Buying a pet toy or something like a dog leash from online pet stores is absolutely fine. However, if you are looking for authentic pet meds online you have to be a little careful. Some time back, the FDA alerted consumers about the dangers of buying pet medication from unknown websites. A lot of unscrupulous websites feature counterfeit products that are not only ineffective but they can cause some serious harm to your pet. The practice of repackaging expired pet meds and selling them as fresh is also becoming increasingly common.
The danger is very real. In a hunt to find the best deals on pet meds, a lot of pet parents end up buying counterfeit products. While the concern is real, you can follow a few simple steps to ensure you never end up compromising your pet health when buying medications and supplements online.
Find an Accredited Online Pet Pharmacy: NABP (National Association of Boards of Pharmacy) is a respected organization that accredits online pharmacies. They issue Vet-VIPPS accreditations to sites that sell genuine products and medications. This accreditation is awarded to websites that adhere to a long list of strict guidelines. Websites that are accredited proudly display the VIPPS seal, which makes identifying them fairly simple. No matter how good a site looks, it’s important not to buy medications from an online pet store that doesn’t have a valid Vet-VIPPS accreditation. Apart from that, you should also trust pharmacies that exclusively feature EPA and FDA approved products.
Choose a Popular Website to Get Fresh Medications: Generalizing all online pet stores and claiming they sell fake or expired products is neither true nor fair. Apart from the big shopping sites, there are boutique pet stores that take pride in featuring authentic medications and supplements. However, a lot of pet medications demand proper refrigeration and storage infrastructure. Pet medicines stored in improper storage facilities can get spoilt or lose their efficacy. This is why it’s important to buy pet medications from popular online pet pharmacies. Big and reputed pet stores invest in storage and shipping infrastructure. Thanks to their healthy sales figures, the inventories of these popular sites constantly get restocked with freshly-made medications. This means as a consumer you get products and medicines that are far from reaching their respective expiry dates.
Avoid Pharmacies That Do Not Ask for Prescriptions: Much like human medicine, some pet medications do not need a prescription while others do. Any site that sells prescription medications without asking you to upload an image of the vet’s prescription is running an illicit operation. You cannot possibly trust them to deliver high-quality and authentic medications for your pet. Most reputed sites won’t allow you to complete the online payment without the vet’s prescription being uploaded and approved.
Ask the Vet: Some vets buy pet medications from reputed online stores. This is why it’s a good idea to ask them about the websites they trust. Getting your vet involved is always a good idea because he is in charge of your pet’s health and overall well-being.