Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs, the new digital platform for the widely used Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook, has been launched at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) 2015 Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego. Now continuously updated online, Plumb’s is a must-have veterinary drug reference for pharmacists who dispense medications for animals.
“Access to up-to-date drug information is key in understanding the significant differences between prescribing medications for people versus pets.”
Donald C. Plumb, PharmD, Creator of the Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook
Dispensing Medications for People vs Pets
For pharmacists accustomed to medication dosing for humans, prescriptions for animals can easily look incorrect.
For example, a single 325-mg tablet of acetaminophen—commonly used in human medicine—can be lethal for a cat, Dr. Plumb warns. In comparison, cats may receive low-dose (81-mg baby) aspirin, but it must be administered with care because of a very long half-life in cats.
Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs features user-friendly tools that help promote the safe use of human medications in pets.
“With more and more human drugs being scripted out for use in companion animals, it is really important for human pharmacists to be aware of veterinary-specific contraindications and dosing.”
Lauren A. Trepanier, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DACVCP, internist and pharmacologist at University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine
As Dr. Plumb explains, varied blood concentrations and elimination of human drugs when used in dogs (more blood volume/kg, faster glomerular rate) necessitate adapting different dose protocols.
Likewise, substitutions common in filling human prescriptions may not be appropriate for animals, Dr. Plumb says. Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs gives the pharmacy team instant access to all the information needed. With a subscription, teams can confirm dose strategies and substitutions from any computer in the pharmacy.
The more than 700 monographs featured in Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs, coupled with appendices on multidrug sensitivities and potential toxins, help make prescribing safer and [will] facilitate communication between commercial pharmacies and veterinarians, adds Trepanier.
Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs, the culmination of an innovative partnership between Dr. Plumb and Brief Media, is available to pharmacists with various pricing options, including individual and location-wide access.
Additional details and subscribing information for Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs are available on our website.