Pet health care has advanced significantly, and with that so has the pet medicine industry. For nearly every ailment your pet may develop, there is a medicine. You can purchase these medicines, both prescription and non-prescription, directly from your veterinarian or from a large number of pet pharmacies online and offline.
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Types
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Pet medicines are available as prescription and non-prescription and can be purchased from your veterinarian and from offline or online pet supply stores. You can also purchase many standard vaccinations from online pet supply stores.
Medicines are administered in injection, pill, oral liquid, topical or suppository forms.Some pet pharmacies such as Doctors Foster and Smith offer compounding services. They can formulate the correct dosage for your pet in a form more easily administered and flavored to make medicine more palatable to your pet.
Prescription Medicines
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Prescription medicines include most antibiotics, pain medicines such as Rimadyl and Metacam, plus any narcotic pain relievers, some wormers, glaucoma drops, blood pressure medicine and insulin for diabetic pets. Many online pharmacies do sell prescription medicines, but in most cases you will have to have a prescription from your veterinarian. Depending on the company, you will either need to scan the paper prescription and send it in to the company, or your vet will need to call in the prescription.
Non-prescription Medicines
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Non-prescription medicines include some anti-diarrhea medicines, wormers, ear-mite remedies, antibiotic eye ointment, medicated shampoos, antihistamines (formulated for pets), some pain medicines for dogs (for example, aspirin formulated for dogs), topical flea medicines and first aid sprays and ointments.
Warning
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Only buy pet medicines from your veterinarian or reputable pet supply stores. To avoid counterfeits, do not buy medicines -- including flea medicines such as Frontline -- from online stores that offer medicines not manufactured for sale in the United States.
To avoid drug interaction or accidental overdose, if your pet is already taking medication, do not start it on any other medicine (this includes topical medication) before consulting with a veterinarian.
Considerations
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Most medication intended for humans is not suitable for your pet. Human pain medicines, for instance, are all poisonous for cats. Dogs can have aspirin, but only at suitable, smaller doses than humans.
Kaopectate for humans used to be okay for animals. However, it now contains bismuth salicylate, which is dangerous for cats and some dogs. Pet supply stores carry a safer alternative for pets. Pet care books printed before these kinds of ingredient changes occur may carry false information. Always check with a veterinarian before administering medicine to your pet.
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