Pet medications

Meloxicam is the most prescribed anti-inflammatory for arthritis and post-surgical pain in dogs. The veterinary liquid is dosed by weight; human meloxicam tablets contain the same drug and are sometimes used for larger dogs. In cats its use is tightly restricted because repeated doses can damage the kidneys.

Carprofen (Rimadyl and its generics) is the most prescribed anti-inflammatory for dogs with arthritis and after surgery. It is a veterinary-only drug with no human equivalent, so it is sold through vets and pharmacies that stock veterinary products rather than filled from a human pharmacy’s shelves.

Gabapentin is one of the most prescribed medicines in small-animal practice, for chronic pain, nerve pain, seizures and, in cats, for anxiety before vet visits. It is a human generic, so a vet’s prescription can be filled at an ordinary pharmacy, with one important caution about the liquid.

Amantadine is a human drug that vets add to an anti-inflammatory or gabapentin for dogs and cats with chronic pain that has become amplified in the nervous system, typically long-standing arthritis or cancer pain. It is a generic that any pharmacy can fill, and the capsule and the liquid are priced very differently.

Tramadol is a human pain medicine that vets prescribe for dogs after surgery and for chronic pain, usually alongside an anti-inflammatory. It is a controlled substance, which affects how prescriptions are written and filled, and any pharmacy that dispenses it for people can fill a vet’s prescription.

Trazodone is a human antidepressant that veterinarians prescribe to calm dogs: after surgery when rest is needed, for thunderstorms and fireworks, for vet visits and grooming, and alongside behaviour therapy for anxiety. It is a cheap generic that any pharmacy can fill.

Fluoxetine is the most used daily medicine for separation anxiety, compulsive behaviours and aggression in dogs, and for spraying and anxiety in cats. A veterinary version exists, but the human generic is the same molecule and any pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for it.

Clomipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant approved for separation anxiety in dogs as Clomicalm, and used off-label for compulsive behaviours and for spraying in cats. The human generic capsules contain the same drug and can be filled at any pharmacy on a vet’s prescription.

Phenobarbital is the longest-established treatment for epilepsy in dogs and cats. It is an inexpensive human generic and a controlled substance, filled at ordinary pharmacies on a vet’s prescription, with blood-level monitoring to set the dose.

Levetiracetam is a human anti-seizure drug now widely used in dogs and cats, alone or added to phenobarbital, because it has few side effects and needs no blood-level monitoring. It is an inexpensive generic that any pharmacy can fill.

Zonisamide is a human anti-seizure drug used in dogs, and occasionally cats, as an add-on when phenobarbital or levetiracetam alone is not enough, or as a first drug for dogs that cannot take phenobarbital. It is a generic capsule that any pharmacy can fill, and it has become much cheaper than it once was.

Potassium bromide is an old anti-seizure drug used in dogs, usually added to phenobarbital or levetiracetam when seizures are not controlled, and sometimes alone in dogs with liver disease. It has no human product, so it is dispensed as a conditionally approved veterinary chewable or compounded by a pharmacy. It is not used in cats.

Amoxicillin-clavulanate is the most prescribed antibiotic in small-animal practice, for skin, urinary, dental and wound infections. Clavamox is the veterinary version; the human tablets are the same combination and a pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for them at matching strengths.

Cephalexin is the standard antibiotic for bacterial skin infections in dogs (pyoderma), and is used for wounds, bone and urinary infections. A veterinary chewable exists, but the human capsules are the same drug and any pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for them.

Doxycycline is the antibiotic vets use for tick-borne diseases such as Lyme and ehrlichiosis, for respiratory infections in cats, for heartworm treatment protocols and for some skin and urinary infections. It is a human generic that any pharmacy can fill.

Metronidazole is the antibiotic vets prescribe most often for diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel disease, Giardia and anaerobic infections in dogs and cats. It is a human generic that any pharmacy can fill, and it is famously bitter, which shapes how cats are given it.

Apoquel (oclacitinib) stops the itch of allergic skin disease in dogs within hours and has become one of the most prescribed drugs in veterinary dermatology. It is a veterinary-only product with no human equivalent, sold through vets and pharmacies that stock veterinary products, so a human pharmacy cannot fill it from stock.

Prednisone and prednisolone are the corticosteroids vets use for allergies, itching, inflammatory bowel disease, immune-mediated diseases, some cancers and Addison’s disease. Both are cheap human generics any pharmacy can fill. Cats should get prednisolone, not prednisone, because they convert prednisone poorly.

