Veterinary Medicine

Maropitant citrate (also known as Cerenia®) is a drug used to treat nausea, vomiting, and motion sickness in cats and dogs.

Clomipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant that treats multiple psychological disorders in canines and feline species such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and anxiety.

Just like humans, pets can also feel pain. Pain might be acute or chronic. Acute pain originates from an injury or illness that lasts for a short period of time while chronic pain persists for weeks to years and often arises from an underlying condition. The pain might be mild to severe and if left untreated, it could lead to a more serious condition.

Pimobendan is a veterinary drug for dogs that have mild, moderate, or severe congestive heart failure. It is a prescription drug that can only be obtained through a prescription order from a veterinarian. Pimobendan has proven clinical benefit in preventing arrhythmias, or abnormal heart beats that can lead to sudden cardiac death, in a 56-day field study.

Trilostane is the only FDA approved medication for treating Cushing’s disease in dogs. It is a steroidogenesis inhibitor, which means it works to block the production of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. This is helpful for patients with Cushing’s disease, who suffer from excess amounts of cortisol being synthesized by the body.

Hyperthyroidism in cats is caused by an increase in production of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) due to an enlarged thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism mostly affects cats middle-aged and older, with the average age of affected cats being 12 years old. Among older cats, the prevalence of hyperthyroidism is around 12%.

Not all patients are the same, so why should treatments be? A compounding pharmacy can personally tailor prescribed medication to best match your condition.

Zonisamide may be prescribed for hard to treat seizures or epilepsy. Zonisamide works by preventing the spread of the seizures and decreasing the excessive amount of neuronal firing.

Ursodiol (ur-soe-dye-ole) is a medication that you may recognize under two different names: Ursodeoxycholic acid or Actigall ® . This medication is used to help remove or prevent gallstones containing cholesterol in not only humans but also in dogs or cats as well! This medication may also be used to treat liver or gallbladder disease in pets.

Compounded medications are made for each individual or pet who provides a prescription from a physician, veterinarian or other medical professionals. These special medications are formulated for a particular patient rather than for any patient who requires the prescription drug. You might wonder why compounded medications can help you to live a healthier life, and here are six reasons for ordering these prescription drugs from a compounding pharmacy.

It is important to follow the directions provided by the health care provider on how to take the drug to ensure you receive maximum clinical benefit. Compounding of certain medications allows them to be administered in alternate route(s) that are not offered commercially. A compounding pharmacist can work with your doctor to see what options are available.

Like humans, pets can suffer from hormonal changes and disorders as they age. These can cause them to act strangely and change in appearance. One of the most common of these disorders is Cushing's disease. While rare in humans (1-2 cases/million people per year), Cushing's is quite common in pets, particularly in dogs, occurring in 1-2 out of every 1000 dogs per year.

Although your cat may seem to have little reason for stress or high blood pressure, feline hypertension is a serious yet common health threat to house cats. High blood pressure in cats can sometimes occur without any discernible cause; however, it is more typically a symptom of another disease. Hypertension can commonly occur in both kidney disease and hyperthyroidism. Obesity and genetic components can also contribute to the likelihood of a cat developing high blood pressure. No matter the cause, high blood pressure can cause significant harm to a cat if not treated promptly.

Studies have shown that congestive heart failure is on the rise, but not just in humans. This disease is on the rise in animals alike and pet owners need to be aware.

Obviously, not everyone is a doctor or in the medical field. It stands to reason that not everyone understands hormones and their role in the body. Hormones are much like traffic cops in the body. They direct the hormones to the major systems that each runs. Hormones also control other things such as when we are hot or cold, if we're hungry, and when to sweat.

Cats are wonderful pets. They can be cuddly, playful, loving, and silly. However, applying medication to your cat is not always easy because they can become squirmy and uncooperative. Thankfully, there is a new product on the market called the Topi-CLICK Micro that makes applying transdermal medication to your cat much easier. This post will discuss benefits of using the Topi-CLICK Micro and how to use it safely and correctly to apply your cat's medication.

Compounding is the art and science of making personalized medications for patients by specially trained pharmacists. Compounded medications are made based on a practitioner's prescription in which individual ingredients are mixed together in the exact strength and dosage form required for the patient.

