Veterinarians not advising clients of proper pet meds disposal, says OSU studyApril 9, 2018Recent research from Oregon State University (OSU) found that more than 60 percent of veterinary professionals do not instruct their clients about proper disposal of medicine used by their companion animals. "People are just starting to understand the impact that discarded pharmaceuticals and personal care products have on the environment," said the study's corresponding author, Jennifer Lam, who worked on the research while a graduate student in marine resource management at Oregon State University. "This study opens the door and shows a communication gap, shows where there's an opportunity to help educate people. There's not much communication going on between veterinary care professionals and their clients on how to dispose of expired pet medicines, meaning there's a lot of potential for those professionals to help their clients learn what to do." Lam and other OSU researchers surveyed 191 pet owners and almost 50 percent placed unused veterinary care products and medicine in the garbage. Researchers surveyed 88 environmental educators and 103 veterinary care professionals. The survey revealed 61 percent of the veterinary professionals did not share information about proper disposal with their clients. The 39 percent who reported sharing that information did so 19 percent of …
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