How to choose a compounding pharmacy?
As veterinarians, we’ve all been stressed and overwhelmed when pets spit out our prescribed medication. The pet owner is stressed too and the pet isn’t getting better because, “Doc, we just can’t get the medicine into our pet!” or the “I thought he/she got the medicine but I found it spat out behind the couch."
In fact, this very thing happened to me a few years ago with my cat, Jack. I just knew there had to be a better way to treat his heart condition rather than me trying to break a small pill into 4 equal pieces only to have him spit it out behind the couch when I was absolutely convinced that he took the pill!
I co-founded Pinpoint Pharma as a pet pharmacy to improve the human-animal bond and ensure that every pet has the wrap-around pharmacy support that it needs.
We identified several gaps in the industry; here are three questions that we believe every veterinarian and pet owner should ask their compounding pharmacy.
1. How do I know how much is in each dose? How do you measure it? This can vary widely among pharmacies. For example, if you are given a big bottle of a suspension to shake up, and your efforts aren’t sufficient, the amount in each dose could vary because the medicine can settle down to the bottom of the bottle. When pharmacies make custom medicine without measuring each dose individually, there is no guarantee of dose to dose consistency. Pinpoint Pharma has a medicine printer that actually measures the exact amount of medicine in each and every dose down to 0.1 mg. No more guessing what line on the syringe to use, we have it done for you.
2. How long does it take to fill my prescription?Pinpoint Pharma works with veterinarians to understand the unique needs of your practice and we never compound products before receiving your patient’s prescription. If you use our customized on-boarding process and send us a prescription by 10 am ET, we can fill and ship them the same day directly to your client. We prioritize our four-legged and feathered friends!
3. If my client can’t get their pet to take its medicine what support does your pharmacy provide? At Pinpoint Pharma, we exist to improve the human-animal bond. We have both licensed pharmacists and veterinarians on staff to help you with behavioral modification (training) support and we follow up on every prescription to ensure it’s in a dose, form and flavor that the pet will love, and the pet owner can easily give. This also saves your staff time and prevents surprises with medication compliance during re-check appointments.
What else should you watch for with the Future of Pharmacy?
We understand the struggle when a pet needs both medication as well as a prescription diet. This can make it difficult to compound a medication to meet your pet’s unique dietary needs. We can make custom medicated treats with your pet’s favorite vet-approved food or treat!
Seamless integration of electronic prescriptions within your practice software. Ask us how to improve your workflow and make writing and filling prescriptions even easier for your hospital staff as well as the pet owner!