Client education for compounded drugs

Veterinarians often have questions about compounded drugs. In an interview with dvm360, Lee Pope, DVM, a veterinary consultant with Revelation Animal Health, a division of Revelation Pharma, shared answers to common questions about compounded drugs. In this video, Pope discusses how to educate pet owners about administering compounded drugs to their pets, and why it’s important to provide detailed instructions to clients.

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The following is a transcript of the video:

Lee Pope, DVM: [Go] over the prescription with the client about how to give it and [give] specific details. So if it's a compound in medicine that I'm having sent to your house, then "Hey, I'm going to have some methimazole sent to your house. Topical methimazole is…one of our most common compounds in medications—I'm going to have some topical methimazole sent to your house. Just follow the label." I would be nervous to tell a client that. So, educate them. I'm going to send this medication, in my opinion, not just saying "Give it 2 times a day." Well, 10 AM and 11 AM are 2 times a day, or 10 AM and 2 PM are 2 times a day. So [be] very specific, so there's no gray zone. "I want you to give this [drug] every 12 hours. I want you to alternate ears, apply wearing gloves." Go over with them what they're expected [to do]. So this way, when they get the medication, there's no surprise. And if there is something different, they can say, "Well, doctor said to do it every 12 hours, but this dosage just says give it once a day.’ They know something maybe is a little different and they can call the clinic to figure out what's going on.