On-Line Pharmacy/Prescription Policy

In these times of uncertain economy and ever increasing fuel prices we must all watch our spending habits, however, when it comes to medications for yourself or your pet, cutting corners can be dangerous.  Please consider the points below before you order any prescription meds from any on-line pharmacy.
 

1. Veterinarians are required by law to have a valid patient/client/veterinarian relationship in order to prescribe medications.  This means that your pet must be examined within a reasonable time period prior to the prescription being written.  This time period may be different for different pets or medical conditions and is determined by the attending veterinarian.
   
   Drug therapy for any condition should be initiated by your pet’s doctor.  Therefore, we do not accept new prescription requests from any pharmacy.  If approved by the doctor, written prescriptions may be picked up in our office.
    

2.  Many internet pharmacies do not respect the law.  They often sell prescription medications without requiring a prescription from the pet’s doctor.  This is a dangerous practice since some medications, such as heartworm preventative, may be harmful when given to a pet they have not been prescribed for or if given incorrectly.  We cannot be responsible for any problems experienced with medications we did not prescribe.
    

3. Major manufacturers of veterinary products such as heartworm preventative maintain a policy of sales only to licensed veterinarians.  This means that some medications sold by many internet pharmacies are either illegally obtained or they may be counterfeit and of questionable effectiveness.
    

4. Most guarantees that manufacturers make regarding their products will be null and void if purchased from these sources.  This includes reimbursement for heartworm or intestinal parasite treatment.
    

5.  We keep our prices equal to or below those advertised by the major “discount” internet pharmacies.  Our new website offers convenient on-line ordering of many products with free shipping or in clinic pick up.
    

6. Many on-line pharmacies have been cited and charged for their illegal activities, but since consumers continue to support them by buying their products, they will continue to do business in this fashion.