About Us
Web-DVM
Health, advice, and information online community for dog and cats lovers.
Discount Online Pet Medication Retailers
We see commercials, countless web ads, and of course word of mouth notification of the multibillion dollar a year online discount pet medication retailers. 1-800-PetMeds may be the most familiar corporation, but believe me when I tell you, there are MANY, MANY more. Pet Med Express, EntirelyPets.com, and DrsFosterandSmith.com, are just a few large retailers getting their share of discount pet medication business. Attracted by the generally lower prices, discount online pet medication retailers enjoy a big chunk of the pet owning public.
The question remains, however, is it safe to use these online discount pet medication retailers? Does a lower cost for pet medications mean less quality? Do you really get the medication as advertised? Having so many middle stops from manufacturer to storage warehouse, then finally to customer, does this compromise the integrity of the
Top Canine & Feline Topics
The Web-DVM TV & Blog: Animal news, information, and commentary with host, veterinarian, Dr. Roger Welton.
medications? These are all questions that I will address in this article.
Let me start by explaining that the majority of pet medication pharmaceuticals do not condone the sale of their products online. They do not sell to discount online pet medications retailers, they do not want their products handled and sold by them. Pet medication pharmaceuticals feel so strongly about this, that they actually submitted a class action law suit against these discount online pet medication retailers in early 2000s trying to legally bar them from carrying and selling their products, one that they lost. In response, pet medication pharmaceuticals armed veterinarians with literature and information for us to educate the public as to why it is a bad idea to purchase pet medications from discount online pet medications retailers, or from anyone that is not a veterinarian or veterinary clinic, period. One recent exception to this general pet medication pharmaceutical policy is Bayer. No longer willing to keep out of the multibillion dollar a year discount online pet medication industry, they recently rescinded their stance against the condoning of the sale of their products by any venue outside of a veterinary clinic.
So what is the reason for the big corporate stance against allowing products to be sold outside of veterinary clinics? Pet pharmaceuticals are after all in the business of making money, and what better way to sell their products than through increasingly popular discount online pet medication retailers? The reason comes down to a simple two words, “quality control.”
You see, when a pet medication pharmaceutical sells their products to veterinary clinics, it is done so in a very controlled fashion. The products are stored with pet
medication distributors they store the products as dictated by the pharmaceuticals. Specifically, they are kept at a certain temperature and humidity, handled with a certain amount of care, all geared at maintaining the integrity of the product through handling parameters clearly specified by the pharmaceutical company and based on the chemical make up of the given medication. The veterinarian actually in most cases orders products directly from distributors and once received, stored in a fashion as dictated by the pharmaceutical and/or distributor.
In the case of discount online pet medication retailers, the products still go to a distributor, but after that, the pet medication pharmaceutical no longer has any knowledge of what happens to the product, how it is shipped, how it is stored, and for how long. With many medications, especially liquid flea and tick preventive topical medications, having sensitive environmental and handling parameters, pet medication pharmaceuticals do not wish to carry the liability nor have their reputations damaged, should one of these medications fail to work or even cause adverse reaction if compromised by poor handling and/or storage. As such, the majority of pet medication pharmaceuticals that still choose to not condone selling of their products outside of veterinary clinics, do not guarantee the safety or effectiveness of their products when purchase anywhere outside of a veterinary clinics.
I am sure at this point, you are wondering if most pet medication pharmaceuticals do not condone the sale of their products by discount pet medication retailers, how in the world they are getting them. The answer is that they get the products through “black market” sources. Now let me be clear that black market is an industry term not to be confused with the illegal connotation the term generally carries. In our context, black market simply means, “unauthorized attainment,” but the courts have determined that this is not illegal. The most common black market source of pet medications is an unethical veterinarian purchasing mass quantities for product on behalf of a large discount pet medication retailer for a generous fee. I have, for example, been recruited to be such an unethical go between for large pet medication retailers on several occasions, which I have repeatedly declined. Obviously some veterinarians cannot resist the temptation to make that easy cash. The other common black market source for pet medications is overseas products. Overseas distributors in certain countries have lax regulation that allows this.
So what does this all mean for you and your pet? Well, let us break down the purchase of pet medications through online discount pet medication retailers into pros and cons:
Pros:
- The medications are generally cheaper than purchasing the same brand from your veterinarian. Veterinarians simply cannot compete with the quantities that large retailers purchase, and the discounts that said large quantities afford them.
- The medications are generally cheaper than purchasing the same brand from your veterinarian. Veterinarians simply cannot compete with the quantities that large retailers purchase, and the discounts that said large quantities afford them. - Convenience – products are often shipped right to the home.
Cons:- Quality control – the handling and storage of pet medications may be outside of the guidelines set by the pharmaceutical for a given product, thereby compromising its effectiveness and safety. Pet medication pharmaceuticals have no control over quality control when sold outside of veterinary clinics.
- Quality control – the handling and storage of pet medications may be outside of the guidelines set by the pharmaceutical for a given product, thereby compromising its effectiveness and safety. Pet medication pharmaceuticals have no control over quality control when sold outside of veterinary clinics.- No Guarantee – with the exception of products made by Bayer, pet medication pharmaceuticals do not guarantee the safety and effectiveness of their products when purchased outside of a veterinary clinic. Therefore, if a given medication purchased anywhere but a veterinary clinic is ineffective or causes a dangerous reaction to your pet, pet medication pharmaceuticals do not want to hear it – all you would get from them is a big, “I told you so.”
So the bottom line for you as a pet owner to decide is this: if the money you save on discount online pet medications or purchasing from other sources outside of veterinary clinics is worth the role of the dice of whether or not that medication will be effective and/or safe for your pet is worth it to you, then by all means proceed. If, on the other hand, having and unknown safety and effectiveness for given pet medications is not the way you choose to save a buck, then get your pet medications the old fashion way: from your veterinarian.
By: Roger L. Welton, DVM
Founder, Web-DVM
President Maybeck Animal Hospital
Author Canine and Feline 101
Web-DVM.net - Health, Advice, and Information Community For Dog and Cat Lovers - All Rights Reserved - © Copywrite 2011
Ask a Vet Veterinary - Advice Ask a Vet Online
If you need to ask a vet or are looking for veterinary advice or maybe you
want to ask a vet online, then you've come to the right website.
Related Links/Search This Site
Custom Search
Search This Site
