AVMA Partnership

Given the role that veterinarians can play as both a source of new medication to the environment and their role as trusted, educated professionals, the veterinarian is key to keeping unused and unwanted medicine out of the environment.

Pharmacist shelving medications In November 2011, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate and develop a joint outreach and educational campaign about proper disposal of unwanted and expired veterinary medication. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) represents the NSGO on this project and works closely with AVMA to research the needs of veterinarians and veterinary clients, craft meaningful and impactful messaging, and develop outreach tools to educate about this issue.

The AVMA provides veterinary practices with a wealth of resources and best management practices to help them properly dispose of unused pharmaceuticals, including controlled substances, or hazardous wastes.

Go to avma.org/wastedisposal for more information.

Goals of the AVMA-IISG Partnership

Encourage as many people as possible not to flush medications.
Educate veterinary professionals and clients about the environmental impacts of improper pharmaceutical disposal and the alternatives available for disposal.
Share safety information on how to properly store medications out of reach of children and animals.
Reinforce to animal owners the necessity of following veterinarian directions in giving medications to their animals as well providing guidance on how to dispose of any unneeded doses.
Enhance collaboration and communication between animal owners and veterinarians to address the animal health needs while minimizing potential medication waste.

A Successful Collaboration

The AVMA-IISG partnership has resulted in a number of successful efforts over the years, including the education of thousands of veterinarians at state and nationwide conferences. Recently released brochures are available that provide pet owners and small-scale livestock farmers with simple ways to properly use, store, and dispose of veterinary medications. These tools were created through a collaboration with AVMA and volunteer veterinarians, and were evaluated by the AVMA’s Committee on Environmental Issues and expert reviewers to ensure they provided accurate and appropriate information.

Working with faculty from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, IISG conducted a survey to establish the behaviors, attitudes, and outreach needs of veterinarians in the Great Lakes region. This work was an important step in supporting companion animal veterinarians in their efforts to educate clients about best practices for disposing of expired or unused veterinary medication. This survey found that veterinarians overwhelmingly got and prefer to get their information on topics like pharmaceutical disposal from their professional organizations like AVMA, underscoring the importance of the partnership between AVMA and IISG and the need for continuing education on this topic. The research has been published and is available to download.