Veterinarians talk new opioid prescription regulation for pets

Under North Carolina's STOP Act, doctors across the state are changing the way they prescribe opioids. According to Associate Doctor Kara Duffy with Atlantic Animal Hospital, veterinarians are now following suit. Duffy said that the new regulations limit doctors to prescribe just 5 days worth of controlled substances in an effort to curb opioid misuse by owners.“We’ve always kind of just tried to pay attention to how we’re dispensing controlled drugs and making sure that nothing seems suspicious when we’re filling them but we weren’t legally required to do as much as what we’ve done in practice,” she said.Duffy said some prescription medication used by people are also prescribed to pets, especially after surgery or injury. She said that those medications cause the greatest concern of abuse, along with certain anti-anxiety medicines.