Veterinary drugs sales comprise the largest segment of income for most veterinary clinics and hospitals, but it takes an astute doctor to keep abreast of the constantly changing field of veterinary pharmaceuticals. Drug companies are constantly developing new products, which requires that veterinary professionals continue to educate themselves and their staff to provide clients with the most up-to-date and accurate pet drugs information available.

The best way to guarantee a client that the dog treatment protocol you've prescribed is the most effective option, and that you have the client's budget in mind, is to learn everything you can about what your clients need and what the industry has to offer.

1. Find top suppliers that will work with large animal producers to find cost-effective animal health solutions.

2. Purchase pet medications, maintenance drugs and vaccines to meet the needs of a variety of small animal patients.

3. Work with clients who choose to get their veterinary medications from veterinary pharmaceutical websites.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy the bulk of your generic veterinary drugs from wholesale suppliers

Purchase from bulk animal pharmaceutical suppliers to stock up on standard generic antibiotics, anthelmintics and analgesic veterinary drugs. Sites on the Internet that are maintained by the large pharmaceutical companies suggest that only name-brand products can adequately treat your patients, but when it comes to standard pet drugs, many veterinarians use human generics in an off-label application when they're the bioequivalent of a more expensive name brand veterinary drug. As a result, some suppliers of wholesale veterinary pharmaceuticals will carry the human generic equivalent drugs that manufacturers do not offer.

I recommend: Browse the livestock drug, dog medications and cat solutions available at Henry Schein. Offer livestock producer’s professional compounding services with MWI Vet Supply's Pharmacy Solutions, or order from Miller Vet Supply by manufacturer listing.

Partner with veterinary pharmaceuticals manufacturers for top-shelf drugs and services

Dispensing veterinary pharmaceuticals requires a depth of drug knowledge that most doctors can barely get through continuing education seminars, much less convey to their clinic staff members. Work with sales professionals in the pharmaceutical research and development industry to get free education for your staffers, sample vet drugs for your clinic and personal animals, and substantial sales and volume-buying discounts you can use to increase your bottom line.

I recommend: Merial Pharmaceuticals provides dog medication, vaccines, dental care products and parasite prophylactics such as Heartgard and Frontline. The company offers bulk-discount sales throughout the year on its various products, as well as client communications, free product offers and client and staff education that is arguably the best in the industry. Veterinary pharmaceutical giant Bayer Animal Health manufactures Advantage for Cats and K9 Advantix for dogs, as well as the industry-leading fluoroquinolone Baytril. Get Cestex and Clavamox directly from the source by shopping with Pfizer Animal Health.

Work with clients who prefer to buy discount pet drugs from online pharmacies

Increase client compliance when prescribing a treatment drug, dogs' heartworm or flea preventive medication, or maintenance meds by giving your clients freedom to choose a discount pharmacy. Online pharmacies must maintain non-resident pharmacy licenses in most states to dispense pet medicines, and they must maintain the veterinarian-client-patient relationship by obtaining a veterinarian's approval for every pet prescription.

I recommend: Your clients may choose to purchase their dogs' medication from 1-800-Pet-Meds.com, Drs. Foster and Smith or PetCareRx.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Price your medication for dogs - and all other species of pet and large animal - to keep your pharmacy competitive with online companies and safeguard the doctor-patient-client relationship you've worked so hard to build. Offer price matching to your clients, but require that they bring in a printout from the online pharmacy they would have used, complete with shipping costs. In many cases, your clients will be surprised to learn that they would have paid more for their pets' medications through an online pharmacy than they will ultimately pay for your personal attention and availability.

When owners of animals take their pets to the veterinary clinic, they expect to get the pet medications that they need immediately. Therefore, it's vital that you plan for the wide array of ailments that you will need to treat.

There are three main types of pet drugs that you will need for each type of animal you treat in your clinic. In addition to the medications listed below, you will also need veterinary drugs used in surgery and emergency treatments.

1. Have vaccines available for all types of animals that you treat. Dogs, cats, horses and cows all need vaccines to prevent various ailments that could easily turn fatal. For example, horses need a vaccine to protect them from encephalitis and dogs and cats both need a vaccine for distemper.

