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Getting organised
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People use all sorts of approaches to make medication easier to manage. Some rely on charts and reminders. Others use colour coding, storage systems or daily routines. The aim isn't to create the perfect system, but one that's practical, safe and easy to use.
There's a few stages in sorting out the medication before you start to give it!
1. Getting the medication - buying, re-ordering
2. Checking before putting it away
3. Where to store it
4. Keeping a record
5. Using the information leaflet
6. Reminders, alerts etc
One simple idea
If you're managing medication for more than one pet, consider colour coding charts, medication boxes, storage containers and notes. One survey respondent even used matching colours on the medication packaging and storage boxes. It doesn't have to be elaborate – the principle is simply to make it easier to see what belongs to whom.
Buying online, rather than from the vets, is usually cheaper but takes longer and can go wrong
1. Getting the medication
a. Buying medication
If it’s not urgent, it’s usually cheaper to buy the dogs’ medication online. Your vet practice will tell you how to do this – eg if you should get a prescription from them first then order online, or buy online and then email the order number and details to the vets who will send the prescription to the online company.
b. Re-ordering
Avoid the panic of running out of medication! Here are some ideas people use to reorder in good time
Visual Reminders
- Keep the medication box in a consistent place and check when the final strip or bottle etc is half-used — that’s the reorder cue.
- Some people use a sticky note or write the “reorder date” directly on the box when they collect it.
Pill Organisers (Dosette Boxes)
- Make it easy to see how many days’ tablets remain
Digital Systems
- Smartphone Calendar or Reminder Apps
- Set recurring alerts (e.g. “Reorder heart medication every 26 days”).
- Can link to smartwatches or voice assistants (eg Siri, Alexa, Google).
Things to consider when re-ordering
When reordering medication (rather than needing it urgently), you may have a choice between ordering online or getting it directly from your vet.
Buying online
Pros
- Usually cheaper, even when paying for a vet prescription
- Useful for repeat prescriptions when we’re organised ahead of time
- Can be more convenient, doing at home rather than getting to vets
Cons
- Can be a faff getting the prescription to the supplier
- Delivery delays or stock issues can happen
- Medication may arrive in a different format (e.g. capsule instead of tablet)
- Different brand names can be confusing
- The medication may only be available in a different dosage of medication eg twice the dosage so pill would need to be halved each time
Buying from your vet
Pros
- Vet ensures it’s the correct medication and dose
- Immediate access which can be especially important if medication is needed quickly
- Can discuss formats (e.g. tablets vs liquid, pill vs capsule) to best suit your dog
- Less risk of ordering errors
- Usually more expensive
- May still be delays if prescriptions need correcting or updating
If your dog is reluctant about taking medication, the format (tablet, capsule, liquid, flavouring) can be really crucial so it’s worth checking this before ordering, especially online.
2. Checking before putting it away
It’s tempting just to be relieved you’ve got it, and quickly put it safely away. But it’s worth focusing to:
- notice any changes in dose. For example, your vet may have prescribed 2.5mg pills but you decided to order the only dosage available, 5mg. When it arrives, it’s really important to remember and note the change, whether on the box itself and/or on any system you use such as a medication spreadsheet or whiteboard.
- notice any changes in form such as capsule instead of pill and work out if you need to give the medication in a different way because of the new form
- add your own labels or notes eg if medication needs to be given with food
- check expiry date when it arrives, especially if you’ve ordered in advance.
- update your calendar or other system about when you next need to order
3. Where to store it
This will depend on loads of things, such as:·
- How much space you’ve got available and where·
- Where you give the dogs their food, medication etc·
- Who else uses that space (eg kids, people with cognitive impairments) and·
- How safe it is to leave it easily accessible
It is important to keep pet medication separate from human medication, as the containers can look confusingly similar. This might mean using different rooms, shelves or containers, as long as it is easy to see which medication is for pets and which is for humans.
It is very common to keep medication in the bathroom, and there are even bathroom “medicine cabinets”. However, for some medications, moisture in the bathroom can reduce their effectiveness. Similarly, it's tempting to keep spare medication in the car in case we're delayed getting home or forget to bring it out with us. But especially on very hot days, the high temperature could affect some medications and reduce their effectiveness.
There are all sorts of containers to keep the medication in, including specific medication ones (some with locks), or ones with different sized compartments for crafts, stationery, toiletries, kitchen, snacks etc. It’s handy to have one that will take medication in different formats – eg pills, liquid in bottles, tubes etc.
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4. Keeping a record
- The best recording system is the one you'll actually use. For a simple medication routine, such as a week's antibiotics, a whiteboard can be all you need. More complex medication routines may benefit from a chart or spreadsheet.
- I love a whiteboard! So easy to use – and to reuse. Just make sure that kids, cats or cardigans don't accidentally wipe some of it off.
- Chart – I find a chart essential to show me what needs giving when, and that I've given it (to the right dog at the right time, right dose etc). I use Excel.
- There are lots of printable medication charts and trackers available online. Some focus mainly on recording medication, while others combine medication schedules with feeding records, reminders and practical tips.
- If you have more than one dog (or other pet), you could use a different colour for each one. Highlighters work well for this. It could be on the medication chart or notes or label, or in containers where you keep the meds – eg different colour lids or stickers or blobs of nail varnish on the lids.
- Another system some people use is to put notes under each medication setting out clearly who it’s for, how much to give, when, for how many days etc.
- Pill boxes for each day of the week, with separate compartments for morning/afternoon. Obviously only works for pills! A lot my dogs’ medication is liquid – eye drops etc
5 Reading the medication label and info leaflet
The prescribing label is usually the most important written source of information about how and when to give a medication. Unfortunately, important instructions can sometimes be hidden among lots of other information, such as names, addresses and prescription numbers.
