One of the most important responsibilities of pet owners is providing the medications that their pets need. In fact, the pet medication industry reached a new high with 10.8 billion in sales in 2020. Unfortunately, current mass-produced medications and dosages cannot meet the needs of every single pet. This is where compounded pet medication comes in.
Compounding pharmacies assist pet owners by custom designing medications suited for their pet's unique health profile. This guide will explain four benefits of compounded pet medication so you can be sure you are doing the most for your pet's health.
1. More Palatable Flavor for Your Pet
The canine and feline families both have their fair share of picky eaters. Sometimes, the biggest challenge in medicating your pet is that they simply don't enjoy the taste of their medicine. Compounding allows you to overcome this problem by giving you the option to add savory flavors to the medication that any pet will enjoy.
Many pet owners are surprised to learn just how much their cat or dog's taste receptors differ from our own. Dogs enjoy beef, pork, and lamb flavors, but many will turn their nose to chicken flavors and cereal-based foods. Dogs love sweets, while cats lack flavor receptors for sweet foods and will react more strongly to fish or chicken. With compounded pet medicine, your pets may start looking forward to their tasty and healthy treats.
2. Easier Medication Delivery
Compounded pet medications are available in some of the most popular delivery methods available. Chewy pet treats and liquid medications are classic favorites that can be found in virtually any flavor. Alternatively, you can skip the difficulties of feeding medicine to your pet with topical cream or transdermal gel. These solutions are applied to an area of skin with minimal fur coverage and are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
3. Greater Availability of Medicines and Dosages
Reactions to medicines vary from patient to patient, and sometimes a discontinued medication really does work better for your pet than anything else. When your pet isn't getting the same quality of care from currently available prescription medications, a compounding pharmacy could be the answer.
Compounding pharmacists can prepare treatments that provide the same benefits as discontinued medications by incorporating the active ingredients from these medications. A compounding pharmacy gives you a reliable source for even the most hard-to-find medications.
Even if the medicines your pet needs are available as a prescription, these prescriptions aren't always available in the correct dosage for your pet. Compounding allows you to get the same beneficial drug in a size more appropriate for your pet's weight. This eliminates the hassle of cutting up tablets and pills into partial dosages for your pet.
4. Save Money by Combining Medications
Usually, compounding pharmacists can reduce the number of pills, tablets, or chewable medications your pet needs significantly by combining medications. Furthermore, combining multiple medications into a single tablet or pill may make it easier for your pet to absorb them, which could enhance their health benefits.
Combining medications through compounding is safe and effective as long as there are no negative interactions between the medications that are being compounded. In other words, it may be possible to combine all of the medicines your pet is currently taking into a single dose. This way, you will only need to pay for a single monthly prescription.
Compounded pet medication makes medicating your pet easier in ways that many pet owners aren't aware of. Locate a compounding pharmacy in your area to learn more about compounded pet medication and how you can start using this form of medicine for your pet.