Your pet’s medicine is prepared in a special cream that we refer to as transdermal. This cream actively “pushes” the medication into the body – like an injection but without the needle (or the pain).

For pets, a good place to apply the medicine is inside the ear. You can see many blood vessels in a pet’s ear – and these pick up the medication and transport it throughout the body.

Your prescription comes in marked tubes with plungers. They look like syringes but needles cannot be attached to them. When they are empty, it is ok to just toss them in the trash.

The amount of transdermal product to use is typed on the prescription label – and so is the frequency of use.

At the scheduled time, remove the plastic tip protector from the end of the tube. Squeeze the prescribed amount onto your fingers. Apply the cream to the inside of your pet’s ear and gently rub it in. Some medications require fairly large amounts. When the amount use is more than will “fit” nicely in one ear consider using half the amount in each ear. Doses of 0.1 to 0.3ml are easy to apply to one ear.

As mentioned above, the cream base actually “pushes” the medication through the skin. This can also happen to you if you leave the cream on your hands after you’ve given a dose to your pet. Therefore, remember to wash your hands well after applying the cream to your pet. The danger of dosing yourself is extremely small – the dose is very low and the skin on our fingers is a good barrier. Still, remember to wash your hands after applying the transdermal medicine.

Finally, avoid contact with your eyes and mouth until you wash your hands.