When we’re running from one appointment to the next, finding the time to provide clients with detailed information about every drug we prescribe can be challenging. However, ensuring clients have this crucial information is essential for keeping our patients safe—and in some states, it’s also a legal requirement. In California, Lizzie’s Law mandates that veterinarians provide clients with key information every time a drug is prescribed.
Like Buoy’s Law in New York, this legislation is named after a pet that died from a drug-related adverse effect. Its purpose is to prevent similar incidents by ensuring pet owners are thoroughly informed about their pet’s medications.
Let’s explore how veterinarians in California are meeting the requirements of this law and how drug handouts in Plumb’s™ can streamline this process, making compliance easier and less time-consuming.
How Lizzie’s Law Affects Veterinary Prescribing Practices
Lizzie’s Law (California bill SB-546) has been in effect in California since 2019. It requires veterinarians to offer clients a consultation every time they dispense or prescribe a new medication for the first time in an outpatient setting.
This consultation must cover the following key points:
- Drug name and description
- Time to effect and duration of effect
- Route of administration
- Dosage and dosage form
- Duration of drug therapy
- Common severe adverse effects
- Any special directions for proper use and storage
- Actions to be taken in the event of a missed dose
In addition, the law requires that veterinarians provide written documentation about a drug (if available) upon client request and record whether the client accepts or declines the drug consultation in the medical record.
How Veterinarians Are Handling Lizzie’s Law in Practice
As veterinarians, our patient’s safety and our client’s understanding are a top priority. But how do we find the time to share all this drug information with pet owners every time we prescribe?
Establish a routine.
Making these consultations standard practice for all new prescriptions, including nonprescription drugs, can streamline the process. Lizzie’s Law also allows veterinarians to delegate these consultations to a veterinary assistant or registered veterinary technician.
Rely on trustworthy resources.
Access to a reliable drug database with pet owner handouts can be a lifesaver. These resources help you efficiently provide all the necessary information, ensuring compliance with Lizzie’s Law while saving time.
How Plumb’s™ Drug Handouts Help You Comply with Lizzie’s Law
Plumb’s™ offers around 600 drug handouts that provide concise yet comprehensive pet owner education. These handouts clearly explain everything a pet owner needs to know about the drugs you prescribe, like side effects, duration of therapy, and instructions for missed doses or leftover pills.
Expert Information
Written and reviewed by a team of veterinary pharmacists and boarded veterinary specialists, these handouts are based on the trusted, continually updated drug information found in Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs®.
Pet-Owner Friendly Language
Each handout is reviewed by a pet owner before publication to ensure the language is clear, straightforward, and easy to understand.
Comprehensive, Skimmable Coverage
Every drug handout has a section at the top that contains key information the pet owner needs to know about the drug you’re prescribing. By combining your prescription label with the corresponding Plumb’s™ drug handout, you can fulfill all the requirements of Lizzie’s Law efficiently.
Take a look at the table below to see how Plumb’s™ has you covered.
| Lizzie’s Law Requirements | Prescription Label | Plumb’s™ Drug Handout |
| Drug name and description | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time to effect and duration of effect | ✓ | |
| Route of administration | ✓ | |
| Dosage form and dosage | ✓ | |
| Duration of drug therapy | ✓ | |
| Common severe adverse effects | ✓ | |
| Any special directions for proper use and storage | ✓ | |
| Actions to be taken in the event of a missed dose | ✓ |
How to Use Plumb’s™ Drug Handouts in Practice
Plumb’s™ drug handouts can save you time when prescribing and ensure you don’t miss any steps when complying with Lizzie’s Law. Here’s how Plumb’s™ makes it easy to share them with pet owners.
All Plumb’s™ drug handouts are cleanly designed in PDF format for easy printing. You can print directly from Plumb’s™ and get a professionally formatted document that reflects well on your practice.
There’s even a spot to stick your prescription label and a section where you can add personalized instructions.
You can easily print the drug handout, attach the prescription label, and review it with the pet owner during the consultation. Then, send the handout home with your client to ensure they have all the necessary information to communicate with family members.
You can email handouts directly from Plumb’s™—and from any device, even your phone. Your client will receive an email from Plumb’s™ (not your personal or practice email) with the handouts attached. There’s also a spot to add a personalized message before you send your email, which can be helpful for highlighting key points and reminding the pet owner when to follow up.
To keep a record of what you send the pet owner, enter an email address in the BCC field to send a copy to yourself or your practice.
Prescribing more than one medication? You can send multiple handouts together as one email attachment.
Download
Download handouts to readily send them through your practice management software or preferred client communication platform.
Select as many handouts as you need and add any personalized instructions you’d like to include. All your handouts will download as a single PDF file. Then simply upload the file to your practice management system or attach and send it via your client communication platform.
Go Beyond Medication Education with Plumb’s™
When you subscribe to Plumb’s™, you get more than just drug handouts. You’ll find all the trusted drug information from the Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook®, available in seconds from any internet-connected device—and continually updated by our team of experts. (Find out more about how we keep Plumb’s™ up to date.)
More Prescribing Support
You’ll also find features that give you extra support when you prescribe, like the Plumb’s™ drug interaction checker. Unlike human-specific drug interaction tools, it lists veterinary drugs and uses species-specific data to provide reliable, veterinary-specific guidance.
Guidance for Clinical Decision-Making
For streamlined client education and decision support beyond medications, consider Plumb’s Pro™.
It includes everything in Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs® plus a full suite of clinical decision support tools and pet owner handouts covering clinical conditions, preventive care, and common procedures.
Every minute counts in veterinary practice. Plumb’s™ helps you deliver the best care—and make it to your next appointment on time.
Already subscribed to Plumb’s™? Find the drug handout for the last drug you dispensed.
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