Did you know that pharmaceuticals prescribed by your veterinarian do not always have to be dispensed by your veterinarian? Did you also know that many veterinarians charge a “dispensing fee” for medications given to you directly from their office? Let’s talk about the dispensing fee for a moment. The dispensing fee can be either an “add-on” to your bill of perhaps a minimal amount of $5.00, or the dispensing fee can take the form of a “minimum dispensing fee charge” of something in the neighborhood of $16.00, which translates into something like this. If the medication is, for example, priced at $12.00, your total charge is $16.00. If the medication is priced at $16.00 or more, then your total charge is the cost of the medication.
Common tick and flea, as well as heartworm protection, can be purchased through many online websites with a price range that begs for comparison shopping. Keep in mind that products like Frontline do not require a prescription. Many offer free shipping as well. Prescription drugs require a prescription request form from your veterinarian. The online website you choose to fill your canine prescription with will, in most cases, contact your veterinarian and request the signed prescription form. If you request a written prescription directly from your veterinarian, you can mail it in. That’s pretty easy.
Now, lean in and listen closely because this is important. Did you know many prescribed canine medications may also be used for humans? Then, you can take a written prescription for that canine medication to your local pharmacy or supermarket pharmacy to fill it. In addition, because your dog does not have applicable insurance coverage, you can insist on a discount card. Without naming well-known and advertised major chain store pharmacies, most have a discount they can apply for those without health insurance. I have paid approximately one-third of the price for medications in a supermarket chain pharmacy compared to what I would have had to pay if they had been purchased directly from a veterinary office. Why? The answer is simple. Your veterinary hospital cannot possibly buy pharmaceuticals in the quantities that the chain stores or online pharmacies can. However, once in a while, your veterinary office price for a particular medication is competitive, so take the time to ask questions, do a little research, and make a call or two. If it is important to you to save a few dollars on medications for your dog, it might be worth the effort.
Another way to help save on the cost of canine medications is to determine the prescribed quantity. Sometimes, the veterinary office will dispense or prescribe a large amount of tabs or capsules for a new medication your dog has never taken before. Then, one week later, that particular drug is not effective, or has side effects, or tests come back, and the medication needs to be changed for one reason or another. That medication may not be returnable. I believe that no veterinary office or pharmacy will take back a medication once purchased. Ask your veterinarian if you can start with a smaller amount and a refillable prescription.
If your dog is on a “controlled drug,” which means it is controlled by The Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the statute prescribing federal drug use policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of certain substances are regulated. Suppose it is available from a source other than your veterinary office. In that case, you must get a prescription written on a special tamper-resistant prescription pad from your dog’s veterinarian.
This information is intended solely to help afford veterinary care, which is unquestionably something that should be available to all dogs not only when illness or injuries occur but also as part of a routine wellness program.
