Ordering medications and prescription food online is convenient, but unfortunately, not all online suppliers hold the same standards for keeping your pets safe as our online pharmacy. While online retailers like Chewy.com or 1-800-PetMeds are fantastic for toys, leashes, and collars; pharmaceutical products require special storage and handling. Our goal is to ensure you are educated on your choices regarding your pet’s prescription medications. While the temptation to save is understandable, it isn’t worth jeopardizing your pet’s health (which could also prove far more costly in the long run).
Please consider the following:
1. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Red flags are waving if a website’s prices are much lower than your veterinarian’s online pharmacy. Suspiciously cheap medicines may be unapproved knock-offs from another country or expired (FDA.gov). This is extremely dangerous as many counterfeit items are labeled with incorrect ingredients and dosages, potentially harming your pet and their overall health.
2. Accreditation and safety go hand-in-hand. The National Board of Pharmacies has instituted the Veterinary Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program (Vet-VIPPS) to help you find properly licensed and compliant online pet pharmacies.
Accredited Digital Pharmacies | National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
3. Expired Products: Online retailers can offer products at a meager cost because these products are often expired. Many medications begin to break down once the expiration date passes, which can affect their effectiveness and can even cause serious side effects.
4. Recalled Products: These retailers may neglect to discontinue the sale of recalled products due to a lack of quality control protocols. This would leave you aware of safety recalls. By contrast, veterinarians and reputable online retailers and pharmacies immediately pull recalled products from their shelves.
To prevent the need to question the quality and safety of your pet’s medication, we recommend that you utilize our online pharmacy, Vets First Choice.
Vets First Choice has been awarded the Vet-VIPP certification; a prestigious certification provided by the National Board of Pharmacies. They are also PCAB accredited. Our online pharmacy meets the highest qualifications, which means we can guarantee your pet’s medications are safe and are stored, handled, and shipped by trained professionals.
Any medications ordered through VetsFirstChoice are automatically documented in your pet’s medical record to keep us informed, and the manufacturer guarantees stay intact. You will find that the prices are comparable to most online pharmacies, and they offer free shipping on ALL orders.
We are here to help you and your pets make the most of every moment; please let us do so by ensuring the use of reputable sources when facilitating their care.
If you have any questions, please call us at (616) 451-1810.