Most of us todays buy off the internet because of convenience and price.   It is easy to hop on the internet and order the items with them delivered to your front door.  Today society is fast paced with little time to do what we need or want to do.  It is convenient, but not always the best thing for the local businesses and local economy.  In some cases it is not always the best thing for you because of questionable sources or product integrity.  The FDA even states that buying drugs on line can be risky.  The FDA has found companies that sell unapproved drugs and counterfeit products, make fraudulent claims, dispense prescription drugs without requiring prescriptions, and sell expired drugs.  Dr. Hartogensis with the FDA states that pet owners may think they are saving money, but in reality, they may be short-changing their pet’s health and putting its life at risk.  Prescription drugs require a veterinarian to have a doctor/patient relationship which at the minimum has seen that patient in the last year to write a prescription.  A pharmacy can legally sell a prescription drug only if a valid prescription has been written by a veterinarian.

There are other reasons for buying medications from your veterinarian.  If there is a reaction to the drug or heartworm prevention does not prevent heartworms, like it should, the manufacturing company will only stand behind it if it is bought from a veterinarian.  The drugs are not always cheaper on line and if they are, a lot of times rebates that are only available through the veterinarians bring the price down to the online price or lower.  The sources of the prescription medications online have questionable sources because most prescription drug manufacturers will sell only to veterinarians.  That means they have been diverted from other sources which could be foreign sources, out of date or short expiration dates.  The sources are unknown to the consumer.   Foreign sources of medications might have lower standards for their approval.

Most veterinarians truly have your pet’s health best interest at heart.  They are compassionate people who devote their lives to your pets with usually much less pay than other professional.  They are just trying to do what is best for your pets.  You should trust them for prescribing what is best for your pet; and they have the most knowledge of the drugs and doses of those drugs.  If drugs are not taken properly in the right doses, they can be harmful to your pets.

Part of the ability to keep prices lower and be able to serve your pets and keep their business profitable is due the medications that they dispense.