Canadian vets brace for pharmacy disruption

Dr. Andy Roark is using a new Cone of Shame Canada miniseries to tackle one of the most sensitive business and care-delivery shifts facing Canadian veterinary practices: pharmacy disruption. The first episode, “Adapting to a New Pharmacy World,” frames the issue plainly, arguing that human pharmacies have entered the veterinary pharmacy business in Canada and that practices need a practical response centered on client trust, team communication, and phased business adaptation. (music.amazon.com)

That framing connects to a longer-running policy fight in Canada over who can access and dispense pet medications, and on what terms. The Competition Bureau has argued that barriers in several provinces can limit pharmacists’ market access and contribute to higher prices, less convenience, and fewer choices for pet parents. Its 2024 paper points to complaints about exclusive distribution practices and to provincial rules in places including Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia that have shaped how veterinary drugs move through the market. (competition-bureau.canada.ca)

Ontario is especially important because it already gives pet parents clear prescription portability rights. The College of Veterinarians of Ontario says that once a veterinarian determines a drug is warranted, the client may choose to have it dispensed at the veterinary facility or request a written prescription to be filled at a pharmacy of their choice. The college also states that veterinarians may charge a fee for writing that prescription, and that oral prescriptions may be provided directly to an Ontario pharmacist. At the same time, the college emphasizes that pharmacies, not veterinarians, are responsible for the integrity of the dispensed drug and are regulated separately. (cvo.org)

Roark’s episode appears to translate those regulatory and market changes into a practice-management conversation. According to the episode description, his core message is not that clinics should fight the shift, but that they should adapt to it deliberately. That includes preserving trust with pet parents, preparing staff for harder medication and pricing conversations, and adjusting the hospital business model in manageable phases instead of assuming the pharmacy department will function the way it did in the past. (music.amazon.com)

The broader backdrop is that pharmacy access is only one part of a more complicated medication environment. A 2024 Canadian veterinary sector white paper described worsening losses in available veterinary pharmaceuticals, especially in food animal medicine, and said those shortages can push veterinarians toward compounded products or extra-label use when approved options disappear. That means the “new pharmacy world” is not just about competition from retail or online pharmacies. It is also about product availability, stewardship, risk management, and who is best positioned to support safe dispensing and follow-up. (canadianveterinarians.net)

Industry and regulatory commentary suggests this issue will keep expanding. The Competition Bureau has explicitly called for more competition in pet medications, citing the Quebec example, where pharmacists gained access to medications through a national distributor in 2021 after advocacy efforts. Meanwhile, Ontario regulatory materials signal a more formalized role for pharmacy professionals in animal care, including dispensing or compounding based on veterinary prescriptions, even as both professions continue to draw boundaries around prescribing authority and species-specific expertise. (competition-bureau.canada.ca)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the practical stakes are immediate. Clinics that have relied on dispensing revenue may need to rebalance margins elsewhere. Teams will likely need tighter refill protocols, clearer prescription policies, and better scripts for discussing outside pharmacies without undermining trust. There is also a clinical layer: veterinarians remain responsible for prescribing decisions, informed consent, follow-up, and adverse-event availability, even when the medication is filled elsewhere. In other words, the transaction may move, but much of the accountability does not. (cvo.org)

What to watch: Expect the rest of the six-part series to dig deeper into how Canadian practices can respond operationally. Beyond the podcast, watch for continued policy pressure on distribution restrictions, more pharmacy participation in companion animal medications, and further debate over where convenience, affordability, safety, and continuity of care should meet in the veterinary channel. (music.amazon.com)