Pharmacy pet care: Benefits for animals, their owners—and pharmacists

Kristin Wiisanen




, PharmD, FAPhA (Editor-in-Chief, Pharmacy Today)



























As pharmacists, we work every day to make sure people get the right drug at the right dose at the right time. An increasing number of pharmacists are focusing their efforts on veterinary medications to help ensure the same level of care for our animal patients.

This month’s Innovations cover story (page 24) holds a special place in my own heart, as I have seen two beloved family pets pass away in the last 6 months—our 12-year-old golden retriever, who suffered from genetic pigmentary uveitis; and our 10-year-old chocolate lab, who passed away within a few days of being diagnosed with lymphoma and acute kidney failure.

Getting involved with pet care is more than simply a good business opportunity or diversification strategy for many pharmacists. It’s also an important area of specialized practice. Animals are not simply “smaller, larger, fuzzier, scalier, featherier versions of humans … extrapolating [animal doses] from human pharmacotherapy is rarely appropriate,” said Gigi Davidson, RPh, DICVP, director of clinical pharmacy services at North Carolina State’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Check out our cover story to learn more about business model opportunities, common pet care medications, and even some personal stories from veterinary pharmacists.

In this month’s Pharmacy Today, you’ll also learn the latest on newly approved drugs (page 10), updated American Heart Association guidelines for blood pressure measurement (page 19), and recent FDA warnings about deaths with febuxostat (page 22). Catch up on your continuing education with this month’s CPE article reviewing diabetes self-management technologies (page 43).

My family will always have a special place in our hearts for the pets we have lost this year. We will also be forever grateful to the pharmacists who helped us afford up to 16 doses of eye drops per day, compounded custom formulations of pet medications, and provided guidance on administering medications to our pets after surgery and in dialysis. Never underestimate the benefit to your human patients of providing excellent and compassionate care for their pets