, fish, hamster, turtle, monkey … you get the idea. Veterinarians trust The Medicine Shoppe to make compounded medications to their exact specifications allowing their patients to benefit from this personalized method of drug administration. The next time your pet needs medication, bring it to us. We help keep pets, and their people, happy and healthy.