Adventures in Veterinary Pharmacies
at South Town Animal Hospital

The Difference Between Online & In-house Pharmacies. There’s so much to know.

The way we shop has changed so much over the past few decades. Most of us are looking for products to purchase that are not only convenient to buy, but at the best deal. Online shopping has taken the world by storm! We can literally purchase anything we would like, anywhere we want, with the touch a button, even our pet’s prescription drugs! Something that many people do not know is that purchasing your medications online may come with a deeper cost than we thought……

At South Town Safety is #1!

As your pet’s doctor provider, one of the biggest concerns is SAFETY. South Town Animal Hospital purchases medications and supplies, through vendors, that have been inspected and approved by the FDA and manufactured and packaged according to U.S. regulations. Striving to provide safe medicine is a vital part of our practice. The following are some concerns regarding alternative online pet sources –

• Medications purchased through alternative online pet sources may have been purchased outside the United States and have different strengths and labeling than U.S. products (www.fda.gov).
• Some alternative online pet sources may not be aware that their products may have issues with the following: manufacturing, dating, labeling, shipping, storage and guarantee (www.fda.gov).

Possible substandard medicines would keep your pet from getting better or could even make them sick. So, we recommend when purchasing products look for the FDA approval “Caution: Federal law restricts this drug to be used by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian” (www.fda.gov). With all these concerns in mind we have decide to launch an online pharmacy through VetSource (a veterinary pharmacy) as a safer choice.

Where are my pets medications coming from?

Our doctors and staff know exactly who our vendors are and where the products are manufactured. Many alternative online pet sources purchase their medications from secondary places. Our trusted vendors, who assure quality, sell only to licensed veterinarians for their in house use and for their online practice pharmacy. This is the most important part of our vendor relationship because it provides a 100% product guarantee that is passed on to you and that cannot be provided otherwise.

Price Checking & Insurance Reimbursement

Would you be surprised to know that alternative online pet sources do not always have the lowest price for medication? Both South Town Animal Hospital’s inhouse pharmacy and online VetSource pharmacy are priced competitively to outside sources. Our practice also passes on manufacturers promotions and/or rebates which result in greater savings. These rebates we offer are not usually available from alternative online pet sources. Something else to keep in mind is that pet insurance companies require all prescriptions be FDA approved. If you have pet insurance with medication reimbursement, submission and approval will be easier with purchases from either South Town Animal Hospital’s inhouse pharmacy or online VetSource pharmacy.

Ordering from other online sources may not guarantee confidentiality

Some questionable alternative online pet sources lack the right safeguards to protect personal and financial information. These alternative sites could infect your computer with viruses or sell your personal information to other websites and internet scams. https://www.guthriepet.net/blog/online-pet-pharmacies/

When using alternative online pet sources to order your prescription drugs remember to be A.W.A.R.E

• Ask your doctor. Who better the tell you about what trusted sites to use.
• Watch for red flags. If it doesn’t require a doctor’s prescription, it is not a safe source to get your medications from.
• Accreditation. Check your non-veterinary online source website for accreditations.
• Report it. If a situation arises where you find a faulty online pharmacy, report it to the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) by calling 1-888-332-8387) or AskCVM@fds. Lets make our cyber world a safer place.
• Educate yourself. Protect yourself and your pet from faulty pharmacies.
  https://www.guthriepet.net/blog/online-pet-pharmacies

The world of cyber shopping is a big place, if you are looking for a safe, reliable online pet pharmacy, start with our convenient online pharmacy, VetSource. VetSource not only has rebates, product guarantees and weekly/monthly coupons, it is a place South Town Animal Hospital staff knows you can trust. If your interested in online shopping, be safe.  You can reach VetSource by going to our website at www.southtownhosp.wpengine.com. Simply click on the ‘Vetsource Online Pharmacy’ tab and while shopping make sure to look for the weekly/monthly specials and savings!

For more information on safe online purchasing of your pet’s prescriptions click on the following:
https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048396.htm
Also Google – “BeSafeRX Know your online pharmacy: FDA”