Medication Errors Happen to Pets, Too
According to Linda Kim-Jung, PharmD, an FDA safety reviewer, "A number of the medication errors that occur in the treatment of people are similar to those we are seeing in the treatment of animals."
Your dog or cat is sick, and you head to the animal hospital. The veterinarian prescribes medications that you hope will make your friend better. But with pets, as with people, medication errors can happen. Pet owners may mistakenly be given the wrong medicine for any number of reasons. Just as it does when medication errors affect people, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks out for mistakes that may harm animals. In 2008, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) started to take a closer look at error reports on medications for animals and to focus on ways to increase the safe use of those medications. The CVM formally established its Veterinary Medication Error Program in 2010. According to Linda Kim-Jung, PharmD, a safety …
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