Where do you buy your pet meds?

[Just Kate]

My 14 year old dog needs to take arthritis meds regularly and I would love to know where I could buy them online. We have purchased from 1-800 Pet Meds before and they were fine. Anyone ever use Pet Rescue Rx? The prices there seem to be lower, but I've never used them before. Any other website that I should look into?

[Pawz4me]

There are only a handful I would trust.  I've used Drs. Foster and Smith for decades, so they're always the first site I check.  But mostly I get any prescription meds needed from my vet.  He's been really good to me over the years, so I'm not going to begrudge him making a few dollars on medicine.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Pawz4me

[StephanieZ]

Be sure to talk to your vet. It really is optimum to get your meds from your vet for a number of reasons. Don't rely on advertising to be sure the price is cheaper elsewhere, too. Often times, the vet is cheaper, despite the ads saying otherwise. ;)

 

If you want to keep cost low, there are often things the vet can do to help you achieve that. For instance, at our vet hospital, you pay less for larger RXs because there is a set fee (around $15 IIRC) to fill any RX, then a per-pill cost (which varies from about 2c to about $2) with the cost to us) on top of that. So, for a pill that is billed at $1 each . . . a 30 count bottle might be $45 and a 180 count bottle might be $195 . . . etc. So, much less per pill if you get a larger bottle. Plus, if you buy a "full bottle" it might be cheaper, as some practices charge less when the client purchases the entire "dispensing" bottle that it comes to us in -- that saves us the counting/measuring/packaging aspect of dispensing the medicine ('cause all we have to do is slap a label on the unopened bottle from the manufacturer), as well as limits some of our risk of open bottles expiring (when we have an open bottle of something expire . . . we have to discard the remaining medicine and we eat that loss), etc. Also, sometimes there are choices for a certain condition. For instance, for a several years, Previcox has been my husband (vet)'s arthritis medication, but it was (is) very expensive -- like $2/day. It is suggested that Previcox is also a bit safer re: side effects. BUT, another good, effective NSAID, carprofen ("Rimadyl") is available generic and is like 1/4 the cost. So, dh offers the choice . . . Previcox might be a bit safer, but might not be much difference, and the generic carprofen should work well and be MUCH cheaper. Similarly, meloxicam happens to be available as a human generic, so can be prescribed out to a $4 pharmacy . . . Now, every local market is different, and every vet will have their own pet peeves and favorite drugs, so no guarantees that any other vet has these same preferences . . .

 

But, I provided those details to indicate what the options might be, and that TALKing to your vet about options and expenses and budget can be very helpful.

 

If you buy your meds ANYWHERE but at your vet, please be sure to double check the medication when you get it against what the vet ordered. Errors happen ALL THE TIME at human pharmacies (even altered dosages, etc.) -- probably because human pharmacists have ZERO training in animal medications -- and of course, mail order sources just vary dramatically in quality from place to place. Mis-branded, mis-dosed, and foreign-sourced (and often mislabeled) meds happen all the time from mail order places, as they are often handling black market drugs re-imported from over seas (illegally) or sold back-channel outside of contractual permissions in the US (and then often taken out of all original packaging to avoid the tracking codes placed on the packaging which could be used to track the medicine back to its originator). So, anyway, be careful and do some googling before you buy.

 

 

[Stacia]

Usually, I get them through the vet office.

 

However, a few years ago, I had a cat that required a compounded rx, so the vet sent the prescription to Wedgewood Pet Rx & I ordered it through them. Just mentioning in case you ever need to get compounded medicines for your pet.

[MercyA]

I've been very happy with Drs. Foster and Smith. I was also able to get very inexpensive Tramadol for my arthritic senior dog from a human pharmacy.

[Dmmetler]

S/O-any good sources for prescription pet food? I have a cat who just was diagnosed with kidney disease, and I'd rather not have to go to the vet's office once a week or more to pick up the prescription food, especially since he only will eat certain flavors.

[Pawz4me]

S/O-any good sources for prescription pet food? I have a cat who just was diagnosed with kidney disease, and I'd rather not have to go to the vet's office once a week or more to pick up the prescription food, especially since he only will eat certain flavors.

 

I'd try Pet Food Direct or Chewy.

 

Around here you can go to Petsmart with a receipt from your vet showing you've recently purchased a prescription food and they'll sell it to you.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Pawz4me

[StephanieZ]

Usually, I get them through the vet office.

