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What is a Compounding Pharmacy?

3/21/2020

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     Those of us who have cared for feline family members with Chronic Kidney Disease or other illnesses know that it can be difficult to administer medications to cats.  A compounding pharmacy may be able to help make the process easier.  

      Compounding is the process of tailoring medications for an individual patient.  This can be especially useful because some drugs prescribed for cats and other companion animals may be readily commercially available only in a formulation that's intended primarily for humans.  (Note:  NEVER, NEVER give your non-human animals any drugs, especially human drugs, unless your vet specifically instructs you to do so—the results could prove fatal.)  There are several ways in which compounding can be helpful.  For example:  

Avoiding Toxicity:  Even if the active ingredients of of a medication are beneficial to your cat, the readily available human version could contain 
additives, such as xylitol, which are designed to make it more palatable to humans, but are unsafe for some non-human animals.  A compounding pharmacist may be able to create a formulation without harmful additives.

Palatabilty:  Readily available formulations may have flavorings, such as cherry or bubble gum, that are intended to appeal to humans.  A compounding pharmacist may be able to create your prescription using the flavor of chicken, fish, etc., to appeal to your companion. 

Dosing accuracy:  It may difficult to create a proper dose of readily available human medication for non-human animals. For instance, if a commercially available human drug is only available in tablet form, it can be difficult to accurately cut that pill into the very small pieces required for a small animal.  (Tablets often crush and crumble during cutting, which affects the dose.)  A compounding pharmacist may be able to make pills in a tiny size that doesn’t require cutting.

Dosing form:  Some drugs can be compounded in different forms and still be effective.  For example if, despite your best efforts your cat can’t tolerate liquid medication, it’s possible that the active ingredient can be compounded into a pill or powder.  If your cat refuses pills, a liquid or topical gel version of the drug may be a possibility.

      And, on a related note, if you have trouble administering medicine to your cat, talk to your vet and your pharmacist about ways to make it easier.  For instance it may be difficult to administer a liquid medication into your cat's mouth with a syringe but, if absorption of the medication is not affected by food, adding the meds to food may make the experience more tolerable.

      Compounding of medication is not without risks, and must be done in coordination with your vet.  It requires special training and facilities, and is governed by regional regulations.  But done properly, it can offer great benefits.  


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What is Renal Tech?

3/3/2020

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Information re-verified on March 8, 2021:
​

There is a new artificial intelligence/machine learning tool called Renal Tech* that may help predict whether or not a particular cat may develop Chronic Kidney Disease.  Dr. Jonathan Elliott, whose Feline CKD genetics and inflammation research at The Royal Veterinary College we are proud to be supporting, is one of the developers of the test. 

Essentially, Renal Tech is a computer program that compares your cat’s age and blood test results to those of thousands of other cats who have or have not been diagnosed with CKD.  It applies a statistical analysis and, based on how your cat’s data compares to that of other cats, it tries to predict whether or not your cat will develop CKD.   This tool is still at a very early stage, and how and under what circumstances it works is quite complex.  (To see the original study publication in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, look here.)

Studies must now be carried out to discover the practical applications of this predictive testing; ie:  how it can be utilized to improve a cats’ health and quality of life?  If we have sound reason to believe that a cat will develop CKD in the future, what can be done to change course?  We don’t have those answers yet, but every step we take towards a better understanding of Feline CKD brings us closer to solutions that can help cats live healthier, happier lives.  We will be watching these developments closely, and will keep you up to date as information becomes available.  Please ask your vet if Renal Tech is appropriate for your cat.
*Renal Tech is a Trademark of Antech.

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