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Before the mass production of pharmaceuticals gained momentum and changed the industry, most medications were created for patients in a more individualized manner. While mass production brought convenience to the supply side of things, it took away some of the benefit that came with tailoring prescription medications to the individual patient’s needs. In the accompanying infographic, we’ve laid out a timeline that touches on the history of compounding medicine, along with statistics and data related to prescriptions across the United States. Not only that, but we’ve also provided a number of benefits associated with compounding medicine that you’ll want to keep in mind next time you need a more tailored prescription.

It's important to choose a compounding pharmacy located in the US and specifically who's licensed in your state. You also want to carefully select a compound pharmacy that is accredited for adhering to the highest quality standards and compounding practices. An accreditation, like PCAB, Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board provides a process to review a compounding pharmacy’s ability to meet strict regulatory requirements and standards set by accreditation organization. It demonstrates the pharmacy’s commitment to quality by meeting/or exceeding strict industry standards.

One of the many responsibilities of raising pets is making sure they are fed, bathed, and loved. Our furry friends also need to be taken to the veterinarian on a regular basis to make sure they are happy and healthy. However, sometimes animals undergo health symptoms when doctors are not around and the responsibility of primary care falls onto the shoulders of the owner. If ever found in a situation like this, it may be recommended that you use compounded drugs for your animals in order to ensure a less stressful and easier method to administering medication to your pets.

Patients and their caregivers experience confusion over what their insurance covers. This is particularly true when they are prescribed a compounded medication. The reality is that it depends on the insurance company. Some cover compounded prescriptions. Some cover compounded medicines under certain circumstances while others do not cover compounded drugs.

Compounding is a pharmaceutical practice that can tailor a medication to the specific needs of an individual. These needs have been identified by the individual's health care provider and are in some way incongruent with the options available through traditional drug manufacturing. Let's look at what compounding involves and how you can ensure you're getting safe, reliable compounding services.

If you subscribe to the New York Times, you may have seen the special section they had in early June about the latest information as to the mutually beneficial relationship between people and their pets. Our understanding of this bond has deepened: we can get employer-sponsored health benefits for veterinary care; cats—and even goats!—participate in yoga classes; there are growing studies in empathetic responses between dogs and people; there are even reports that interaction with our pets can help boost our immune responses!

Liver Disease Ursodiol as one therapeutic option The liver is a multifaceted organ. It is involved in digestion by the metabolism of protein, lipids and carbohydrates; storage of vitamins, minerals and production of bile acid, which is essential for detoxification of many end-products of digestion. It also produces and stores coagulation factors recruited for production of clots resulting in wound healing. This organ protects itself by regenerating his own cells to a certain extend, but can still be at great risk due to its filtering capacity and exposure to many metabolites, products of digestion, drugs, and toxins. This could be leaving temporary or even permanent damage to the cells it harbors.

Cushing’s Disease and Compounded Trilostane Dogs can suffer from endocrine (hormonal) diseases much like people. Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism or HAC) is an endocrine disorder, in which dogs produce too much cortisol hormone. 80% of dogs with Cushing’s disease have the pituitary-dependent form, while the remaining are affected by an adrenal gland tumor. Cushing’s disease affects the multiple functions throughout the dog’s entire body.

CareFirst Pharmacy is proud to bring custom-compounded theophylline in flavored, 4-way FlexDose tablets. If your veterinarian has prescribed theophylline for your pet, we are happy to provide an easy way to get just the right dose. What is Theophylline? Theophylline is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor drug and bronchodilator. It is mainly used in dogs and cats with respiratory diseases. It directly relaxes muscles within the bronchi of the lungs and also in the pulmonary blood vessels. Theophylline can cause stimulation of the respiratory centers in the brain and has a mild diuretic effect, which may make it a helpful drug in managing congestive heart failure (CHF) in certain pets.

Heart medication specifically for dogs may seem unusual, but it is far from uncommon. If your dog suffers from a heart condition, your veterinarian may have prescribed pimobendan. What is pimobendan? Pimobendan is a PDE3 (phosphodiesterase III) inhibitor, which increases cardiac contractility while dilating arterioles. In the simplest terms, it helps to relax blood vessels, thus lowering blood pressure and helping the heart to pump blood properly. How can pimobendan help my dog? Pimobendan is a medication that is prescribed for a very specific heart problem: congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Pimobendan is not currently recommended for dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or hypertropic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Overall, dogs that take pimobendan tend to have a longer survival time and feel better than dogs with the same condition that do not take pimobendan.

