Off-Label Use of Medications

When a pharmaceutical business wants Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a new medication, it has to prove that the product is both safe and efficacious. The approval process is long, complicated, and expensive. To simplify matters the business typically picks the most prevalent (lucrative) condition and or most common (lucrative) species that the drug could be used to treat. 

Once the medication is on the market, veterinarians start thinking outside the box. With knowledge of the drug’s mechanism of action, the physiology of veterinary patients, and how related compounds are used, doctors will try it for other conditions or species (cats). This isn’t as risky as it might sound (and it is perfectly legal) since the initial FDA application and subsequent scientific studies and/or clinical use have demonstrated that the drug is safe.

For this reason, you will frequently see The Cat’s Meow dispense medications that say “For use in dogs only” or other similar phrasing that might sound odd for a feline exclusive practice.

Here are some common examples of dog medications we use at The Cat’s Meow:

• Cerenia (for nausea)
• Meloxicam (an NSAID)
• Clomicalm (for anxiety)
• Galliprant (an NSAID)
• Claro (an ear treatment)
• Amoxicillin (an antibiotic)

Of course, we always put “safe for use in cats” on our instructions and we trust each of these products on our patients.  

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