A veterinary-medication hub focused on product identity, prescriptions, species-specific labeling, administration challenges and appropriate compounding questions.
Veterinary Medications & Prescription Compounding
Animal medicines must be evaluated in the context of the species, diagnosis, specific product and veterinarian's instructions. A medicine that is appropriate for a dog may be inappropriate or unsafe for a cat, and products containing the same active ingredient can have different approved species, dosage forms and labeling.
Product and prescription questions
- What is the active ingredient and exact veterinary product?
- For which species is the product labeled?
- Is it prescription or OTC?
- What dosage form is prescribed or labeled?
- Is the specific product or manufacturer currently obtainable?
- Does the prescription have refills or need veterinarian renewal?
Selected veterinary medication pages
For dog NSAID product information, see carprofen. For current dog-versus-cat regulatory distinctions, see veterinary meloxicam. For a strictly veterinary deworming product page, see fenbendazole.
When veterinary compounding may be discussed
FDA describes animal drug compounding as altering or combining ingredients to create a medication for an animal species or individual animal. Compounded animal drugs are not FDA-approved, and FDA does not verify their safety, effectiveness or quality before marketing. When an FDA-approved product can meet the animal's medical need, it is an important reference point for the veterinarian and pharmacist.
A veterinarian may sometimes identify a formulation or administration problem that requires a different approach. Any compounded option should be tied to the animal's actual prescription and clinical need; this page does not promise recreation of discontinued products or imply that compounding is automatically preferable.
Learn more about prescription compounding. For current prescription, formulation, product or availability questions, use the pharmacy consultation page.