Your Pet’s Medication Dates

Medications sold by veterinarians are strictly regulated to ensure the safety of our pets. This includes how they are stored, prescribed, administered, and when they should be thrown away.  Expiry dates help ensure medicines remain safe for use, and manufacturers are required to have an expiry date printed on the bottle or the label. The sale of expired medications is strictly prohibited.  

Expiration is considered to have occurred when a medicine decomposes to around 90% of its reported efficacy. The length of time this takes depends on the type of medication, how stable it is, how it is stored, and its form; tablet, capsule, liquid or injectable, for example.  

This ensures that the medicine has the same potency, or effectiveness, as what it says on the bottle. Your vet will use the information on the bottle to calculate a dose and treat your pet. As you can imagine, it is very important that the medication does what it says it will do! 

Expiration dates on the bottle refer to an unopened container. Once a container is open the expiry date can change significantly, especially with liquids or injections. Check the label or leaflet as a new date may be recommended here. If you can’t find one, chat with the veterinarian who dispensed your medication. If this isn’t possible, it’s generally recommended to discard all opened medication within 28 days. 

Most medications don’t suddenly become harmful exactly one day after the expiration date has passed, the real harm from using expired medications can actually occur in multiple ways.  

1.     Directly from the medication 

Over time some medications form toxic compounds that can harm your pet as it is metabolised, others undergo chemical changes that produce unwanted side effects, or grow bacteria that can cause serious infections.   

  

2.     Delay in seeking treatment 

Using medications at home can seem like a quick fix but it takes time to see if they make your pet feel better. This extends the time between illness onset and seeking treatment, causing delays in diagnosis, and increasing the risk of serious complications.  

  

3.     Ineffective treatment 

We know that expiry dates are set when the medication starts to lose its potency or stability. Administering an ineffective medication means your pet doesn’t actually receive treatment at all, and this could be life-threatening. For example, using expired tick treatment in a paralysis tick area may result in fatal toxicity. Incorrect antibiotic usage or incomplete courses can also result in relapses and the development of antibiotic resistance. 

  

4.     Inappropriate treatment 

Treating an illness with the wrong drug can be harmful. Many medicines also clash, causing complicated drug interactions that can prevent your pet from being treated effectively. Changes to your pet’s health or the addition of other medications may mean their previous prescription is no longer appropriate to use. Always check with your vet before giving medications at home.  

  

5.     Incorrect dosage 

It’s not uncommon to have medications left over from previous pets who may have passed. When raiding the cabinet for your new pet, remember that most drugs are dosed based on body weight, but this is not the only factor that determines drug dosage. It can be very easy to inadvertently give an overdose of medication.  

The most common medications that we might find in the medicine cupboard are preventatives for worms, fleas, and ticks. From the example above we can understand the risks involved with using expired tablets for life-threatening parasites like paralysis ticks. If the product has passed the expiry date, it’s best to discard the rest. The same is also true if the packet encapsulating the tablet or chew has been damaged, as the drug will have been destabilised.  

Commonly in the form of creams or drops, these drugs are usually used to treat infections.  

Have you ever had to give your dog ear or eye medication? Then you understand how hard it can be to keep the bottle clean! They are very easily contaminated with harmful bacteria which continue to grow in old or inappropriately stored containers. Grabbing an old tube to treat a new infection can mean passing these nasties on to your pet.  

 

Many oral liquids arrive at the clinic in a stable powder form and are reconstituted just before dispensing or are compounded in a special formulation for your pet. These liquids have much shorter shelf lives and should not be used after the expiration date. Always check how the medication looks before giving it to your pet. Has it changed colour, become cloudy, or formed lumps? If in doubt, throw it out, even if it is before the expiration date.  

  

Most injectable medications are contained in multi-use vials. The most common example for pet parents would be insulin needed to control diabetes. These drugs can require strict temperature control to prevent bacterial colonisation from occurring during multiple uses. Always adhere to expiration dates and discard the medication if changes occur, or if accidentally left out of the fridge. Remember, the risks are very high for diabetics if their medication is not effective. 

Expiry dates on veterinary medicines protect your pet and experimenting with out-of-date medications is a game not worth playing when it comes to the safety of your furry family. If you are unsure about a medication you have at home call your Jollyes vet to discuss your options. In all cases, early diagnosis and treatment by a professional will help you achieve the best outcome for your pet.