Cyclosporine treats allergic skin disease in dogs and cats, immune-mediated diseases, and dry eye in dogs as an ointment. Atopica is the veterinary capsule; human cyclosporine modified capsules are the same drug and a pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for them. The two formulations of human cyclosporine are not interchangeable.

Famotidine and omeprazole reduce stomach acid in dogs and cats with vomiting, reflux, ulcers or kidney disease, and omeprazole treats gastric ulcers in horses. Both are human generics also sold over the counter, so for most pets they are among the cheapest prescriptions there are.

Cerenia (maropitant) is the leading anti-nausea medicine in veterinary practice, used for vomiting from any cause, for motion sickness in dogs and around surgery and chemotherapy. It is a veterinary-only drug with no human equivalent, so it is sold through vets and pharmacies that stock veterinary products.

Ondansetron is a human anti-nausea drug that vets use in dogs and cats for vomiting from chemotherapy, kidney disease, pancreatitis and other causes, often when maropitant (Cerenia) is unavailable or not enough. It is a cheap generic that any pharmacy can fill.

Mirtazapine is a human antidepressant that vets use as an appetite stimulant and anti-nausea drug in cats, especially those with kidney disease, and in dogs that will not eat. A veterinary ointment rubbed on the ear is approved for cats; the human tablets are the same drug and a pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for them.

Ursodiol is a bile acid that vets prescribe for chronic liver disease, gallbladder mucoceles and sludge, and some inherited liver conditions in dogs and cats. It is a human generic that any pharmacy can fill, with capsules, tablets and a suspension that are priced quite differently.

Methimazole controls an overactive thyroid in cats, one of the commonest diseases of older cats. Felimazole is the veterinary tablet; the human generic is the same drug and a pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for it. Compounders also make a transdermal gel applied to the ear for cats that will not take tablets.

Levothyroxine replaces thyroid hormone in dogs with hypothyroidism, a common cause of weight gain, lethargy, hair loss and skin disease in middle-aged dogs. Veterinary products are approved for dogs, and the human generic contains the same hormone; dogs need much larger doses per kilogram than people.

Diabetic dogs and cats are treated with insulin injections twice a day. Two veterinary insulins are approved, and several human insulins are used routinely under a vet’s direction; which one, and from where, makes a large difference to what an owner pays.

Pimobendan is the cornerstone drug for dogs with heart disease from a leaking mitral valve or dilated cardiomyopathy, started when the heart enlarges and continued through heart failure. It is a veterinary-only product with no human equivalent, and generic versions have started to appear.

Benazepril and enalapril are ACE inhibitors used in dogs with heart failure and in dogs and cats with kidney disease and protein loss in the urine. Veterinary versions exist, but the human generics are the same drugs and are what most pharmacies dispense on a vet’s prescription.

Telmisartan is an angiotensin receptor blocker approved for cats as Semintra, an oral liquid for high blood pressure, and used for protein loss in the urine with kidney disease. The human tablets are the same drug, and a pharmacy can fill a vet’s prescription for them where the dose allows.

Furosemide is the diuretic that keeps fluid out of the lungs in dogs and cats with heart failure, and it is used for other fluid build-up. Veterinary versions are approved, and the human generic is the same drug; it is one of the cheapest tablets a pharmacy stocks.

Pergolide is the treatment for pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, the condition in older horses once called equine Cushing’s. Prascend is the approved veterinary tablet; the human product was withdrawn years ago, so there is no human pharmacy version, and compounded pergolide has a history of potency problems.

Phenylbutazone, bute, is the most used anti-inflammatory in horses, for lameness, laminitis, injuries and after surgery. It is a veterinary-only product with no human equivalent in the United States, dispensed by vets and pharmacies that stock veterinary products, and it must never be given to any animal intended for food.

Firocoxib is a COX-2-selective anti-inflammatory approved for horses as Equioxx, for osteoarthritis pain, and for dogs as Previcox. It is gentler on the stomach and kidneys than bute, which makes it the usual choice for long-term arthritis in horses. It is veterinary-only; generic firocoxib tablets now compete with the brand.

Omeprazole paste is the treatment and prevention for gastric ulcers in horses, which are common in stabled, competing and stressed animals. GastroGard is the approved treatment dose and UlcerGard the lower prevention dose sold without a prescription; generic pastes now compete. Human omeprazole capsules are not reliably absorbed by horses.

Trimethoprim-sulfa is the most prescribed oral antibiotic in horses, for wounds, abscesses, respiratory and urinary infections and after surgery. The human double-strength tablets are the usual form, filled at any pharmacy on a vet’s prescription; a horse takes many tablets a day, so the tablet price matters.