Veterinary Compounding by Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy
Custom medications for dogs, cats, horses and other animals, prescribed by your vet and prepared by Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy in Etobicoke.
Some pets won't take a pill. Some need a dose that no commercial product offers. When your veterinarian prescribes a compounded medication, Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy prepares it: the strength your vet specifies, a dosage form your animal can take, and a flavour it will accept. Wishing Well Pharmacy does not prepare compounded medications, so send your vet's prescription directly to Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy.
Pet owner? See how it works Veterinarian? Send a prescription
Why Compounding
When a Standard Medication Doesn't Fit
Compounding fills a gap. When an approved veterinary product suits your animal, your vet will usually choose it. Compounding is for the times it doesn't.
Your Pet Refuses the Medication
Pills hidden in food get spit out, and liquids get shaken off. A flavoured liquid, chew or gel can turn a daily fight into a routine your pet tolerates.
The Dose Doesn't Fit Your Animal
A 3 kg cat and a 60 kg dog can't share a tablet strength. Your vet calculates the dose for your animal's weight, and Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy prepares that strength instead of asking you to split tablets.
The Medication Is Discontinued or Short
Backorders and discontinuations can leave a pet without a drug it depends on. When the active ingredient is available, the pharmacy can assess whether an equivalent preparation is possible.
Sensitivity to an Ingredient
If your vet has identified a reaction to a dye, preservative or filler in a commercial product, a compounded preparation can be made without it.
Fewer Doses to Give
Where it is therapeutically appropriate and the ingredients are compatible, your vet may prescribe two medications in one preparation so there are fewer doses to give each day.
A Different Way to Give It
Some animals, cats especially, are far easier to treat with a gel on the inner ear than a pill by mouth. Not every drug can be given this way, so your vet decides what is suitable.
Formulation Options
Available in a Form Your Animal Will Accept
What can be made depends on the drug and the species. Your vet chooses the medication and strength, and the pharmacists at Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy work out the practical details with them.
Flavoured Oral Liquids
Liquids in flavours such as chicken, beef, fish, liver or bacon, measured by weight and given with an oral syringe. Flavour choices depend on the drug.
Flavoured Chews
Soft chews that many dogs take like a treat. Useful for long-term medications where daily pilling wears everyone down.
Capsules
Capsules made to the strength your vet prescribes instead of the nearest commercial tablet, in sizes suited to the species.
Transdermal Gels
Applied to the inner ear flap so nothing has to be swallowed. Commonly used for cats. Not every drug absorbs well through skin, so this is your vet's call.
Topical Creams & Ointments
Applied to the skin, in concentrations your vet specifies.
Eye & Ear Drops
Drops in the concentration your vet prescribes.
Species Humber Bay Works With
Pets, Horses & Other Animals
If your veterinarian prescribes it, call Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy at (647) 348-2323. The pharmacy will tell you plainly whether it can prepare it and what the timeline looks like.
Dogs
Liquids and chews in flavours dogs accept, dosed to the individual dog.
Cats
Gels and small-volume liquids for cats that refuse pills.
Horses
Prescribed by your equine vet. Horses can fall under food-animal rules, and competition bodies have their own lists of prohibited substances, so tell the pharmacy when you call.
Livestock
Case by case. Animals that enter the food supply have extra rules, including withdrawal times set by your vet. Call Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy before the prescription is written.
Rabbits & Small Mammals
Rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters. Tiny, measurable doses that a commercial tablet can't provide without splitting and guessing.
Birds
Birds can only take very small volumes. Concentrated liquids, often fruit-flavoured, let your vet prescribe a dose a bird can actually take.
Reptiles
Lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises need species-specific dosing. Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy prepares what your exotics vet prescribes.
Other Exotic Pets
Unusual species, unusual needs. If your veterinarian has written a prescription, call Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy to discuss what's possible.
How It Works
Four Steps, Start to Finish
Here is how a compounded medication for your pet gets from your vet's office to your hands.
Your Vet Writes a Prescription
Your veterinarian decides a compounded medication is needed and writes a prescription with the drug, strength, dosage form and flavour if applicable.
Send It to Humber Bay
Call (647) 348-2323, have your vet call or fax it to (647) 351-2323, or submit a request online at humberbaypharmacy.com.
Humber Bay Reviews & Prepares
A pharmacist reviews the prescription and checks any details with your vet. The pharmacy tells you when it will be ready, then prepares it to OCP and NAPRA standards.
Receiving the Medication
Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy will tell you how and when you receive it. The pharmacist goes over how to give it, how to store it, and when to call your vet.
At Home
Giving a Compounded Medication Safely
The pharmacist at Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy will go over the details for your pet's medication. These basics apply to most.
Follow the label
The label shows the dose, how to store it and a beyond-use date. Compounded liquids often need the fridge and expire sooner than store-bought products. Don't use it past that date.
Measure with a syringe
Use an oral syringe, not a kitchen spoon. Shake the bottle first if the label says to.
Ask about gloves
Some gels, creams and drugs shouldn't touch your skin, and some shouldn't be handled by pregnant women. Ask the pharmacist whether gloves are needed, and wash your hands after.
