Are Online Pet Pharmacies Safe?

Keeping our pets healthy is a top priority. Veterinary checkups, nutritious food, plenty of exercise, and tons of affection are the scaffolding upon which radiant health is built. If medication is necessary, we look for the most effective and highest quality-products on the market to get reliable, efficient results. However, with the state of today's economy, we often look for cheaper prices - but this could be at the expense of our pets' health. According to a Federal Drug Administration investigation, some unscrupulous online pet pharmacies sell discounted medications and merchandise that are dangerous. Many of them even are expired and may be totally ineffective or worse yet, toxic. In fact some of these medications have never been approved by the FDA. Then there are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, (NSAIDS), a class of pain control drugs sold online without a prescription. Medicating a pet with an NSAID without veterinary supervision can cause intestinal bleeding and other major health complications, so don't do it. The FDA is also concerned about heartworm prevention products. Pets should never be given heartworm prevention without first being tested for this parasite, since if they are already infected, the results can be life-threatening. However, the FDA has compiled a list of trustworthy, reputable online pet pharmacies. While the cost of these products may be somewhat higher, playing Russian roulette with our pets' health is a losing game and far more expensive in the long run. Prudent online pet pharmacies will insist upon a veterinarian's prescription for certain drugs, and will only sell flea and tick prevention products that are legitimate. Visit the FDA consumer update warning, which contains a list of reputable online pet pharmacies. Have you wondered about the reasons for the huge discrepancies in prices of products sold by some online pharmacies? What do you think? Leave a comment and share. Image Source: Flickr User smiteme