Pet meds are a hot topic. They often come up in pet discussion forums, pet articles, pet blogs, and pet discussions. Pet meds are an interesting topic because they can literally make or break your pet’s health–they have the power to heal your pet or cause them harm. In this article, we will explore pet med reviews and get into what you should know before making a decision about whether or not pet med is right for your pet.
What is pet med?
Pet med is a broad term that refers to all medications used to treat pets. This includes both over-the-counter pet medications and prescription pet medications. The most common pet meds are pet antibiotics, pet pain relief, pet joint supplements, and pet heartworm preventatives.
Before we discuss pet meds, pet medications, pet antibiotics, pet pain relief, pet joint supplements, and pet heartworm preventatives further let’s look at how pet med is different from other medicines.
Is pet medicine different from human medicine?
The short answer to this question is yes. In fact, there are several crucial differences between pet meds and human meds.
Pet meds are different from human meds because pet medications are created specifically for pet consumption, pet medications cannot be taken by humans, pet medications are dispensed differently than human medicine is dispensed, pet medications are often shorter acting or longer-acting than their human counterparts, pet medications are sometimes combined with additives that make them palatable to pets but would make them unpalatable to people.
Pet Medications Are Created Specifically For Pet Consumption
Many pet owners and pet lovers don’t know this fact: pet medicine/pet medication is not the same as human medicine/human medication—companies do not create a product and then market it to both sides of the species barrier. Rather, companies create pet medicine/pet medication specifically for pet consumption and pet safety.
This is particularly important to note when taking pet medications because pet meds are not regulated in the same way that human meds are—there is no such thing as FDA-approved pet meds, pet manufacturers do not need to run their pet medicines through clinical trials as human medicines must, and pet medications often contain additives that make them palatable but would be dangerous for people to ingest.
Pet Medications Cannot Be Taken By Humans
Did you know that pharmaceutical companies cannot legally sell a product intended for pets if that product can also be used by humans? It’s true: pet medications cannot be sold if they can be used by people! This is why pet medications are often dispensed in different ways than human medications are.
Pet Medications Are Dispensed Differently Than Human Medicines Are
When you go to the pharmacy to pick up your antibiotics, the pharmacist will ask for your weight and then give you a dose that corresponds with your weight. This is not how pet meds are dispensed.
Rather, pet meds are dispensed according to the pet’s weight and size. This is because pet doses are not based on human doses (which would be absurd because a 150-pound person would require a very different dose of medication than a 5-pound Yorkie).
Another reason pet medications are dispensed differently than human medications is because pet medications often contain additives that would be dangerous to humans but pet-safe. One example of this is pet meds containing sweeteners such as xylitol. Xylitol can cause liver failure and even death if ingested by a person, yet pet medications containing xylitol are allowed because they’re perfectly safe for pets (who don’t metabolize alcohol the same way people do).
Pet Medications Are Often Shorter-Acting Or Longer-Acting Than Their Human Counterparts
For pet owners who give their pet medications regularly (for chronic treatments like arthritis or seizures), it may not make sense why pet meds are sometimes shorter-acting than human meds–especially when the medication has the same active ingredient as its human counterpart.
The reason pet medications are sometimes shorter-acting is that pet manufacturers want to ensure that pet medications are safe for pet consumption and will not cause adverse effects. Pet manufacturers also want to make sure that pet medications are affordable for pet owners. Given these two priorities, it’s often the case that pet medications have a shorter half-life than their human counterparts.
We hope this article has been informative and helpful! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
