With the emergence of pet pharmaceutical stores in the United States and now Canada, pet owners have more options for where to buy their pet prescriptions. While we believe that customers should have choices for their purchases, we want to make sure that our clients know the pros and cons of their decision to buy their products elsewhere.
Safety Reasons
First and foremost, we believe that it is safest to buy from a veterinary clinic. Here are some things to consider:
- Counterfeit Products – We have seen many cases where pet parents have purchased counterfeit products inadvertently online. When you buy from us you know you get a product that has come from a distributor that gets their products directly from the manufacturer. Do you trust the business you are buying from, and can you really tell you are getting what you pay for?
- Temperature Control – When you buy your products from a veterinary clinic you can rest assured that it has been stored and transported in temperature control facilities and vehicles. Did you know that most pet products are supposed to be stored at a certain temperature? This is indicated on the boxes. When a product has been exposed to temperatures outside of that range for any length of time the manufacturers may recommend not using that product. Currently, any online pharmacy uses Canada Post to mail its products to the consumer. We live in Canada. How often do you think that your package has been at a stable room temperature? It would be impossible to tell if it wasn’t.
- Reliability – When you buy directly from your vet clinic, there are veterinary professionals prescribing and recommending products that we know and trust directly to the consumer. These are products that we have sourced to be great choices for your pet. Your vet knows your pet best and can answer all your questions about what will work best for you and your pet.
- Product Support – If your pet were to experience an adverse drug event, having purchased your medication through your veterinary clinic helps expedite the care your pet receives. Of course, we are going to care for your pet in their time of need, but having the purchase history of your product means that we already know the lot number, expiry date, and proper storage information for the medication in question. If you must contact a different pharmacy to acquire this information, it may take time to get that information for the drug company.
Business Reasons
- Hidden Fees – When you order online there may be hidden fees like shipping and dispensing fees that are not listed until the end of your check out experience. Being a privately owned veterinary practice, we make the decisions on our medication markups. Our goal is to be competitive and web-similar to your prescription products. If you are finding a lower price on your pet-specific prescription medication, let us know.
- Support Local –When you buy your products from your veterinary clinic, you are supporting the livelihoods of the employees that work at that clinic. When you buy your prescriptions from us, you are supporting a local business that has been privately owned for 50 years!
- Keep Pet Care Costs Lower – The income that is made from the sales of prescriptions in a vet clinic help offset the expenses that we incur to operate. If vet clinics lose this revenue stream, they must offset those costs elsewhere.
We believe that our prices are competitive and Web Similar and believe that the convenience of buying your prescription while you are here adds to the excellent customer experience that we aim to provide to our clients. We will always respect our client’s right to shop around for their prescription products. We can provide you a copy of your pet’s prescription that you can take to have filled at any pharmacy you would like.
If you have any questions or comments about affordable, effective pet prescription care email us at careteam@cypressviewvet.ca!