It can be worth taking a moment to check the label carefully when you first receive the medication. Some people also find it helpful to add their own notes or reminders to the packaging, particularly if there are important instructions such as "give on an empty stomach", "refrigerate" or "give half a tablet".
In addition to the information and advice given on the label and by the vet, there are valuable details in the information leaflet which comes with new boxes of medication. (Sometimes medication is dispensed without the box or leaflet, but you can ask the vet receptionist for this information, and it is usually available online.)
It's very hard to remember everything the vet says, and even if you take notes they may not cover all the details. It's worth keeping the leaflet somewhere safe and referring to it if you're unsure about anything to do with the medication.
The sorts of information and guidance included in medication leaflets include:
• What the medication is for
• Warnings about when not to use it
• How to use it – for example, whether a bottle should be shaken before use
• What to do if something goes wrong – for example, if you forget a dose, give too much or too little, or use the medication incorrectly
• Possible side-effects. This list can be a bit daunting as it often includes everything from common to extremely rare side-effects
• How to store the medication – for example, some needs to be kept in a fridge and some mustn't be refrigerated
The leaflets are often cluttered with information which presumably has to be provided for legal reasons. This can make them overwhelming and make it harder to find the information that's most useful to us. For example, Skippy's Cyclavance leaflet is a total of 44 inches long – and Skippy is only 16 inches long! But we can ignore the irrelevant stuff and benefit from the useful info.
The prescribing label is usually the most important written source of information about how and when to give a medication. Unfortunately, important instructions can sometimes be hidden among lots of other information, such as names, addresses and prescription numbers.
It can be worth taking a moment to check the label carefully when you first receive the medication. Some people also find it helpful to add their own notes or reminders to the packaging, particularly if there are important instructions such as "give on an empty stomach", "refrigerate" or "give half a tablet".
In addition to the information and advice given on the label and by the vet, there are valuable details in the information leaflet which comes with new boxes of medication. (Sometimes medication is dispensed without the box or leaflet, but you can ask the vet receptionist for this information, and it is usually available online.)
It's very hard to remember everything the vet says, and even if you take notes they may not cover all the details. It's worth keeping the leaflet somewhere safe and referring to it if you're unsure about anything to do with the medication.
The sorts of information and guidance included in medication leaflets include:
• What the medication is for
• Warnings about when not to use it
• How to use it – for example, whether a bottle should be shaken before use
• What to do if something goes wrong – for example, if you forget a dose, give too much or too little, or use the medication incorrectly
• Possible side-effects. This list can be a bit daunting as it often includes everything from common to extremely rare side-effects
• How to store the medication – for example, some needs to be kept in a fridge and some mustn't be refrigerated
The leaflets are often cluttered with information which presumably has to be provided for legal reasons. This can make them overwhelming and make it harder to find the information that's most useful to us. For example, Skippy's Cyclavance leaflet is a total of 44 inches long – and Skippy is only 16 inches long! But we can ignore the irrelevant stuff and benefit from the useful info.
6. Reminders, alerts etc
Once again, the best system is the one you, and potentially others in your household, will use. Many people find it easier to remember medication if it becomes part of an existing routine, such as breakfast, feeding time, making a morning cup of tea, or another regular activity. Similarly, having the medication, or reminders such as charts, checklists or calendar, in a prominent, safe, place such as the fridge rather than tucked away can make it much easier to remember.
I. Medication products
There are all sorts of products (intended for humans taking their own medication) which could also be helpful for reminding us when to give our pets (which) medication. A Google search comes up with lots, for example these, some of which include pill containers and others which don’t, eg:
Once again, the best system is the one you, and potentially others in your household, will use. Many people find it easier to remember medication if it becomes part of an existing routine, such as breakfast, feeding time, making a morning cup of tea, or another regular activity. Similarly, having the medication, or reminders such as charts, checklists or calendar, in a prominent, safe, place such as the fridge rather than tucked away can make it much easier to remember.
I. Medication products
There are all sorts of products (intended for humans taking their own medication) which could also be helpful for reminding us when to give our pets (which) medication. A Google search comes up with lots, for example these, some of which include pill containers and others which don’t, eg:
No need to rely on our memories! Phones, calendars, smart speakers, kitchen timers, pill alarms, post-it notes are just some of the ways to help give pills on time.
II. Alarms and reminders
- Traditional alarm clocks
- Alarms, reminders, calendar alerts on phones, watches, computers etc. (I’ve got such a bad memory that I often use the label option on my iPhone alarm to remind me what the reminder is for!) Alarms can be useful for medications that need to be given at specific times, while reminders and alerts can help with tasks such as ordering repeat prescriptions.
- Alarms on smart speakers
- Voice assistants on smart speakers (eg Amazon’s Alexa)
III. Apps for smartphones
- Reminder apps (not specific to medication) eg Just Reminder with Alarm (Android)
- Medication apps which include alarms eg Medisafe which brilliantly includes option for giving medication to pets. You can list the medication(s) and state the dosage, format (pills, drops etc), frequency, timing. You can also set treatment duration, get refill reminders and add instructions eg take with food.
IV. Other memory joggers
- Building it into a routine (as lots of people do with their own medication) eg co-ordinating it with breakfast, teeth-cleaning and other daily occurrences
- Diaries and calendars. Wall calendars or planners are particularly useful if more than one person is responsible for pet medication, including pet minders.
- Write on medication label (on bottle, ointment box etc) – eg WITH FOOD
- Using a bowl or other container for the day's medications, which get put back into the meds storage area once given.
- Post-it notes