Opinion: Integrating veterinary pharmacy into didactic curricula at colleges of pharmacy

This article originally appeared in Pharmacy Times®, a sister publication to dvm360®.

As the lead of the Veterinary Pharmacist Educational Program at Chewy Pharmacy, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative potential of equipping pharmacists with specialized knowledge in animal health. With pet ownership in the United States surpassing 70% of households and veterinary expenditures reaching $136 billion in 2023, community pharmacies are increasingly serving as the front line for filling prescriptions that bridge human and animal medicine.¹ Yet, a stark disconnect persists: The majority of PharmD graduates enter practice with scant preparation to handle these responsibilities safely and effectively. This education is needed, not as an elective luxury but as a foundational pillar of patient-centered care.

Recent reviews reveal profound gaps in veterinary pharmacy training across US PharmD programs. A comprehensive analysis of available literature identified just 16 studies on the topic, with only 9 describing elective courses and 4 focusing on experiential rotations.² Didactic delivery, primarily through lectures, was supplemented sporadically by active learning elements like live animal interactions or visits to compounding facilities, but these remain outliers rather than norms. Alarmingly, programs are twice as likely to offer experiential opportunities (eg, rotations) in veterinary pharmacy than structured didactic content, leaving most students without classroom exposure to veterinary pharmacotherapy principles.² This translates directly to real-world deficiencies among practicing retail and community pharmacists.

Surveys and expert insights paint a troubling picture of these knowledge gaps. Approximately 25% of veterinary prescriptions for companion animals, often involving human-labeled drugs such as analgesics or antibiotics, are now filled at human pharmacies, yet pharmacists frequently lack the basic understanding to navigate species–specific dosing, adverse effects, and contraindications.³ For instance, common errors arise from assuming human pharmacokinetics apply to pets, leading to unnecessary consultations with veterinarians or suboptimal outcomes. A 2023 dvm360 expert commentary highlighted that "there really is no training for pharmacists in veterinary pharmacy as part of a typical pharmacist education," with only a handful of schools offering electives and just 1 (Purdue University) providing a dedicated program.⁴ This lack of preparation fosters hesitation and inefficiency. Pharmacists report discomfort with veterinary scripts, perceiving them as a "specialty" domain rather than routine practice.

Perceptions among pharmacists further highlight the issue. While direct US surveys from 2023 to 2025 are limited, international data mirror domestic trends and emphasize universal challenges. In a 2023 Finnish cross-sectional survey of 596 community pharmacy professionals, only 41% rated their veterinary pharmacotherapy competencies as "good," with 35% admitting they would dispense off-label anti-inflammatories to animals without veterinary guidance, a practice fraught with risks like toxicity in species like cats.⁵ Confidence gaps extended to basic counseling, such as querying pet owners on parasite medication needs (overlooked by 24%).⁵ Similarly, a 2024 survey of veterinarians revealed that pharmacists' limited knowledge of veterinary medications was the top-perceived barrier to interprofessional collaboration, cited by more than half of respondents, alongside a lack of communication.⁶ These findings align with US observations. Pharmacists view veterinary care as ancillary, often relying solely on manufacturer materials rather than evidence-based guidelines, which erodes trust and hampers antimicrobial stewardship efforts critical to One Health initiatives.⁵

The implications for patient safety and public health are clear. Without didactic grounding in veterinary pharmacology, covering topics like formulary differences, compounding for exotic species, and regulatory nuances under the FDA's Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act, pharmacists risk contributing to medication errors that affect not only pets but also zoonotic disease transmission. Moreover, as pet humanization blurs lines between "family members" and patients, community pharmacists are uniquely positioned to counsel on adherence, drug interactions, and wellness, yet current curricula sideline this role.

Encouragingly, innovative models demonstrate feasibility and impact. A 2024 pilot interprofessional education activity at the University of Minnesota paired second-year pharmacy students with third-year veterinary students in asynchronous case-based discussions on opioid use, antibiotic resistance, and dosing. Postactivity surveys (n = 253) showed that 74% to 75% of participants gained insights into cross-profession interconnections, 81% to 83% felt better prepared for collaboration, and 73% to 84% valued the interprofessional learning.⁷ Such integrations, scalable via virtual platforms, prove that didactic veterinary content can enhance teamwork without overhauling schedules.

Colleges of pharmacy must act decisively. Deans and curriculum committees are urged to prioritize veterinary pharmacotherapy in required didactic sequences and allocate credit hours to core modules on animal physiology, therapeutics, and ethics. This could include mandatory simulations with veterinary schools, leveraging Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education standards on interprofessional competencies. Funding from bodies like the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy or pet industry partners could seed these efforts, while outcomes would validate their return on investment through reduced error rates and improved pharmacist confidence.

In an era where pharmacists are stewards of health across species, ignoring veterinary education is no longer tenable. By weaving it into the fabric of PharmD training, we empower graduates to deliver compassionate, competent care that honors the unbreakable bond between humans and their animals.

REFERENCES

1. Facts + statistics: pet ownership and insurance. Insurance Information Institute. Accessed January 9, 2026. https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-pet-ownership-and-insurance

2. Abdel Aziz MH, Rowe C, Southwood A, Nogid A, Berman S, Gustafson K. A scoping review of artificial intelligence within pharmacy education. Am J Pharm Educ. 2024;88(1):100615. doi:10.1016/j.ajpe.2023.100615

3. US pet ownership statistics. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed January 9, 2026. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics

4. Loria K. Education gaps exist for veterinary pharmacy. dvm360. September 24, 2023. Accessed January 9, 2026. https://www.dvm360.com/view/education-gaps-exist-for-veterinary-pharmacy

5. Immonen H, Raekallio MR, Holmström AR. Promoting veterinary medication safety – exploring the competencies of community pharmacy professionals in veterinary pharmacotherapy. Vet Anim Sci. 2023;21:100310. doi:10.1016/j.vas.2023.100310

6. Fredrickson ME, Terlizzi H, Horne RL, Dannemiller S. The role of the community pharmacist in veterinary patient care: a cross-sectional study of pharmacist and veterinarian viewpoints. Pharm Pract (Granada). 2020;18(3):1928. doi:10.18549/PharmPract.2020.3.1928

7. Hoeft M, Van Hooser J, Rupnow N, Clarkson C. Merging the worlds of pets and pills: development and evaluation of an interprofessional activity linking pharmacy and veterinary medicine. Med Sci Educ. 2024;34(4):765-770. doi:10.1007/s40670-024-02060-6