2. Carry preventative medications for animals who need it. For example, cats and dogs need flea and tick repellents, while dogs are the only animals that need a monthly dog medication to prevent heartworm. In addition, stock pet medicines to prevent intestinal parasites.

3. Stock medicines to treat infectious illnesses, including those caused by bacteria and parasites. You will also need medications to treat chronic illnesses and behavioral issues. Remember to stock a dog treatment for heartworm infection. Today, dog owners can choose between oral heartworm preventative that lasts one month, or an injected preventative called ProHeart 6 that lasts 6 months.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Shop for pet medications for a wide variety of illnesses and conditions

You may be able to get all of the pet medications you need from a single source. However, if you treat a wide range of animals, including birds or reptiles, you may need additional sources from which you can buy these medications.

I recommend: Place an order with Thomas Veterinary Drug for veterinary pharmaceuticals for many different conditions found in cats and dogs. In addition, browse the list of veterinary medical supplies that Henry Schein, Inc carries.

Buy vet drugs and supplies for every animal health need

Some veterinary supply companies have a very inclusive inventory. You can do one stop shopping and purchase all of the pet medications and equipment you need for your clinic.

I recommend: Buy an updated veterinary drug handbook like the Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook so that you can stay up to date on all pet medications. Browse the complete TW Medical Veterinary Supply catalog online to see all they have available before you place your order.

Ensure that the pet medicines given to patients are safe

Unfortunately, medicines and other animal products sometimes are deemed unsafe and then recalled. For the safety and health of your patients, keep up-to-date on these changes.

I recommend: Visit The Center for Veterinary Medicine website to check for recalls of veterinary pharmaceuticals and other products relating to the care and feeding of animals. You can also report adverse reactions to pet foods and medications to the CVM. Check the ASPCA Pet Food Recall Resource Center for a current list of foods and treats for dogs and cats.

Continue veterinary education and boost knowledge of veterinary pharmaceuticals

To provide your patients with the very best care, take continuing education classes. These classes will keep you up to date on the latest veterinary news, procedures and veterinary drugs.

I recommend: Take classes with VetMedTeam online at your convenience. View their website for currently available classes. Some of these classes require a fee, while others are free. Look at the continuing education programs available through Colorado State University. You can take these classes online as well.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember to carry plenty of veterinary medications used for emergencies and severe infections in stock at all times.
• •  Provide informational pamphlets about common medicines in your waiting area.
• •  Instead of writing a prescription for medications that customers can purchase elsewhere, stock and sell them yourself to boost your profit margin.

Carrying a pharmacy full of veterinary drugs can help your practice realize a significant profit, but also requires adherence to legal and professional requirements. Veterinarians must use their best judgment when prescribing veterinary medications to ensure patient safety, drug efficacy and client compliance.

Vets also must safeguard themselves and their clinics from drug theft and prescription labeling errors. When working with veterinary drugs, keep in mind that with great profit potential comes great responsibility to all stakeholders.

1. Clinic employees need proper training in dog treatment techniques and tricks to help the medicine go down.

2. Clients and regulators will require proof that your hospital is adhering to all state and federal controlled pet drugs regulations.

3. Patients of all species depend on vets to prescribe the right veterinary drugs to maximize benefit and minimize risk to the patient.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Send home pet medicines that are easy for clients to administer to their pets

Veterinary pharmaceutical manufacturers do their best to make medication for dogs and cats chewable whenever possible to make them easier to administer. However, some drugs for cat or dog treatments come in a liquid form, non-chewable pill or capsule form. Anyone can use the standard trick of putting pills inside a 'meatball' of canned pet food, a slice of frankfurter, a piece of cheese, or opt for an alternative with treats that have a pocket for hiding pills. Vets can also custom-order new flavors of pet medications through veterinary compounding companies, or use vet drugs technologies that take the 'bite' out of medicating pets.

