One of the wonderful things about owning a pet is their strange likes and dislikes. You may have a pet who will only eat one kind of food, sleep in one spot, or even go to only one family member. Taking medication is probably the most universal problem associated with your family pet. Most medicines have a very distinctive taste or odor with which most animals simply refuse to be associated.

In order to assure that your pet not only takes its medicine but gets the complete therapeutic dosage, medicines usually have to be compounded into some sort of vehicle or base that the animal will happily consume. Pharmacies do not practice veterinary medicine, but they do work with veterinarians and animal care specialists to help solve medication problems. With consultation and authorization from your vet, they can compound exact and accurate doses working with commercial medication and active ingredients in their pure forms. Multiple prescriptions may be compounded into an easy-to-give single dosage. Modified dosage forms such as gelatin squares or liquid formulas flavored with beef, chicken or tuna; reduced strength capsules; and topical and rectal preparations, can be created that are tailored to your animal's special needs and can be conveniently administered at home.

Some pets, especially dogs and cats, have need for medicinal eye drops. Such drops may contain several ingredients and are used for a variety of problems, including allergies. Often, animal eye drops are not commercially available. Also, for one reason or another, eye drops intended for humans just won't do. Eye drops can be compounded to contain exactly the concentration of medicine needed for various animals.

One local pharmacy that specializes in preparing size, dose and flavor-appropriate medications for specific animals is Family Pharmacy. They are located at 3644 Webber Street, Sarasota Florida. The phone numbers are as follows: (941) 921-6645, toll free (888) 245-5000, and fax (941) 923-7558.