 

However, a few years ago, I had a cat that required a compounded rx, so the vet sent the prescription to Wedgewood Pet Rx & I ordered it through them. Just mentioning in case you ever need to get compounded medicines for your pet.

 

FWIW, most vets generally have one or two compounding pharmacies that they work with a lot and trust. (Usually one mail order and, ideally, one local pharmacy). Compounding is very dicey, screwed up a LOT, and you do NOT want to get compounded meds anywhere except your vet's first choice.

 

When you have a medication compounded, you are putting a LOT of trust in the ethics and the technical ability of the pharmacist (few of whom have ANY training in animal medicine) . . . Errors happen all the time, and patients die, even human patients, which is why the FDA is really stringent about compounding . . . A lot of compounding is done for pets that would never fly with humans, just because the FDA (rightfully) prioritizes human safety . . . but, still, the FDA has cracked down on various mail order compounders repeatedly over the years and found lots of serious problems . . . Anyway, you are best off using whatever compounding pharmacy your vet recommends, IMHO. 

[Amy in NH]

valleyvet.com

 

[Laurie]

FWIW, most vets generally have one or two compounding pharmacies that they work with a lot and trust. (Usually one mail order and, ideally, one local pharmacy). Compounding is very dicey, screwed up a LOT, and you do NOT want to get compounded meds anywhere except your vet's first choice.

 

When you have a medication compounded, you are putting a LOT of trust in the ethics and the technical ability of the pharmacist (few of whom have ANY training in animal medicine) . . . Errors happen all the time, and patients die, even human patients, which is why the FDA is really stringent about compounding . . . A lot of compounding is done for pets that would never fly with humans, just because the FDA (rightfully) prioritizes human safety . . . but, still, the FDA has cracked down on various mail order compounders repeatedly over the years and found lots of serious problems . . . Anyway, you are best off using whatever compounding pharmacy your vet recommends, IMHO. 

 

This makes me very nervous!   One of my cats has a prescription for prednisolone that we have to get from a compounding pharmacy. 

 

*The first place I used was recommended by our vets, but then that pharmacist sold his business to Walgreens and transferred all the prescriptions there.  I went to another pharmacy instead because only one Walgreens would do compounding and it was farther away.  I was told that this second pharmacy (independent) did some compounding for the local zoo so I assumed they would be good.

 

*Then the second pharmacy also sold shortly after I started going there.  I got no warning, just a letter after they had already closed.  The prescription has been transferred to the buyer which is an independent pharmacy at a different location.  Our vets don't have any experience with the new pharmacy...other than meeting the rep who came in to the clinic to introduce himself. 

 

*Another choice would be a pharmacy connected to a grocery store chain...one location will do compounding.  I found out about this option when a coupon came in the mail.

 

I'm not sure which pharmacy to choose when it's time for a refill.   Do you think a prescription for prednisolone would be too complicated for these "human" pharmacies?   

Edited May 16, 2016 by Laurie

[mmasc]

I prefer to buy from my vet or a local pharmacy. I'm also quite picky in my pharmacy choices, and it must be small and locally owned. I do NOT go to big box/chain store pharmacies.

[Guest]

Our vet has recommended our new dog take Dasuquin (is that what you're looking at?) and I was thinking of ordering from the 1-800 pet place - so, is that one not good? I never knew so many places existed to get meds but it doesn't sound like they're very good options.

[KarenNC]

For something that will be short-term and not terribly expensive, I usually just get them at the vet. We did have to get famciclovir a few months ago for one of our cats--expensive and the vet didn't stock it. I read a suggestion on a cat forum to try Costco (you don't have to be a member to use the pharmacy). The identical generic prescription was $25 at Costco, $240 from Walgreens!! It was worth the 30 min drive one way for that. Luckily, we have a good local small compounding pharmacy that was a great help with a previous cat's seizure meds. Unfortunately they were unable to get the famcyclovir for me.

 

Check GoodRx.com to compare prices--they have human and pet meds.

 

For food for my cat with renal failure and the one with crystals in her urine, I take my prescription cards to Petsmart. They carry Hill's Science Diet and Royal Canin prescription foods. Our cat with renal failure prefers the RC wet food.

Edited May 17, 2016 by KarenNC

[StephanieZ]

This makes me very nervous!   One of my cats has a prescription for prednisolone that we have to get from a compounding pharmacy. 