I recommend: Direct your clients to buy Greenies Pill Pockets through discount pet drugs distributor Discount Pet Medicines, or carry them in your clinic inventory to help your staff administer medication for dogs and cats. Buy wholesale from PetEdge, and choose from two sizes depending on the size of the pills you'll be dispensing. Order sample flavored chewables from Golden Gate Pharmacy's compounding service to determine which flavors work best for your patients, or bypass the pills altogether by using a topical, transdermal gel so pets can absorb their medication through their skin.

Follow all regulations for dispensing controlled veterinary pharmaceuticals

Maintaining a pharmacy full of vet drugs takes dedication to loss prevention and pharmaceutical regulatory compliance, especially when it comes to controlled drugs. By law, vets must keep certain meds under lock and key. Clinic staff with access to the drugs need extensive training on their use, security and record-keeping requirements. Audit your controlled substances logs at least monthly, and conduct irregular inventory checks to spot problems and investigate them early -- before your bottom line suffers.

I recommend: If you're not yet registered to administer controlled dog medication, visit the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Office of Diversion Control Drug Registration. Also, check with your state's branch of the American Association of Veterinary State Boards determine state registration requirements. In Texas, for example, you'll need to register with the Texas Department of Public Safety. View drugs by schedule -- so that you know what measures you need to take to safeguard the drugs you carry -- through the U.S. DEA Controlled Substances alphabetical list.

Send the right meds home when working with veterinary drugs

Pharmaceutical companies haven't invented all of the veterinary medications that vets need to most effectively treat animals, and some of the available meds are prohibitively expensive. Lots of vets take matters, and their licenses, into their own hands by dispensing generic human drugs in an off-label manner to reduce client costs. Vets should carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of replacing approved pet drugs with bioequivalent formulas meant for humans, and dispense with extreme care.

I recommend: Use approved pet medications with the help of the most current list of U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approved Animal Drugs. Double-check your dosage calculations using the University of Minnesota Veterinary Drug Formulary.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Learn about your practice management software's module for managing pet drugs, and use the features to safeguard your practice against liability, encourage client compliance and schedule patient rechecks within a few weeks of prescribing new medications.

When an animal requires medical care and treatment, effective and safe pharmacologic agents are selected. Most, but not all, of the medications will be a preparation that can be provided by a veterinarian who may have a pharmacy within a clinic or hospital. Sometimes, a prescription can be filled at a drugstore, especially if it is a medication that the veterinarian does not keep in stock. In some instances, the prescription is processed as if it were a prescription for people.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Compounding

Compounding is the process of changing an original drug dosage so that it is easier to administer or to make a suitable form for a particular animal to receive.

I recommend: Veterinarians occasionally use compounded medications for an animal's specific need. The American Veterinary Medical Association explains the various types of requirements needed for compounding drugs for veterinary use.

Transdermal gels

Transdermal gels contain the medication prescribed by the veterinarian and are applied to the animal's skin.

I recommend: There are many different ways that transdermal gels can be used and made, and Wedgewood Pharmacy has a complete list of the types of medications that can be used in gel form.

Therapeutic drug monitoring

Therapeutic drug monitoring is a process that can guide the veterinarian to provide safe and effective drug therapy in animals by monitoring the animal's clinical response to a drug. Drug monitoring has also proved to be very useful in assessing and identifying owner non-compliance, which can cause adverse reactions or even therapeutic failure of the prescribed medical regimen.

I recommend: Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine has extensive information regarding drug-monitoring procedures.

Route of administration

At times, it may be very difficult to give an animal a medication in oral form. These medications can be changed to another method, such as transdermal or rectal suppositories.

I recommend: Murray Avenue Apothecary has information on various ways of administering medications.

Nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals provide health and medical benefits and may be comprised of herbal products, dietary supplements and other nutrients. They can be used in animals to prevent disorders and diseases.

I recommend: To learn more about nutraceutical uses for veterinary practice, the American Animal Hospital Association is a great resource on each of the various types of nutraceuticals and their uses.

Adverse events

Adverse events are those events that have an undesirable effect occurring after the use of any vaccines, medications or medical devices. These events might be or might not be caused by the medicine, device or product.

I recommend: The FDA has extensive information on adverse events and how and where to report them if they occur.