I examined a bottle of expired fish medication and looked at the warnings of potential cancer causing chemicals. Reading an old bottle like this may cause a pet owner to stop and think, how do you dispose of unused pet medication? Instead of just tossing the unused meds container in the trash, I decided to find out. Which is the way that is recommended by the FDA and what’s the best disposal method considering public health and environmental concerns? In this article, learn about disposing of unused fish medication and other pet medicines.
Fish, dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbits and other small animals, if you have pets of any kind, you may end up with leftover or expired medication at some point. Pet medication purchased over the counter or meds prescribed by a vet can pose safety concerns just like human meds. A variety of medication for fish is available without prescription. Proper disposal is important and can save lives.
Are there instructions?
If you have leftover or expired medication for pets or humans, first check for disposal directions on the package. If there are none and you got the medication over the counter, you can contact the manufacturer or distributor such as a pharmacy. For pet medicine you can contact the pet store, or online retailer who specializes in pet meds or pet medicine and animal related products. For pet prescription medications you can ask your vet. You may be directed to or be given the information found on the FDA’s webpage “How to Dispose of Unused Medicines”.
Disposal Methods
Recommendations for the disposal of unused pet meds appear to be the same as disposal of prescription medication for humans. There are a number of options, depending on the type of medicine. There are Medicine Take-Back Programs, check for one in your area. There are also ways to dispose of meds at home such as in the trash, mixed with an undesirable substance that is also absorbent like used coffee grounds or sawdust. This unused meds disposal method can work for solid or liquid medication. Read more info here on the FDA website.
To Crush or Not to Crush?
There is some conflicting information about at home trash disposal of meds. On the 1 800 Pet Meds website it says to crush pills and tablets and mix them with an undesirable substance. However, the FDA’s information specifically says “do NOT crush”, but also recommends mixing meds with an undesirable substance for disposal. Any ideas why the difference?
To Flush or Not to Flush?
Many people flush meds without a second thought. However, pouring down the sink or flushing is not the recommended method for most leftover medications. The FDA keeps an up to date list on their website of meds that they do recommend to be flushed down the toilet.
Why should only some meds be flushed down the toilet?
Leftover drug residues from medications that have been used end up being flushed in the form of human waste. Flushing unused meds, yours or your pet’s, increases the concentration of drugs that waste water treatment plants have to deal with at a given time.
Should you flush unused fish medication?
You might think that flushing fish meds would be the same as using them, since tank water ends up there anyway with regular water changes. However, in addition to being absorbed by the fish, in the aquarium the medication goes through the carbon filter (when it is added back to the tank), which reduces the concentration or amount of medication that goes down the toilet at a time. Used fish meds end up flushed in small amounts or are thrown out when the carbon is changed.
Why the precautions?
The disposal methods are designed to prevent abusive or accidental ingestion of harmful materials by drug abusers, kids, pets, and other animals. Using these methods may save lives of the ones you love and others.
Environmental Concerns: what can you do?
I try to do whatever I can in an envoronmentally freindly way. This also happens to be cost effective. There are many things you can do to reduce the concentration of drugs and other chemicals that go directly into the water. Do your best to keep your pets healthy with good care. Prevention is said to be the best medicine, and disease prevention reduces the need for medication. When your pet does have a prescription, make sure you pet takes the full amount of the medicine as prescribed to him or her by your veterinarian. Keep dogs and other pets from drinking out of the toilet or playing in it by keeping the lid closed. You don’t want them to ingest residuals from flushed medications or toilet cleaning chemicals.
Alternative Fish Medication
Only use medication when they are necessary such as when prescribed by a vet. Some pet stores do offer natural herbal treatment for some common fish diseases. Aquarium salt can be used to treat some fish diseases. Treating ich with temperature can be a safer, low cost method resulting in no leftover medication to dispose of. Consult your vet with any concerns or when treating your pets of any kind.
When you do dispose of unused pet medication or any other type of meds, mix it with coffee grounds, sawdust, or the recycled newspaper or corncob type kitty littler instead of the traditional clay based kind. Used coffee grounds are usually available in our house. Use environmentally friendly cleaners such as vinegar and salt. A low cost, green cleaner can even replace your bathroom and toilet cleaners, further reducing the harmful chemicals and money you throw down the toilet. Vinegar is my preferred toilet cleaner, and sink and floor cleaner, and it’s cheap. Reduce the chemicals you use and you’ll reduce the amount you throw away. According to www.smarxtdisposal.net you can recycle the empty bottles, just be sure to remove the labels with your or your pet’s personal information.
So how do you dispose of unused pet medication? After reading this ac article, check the FDA’s webpage “How to Dispose of Unused Medicines” to answer any questions you may still have. When you use these disposal methods you can prevent abusive or accidental ingestion of leftover or expired meds and when you reduce the chemicals you use with environmentally friendly cleaners, you can reduce the amount of harmful chemicals and money you flush down the toilet.
Sources & Resources:
How to Dispose of Unused Medicines
Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know
Drs. Foster Smith Pharmacy page
“How to Dispose Medications” on the 1 800 Pet Meds website
http://www.smarxtdisposal.net/
