What Advice Does One Veterinary Pharmacist Give? Just Ask!

When UC Davis opened the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center San Diego in the early 2000s, the school had the foresight to bring on a pharmacist on site. Even to this day, having an on-site pharmacist is not common at most veterinary hospitals, mainly due to the cost to operate a pharmacy at a veterinary hospital and the small number of pharmacists with veterinary training.

But this commitment to world-class care at the clinic was present even at the start. “The vision was there from the beginning,” said Dr. Margo Karriker Reeves, RPh, PharmD, FSVHP, DICVP, the clinic’s pharmacist. “The original clinical director, Dr. Larry Cowgill, was a nephrologist. He recognized that veterinary pharmacy is a specialty service that fits the mission of our clinic and that there were not many veterinary pharmacy resources in the Southern California region.” The clinic now has two pharmacists, and the philosophy of clinical care has not changed. “We are here to meet the needs of our patients and clients – the Southern California community deserves that.”

Veterinary pharmacists are trained as pharmacists to treat humans, and then move into the veterinary specialty during a post-graduate academic program. Dr. Karriker Reeves practiced as a pharmacist for humans before pursuing her post-graduate residency training at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She grew up in a rural area that was very agricultural in nature – the veterinary specialty fit perfectly for her. “I needed a problem to solve, and this role is perfect for that,” she said.

Having a pharmacist at the UC Davis clinic in San Diego translates into more coordinated care for the patient. “We can easily consult with our doctors about potential drug challenges they may be facing as they treat our patients, like drug interactions and drug availability – those ‘just-in-time’ consultations occur regularly at the clinic, and result in a customized treatment plan for our patients.” 

When the new Janice K. Hobbs UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center Southern California opens, Dr. Karriker Reeves and her pharmacy team look forward to the additional space and new equipment to do even more. Those added resources will allow for expanded services, like custom compounding for their patients. “There are fewer and fewer pharmacies doing custom compounding these days, even for human patients,” Dr. Karriker Reeves said. “We are excited to expand this practice even more for the Southern California community.” 

Navigating the challenges of medication use in pets can be difficult for pet owners, too. The UC Veterinary Medical Center San Diego’s pharmacy team works to help address those challenges as they arise and work with the veterinarians to meet each patient’s individual medication needs. Dr. Karriker Reeves and her colleagues help find needed medications, dispense them in a timely manner, and assure that each pet owner can use those medications safely. They can also custom-prepare products for their patients right in the clinic. “In animal patients, we see such a different span of size and kind of animal, all with different needs” she said. “We do custom compounding, saving our clients a great deal of time by having that available right here at the clinic, versus going to another specialty pharmacy.” 

“No day is the same for a veterinary pharmacist,” said Dr. Karriker Reeves. “Some pharmacy careers for human pharmacists can be very routine, but our role each day is to work with the rest of our team to address the medication needs of every patient as quickly and as safely as possible with the common goal of providing care that is the best for every patient. 

Dr. Karriker Reeves also shared a perspective that may help pet owners who must medicate their pet. 

“We recognize that giving medications is challenging. This is very normal! As pharmacists, we have a lot of tools at our disposal to make it easier. If your current plan for giving your pet medication isn’t working, try to find your veterinary pharmacist or your veterinarian and seek additional options. Ask us for help! The cure shouldn’t be worse than the problem itself.”  

***

To learn more about the UC Veterinary Medical Center San Diego’s Pharmacy Program, go to: https://ucvmcsd.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/

To support the Janice K. Hobbs Center UC Davis, go to: https://hobbs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/giving