FAQs for Veterinarians
How can I prescribe or order from Wedgewood Pharmacy?
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Place office orders and manage your account 24/7.
- Place orders by fax 24/7 at 800-589-4250. If we have your e-mail address, we'll confirm your fax order by e-mail within 15 minutes of processing your order.
- Place orders by telephone. Call 877-357-6613 and speak with our Customer Care Specialists.
When are your Customer Care Specialists and pharmacists available?
Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time.
What methods do you use for shipping?
We ship for delivery within three to five business days via UPS or USPS (U.S. Mail). We also ship Next Day upon request. UPS cannot deliver to post-office boxes.
Do you ship throughout the United States?
Yes. We ship to 47 of the contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. (We're sorry that we cannot ship to North Carolina at this time.)
Where is my package?
If we have your e-mail address on file, you will receive an e-mail that contains your shipment information and shipment tracking number. You can also call your customer care specialist at 877-357-6613 for assistance.
Can you ship directly to me for office use? Can I legally dispense compounded medications to my patients from my office?
Yes. If your state's Board of Pharmacy regulations allows it, we will ship compounded prescription medications to you for office use.
Can you ship directly to my patients?
Yes. We'll bill and ship to your client's home directly, dispensing the exact medication you prescribe. We'll even send your patients a reminder by mail or e-mail when their prescriptions are due to be refilled and they can refill their prescriptions, 24/7, online. Learn more about home delivery.
How do you ship compounded preparations that require refrigeration?
Compounded preparations that require refrigeration are shipped in a STYROFOAM™ chest with a freezer brick that has a two-day life. We ship all medications requiring refrigeration to be delivered within two days. Next-day shipping is available at an additional charge.
I am unable to find the preparation I am looking for on your site. Does that mean you can't compound it?
Wedgewood Pharmacy has a registry of 20,000 formulations for more than 250 therapeutic agents. So while our site encompasses most of our preparations, it does not list everything we offer. We always are developing new formulations for hard-to-locate medications. When you can't find a medication you need, don't hesitate to contact us at 877-357-6613.
Where can I get price information?
Login to s earch our formulary and compare most cost-effective dosage forms, order and manage your account 24/7.
How can I pay for office-use orders?
We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express. We also accept checks in advance of shipment.
How can I get my account information?
Once you have created your account, you can log-in securely, 24/7, to place orders, check your account balance, review your order and invoice history, and search compounded preparations and prices. Create an account or login.
How do you ensure quality?
Wedgewood Pharmacy's comprehensive quality-assurance program consists of systems that have been established in accordance with state board of pharmacy regulations and the standards set forth in the United States Pharmacopoeia Chapters. These systems, including facilities and equipment monitoring, compounding-staff training and testing, compounding-process verification, in-process quality-control checks, and testing of finished preparations, are in place to ensure quality and patient safety. Read our Quality Assurance Checklist.
Do you provide client counseling?
Yes, our pharmacists are available for confidential, professional consultation in-person or via telephone to your patients. Our pharmacists and Customer Care Specialists are dedicated solely to compounding and are available to answer any questions that prescribers and their patients have. We also offer printable medication-specific client counseling materials.
What is compounding?
Compounding is the long-established tradition in pharmacy practice that enables practitioners to prescribe and patients to take medicines that are specially prepared by pharmacists to meet patients' individual needs. A growing number of patients have unique health needs that off-the-shelf prescription medicines cannot meet. For them, customized, compounded medications prescribed or ordered by licensed physicians or veterinarians and mixed safely by trained, licensed compounding pharmacists are the only way to better health.
Is compounding legal? Who regulates compounding?
Yes! Compounding is an integral part of the practice of pharmacy. Compounding pharmacies, like all pharmacies and pharmacists, are regulated by State Law and State Boards of Pharmacy. State Boards of Pharmacy require that pharmacists have knowledge of and proficiency in compounding to become licensed. Compounding is a fundamental feature of virtually every pharmacy curriculum.
Is compounding always an appropriate treatment option?
No. Compounding, like any other form of therapy, is not always the right choice for every patient. However, thousands of patients rely on compounded medications to meet their needs when another treatment option will not. Veterinarians may prescribe compounded medications when: the best therapy for a patient is commercially unavailable, the active ingredient is not available in the desired strength or dosage form, or a commercial product is on extended backorder and using the compounded preparation may mean there is no interruption in proven therapy for a patient.
Is a compounded medication the same as a generic drug?
No. Generic drugs are copies of brand-name prescription drugs that are manufactured in large quantities by FDA-registered manufacturers. Compounded medications are prepared in response to a prescription by a licensed prescriber and specifically may not be merely copies of a brand-name medication. Custom-compounded medications are often prescribed in these circumstances:
- When needed medications are discontinued by or generally unavailable from pharmaceutical companies, often because the medications are no longer profitable to manufacture;
- When the patient is allergic to certain preservatives, dyes or binders in available off-the shelf medications;
- When treatment requires tailored dosage-strengths for patients with unique needs (for example, an infant);
- When a pharmacist can combine several medications the patient is taking to increase compliance;
- When the patient cannot ingest the medication in its commercially available form and a pharmacist can prepare the medication in cream, liquid or other form that the patient can easily takeWhen medications require flavor additives to make them more palatable for some patients, most often children.
Can you prepare a medication that is not available commercially?
Yes, that's one of the most important benefits to you of having compounding pharmacies available. See "Is a compounded medication the same as a generic drug?" above for more details.