Practicing veterinary medicine in New York state? Then you should know about Buoy’s Law (NY Senate bill S1289B), which requires that veterinarians provide specific details to pet owners each time a new drug is prescribed or dispensed. The law was named after Buoy, a 3-year-old Labrador retriever who died of renal failure while on carprofen following stifle surgery. The legislation passed December 15, 2022, and is expected to go into effect in June 2024.
The only other similar law in the country—‘Lizzie’s Law’—was passed in California in 2018. Both of these laws aim to ensure that pet owners receive sufficient information to make informed decisions when medications are prescribed for their pets.
Get the Details on Buoy’s Law
Buoy’s Law requires that every time a veterinarian prescribes, dispenses, or provides a drug to an animal, they must provide the pet owner with:
- The name and description of the drug
- Directions for use
- Actions to be taken in the event of a missed dose
- Instructions for proper storage
- Any common reasonably anticipated adverse effects
- Manufacturer precautions and relevant warnings
This information can be provided in written form, verbally, or electronically.
What does Buoy’s Law mean for you in veterinary practice?
We all want to ensure our patients are safe and their owners are well-informed. And the more information we can give pet owners about the drugs we prescribe, the better.
But like all of us, your time is tight, and you’re probably busier than ever. So how do you squeeze in sharing all this information for every patient you see?
Don’t worry. Plumb’s™ has your back.
Discover Plumb’s™ Drug Handouts
Plumb’s™ drug handouts offer concise yet thorough pet owner education. These practical client drug information handouts clearly explain everything a pet owner needs to know about the drugs you prescribe, like side effects, duration of therapy, and what to do if they miss a dose or have pills left over. Each of the 550+ drug handouts in Plumb’s has also been reviewed by a pet owner to ensure your clients can understand their pet’s medication and any potential risks associated with treatment.
You can share these drug information handouts directly from Plumb’s™, and there’s space to attach the prescription label if you’re printing.
How does Plumb’s™ help you comply with Buoy’s Law?
When you prescribe, your prescription label combined with the corresponding drug handout from Plumb’s™ fulfills all the requirements of Buoy’s Law. Take a look at the table below to see how Plumb’s™ has you covered.
| Requirement | Prescription Label | Plumb’s™ Drug Handout |
| Name and description of the drug | ✓ | ✓ |
| Directions for use | ✓ | |
| Actions to be taken in the event of a missed dose | ✓ | |
| Instructions for proper storage | Supplemental labels | ✓ |
| Any common reasonably anticipated adverse effects associated with the use of such drug | ✓ | |
| Manufacturer precautions and relevant warnings when made available by the manufacturer for the species to whom the drug is prescribed | ✓ |
How to Share Plumb’s™ Drug Handouts with Pet Owners
All Plumb’s™ drug handouts are professionally designed in PDF format for easy printing. You can print directly from the preview and get a clearly formatted document that reflects well on your practice. You can also download the handouts to easily attach and send via your practice management system.
There’s even a spot to stick your prescription label and a section to add personalized instructions.
You can also email these handouts from any device—even the phone in your pocket. You can also quickly send multiple handouts together when prescribing more than one medication.
There’s a spot to add a personalized message before you send your email. Best of all, your email address is never shared—but you can enter it in the BCC field if you’d like to send yourself or the practice a copy of the email for your medical records.
When you use Plumb’s™ drug handouts to provide pet owner education, you can easily fulfill all the requirements of Buoy’s Law—without spending extra time you don’t have.
More Pet Owner Education with Plumb’s Pro™
If you want streamlined pet owner education that goes beyond medications, take a look at Plumb’s Pro™.
It has everything in Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs®, plus a full suite of clinical decision support and pet owner education that helps you care for your patients from diagnosis to discharge. You’ll find pet owner handouts that cover everything from clinical conditions to preventive care and common procedures.
In veterinary practice, there’s always more to do than there is time to do it. But Plumb’s™ is here with tools to help you deliver the best care to your patients—and their owners.
Already subscribed to Plumb’s™? Find the drug handout for the last drug you dispensed.