PITTSBURGH -- Geeta Kothari and Mark Kemp’s 1-year-old dog Miranda has epilepsy and needs to take several medications to prevent attacks.

When she was first diagnosed with her illness her owners had trouble getting Miranda take one of her liquid medications.

Kothari said she would try to squirt the liquid in her mouth, but quickly found out that wasn’t a very good method.

“It was messy,” Kothari said.

They turned to compound pharmacist and owner of Heiber’s Pharmacy in Oakland for help.

Bettinger is a compounding pharmacist and said, “Compounding is custom made medications and when there is a special need often times compounding can fit the bill.’

He said he has over 25 ways to give medicine. He flavors it for kids, or makes it into creams for people who can’t swallow pills.

While talking to customers he noticed many had problems getting pets to take their medications.

Bettinger recalled one woman, “I had one lady come in on a Saturday. She was scratched up and she said I can't get my cat to take the pill. I said we have other options. I gave the vet a call and we made it and it was happily ever after.”

There is a photo album on the counter in Heiber’s Pharmacy filled with pictures of cats and dogs and thank you notes from grateful pet owners Bettinger has helped.

One way Bettinger gets medications into cats is by making the drug into cream so the cat’s owner can rub it on the ear.

Bettinger said, “There are a lot of blood vessels, not much hair and most cats like being touched.”

He also can flavor medication to fit a pet’s palate.

Bettinger has special fish flavored solutions in the store’s refrigerator. He can use salmon, tuna and sardine to entice a cat to swallow his pills.

For dogs he can make pills and liquids in peanut butter, beef, cherry and other kinds of flavors.

Peanut butter flavor made it much easier for Kothari and Kemp to get Miranda to take her meds.

And while some of their friends think it’s a bit odd getting pet medicine form a human pharmacist, the couple think it’s the perfect solution.

Kothari said, “It makes sense for us and it makes sense for the dog.”

For more information on Hieber’s Pharmacy go to Hieber's Pharmacy or call 412-681-6400.

Click here to find out how the pharmacist helps patients take pain killers without getting drowsy.