THE COMPOUNDING SOLUTION
The practice of pharmacy compounding is becoming a popular solution to veterinary problems. Compounding is the art and science of preparing customized compounded medications for pets. Its resurgence in recent years provides valuable benefits to today's pet owners.
Why should you consider compounding as a solution for your pet's medical problems? That can be answered with another question: How hard is it to get your cat to swallow a pill? As any pet owner is well aware, animals may be extremely difficult to treat with medications. Cats are notorious for refusing to swallow a pill, and will usually eat right around one disguised in food. And dosages can be very tricky with dogs - an antibiotic that works for an 80-pound Golden Retriever is far too much for a six-pound Yorkie to handle. Humans and their animals often have variations of the same diseases, including skin rashes, heart conditions, eye and ear infections, cancer, and diabetes. Pet medications, though, present unique problems that are often best dealt with through compounding.
FLAVORED MEDICINE
The pet who refuses to take medication because the taste is often a prime opportunity for compounding. Cats don't like pills, but they do like tuna. Dogs don't appreciate a traditional solution of Amoxicillin being squirted into their mouth, but they'll gladly take it when it's part of a tasty biscuit or treat.
By working closely with your veterinarian, a compounding pharmacist can prepare medicines into easy-to-give flavored dosage forms that animals devour, whether your pet is a cat, dog, ferret, bird, or snake.
SOLVING DOSAGE PROBLEMS
Just like their owners, animals are individual and unique. That's why you love them. They come in different shapes and sizes, and as a result, not all commercially available medicines are appropriate for your pet. Commercial medicine often comes in large tablets or capsules of 100 mg or more. But a small kitten may need a dose of only 15 mg. That's where compounding is especially helpful. In this situation, your veterinarian can prescribe a tuna-flavored suspension with an amount that is exactly right for your pet's size and condition.
COMMERCIALLY UNAVAILABLE MEDICINE
From time to time, a manufacturer will discontinue a medication used in veterinary applications. When that medication has worked well for animals, a compounding pharmacist can obtain the pure bulk pharmaceutical and prepare a prescription for the discontinued product - at a dosage strength and dose form appropriate for that pet's specific needs. Compounded medications for pets comes very much in handy in a situation like this.