When we are ill, we generally see our physician, get a written prescription for medication and pick it up at the pharmacy. But, when our dogs and cats need medication, what are our options?

Nearly all medication for animals is available from your veterinarian or any local pharmacy. Most often, you can get it from your veterinarian. If it is not available there, your veterinarian can write a prescription, which is easily filled at any human pharmacy. In fact, many drugs that are used in people can also be used in pets. For this reason, human medicine is often prescribed for animals.

Sometimes your pet needs medication that has been determined to be unsafe for humans and is no longer available. Fortunately, there are a select number of pharmacies that continue to manufacture drugs, such as propulsid and phenylpropanalamine, that are no longer readily available. These are "compounding pharmacies" and your veterinarian will have access to these pharmacies and the necessary drugs.