Like many other industries, the veterinary industry has seen an increase in internet related purchasing over the last decade. Pet owners are looking for inexpensive places to purchase heartworm preventive, flea control products, and other prescription medications.
The number of internet pharmacies devoted to pet medications is currently difficult to track, much less, monitor for legitimacy and ethical business practice. Many pharmacies use multiple names on different search engines and many are started and closed each and every day.
Although legitimate, ethical, and customer service oriented pharmacy sites do exist, many internet pharmacies have been investigated because of numerous customer complaints and have been fined heavily and/or ordered to cease and desist.
So what’s the problem?
Most prescription drugs sold on line are obtained through gray-market or black market means. Meaning that shipments of US drugs meant for veterinary clinics are diverted to the on-line company or the medications are obtained from overseas where manufacturing and quality control going into production and storage do NOT meet the stringent requirements of the FDA.
Certain medications are backed by a “guarantee” from the manufacturer, specifically heartworm prevention (HWP). If a dog is consistently on HWP that the owner bought from his veterinarian and the dog gets heartworms, the company (ie, Merial, Novartis, Pfizer) will pay for the treatment required to kill the heartworms. The companies will NOT do so if the medications were bought on-line ) this is also true for any intestinal parasites the preventatives may cover).
Medications bought from a veterinarian are tracked by lot numbers. If a drug is recalled for some reason, the dispensing veterinarian is contacted and then notification is sent to clients that may have used the drug for their pets. Gray and black market medicine bought on-line cannot be tracked and the appropriate people cannot be contacted regarding the recall.
Problems encountered when ordering medications on line:
· Counterfeit medication sent. The General Accounting Office of the United States found that 6% of the time counterfeit medication was sent.
· Illegal, foreign medications sent (Could lead to under dosing or overdosing due to the weight unit measurement differences).
· Poor to non-existent customer service.
· No guarantee by manufacturer.
· On-line medications cannot be tracked.
The FDA and consumer groups caution pet owners to look for the following when attempting to order online:
· Be sure the pharmacy has a licensed pharmacist on staff.
· Avoid sites that only list an email address as the means of contact.
· Avoid sites that do not allow you to speak to a live person.
· Be sure the pharmacy is licensed to ship drugs to your state.
The FDA warns consumers to utilize internet pharmacies only if they are listed on the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPPS) list compiled by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
Finally, talk with your veterinarian about your concerns. He or she may have other options available to help your pet and your wallet. You may find that your veterinarian’s prices are less expensive once you account for shipping and the time it takes to receive the medication from the on line site. Many veterinarians are offering their own online pharmacy for their clients that will save time and money while maintaining quality.
One Comment on "Online Pet Pharmacies: What You Need To Know"
This info is largely self-serving to the Veterinary and Veterinary pharmacy industries that gouge american consumers. (Who seem to want to live like kings at our expense !)
There are legitimate and cost effective options to consumers and these should be available to them. The heartworm problem would not loom nearly as large as it does today if meds were avaialable OTC at a reasonable price. Same for flea prevention medicines. One treatment option for dogs with some stages of heartworm is actually HEARTWORM medicine.
The myth that Ivermectin cannot be given to Collies is inaccurate. The only confirmed cases of problems were in individuals attemtping to give livestock doses to dogs.
The current american system and process for securing heartworm tx is seriously broken. A less paternalistic and more owner-empowered, accountable approach such as in Australia is badly needed here. The black market would disappear in the absence of demand.