Should it be given with food? How to help clients use medicines correctly

Should it be given with food? How to help clients use medicines correctly

Pet owners need advice about administering medicines in relation to food

My casual survey of a few vets and vet nurses suggests that the timing of a cat’s or dog’s medicine in relation to feeding (the subject of this month’s Veterinary Prescriber CPD module “Can it be given with food?”) gets less attention than it deserves. For many medicines, whether or not there is food in the stomach is of no consequence, but some medicines should definitely be given with, or close to, a meal to ensure sufficient absorption, and some should be given with food to reduce the likelihood of adverse effects. And there are a few medicines that need to be given on an empty stomach (which means at least 1 hour before, or 2 hours after, a meal) or else absorption will be low and this could affect response; drugs affected in this way are ampicillin, ciclosporin (known as cyclosporine in some countries), grapiprant (brand name Galliprant), pimobendan and robenacoxib.

How we learn about the effects of food on pet medicines

Drug manufacturers study the effects of food on formulations before a product gets a marketing authorisation, and when food is found to have an important effect on absorption, the information and instructions for giving the medicine relative to meals are included in the product information. So it should be easy to ensure that this information is passed on to clients.

Although the information will be in the package leaflet accompanying the medicine, as noted elsewhere, essential information is often not displayed prominently, and some people will not or cannot read the leaflet. So in practice, prescribers and dispensers must make sure that clients get precise instructions on the timing of administration of medicines. If possible, the information should be included on the dispensing label: some practice management systems allow added information to be saved so that it is included every time a certain medicine is dispensed.

A handy list of medicines for veterinary professionals who advise pet owners about medicines

A good starting point is the list affected medicines (20-odd in total) included in our modules: those that need to be given with meals, those that need to be given on a fasted stomach, and those that need to be given at a consistent time relative to meals.

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