"Don't buy pet medication online, it's unsafe" -- ??

[pascalinna]

this site https://www.syntharise.com just got me scammed so beware you it

[Bluey]

Don’t click on strange links by new posters, like the one in the post above, may contain malware!

Has been reported.

[js]

Please don’t open the link above it is likely spam. This same poster started a thread in another forum. It’s been reported.

[yaya]

@HappyTalk

The meds from the online pharmacies are diverted products. Meaning that they were purchased by vets from the drug manufacturers and then resold to the online pharm. The practice is not presently illegal. The problem is that when you buy a drug online, you have no assurance that that drug was properly handled or stored. When my clinic gets a shipment in and it is not at correct temperature, it gets sent back. Not so critical for a product like Frontline, but absolutely critical for a product like ProZinc insulin. Drug manufacturers are starting to fight this practice by incorporating “track and trace” technology into the packaging. When they find vets are diverting, they will cut them off. I recently had an interesting talk with the vet from Luitpold about Adequan. I ordered it online because my vet is 45 minutes away from my farm. She verified that Luitpold only sells to vets and yes, my product was diverted. By the way, Adequan has to be stored within a certain temp range and mine was shipped without any packaging to maintain temp. She had not had any reports of counterfeit Adequan, but how would they know? Someone would have to be willing to lose money by sending in a dose for analysis. Much better to purchase from the vet. Ironically, my vet clinic usually sells meds cheaper than the online pharmacies. People just make assumptions without checking.

Adequan may have to be stored in a certain temp range, but they don’t ship it that way. I buy direct from Luitpold (I’m a DVM), and my Adequan just comes in a cardboard box, no special temperature regulating packaging.

[Ghazzu]

@summerhorse

BS, where do they think the vets get THEIR stuff? Just buy from reputable long time companies. If you haven’t heard of it, google it, see what you find out.

In most cases of the stuff mentioned above, shipped directly from the manufacturer.

[Fiona_785]

I would never buy medications for my pets or horses online unless it was a well-known and properly regulated source. There are too many things to worry about from counterfeit stuff, stuff that was part of a recall and should have been disposed of, or improper storage and handling etc.

I get my pet meds from the vet herself or from my own pharmacy if needed.

[exvet]

Yup Yaya me too - both a vet and my experience with Adequan. While there is definitely fraud all around and including internet web site, plus the black market and the grey market, those in my profession who keep hanging on the dinosaur need to get real. I have accounts with a few distributors and buy from them for my own animals when it makes sense; but, I also am employed by a company that has an online pharmacy and you know what even without my employee discount I can sometimes find legitimate items for sale on there that are cheaper than what I get from my ‘direct channels’ go figure. I too try to juggle and balance my budget to feed this addiction to horses. I NEVER tell a client not to buy online because I do it. Do your homework and it will pay off in spades.

[Bluey]

Spam reported.

[hoopoe]

@WaningMoon

My vet gets $38 for a months worth of levothyroxine .06mg for my dog. I order it from Fosters and Smith for $16 for 3 months worth. Same manufacturer. That is an incredible markup, one I can not afford for the same thing.

For those saying their vets will not give them a script, check your states policy on vets giving scripts. It varies from state to state. Vets in about half the states HAVE to write. Oh, here is a list. http://www.zzcat.com/CRF/supplies/legal.htm

One basic thing to understand about pricing is that the local vet and the major on-line pharm get different base prices from the distributor. The prices change upward from there.

Local vets cannot compete against the prices the large distributors charges as they dont get the discount up front.

[Bicoastal]

@Marshfield

One thing folks do need to understand is that for many practices, drug sales subsidize the costs of other services. With drug sale revenue going away, the prices on services are going to rise.

This. Here is a great example of the Walmart’ing and Amazon’ing of a particular industry. Consumers complain about prices. We also complain about ginormous corporations pushing out American-made products or family-owned businesses. Savvy owners gasp at how Banfield chains operate.

We complain that a standard neuter is $100 more than it was eight years ago. Eight years ago, the majority of owners were purchasing tags, worming products, flea & tick products, and the full protocol of vaccines from their vet. In the vet industry, we are playing an active role in the squeezing out of small businesses by declining to purchase products from the private practice vet and ordering them from giant online corporations. We do the same thing when trying on apparel or testing saddles from the local tack shop then ordering online at a lower price. My vet’s heartworm price is somewhat close to online retail prices. I knowingly pay a little bit more to support the practice I respect and appreciate. But if I had a kennel full of dogs, or was living on Ramen and tuna fish, I’d have to act more economically. Eventually, I’m sure I’ll be paying a higher exam fee to compensate for these consumer trends.

I don’t know the answer, besides ask your vet and see how close their prices match. You might be surprised! I know nothing about economics or business management. I need to save money, too, and I always price shop for big expenses. I have come to rely on Amazon Prime like most everyone else. I’m just seeing a great discussion that illustrates how consumers contribute to the current economics in America.

[exvet]

Veterinary practices that rely on medications to support the rest of their business need to finally pay attention to the wake up call. Large animal vets had to let go of the vaccination income and drug income a long time ago and figure out how to may their services be of enough value to make a go of it. Not easy and the job can be the end of you; but, competing with online drug sources is a waste of time, energy and money. Yes, some services may have to go up in price (like lost leaders) but economics will dictate this as well. Too many can no longer afford veterinary services for their animals and the model of veterinary practice as a business has been changing and will have to continue to change to realize this.

It is definitely a good idea to research the sources you purchase drugs from to make sure they are handled correctly and not compromised; but, outside of that it’s common sense to purchase at a price that makes the most sense for the value. The inflation of drug prices by many is astronomical and I’m NOT referring to heartworm prevention or flea & tick prevention. Does anyone know what tramadol really costs per pill? amoxicillin per pill or per mL? There is nothing I’d rather be or do than be a veterinarian; but, jacking up drug prices isn’t the way to go and most are being forced to realize that.

[Bluey]

One more concern, more and more vet clinics are becoming part of larger managed vet clinic business and have to abide by what those push.

The one I use for 30+ years now sold out and had to change the feed and products they sold to the new management’s preferences.
That means that the heart worm and pest control that my dog can tolerate, being sensitive to others, is not in the products they are carrying now.

I will have to go buy those on my own, I was told, they won’t carry them any more?

It is not just the customer making those decisions.
Some times, the customer is forced to go buy somewhere else.