Mrs. Finklestein called the Clinic the other day. We have not seen her cat in several years. She wondered if she could come by to pick up some antibiotics for her cat, Tiger. Tiger isn't eating and she thinks antibiotics might help.
 

"Well, Mrs. Finklestein, we haven't seen Tiger in quite some time. It is against the law to dispense medication to an animal that we have not examined specifically for the problem. You see we must diagnose the problem first", I explained. "Then we can figure out if medication is appropriate."
 

"Do you think it could be worms?" she asked.
 

"Without an exam we would only be guessing." Mrs. Finklestein did schedule an exam for Tiger. Fourteen year old Tiger as it turned out was very dehydrated, had terrible breath and had also been vomiting. With bloodwork to assist the diagnosis it was revealed Tiger had kidney disease . If a regular dose of antibiotics had been received it actually could have damaged the kidneys further.
 

Mr. Tremblay came by for a refill on a medication for his dog, Jimbo. Jimbo is an epileptic dog that needs to be on phenobarbital to control his seizures. " I need to refill the seizure medication", he stated. "Well Mr. Tremblay we have a note in your file that says he must have his annual exam before we can refill the drug. We did tell you this on your last refill. It is time to recheck his blood levels and make sure the medication is not affecting his liver." "That is a bunch of Hooey!" he said. "Jimbo is fine. Just give me the medication or I will go elsewhere."
 

Mr. Tremblay it is against the law to refill a medication for a pet that has not had an annual exam. This is for your pet's welfare. We refuse to lose our license by making you an exception to the rule. It is a law that applies to everyone. Certainly we don't want to lose you as a client but that is the policy. Mr. Tremblay apologized. He admitted it was important to make sure the liver was normal. And to our great pleasure he said he would never go anywhere else.
 

The issue of the physical examination in relation to dispensing medications can be a sticky detail for us. Some clients are not happy with our response. There can be no exceptions. A sick pet must be examined. An animal on a continual medication must be regularly examined to continue the client-patient relationship. This is how good medicine is practiced.