Compounding
Compounding for animals
Made to your veterinarian’s prescription, in forms and strengths that are not manufactured — because most veterinary medicine is borrowed from human medicine.
What a pharmacy does here, and what it does not
Your veterinarian examines the animal, decides what it needs and writes the prescription. We make it. Those are two different jobs and only the second one is ours.
We will not advise on what your animal should take, adjust a dose, or supply anything without a prescription from a veterinarian. That is not caution for its own sake — assessing an animal is veterinary practice, and a pharmacist doing it would be practising something they are not licensed for.
Bring a prescription and a question about the preparation, and we can help. Bring a sick animal and a question about treatment, and the honest answer is a veterinarian.
The problems it solves
- A dose far smaller than anything manufactured, for a small animal
- A liquid or a paste where only tablets exist
- A flavour an animal will accept, rather than one it spits out
- A transdermal preparation for an animal that cannot be pilled
- Removing an ingredient the animal reacts to
- A strength discontinued by the manufacturer
Why so much of this is borrowed
Relatively few medicines are manufactured specifically for animals, so veterinarians frequently prescribe human medicines in forms that were never designed for a nine-kilo patient. Compounding is how that gap gets closed.
A warning worth printing
Do not give an animal something from your own medicine cabinet. Several things that are routine and safe for people are seriously toxic to cats and dogs, and the margin is not intuitive.
This page names none of them on purpose. A list would be read as guidance about what is safe, and it is not — the only safe route is a veterinarian.
Common questions
Can my vet send the prescription directly?
Yes, and it is usually the smoother route. Once we open, veterinary practices will be able to send prescriptions here the same way a physician’s office does.
Is it covered by pet insurance?
It depends entirely on the policy. We will give you what the insurer needs; whether they pay is between you and them.
How long will it take?
Longer than handing over a box, because it is made rather than picked. You will be given a realistic time when the prescription arrives rather than an optimistic one.
Do you compound for horses and exotics?
Ask. It depends on the preparation rather than on the species, and the answer is better given specifically than in general.