Tablets Past Use By Date

[Sam the man]

Recently I bought some chewable heartworm tablets online. I bought a couple packets to be more economical re: postage costs. I picked them up today and found that both packets exp June 2011. This means there will be 3 months next year where the tablets will be past the expiry date. Will they still be okay to use? I also bought 2 lots of Advantix but both of them don't expire until Nov 2012.

[Parkeyre]

I wouldn't use them past their date.

[noisymina]

If it's only the three months and you can keep them in the fridge in the meantime, I reckon you'd be ok.

BUT the supplier should be keeping a better track of the use by dates. Maybe a compliant will score you some satifaction.

[trifecta]

They will be fine, ivermectin lasts for years & years!

[kendall]

If it's only the three months and you can keep them in the fridge in the meantime, I reckon you'd be ok.

BUT the supplier should be keeping a better track of the use by dates. Maybe a compliant will score you some satifaction.

But they are in date for how many there are per packet - it will only be out of date because the OP ordered two packets to follow on from each other - it isn't up to the supplier to know if the purchaser is buying more than what they immediately need and want to stock up

Personally I wouldn't use them but then I am a real stickler for use by dates on ANYTHING! Maybe you could sell the extra ones on here or donate to a shleter or something BEFORE they are close to expiry

[kiesha09]

I've asked my vet about this before because I had 4 tablets left that were out of date. He said it was fine to use them and I did and the dogs were fine.

But I would check with your vet if I were you to make sure regarding the brand you have.

I'm also not very good at sticking to used by dates

[noisymina]

If it's only the three months and you can keep them in the fridge in the meantime, I reckon you'd be ok.

BUT the supplier should be keeping a better track of the use by dates. Maybe a compliant will score you some satifaction.

But they are in date for how many there are per packet - it will only be out of date because the OP ordered two packets to follow on from each other - it isn't up to the supplier to know if the purchaser is buying more than what they immediately need and want to stock up

Personally I wouldn't use them but then I am a real stickler for use by dates on ANYTHING! Maybe you could sell the extra ones on here or donate to a shleter or something BEFORE they are close to expiry ;)

I have chewable heartworm tabs in my fridge EXP Mar 11.

They have been there nearly 12 months as it is. And I will have used them by then, and I'm doing it 6 weekly.

The supplier may or may not have considered that the tablets were for the one dog over 12 months or two dogs over six months.

Clearly my supplier DOES supply fresher meds - whether they stopped and worked it out - or just supply fresher as a matter of course, I don't know. But I'm one satisfied cutomer. ;)

So, since they do supply that way, it's my expectation they thye will continue to do that. I would, therefore, complain if they supplied me the way the OP has been supplied.

[vetrg]

It very much depends on the medication whether they will be safe to use. The use by date is the guaranteed date from the manufacturer that, if they have been stored correctly, the drugs will still be effective and safe. Most drugs remains safe but may lose efficacy. Many drugs are also tested stored at "room temperature" = 8=24 degrees ie temperate climate room temperature. If you store drugs on a windowsill in the open or even just in a cupboard on a 40 degree day you may compromise their function.

Some of the spot on drugs are the least stable and I would be cautious with an out of date spot on. Most tablets are good for some time after the use by date however there is no come back on the manufacturer if there is a problem.

[Sam the man]

The tablets are the heartguard plus . I will ask the vet about them next time I take Sam there.

[sandgrubber]

As a rule of thumb, the rate of breakdown of organic compounds (and most medicines) doubles for each 10 degree rise in average temperature . . . or so they teach you in biology class. As applied to dog meds in general, they'll be good LONG past their useby date if you keep them in the fridge. My father was a doctor . . . he kept meds for family use in the fridge for years. When I asked the mobile vet, she agreed . . . she said the meds you keep in the fridge will go off years later than those I carry around in the back of my vehicle. . . expiry dates are almost irrelevant.