Poochie DeMars is the pharmacist of champions

The patient was about to enter the biggest competition of his life. If he was going to win, everything had to be perfect: his training, his preparation, his gear, his food, his medications.

The medications were particularly tricky. They had to be made by hand, since the patient weighed around 1,000 pounds. Also, he was only three years old. And he was a horse.

Fortunately, he had John “Poochie” DeMars ’67 in his stable. DeMars is a long-time veterinarian pharmacist and he knows horses. He gave the patient – a thoroughbred– just what he needed, and the colt splashed through a sloppy track to join a roster of Triple Crown winners who became a champion while on a compounded prescription from the business DeMars founded 20 years ago.

“When I decided to enter veterinary compounding pharmacy, I thought that the best way to go was to get into the equine business instead of small animals, so I joined the American Equine Association and with the fee they sent me a book that had all the equine vets with all of their information,” DeMars said. “It was a slow process sending out letters explaining what medications I was planning on compounding. It did not take very long to make several vet friends who gave me really good advice on what compounds would help them in their business.”

Earlier this year, DeMars and his wife Alice decided to help other members of the MUSC pharmacy family by creating an endowed scholarship for deserving MUSC pharmacy students. His own career spanned many aspects of the profession before settling in compounding for the sport of kings. 

“I have worked in retail, hospital and chains and I even owned my own store in St. George for 13 years,” he said. “I even had an opportunity to serve in the military in Desert Storm working in a hospital pharmacy in Saudi Arabia for six months. My unit was the 251st Evac Hospital. I can truly say that the most fun and enjoyment has been in the compounding business.”

He was drawn to the compounding business in part by its challenge and artistry. Many pharmacies compound, but a busy pharmacy day makes it difficult to spend 30-40 minutes making some kind of mixture.

Once he started his business, he discovered he had a real talent for tracking down the raw chemicals necessary when a vet wants to try a new drug on a horse. The real art was in finding a way to compound it so the vet – and the animal – will like it.

“The delivery to the horse is important because the vet wants an easy way to get the drug into the horse,” he said. “For instance, a drug in an oral dial a dose syringe is very convenient because you can dial the dose that you want and put it into his mouth then the next dose can come from the same syringe by just turning the small ring on the syringe down to the amount that you want to give.”

DeMars sold his business to a dear friend a few years ago, but he still works 3-4 weeks of the year and enjoys talking on the phone to their most dedicated veterinarians. Besides, why would anyone give up the opportunity to watch one of his patients thundering down the home stretch in a run for the roses?

"Over time I have gotten to know some of the vets that treat the top breed of horse that run in the most prestigious races in the United States today,” he said. “There have been winners that made me feel real good knowing that some of them were on my compounded prescriptions.”