Your Pets are Special and Their Medication Should Be Too Your pet is unique in every way. Most of the time, that uniqueness is in their personality and playfulness – but it can also mean their medical needs. Compounding pharmacies are keenly aware of how medicines can affect animals, and want tohelp meet the healing necessities of your pet with a treatment as unique as they are. Compounding itself has a storied history, and is a trustworthy and safe way to treat pets. Since dogs, cats, and other pets have been gracing us with their love and faithfulness, vets have been using simple, customized compounds to keep pets and pet owners happy.

Next in our blog’s behavior series is a drug called fluoxetine. Most people know of this drug by its trade name “Prozac.® Specialty Care Pharmacy is happy to offer this drug as a generic in the compounded medium you need. Fluoxetine is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) and it works in cats in a similar fashion to humans. While it is an “anti-depressant” in people, it is used to treat a variety of behavioral issues in cats.

Use of Diethylstilbestrol (DES) for therapeutic purposes Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as the involuntary loss of urine during the filling phase of the bladder . At this time, there are many suspected factors contributing to the problem. Nevertheless, urinary sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI) after spaying is the most common micturition disorder, and its medical treatment is normally successful. The underlying mechanism is not fully understood. But, we do know that hormonal changes can induce structural and functional alterations in the bladder, as well as in the urethra composition. The proposed predispositions to incontinence that follows neutering including gender, breed, body weight, obesity, tail docking, spaying technique (ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy) and morphology or position of neck of the bladder and urethral length, have all been investigated

Deborah Barber Shores, DVM Pharmaceuticals are used to treat and prevent a wide range of ailments in our animal companions. Sometimes, veterinarians are not able to dispense medications in the dosage required for a particular patient. This is where compounding pharmacies step in and save the day. Dogs, cats, horses and even rabbits can benefit from compounded medications. As a veterinarian, I use a compounding pharmacy almost every day. Let’s take a look at a few cases where compounded drugs have made a difference for my patients.

Cats are wonderful addition to our families but sometimes there are ‘unpleasant’ aspects of having a cat. Many of you know what I am speaking of, and it usually involves stepping in ‘something’ with bare feet in the middle of the night. Hairballs and other contents of vomit are an unfortunate part of many cat fancier’s lives. But did you know that hairballs are NOT a “normal” thing for cats to produce? Hairballs, when produced frequently (more than once a month) can be a sign that there is a problem in the digestive system. If your cat has had issues with vomiting, regurgitation or hairballs, your veterinarian may have prescribed Cisapride.

In this article, we will look at amitriptyline, a medication your veterinarian may have prescribed for your cat. Specialty Care Pharmacy has many dosing options available for your cat’s specific needs. What is Amitriptyline? Amitriptyline is a tricyclic behavior modifier and was used for many years in people as an “anti-depressant.” Surprisingly, it is used to treat a variety of problems in cats. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help decrease discomfort and pain associated with certain medical conditions.

Enrofloxacin is a synthetic antimicrobial prescribed in disease states involving susceptible bacteria like Staphylococcus, Proteus, Escherichia coli, Pasteurella, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (4) The drug acts by inhibiting DNA and RNA synthesis within the pathogen. In most of our patients, it is metabolized to ciprofloxacin, which may contribute to additional antibacterial effects. In reptiles, it is mostly used in upper respiratory infections, wounds, abscesses and critically ill individuals. For example, this python (see figure 1) has facial lesions from self-induced trauma after some components of the enclosure materials were changed from plastic to wood. The patient also presented with upper respiratory congestion, which was noticed during the physical examination as a harsh upper nasal noise.

Hyperthyroidism is a condition when the amount of thyroid hormone exceeds the normal limit in the blood circulation. The usual cause of this condition is the enlargement of the thyroid gland(s) or a hormone producing thyroid tumor. In feline, this condition is rare and in approximately 80% of the cats, it is observed that hyperthyroidism involves enlargement of both glands. However, in the other 15% only one is enlarged. Hyperthyroidism causes intense activity in the cats causing them to move around with increased speed and playing a vital role in decrement of their health.