 

*The first place I used was recommended by our vets, but then that pharmacist sold his business to Walgreens and transferred all the prescriptions there.  I went to another pharmacy instead because only one Walgreens would do compounding and it was farther away.  I was told that this second pharmacy (independent) did some compounding for the local zoo so I assumed they would be good.

 

*Then the second pharmacy also sold shortly after I started going there.  I got no warning, just a letter after they had already closed.  The prescription has been transferred to the buyer which is an independent pharmacy at a different location.  Our vets don't have any experience with the new pharmacy...other than meeting the rep who came in to the clinic to introduce himself. 

 

*Another choice would be a pharmacy connected to a grocery store chain...one location will do compounding.  I found out about this option when a coupon came in the mail.

 

I'm not sure which pharmacy to choose when it's time for a refill.   Do you think a prescription for prednisolone would be too complicated for these "human" pharmacies?   

 

It's really hard to know what is too tricky for a pharmacy not to mess up. I've seen them mess up "add water" liquid meds, lol. (Literally, I saw a liquid antibiotic dispensed to a parent for giving to a baby . . .  but the pharmacy failed to add the required WATER to it . . . so it was just a little powder in the big bottle! Fortunately, it was my Registered Vet Tech who got this RX for her baby, and she knew how to mix it up safely, since she does it day in and day out in her job . . . but, uh, LOTS of parents would have screwed that up!!) Just like any profession, there are lots of ways to mess up. Medications are just tricky, and there is *gasp* MATH involved in compounding, which, uh, seems tricky. Prednisone is very cheap, and it's just the one med mixed with a flavoring, so it should be easier and less prone to errors than some other meds. 

 

I actually have a cat on daily compounded prednisone. (It was my mom's cat that we inherited . . . and she was/is impossible to pill . . . ) Dh has used a mail order company for quite a few years, and he's been satisfied (or else he'd have changed pharmacies by now, lol). OK, I asked him, and it is Specialty Veterinary Pharmacy. He says their prices are good, too, so that's a bonus. He also has a local independent pharmacy he calls compounded stuff into, which is handy having an actual person to deal with, especially if it must be provided that same day. 

 

Anyway, we like the SVP compounded prednisone for our cat. They provide it in individual foil packets so each dose stays fresh and nice. Mom's cat is *really* picky, and we've learned to only get 60 days doses at a time, because when I tried 90 days (which it should be good for), she'll get really fussy about not wanting to eat it after 60 days or so. So, now we only get 60 doses at a time, lol. (I am sure you can set up an auto-ship of some sort if desired, but I've never tried, as I have staff at the vet hospital who handle all those annoying things calling in refills for me, lol.)

 

So, anyway, since you've struggled with finding a reliable one, maybe trying out SVP (or another mail order one) would make the most sense.

 

My mom used to fill these prednisone chewables with her vet (not in our state) -- who used their own compounding pharmacy that was local to them --- and sometimes they'd be fine, and then the next time they'd be too gooey or too dry or just *different* and then her cat wouldn't like it . . . Finally, dh took over handling the RX and we never had any more problems with consistency, etc. Cats can be finicky, so the last thing you want is to be changing up the formula regularly, lol.

 

Good luck!

Edited May 17, 2016 by StephanieZ

[Laurie]

 

 

 

Anyway, we like the SVP compounded prednisone for our cat. They provide it in individual foil packets so each dose stays fresh and nice. Mom's cat is *really* picky, and we've learned to only get 60 days doses at a time, because when I tried 90 days (which it should be good for), she'll get really fussy about not wanting to eat it after 60 days or so. So, now we only get 60 doses at a time, lol. (I am sure you can set up an auto-ship of some sort if desired, but I've never tried, as I have staff at the vet hospital who handle all those annoying things calling in refills for me, lol.)

 

So, anyway, since you've struggled with finding a reliable one, maybe trying out SVP (or another mail order one) would make the most sense.

 

 

Thanks so much for your help!  :001_smile:   I didn't even realize that compounded prescriptions could be ordered by mail.   Right now he takes the liquid form but the packets sound good.   He loves the Pill Pockets that I put his liver supplement in, so another chewy thing would probably work.  (Now if only they could find a way to get rid of the insulin/syringes and do tasty pills instead...my other kitty is diabetic.)