When the Veterinarian Prescribes a Custom Strength: Pet Compounding

Animals get prescribed compounded medications more often than people realize, and the reasons are stricter than for humans: a 60-pound dog is not a 12-pound cat, a bird is neither, and manufactured strengths and forms rarely match any of them exactly.

For Diamond Bar pet owners, here is how a veterinary compounded prescription works.

Why vets compound

A dose calculated by weight, a medication no longer made in an animal-friendly form, a flavor a cat will actually accept, two medications the vet wants in one preparation — the reasons are specific, and the species, the size and the temperament all shape what the prescription needs to be.

The veterinarian sets the terms

In veterinary compounding, the prescriber is the veterinarian. We prepare what is prescribed for that animal, and formulation questions route to the vet’s office the same way questions on a human prescription route to your clinician. The dosing decisions — strength, form, duration — are the vet’s to make.

Getting the dose in

The best formulation on paper fails if it stays in the bowl. Flavoring, a liquid instead of a tablet, a transdermal option where the vet considers one appropriate — the dosage form is part of the treatment plan, and it is worth telling the vet what you already know about getting medication into this particular animal.

A word before you go

We work with veterinarians regularly. See our article on questions about pet compounded medications, or the Los Angeles County communities we serve.