Pet Medications: Veterinarian or Mail Order?

Your pet’s good health is your veterinarian’s primary goal, and he or she will prescribe, administer and monitor the proper medications to achieve that goal. If you are thinking about buying your pet’s medications from a source (internet or mail-order company) other than your veterinarian, you may want to consider these issues:

Knowledge – Your veterinarian knows your pet best. He or she is familiar with your pet’s specific health issues and is therefore best qualified to administer the appropriate medication.

Dosage – Just as with humans, there is no one dose that is right for every pet. It is important to give your pet the correct dosage of any medication, and your veterinarian can determine what the dosage should be. Also, your pet’s dosage may need to be adjusted during treatment.

Safety – Medications should not be given to your pet until it is determined to be safe – and necessary. For example, dogs with an active heartworm infection should not be given preventative heartworm medication as it can lead to a fatal reaction. Screening for the infection prior to starting the medication is a necessity.

Cats and Dogs Are Different – And so are there medications. Medications specifically designed for cats or dogs are not interchangeable. For instance, canine flea medications can be fatal if given to cats, and vice versa.

Care of Medications – To preserve their effectiveness, certain medications must be kept in a controlled environment. You can be assured the medications obtained from your veterinarian have been stored properly and have not been affected by the shipping process.

Monitoring – Certain medications require monitoring and follow-up care, dosage adjustments, or continued lab tests or examinations. For that reason, and due to the unfortunate possibility of an adverse reaction, it is important to have a client-patient relationship established with your veterinarian, so that appropriate and timely care can be given.