Veterinary compounding pharmacy in Australia: custom medicines for animals

When veterinary compounding is used

Most medicines a vet prescribes are commercial products the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has registered for the species. Compounding covers the situations those products do not. A vet may write a compounded prescription where there is no commercial equivalent for the species, where the animal needs a dose far below the smallest commercial strength (a guinea pig, a ferret, or a bird, for instance), where palatability is the barrier and a flavoured liquid or gel makes the dose one the animal will take, where two active ingredients are wanted in one preparation, or where a product has been discontinued but is still the right treatment. The vet decides that compounding is the right route; the pharmacy prepares what the vet writes.

Prepared per patient

Each preparation is made for one animal

A compounded veterinary medicine is mixed for the individual patient on the vet's script rather than made in advance, which is why it arrives without a commercial product's box or brand.

The species compounders prepare for

Australian veterinary compounders work across a wide range of animals, though not every pharmacy covers every species: one that regularly prepares cat medicines may not have the equipment or experience for horses. Cats are often given transdermal gels or flavoured liquids when they refuse tablets. Dogs take flavoured chews, liquids, and capsules at custom doses. Exotic pets, from reptiles and birds to rabbits and ferrets, usually need micro-dose suspensions no commercial product supplies. Horses need larger-volume oral pastes and feed powders suited to a 500-kilogram patient, and medicines are occasionally compounded for livestock where commercial products fall short. Because the equipment and experience differ by species, it is worth asking a compounder which animals they regularly prepare for before you order.

Why a vet must prescribe

Under state control-of-use legislation and the Australian Veterinary Association's guidelines, a compounded animal medicine can only be dispensed on a prescription from a registered veterinarian, for an animal under that vet's care, and the pharmacy cannot supply it without a valid script. The prescription sets out the species, age, and weight of the animal, the active ingredient and strength, the form (a liquid, a capsule, a transdermal gel, or a paste), the dose and frequency, the total quantity, and the owner's details. With a valid script you can take it to any registered compounding pharmacy that prepares veterinary medicines, and some accept scripts from interstate vets registered with the relevant veterinary board. For finding a vet in the first place, the Australian Veterinary Association lists members at ava.com.au.

Flavours and formats

Getting an animal to accept its medicine is often the whole challenge, so flavour is one of the most common reasons a vet compounds. A medicine an animal refuses does not work. What suits an animal varies: cats, as obligate carnivores, take savoury flavours like fish or chicken rather than sweet ones; dogs generally accept chicken, beef, liver, or peanut butter; horses take apple, molasses, or peppermint in a paste; rabbits and guinea pigs do better with vegetable or hay-friendly bases; and reptiles need little flavouring at all. The compounder confirms what they can prepare when you present the prescription, so it helps to mention any flavour the animal has rejected before.

How the rules work

Compounded veterinary medicines sit under a different framework to registered animal products. The APVMA registers commercial veterinary products, but a medicine compounded by a pharmacist on a vet's prescription is exempt from APVMA registration, because it is made for a single patient rather than sold as a product. The compounder is instead regulated by the Pharmacy Board of Australia and its Guidelines on Compounding of Medicines, in effect since 1 October 2024, and by each state's control-of-use legislation, with the Australian Veterinary Association's 2020 guidelines on compounded pharmaceuticals setting the professional expectations. The vet holds the clinical decision, the pharmacist is responsible for the preparation, and you store and give the medicine as the label and the vet direct.

How to find a veterinary compounder

The quickest route is your own vet, since most practices already work with one or two compounders they trust. You can also search the Pharmacy Finder directory for pharmacies offering compounding and ask whether they prepare veterinary medicines, or check the Australian Society of Compounding Pharmacists at ascp.net.au. A short call before you commit confirms the fit.

For locating compounders more generally, our guide on finding a compounding pharmacy by city maps where they cluster.