How can I handle and store medications safely?
Medications can do more harm than good if they are stored or administered incorrectly. Protect your family and pets by handling medications safely. Here are some best practices for medication safety.
Keep human and pet medication separate. Although humans and pets often take the same medicines, many are dangerous if given to the wrong species. Your heart medication can harm your dog, and your dog’s arthritis medication can harm you. Store human and pet drugs separately and label the storage sites clearly.
Highlight the patient’s name on the prescription label. Keeping medications straight can be challenging if you have more than one pet. Highlighting the name helps ensure you give the right medication to the right pet.
Make sure prescription labels are readable. If a label becomes wet or worn, you may be unable to read it. Writing over the label makes the original instructions even less legible. Instead, re-write instructions on a separate piece of paper and tape the note to the medication container. When the pharmacy information, drug name, and prescription number are handy and readable, it makes giving medications safer and calling for refills easier.
Check expiration dates. Drugs may not be safe or effective beyond the specified expiration date. Topical medications like eye and ear drops can become contaminated, turning into bacterial breeding grounds. Most eye drops expire 28 days after opening. Contaminated drops could make an eye or ear problem worse rather than better. Medications can also change consistency with time. Expired ointments may become thick or dried out, and oral liquids may crystallize or separate.
Check expiration dates twice a year when the clocks change. Spring forward — check the medicine cabinet. Fall backward — check the medicine cabinet. This is also a good time to call for refills and discard all expired medications (proper disposal is explained below).
Organize inventory. You may have various pet medications in your home. Use labeled, resealable bags to organize them into categories. Using a permanent marker, label the bags clearly as eye, ear, antibiotics, arthritis, heartworm, flea/tick, heart, kidney, etc. Put the medication back in the proper bag after giving it to your pet.
Have a first aid kit handy. Label another plastic bag or container as “First Aid” and store it with the medications, so you know where to find emergency supplies. Have gauze, tape, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, scissors, and diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) on hand.
Protect yourself. Wash your hands before and after giving your pet any oral or topical medication. Some medications can irritate or be absorbed into human skin, so wear gloves when giving these.
Keep drugs out of reach. Your pet may not recognize medicine as medicine. A chewy pill may look like a treat; a tube of ointment may look like a fun chew toy. Protect pets (and children) by keeping all drugs out of reach, including over-the-counter products.
"Protect pets (and children) by keeping all drugs out of reach, including over-the-counter products."
Store medications correctly. Temperature and humidity can change the effectiveness of medications. It’s essential to store them at the right temperature in a dry place. That means the kitchen pantry is a better drug store than the bathroom cabinet. Refrigerated drugs belong in the fridge, and keep room temperature drugs at the correct temperature — do not leave them on the kitchen counter in direct sunlight. Finally, no medication should be left in a hot car or on an icy doorstep. When drugs are delivered to your home, bring them inside immediately.
Never use leftover medicine without your veterinarian’s approval. If you have leftover antibiotics from your pet’s last infection, do not give them to your pet again without consulting your veterinarian, even if the condition looks the same as before. Treating a condition with the wrong drug or an expired drug can make matters worse.
Lock up controlled drugs. Keep narcotics and pain relievers in a locked box to keep pets and children safe, and to help prevent the drugs from falling into the wrong hands. There are many types of lock boxes available that also help organize medications.
Open medicine containers on a flat surface. A level surface will minimize the spilling of liquids and prevent spilled liquids and pills from reaching the floor where curious pets can lap them up.
How do I dispose of medications properly?
Take them back. Even if you received your pet’s medication from the veterinarian, most human pharmacies will take unused or expired medications and dispose of them properly for you.
Participate in community programs. Drug take-back days are sponsored by community organizations, law enforcement agencies, government programs, and pharmaceutical companies. Look for dates in your community.
Take medications out of their original containers. You can place unused pills in the garbage, but it is best to take them out of the prescription bottle first, as it reduces the risk of someone else using them. Most people, even drug abusers, hesitate to consume an unidentified drug.
Mix up discarded medications. To further deter the use of discarded medications, mix them with undesirable substances. Placing crushed pills in a bag or can with used coffee grounds or dirty kitty litter will likely deter anyone from “recycling” them.
Use the drain. Some liquid medications (ear flush, shampoo, antibiotics) or pills dissolved in water can be safely washed down the drain or flushed down the toilet. Only do this if the medicine label indicates that it is safe to do so, as some medications may contaminate the environment downstream. Flush the toilet several times and wash out the sink with lots of running water afterward.