Check before hiding it in food
Some medications work differently with food, and a pet that smells medicine in a meal may stop eating it. Ask the pharmacist first.
Never share or substitute
Don't give one pet's medication to another, and don't give human medication without your vet's advice. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are dangerous for pets, and the sweetener xylitol is toxic to dogs.
Call your vet if something's off
Vomiting, unusual sleepiness, a rash, or no improvement are reasons to call your veterinarian. In an emergency, go to an emergency animal hospital.
What to Expect From Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy
Every compounded medication is prepared by an Ontario-licensed pharmacist on a valid veterinarian prescription, following NAPRA's model standards for non-sterile compounding as adopted in Ontario.
Compounding means preparing a medication for one specific animal. It is not manufacturing, and compounded products are not made for resale.
You should know this before you start: compounded medications are not approved by Health Canada, and their effectiveness isn't necessarily established the way it is for approved products. Your veterinarian should talk this through with you, and the pharmacists are happy to answer questions.
For Veterinarians
Send Prescriptions to Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy
Veterinary practices in Stouffville and York Region send compounding prescriptions directly to Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy in Etobicoke. Wishing Well Pharmacy does not prepare compounded medications.
Talk to a pharmacist first
Call (647) 348-2323 before you write the prescription to discuss dosage forms, flavours and whether a preparation is feasible.
Call or fax the prescription
Call (647) 348-2323 or fax (647) 351-2323. Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy will be in touch with the pet owner about next steps.
What to include
- Species, patient name and current weight
- Owner's name and phone number
- Drug, strength, dosage form and quantity
- Directions, duration and refills
- Flavour preference and any known ingredient sensitivities
- For food-producing animals, withdrawal time
- Your name, clinic, phone and signature
Discontinued & shortage medications
When a commercial product is on backorder or discontinued, contact Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy. The pharmacy will tell you whether an equivalent preparation is achievable and what lead time to expect.
Timing and how clients receive it
Ask Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy about lead times and how your clients receive their pets' medications.
Informed consent
The College of Veterinarians of Ontario expects owners to be told that a compounded drug isn't federally approved and that its efficacy isn't necessarily known. See the CVO's guide on compounded drugs.
Contact Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy
To request a veterinary compound, ask a clinical question or discuss a patient's medication needs, call, fax or visit Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy.
Etobicoke, ON M8V 0B1
Fri 9 am–6 pm
Sat 10 am–2 pm · Sun closed
Common Questions
Veterinary Compounding: Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions pet owners and veterinary clinics ask most.
Can Wishing Well Pharmacy compound medication for my pet?
No. Wishing Well Pharmacy does not prepare compounded medications. Veterinary compounds are prepared by Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy in Etobicoke on your veterinarian's prescription. Call (647) 348-2323, or ask your vet to contact them.
Do I need a prescription for a compounded pet medication?
Yes. Every veterinary compound requires a valid prescription from a licensed veterinarian. The pharmacy doesn't diagnose animals or choose treatment. It prepares what your vet prescribes.
Why would my vet choose a compounded medication?
Usually because there is a therapeutic need and no approved product in the right strength or form, such as a dose small enough for a cat, a liquid for a dog that won't swallow pills, or a drug that has been discontinued. When an approved product suits your animal, your vet will normally choose it.
Is a compounded medication approved by Health Canada?
No. Compounded medications are not federally approved, and their effectiveness isn't necessarily established the way it is for approved products. Your veterinarian should discuss this with you, and the pharmacists are happy to answer questions.
What flavours are available?
Common choices include chicken, beef, fish, liver and bacon for dogs and cats, and fruit flavours for birds. What's possible depends on the drug and the dosage form, so ask the pharmacist when you call.
Can you recreate a discontinued or backordered medication?
Sometimes. If the active ingredient is available and your vet prescribes it, Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy can assess whether an equivalent preparation is possible. It isn't always, and the pharmacy will tell you plainly.
How long does it take?
Preparation time depends on the drug, the dosage form and ingredient availability, so call Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy at (647) 348-2323 if it's urgent.
Can my pet's medication be delivered?
Ask Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy at (647) 348-2323 how and when your pet's medication is received. Wishing Well Pharmacy does not prepare compounded medications.
How much does it cost, and is it covered?
The price depends on the drug, strength, dosage form and quantity, so call Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy for a price. OHIP and the Ontario Drug Benefit program don't cover animal medications. Some pet insurance plans reimburse compounded medications, so check your policy. Ask the pharmacy for an itemized receipt.
How long does a compounded medication last?
Usually a shorter time than a store-bought product. The label shows a beyond-use date and storage instructions, and many liquids need the fridge. Don't use it after that date.
Can you compound for horses or livestock?
Case by case, on your veterinarian's prescription. Animals that can enter the food supply have extra rules: a compounded drug can't contain an ingredient that is banned for food-producing animals, and your vet sets withdrawal times. Call Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy before the prescription is written to find out what it can and can't prepare.
How can my vet send a prescription?
Call Humber Bay Compounding Pharmacy at (647) 348-2323 or fax (647) 351-2323. Please include the species, patient name and weight, owner's name and phone, drug, strength, dosage form, quantity, directions, any flavour preference or sensitivities, and the prescriber's details.
