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There’s nothing easier than pulling out your phone, clicking a few buttons to order something, and having it show up on your doorstep within a couple of days. Nearly every retail company out there is offering this service, including pet pharmacies. So, rather than trying to squeeze a visit to the vet clinic into their already busy day, many pet owners are opting for (or hoping to!) getting vet prescriptions online. Here’s how to go about it.
The 5 Steps to Get an Online Vet Prescription
1. See Your Vet
Getting your pet’s prescriptions online does still require facetime with the veterinarian. Legally, your vet can’t prescribe or refill prescriptions unless they have an active doctor-patient relationship with your dog. That means they need to have seen your pup before within at least the last 12 months.
New prescriptions typically require an in-clinic visit because your vet will want to get a good look at your pet, diagnose any issues, and determine the proper medication. Refills may be done with online veterinary visits in most cases, though, as long as your pet is a current patient of the veterinarian and this is a long-term prescription that they have taken before.
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2. Choose a Pet Pharmacy
Now’s the time to choose the pet pharmacy that you want if you haven’t picked it out already. Your choice may be based on cost, convenience, or just personal preference. Things to look at include whether the pharmacy consistently carries your pet’s medication and dosage, how long the shipping time is, the cost, and the other items that they have available. Some pet owners may want to choose a pharmacy with an auto-ship option for convenience.
Once you find a good pet pharmacy, create an account and request your pet’s medication. The staff will take it from there. Keep in mind that some pet pharmacies may require your vet to send in a prescription beforehand.
3. Check With the Vet
Depending on the pet pharmacy that you choose, your vet may need to submit a prescription request before you try to purchase. Otherwise, they will be required to verify it after you have added it to your cart. This usually consists of a phone call to confirm or an email of the written prescription to the pharmacy.
Your vet will include instructions for giving the medications and any authorized refills and time limit.
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4. Pay and Wait
Once your prescription has the vet’s and the pet pharmacist’s approvals, the staff will start getting your order ready for shipment, and you’ll be charged. Most pharmacies can get prescriptions shipped out within a couple of days, but be sure to allow about a week for processing and shipping before expecting to see the medications at your door.
5. Renew as Needed
If your pet is taking a prescription for the long term, you’ll need to repeat this process. You’ll need to see your vet at least every 12 months in order to renew and refill the prescription. The pet pharmacy will usually get in touch with your vet when it’s refill time, so hopefully, the process will be a bit quicker.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Vet Write a Prescription Online?
For a veterinarian to write a prescription for your dog, you need to have a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR). In most states, this means they need to have seen your pet in person within at least the last 12 months. Basically, new prescriptions stemming from an illness first require an in-person veterinary visit, but those prescriptions can be filled by an online pet pharmacy.
Refills of long-term prescriptions may be a different situation. For example, if you already have a tried-and-true VCPR with a vet, they may be able to authorize a refill of your pet’s flea-and-tick medication via an online veterinary visit—assuming that they have seen your pet in person within the last 12 months. These medications can also be filled by an online pet pharmacy.
Is It Cheaper to Get a Vet Prescription Online?
The cost of your pet’s prescriptions may or may not be cheaper online. It depends on the medication, the area you live in, and the pharmacy. Generally speaking, though, online pharmacies tend to be less expensive because they buy medications in bulk, which typically means a lower purchase price. Since most veterinary clinics can’t stockpile large amounts of medications, their purchase price may run a bit high, which usually means that the cost to you is higher too.
This is highly variable, though, and not always true, so do your research first, as some medications may be less expensive coming straight from your veterinarian, while others may cost less when delivered to your door.
Conclusion
Pet pharmacies are springing up all over the internet as quick and convenient ways to get the medications that pets need, but they don’t completely cut out the intermediary veterinarian. You will still need to see your vet for diagnoses of illnesses or injuries requiring prescriptions or for wellness checks to refill recurring medications. Afterward, though, a pet pharmacy will work with you and your vet to ensure that your pet gets the medications that they need, and these will be delivered to your front door.
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