Ordering Pet Medication?
By crittercare in General Pet Care on November 9th, 2009
Do people actually save money ordering meds vs. getting them at the vet’s office?
I find that ordering stuff, no matter what it is, turns out to be more expensive because you pay for shipping and handling.
My dogs only get heartworm preventative, and one time needed an antibiotic. As for antibiotics, I have no intention of making my dog wait and suffer for four days so I can save a couple dollars. As for the heartworm, I don’t pay that much, so I’ll just stick with getting them from the vet.
Oh, yeah. I forgot about the whole idea of when you order off the internet, you really have no idea where the meds are coming from, if they’ve sat for a while in an un air conditioned building, etc etc etc.
I’ll just stick with getting them from my vet, as my vet is great.
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11/10/2009 at 12:00 am
It depends on where it is ordered from. Some places do gouge on the shipping amount, but others do not. 1-800-Pet Meds does save people money, yes. If someone is purchasing on eBay or something, they will NOT save money. Either the list price is increased, or the list price is low and the shipping price is through the roof. So it all depends on the venue.
11/10/2009 at 12:32 am
I have been ordering Synovi-MSM and Rimadyl from KV Vet Supply for almost 3 years now. Actually, these two items are approx. 1/3 the price of what the Vet was charging me, and there is no shipping and handling charge. So, yes, this has saved me a ton of money over the last few years, and it is usually at my door within 4 working days.
11/10/2009 at 1:04 am
I have always saved using 1800petmeds.
I purchased my 4 pack of Advantage through them over the years and always has been 20+ cheaper than my vets.
I had to switch vets because the medication my dog required at the time was $18 MORE at the vet than through 1800petmeds. I told my vet to write me a prescription so I can get it through the website than through her. She did her speech about her stuff is more potent, the real deal, blah blah blah. Her getting angry because I chose to pay the cheaper price made me switch vets. It’s just like any other business. It’s all about money.
1800petmeds carry the EXACT same medication as the vets do.
A lot of medications are free shipping and it is not like ebay where they jack up the price to compensate for the shipping.
If you do need prescription medication and decide to go through petmeds, trying to get your vet to write a prescription can be a battle.
11/10/2009 at 1:14 am
You have a point. However, apart from the fact the place I buy from mails wormers free of shipping charges, I tend to hold off until I need several things, which makes the overall cost of shipping better. There’s no doubt things like Metacam is far cheaper brought online (although at the time, I found it more convenient to buy from the vet, while we were there for consultations and yes, the need for this was urgent!).
11/10/2009 at 1:26 am
I think *sometimes* you can. I’ve not done it personally, but I am quite well informed re. typical markups in vets offices.
That being said, would I do it? Personally – no, for a couple of reasons.
First off, and probably most importantly, when you’re buying off the internet, you don’t know anything about their supply chain. All you have to do is look at the problems with counterfeit medications in third world countries to realize that it has the potential to be a big problem.
Further some medications can be very difficult to ship properly, you don’t know, even if the meds were good when the company sent them to you, that they would still be good when you actually got them.
My last reasons for not getting meds off the net are more philosophical. I expect a lot of people won’t understand them completely. There is (or should be) an element of trust between the veterinarian and client. The veterinarian has the responsibility to diagnose, and treat your animal in the most effective way possible, keeping in mind the client’s cost considerations. By asking for a prescription to be filled online, you’re essentially telling the vet that you think he’s screwing you over as far as cost goes, and you’d rather put your trust in someone you’ve never met, on the internet than him.
This isn’t a message I care to send to the person with whom I’m entrusting my animal’s health.
Lastly, there is the megastores/local business issue. Around here, vet clinics must be owned by veterinarians. This has kept most practices at a relatively modest scale. There are a few multi-practice associations, but still not that many of them.
This is the way I think it should be, and unfortunately we’re starting to see in the industry a move away from the veterinarian who is an integral member of the community, and more towards ‘corporate medicine’. I don’t like it. I don’t think its good for clients, and I don’t think its good for vets, but its very hard to fight. One thing which tends to support that kind of mentality, is client thinking. The clients shape the practice, as much as the practice shapes the demands of the clients, a fact that I don’t think many people fully appreciate.
By treating your vet like you think he’s ripping you off at every opportunity, you alter the nature of that relationship. If enough people do that, then the relationship changes. The vet stops thinking of himself in the light of a ‘friend of the community’, and moves towards a more strictly business perspective.
I’m sure I’ll get some thumbs down for my philosophical ramblings, but I believe them to be true.