The Scoop about Online Veterinary Compounding Pharmacies

Most people consider their pets to be part of the family. Many of us refer to ourselves as "fur moms or dads" or even "pawrents". So it is very understandable that when one of our fur "kids" is under the weather, we promptly seek advice from their family doc . . . our veterinarians. After a thorough examination, often veterinarians prescribe medications. But what about those of us that find it difficult to administer tablets or capsules, and often liquid medication dispensed by our vets, is so distasteful to our pets that most of it ends up on the carpet. Thus we find ourselves chasing Fluffy or Fido through the house to make sure that every drop of the precious medication is administered. And what about medications that are difficult to find? In fact, we had a cat many years ago, who was prescribed a drug that had been taken off the market for human use, but was the most appropriate medication to treat his condition. Since no local pharmacy carried it anymore, and our vet did not dispense it, we found ourselves in a dilemma. Thankfully our vet referred us to Island Pharmacy, a veterinary compounding apothecary, which of course had the medication in stock and was able to dispense it with her prescription. Interestingly, there are many medications which are no longer prescribed for humans, but are ideal in the treatment for our furry friends. The medication was shipped to us right away and arrived two days later. Now that is convenience in a nutshell! Online veterinary pharmacies provide a handy alternative to local drugstores for many pharmaceutical products, and for those of us who care for chronically ill pets, they can be a boon. Refills are easy to order and many of them offer free shipping. According to an article I found online the other day, one of these online pharmacies, VetCentric, published some interesting data obtained from their recent survey of pet owners about veterinary care that included prescribed medications: "96% of pet owners stated that it was important to be able to order their pet's medication through their veterinarian to ensure that the vet remained involved with the pet's care (51% stated that this is "very important") 90% of pet owners stated it was important to have the convenience of home delivery for their pet's medications 87% of pet owners stated it was important to have automatic refills of the pet's medications so they didn't have to worry about missing a dose 87% of pet owners stated it was important to have a variety of medication forms and flavorings that make it easier for pets to take their medications" VetCentric's policy is, "The program includes free 2nd day shipping for first fills and free standard shipping for all refills when the prescription is set up to automatically refill. Complete information about the program is available through the recently launched compounding microsite at www.vetcentric.com/compounding." While Island Pharmacy does not offer free shipping at this time, they do carry a wide variety of veterinary medications compounded with flavors that are appealing to pets, which of course makes it easier to administer. Visit http://www.islandpharmacy.com/site/1420401/page/45029 for contact information and to read about what they offer. While our local pharmacy does compound medications for pets, I find it more convenient to have these items delivered directly to my door. It makes much less work for this "fur mom" at any rate. Read more about online veterinary pharmacies at: http://petcare.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_buy_pet_medication_online Have you had experience with online veterinary pharmacies, or would you consider ordering from them? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.