Although some medications are used in both humans and animals, veterinary prescribing involves unique considerations. Appropriate medication use can vary between species, doses may be calculated differently, and ingredients that are harmless to humans can be toxic to certain animals. Pet owners recognize these differences and expect pharmacies to have safeguards in place.
Supporting appropriate and scalable veterinary dispensing
The Wolters Kluwer survey findings suggest that pet owners are ready to embrace retail pharmacies as a destination for veterinary prescriptions – if pharmacies can demonstrate the same commitment to medication safety screening applied to prescriptions for human patients. One U.S. study found that a third of veterinarians were aware of a dispensing error that had occurred at a community pharmacy, with some resulting in harm to the animal. Furthermore, the study identified gaps in veterinary medication knowledge among pharmacy graduates.
Meeting consumer expectations for pet care requires efficient access to trusted veterinary medication intelligence that fits naturally within existing workflows. Solutions such as Medi-Span® Vet Meds are designed to support this approach by embedding veterinary-specific medication screening directly into pharmacy dispensing workflows. By providing access to species-specific dosing guidance, drug interaction screening, and contraindications alerts within the workflow, pharmacies can support more consistent decision-making while reducing the need for manual research.
When animal prescriptions arrive, pharmacists often need to leave established workflows to research species-specific dosing requirements, medication safety considerations, or potential interactions. Relying on manual processes and workarounds for exceptions can make reliable dispensing harder to sustain. Medi-Span Vet Meds integrates into existing pharmacy workflows to support responsible prescribing and safety checks without interrupting usual processes.
As veterinary prescription volume continues to grow, the retail pharmacies best positioned to succeed may be those that recognize that, for pet owners, convenience and safety are equal priorities.
Download our eBook, Don’t let veterinary prescriptions break the pharmacy workflow, to learn what retail pharmacies need to scale veterinary dispensing confidently and efficiently.
