Pharmacists seldom have a share in the pie of veterinary medications. Most veterinary surgeons in Singapore are at the top of the medication supply food chain as a result of their extensive training and skills. They diagnose, treat, prescribe, compound and dispense medications to animals under their care. On the other hand, pharmacy students generally receive little education about veterinary medications in school. Few pharmacists express interest in veterinary medication, one of the hardest medication knowledge for pharmacists, and some vets can be territorial and not keen to share their knowledge. As such, it can be dangerous for the pets receiving the medicine when a pharmacist has to handle a prescription from the vet since pharmacists are largely indifferent to the practices in the veterinary field. Pharmacists can ensure the safe use of pet medication by being aware of potential pitfalls when dispensing pet medication: Human medicine can be toxic to animals Like how grapes and chocolates are toxic to animals, medication that is safe for human consumption may not be so for animals. Acetaminophen, a common analgesic and antipyretic in human medications, can kill a cat due to its intrinsic deficiency in glucuronidation and sulfation abilities, which otherwise are the usual pathway for the metabolism of acetaminophen. Acetaminophen Toxicosis may result from just a single exposure, which leads to methemoglobinemia and hepatotoxicity in cats, and is only one of the many examples where human medication is incompatible with animals. Misunderstood abbreviations and dosages Pharmacy errors can occur if pharmacists are unfamiliar with the abbreviations and drug dosages used by veterinarians. For example, 2.25ml can be misread as 2.25 spoonfuls, resulting in five times overdose. FDA also found out that "SID" (once daily) in veterinary prescriptions was often misinterpreted as "BID" (twice daily) and "QID" (four times daily), resulting in drug overdoses. Thus, pharmacists may unintentionally dispense a drug with an overdose in their instructions due to their lack of understanding about common dosages in medication for animals. Aside from avoiding these common pitfalls, pharmacists can take the following actions to ensure better the safety of pet medication being dispensed: Ask key questions When a veterinary prescription is brought to the pharmacist, they should ask the pet owners about the purpose of the medication, and confirm the dose, brand and strength of the medication if necessary. If the owner is also unsure, the pharmacist should call up the vet for confirmation. Most vets are more than willing to explain the situation as they, too, do not want the animals under their care to suffer from medication errors. Advise on storage and medication Pharmacists should warn pet owners not to share medications for one animal with another animal unless their vet directs them to do so. Medications used by humans and by animals should be labelled clearly and stored away from one another, and kept out of reach of the animals. Finally, pharmacists should also explain the dangers of overmedicating a pet based on the severity of the pain it displays. Advise on compounding drugs Common pets such as cats and dogs often have a superb sense of taste and smell, so they tend to reject medications with unpleasant strong smell or taste. For example, prednisolone, which is the cornerstone drug for the management of glandular disorders, dermatological problems and allergies, have a metallic taste. To counter the problem, drug compounding has grown as a practice in the United States to compound nasty tasting and smelling medications in substances which have a strong smell and taste, such as fish oil and cod liver oil, thereby masking their scent or taste. Dosages are also heavily salted to please the animals. Pharmacists can learn about those medications which have strong scents or smells, and advise pet owners to mix medications in suitable solvent or pets' treats for medication compliance. For some pet owners, their pets are like part of their family and would be heartbroken if their pets were to die. Pharmacists should seek to avoid unintentionally causing the death of these animals due to their lack of knowledge in veterinary medication. They should take to educating themselves and help save the lives of these animals, which are just as important as saving the lives of humans Source
