{"topic_id":"FDA_VFD_medicated_petfood","category":"fda","context":"---\ntopic_id: \"FDA_VFD_medicated_petfood\"\ncategory: \"fda\"\ntitle: \"FDA VFD medicated petfood\"\nlang: en\nsource_document: \"U.S. FDA / CVM\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"fda\"\n  title: \"FDA VFD medicated petfood\"\n  url: \"\"\n  retrieved: \"\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"official source\"\n  needs_review: true\nauthority_tier: T1\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T1:fda\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n21 CFR 558 (Veterinary Feed Directive, VFD) regulates veterinary-prescribed medicated feeds including some pet foods. VFD drugs (currently 18 substances) include: avilamycin, chlortetracycline, decoquinate, florfenicol, lincomycin, neomycin, oxytetracycline, penicillin, sulfadimethoxine, tilmicosin. VFD pet food products are extremely limited because most VFD drugs are intended for livestock/poultry. The most common pet-relevant VFD application: sulfadimethoxine/albon (Pfizer) for coccidiosis treatment in puppies housed in breeding facilities. Pet owners can ONLY obtain VFD feeds via a licensed veterinarian's prescription — direct over-the-counter sale is prohibited. CFR 558.6 specifies the VFD drug label requirements: withdrawal period (for food-producing animals), target species, indications, dose, and caution statements.\n","sources":["fda — FDA VFD medicated petfood"],"source":{"authority":"fda","title":"FDA VFD medicated petfood","url":"https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/","retrieved":"","ref":"","doc_type":"official source","source_document":"U.S. FDA / CVM","verification_file":""},"source_document":"U.S. FDA / CVM","source_file":"","trust":{"authority_tier":"T1","fidelity":"verbatim","license":null,"display_grade":"A"},"tokens_estimated":131,"generated_at":"2026-07-16","tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}