Tailored solutions help support pet health
Compounding pharmacies provide tailored solutions for veterinarians and pet parents alike. By treating each pet and prescription with exceptional care, expertise, and attention to detail, veterinary compounding pharmacies do more than fill prescriptions—they fill the care gaps that may arise from standard medications, hard-to-tolerate formulas, and one-size-fits-all dosing.
In other words, this isn’t your grandmother’s pharmacy.
Whether you're a veterinarian or a pet parent, these seven benefits of veterinary compounding are worth knowing about.
#1: Customized medications
Even the best medications don’t work if your pet refuses to take them. Compounding considers each pet’s unique needs to make medicating as simple, effective, and low-stress as possible.
Basic parameters like species and weight, as well as more nuanced knowledge like allergies, medical conditions, and formula and flavor preferences, inform the compounding process.
By optimizing each formula and dose to each unique pet, compounding pharmacies help minimize common barriers—ensuring the medication actually gets into your pet.
#2: A variety of dosage forms
A pill is a pill is a pill—unless you’re working with a compounding pharmacy.
Unlike commercial or in-house pharmacies that may have one or two formulations of each medication, compounding can create a range of options to meet each pet's or pet parent’s needs.
Instead of crushing tiny FiFi’s horse-sized tablets into a bitter dust and mixing it with her canned food—in the vain hope that she’ll eat some of it—pet-friendly formulations (e.g., a flavored liquid, tasty chewable tablet, or convenient transdermal preparation) set pets and pet parents up for greater success.
Additional reading: How to Give Your Cat a Pill
#3: Improved palatability
The way to a human’s heart may be through their stomach, but the way to a pet’s stomach is through their senses.
Pet-friendly formulations like chewable tablets, flavored liquids, and medicated melts make medicating pets a treat by appealing to their sense of smell and taste. They also eliminate the hassle of hiding pills in food and wondering if the pet received their full dose.
#4: Tailored dosing
When it comes to dosing, precision is key— yet many pets are still receiving more medication than they need. This can happen when available pills or capsules come in standard sizes that don't match a pet's exact dosage.
Compounding is a convenient way to ensure pets receive precisely what they need—no more, no less—helping veterinarians and pet parents know that each dose is spot on, every time.
#5: Combining medications for simplified administration
If your pet’s medications are starting to resemble a countertop pharmacy, there may be an easier way.
In some cases, compounding pharmacists can combine multiple medications into one preparation, eliminating the need for repetitive dosing. While pets who take their medications in food may miss those extra treats, pet parents will enjoy the added convenience—and counterspace!
Learn more: What you need to know about feeding human food to pets
#6: Access to unavailable medications
Knowing what your pet or patient needs but being unable to get it can be frustrating and possibly delay or alter their course of treatment. Compounding pharmacies can fill this need by creating medications that are no longer available or difficult to obtain (as long as they were not taken off the market due to safety concerns).
Compounding pharmacies act as partners in animal health
#7: Convenience and support
A pet’s prescription is about more than just a pill, capsule, or liquid—it’s a cornerstone of their health and well-being. That’s why the relationship with a compounding pharmacy is more than just a transaction; it’s a partnership in ensuring the best possible care.
With personalized guidance from experienced pharmacists, customized formulations, and convenient home delivery, compounding pharmacies provide comprehensive support to both veterinarians and pet parents at every step.
When should veterinarians consider compounding as a first-line treatment?
Whether you’re a prescribing veterinarian or a pet parent seeking personalized options for your pet, knowing when to choose or ask about a compounding pharmacy can improve access to customized care.
While compounding pharmacies provide a large catalog of compounded and commercially available medications for almost every need, here are seven circumstances where they should be considered as first-line treatment:
Addressing allergies or sensitivities to standard ingredients
Finding hard-to-get or discontinued medications
Customizing dosing for specific needs
Simplifying medication administration and compliance
Creating formulas pets can safely tolerate
Combining multiple medications into one prescription
More questions? Check out our compounding FAQ
Compounded medications = compounded benefits
Compounding pharmacies fill an important role, ensuring every animal receives care tailored to their unique needs and circumstances. Combining pharmaceutical expertise, safety, and precision, along with deep empathy for the pet-owner experience, compounding pharmacies such as Wedgewood help make every pet’s medication experience a prescription for success.
