800petmeds.com

[R~O~S]

Does anybody get their pet meds here?

I just ordered for the first time a couple of days ago. I ordered K9 advantix and Heartgard plus. I knew they were going to contact my vet for the RX on heartworm meds (heartgard plus).

Today I got a letter from the vet. He doesn't want me to do this. He says the manufacturers do not sell to any of the on line suppliers and the manufacturer will not guarantee the effectiveness or safety of the medication if purchased on line. He says the manufacturer is trying to figure out how the on line shops are acquiring these meds since it's not from them.

Therefore, if I want them to send on the RX I have to sign a hold harmless agreement.

I'm not willing to sign that thing, I won't take any chances with my baby.

So, I'm just askin, has anyone else been told this by their vet? Have I been living under a rock that I didn't know this?

[True2Blues]

I've never used them, but I did read an article about counterfeit heartworm and flea medication, that stated 1-800 Pet Meds wouldn't verify where they purchased their products from. That did it for me.

My husband once considered using them, until I explained that. The counterfeit Flea medicine was killing dogs outright.

[incidentally]

It cost me less to get it from my veterinarian when my baby was still alive.

I also have heard the site you mention is not regulated and had a friend that ordered from them and the medications received were expired.

tally

[Noahs ARK]

I asked my vet about the catalog companies and she strongly discouraged me from ordering their meds. Said she wasn't satisfied with their sources.

Now she offers *specials* at the office - makes it more affordable for all of us to buy from her. But I'd get them from her either way, cuz she doesn't trust those companies & I trust her.

[R~O~S]

I asked my vet about the catalog companies and she strongly discouraged me from ordering their meds. Said she wasn't satisfied with their sources.

Now she offers *specials* at the office - makes it more affordable for all of us to buy from her. But I'd get them from her either way, cuz she doesn't trust those companies & I trust her.

Agreed! I called the vet to let him know I canceled the order so he wouldn't keep it an open file waiting for me to send the hold harmless back in.

I am very glad they let me cancel, it was a good sized order.

[mafitz701]

Does anybody get their pet meds here?

I just ordered for the first time a couple of days ago. I ordered K9 advantix and Heartgard plus. I knew they were going to contact my vet for the RX on heartworm meds (heartgard plus).

Today I got a letter from the vet. He doesn't want me to do this. He says the manufacturers do not sell to any of the on line suppliers and the manufacturer will not guarantee the effectiveness or safety of the medication if purchased on line. He says the manufacturer is trying to figure out how the on line shops are acquiring these meds since it's not from them.

Therefore, if I want them to send on the RX I have to sign a hold harmless agreement.

I'm not willing to sign that thing, I won't take any chances with my baby.

So, I'm just askin, has anyone else been told this by their vet? Have I been living under a rock that I didn't know this?

I used to order from the online stores as well because of the difference in price and I had to treat over 14 animals. I JUST found out about this from our vet. It frustrates me because the prices are higher at many of the vets, but its a catch 22. My favorite is Drs. Foster and Smith.

[R~O~S]

I used to order from the online stores as well because of the difference in price and I had to treat over 14 animals. I JUST found out about this from our vet. It frustrates me because the prices are higher at many of the vets, but its a catch 22. My favorite is Drs. Foster and Smith.

I just stopped at the vet yesterday to pick up the same meds, the cost was double what the on line price would have been.

I don't have 14, just 2 cats and 1 dog at this point.

My son orders from them, he lives in Manhattan. His vet is a specialist in Boston Terriers & has never said a word to him and is clearly aware that's where they're getting his meds.

I'm conflicted at this point, but I'm still not willing to take any chances with my babies.

My son thinks the vets in NYC charge so much for the office visits (he spent $600.00 in two weeks for two routine visits, one dog), that they're not concerned about revenue for the side products.

In this economy, people are giving up their pets because of the cost, I would imagine those of us who'd rather give up a leg are looking at all options to cut cost & the vets are suffering economically, just like us.

[incidentally]

ROS

Read this:

http://www.1800petmeds.com/company.jsp

We pride ourselves in offering the highest quality products available. All of our products are U.S. FDA/EPA-approved and are exactly the same medications that are sold in your veterinarian's office. With our high volume of sales to millions of customers, we are able to deliver the freshest products direct to your door saving you time and money.

I only know my preventative meds I got for my baby cost less, before shipping from the veterinarian I used.

May I suggest you call the manufacturers of these medications to see if the claims petmeds.com makes are true?

regards,

tally

[R~O~S]

ROS

Read this:

http://www.1800petmeds.com/company.jsp


I only know my preventative meds I got for my baby cost less, before shipping from the veterinarian I used.

May I suggest you call the manufacturers of these medications to see if the claims petmeds.com makes are true?

regards,

tally



I did, the scary letter my vet sent included the phone numbers so I could verify.

Apparently the problem is that they're not supplied direct from the manufacturer. They ship to other countries & then pet med brings them back into the USA.

Because they leave the country, there's no way to be certain they were properly handled while out of country. Therefore the manufacturer will not guarantee the "safety or effectiveness" of the product.

They're not claiming their counterfeit or anything like that.

The EPA does not allow this practice, Pet med was just fined $100K (about 2 months ago) for selling frontline and advantage that was purchased over seas.


If the flea meds don't work, the time and aggravation of having to clean up the mess is going to cost more than the increased cost of getting them from the vet. But more important to me is the heart worm meds, the consequences of that not working simply isn't worth any amount of savings.

[Noahs ARK]

If the flea meds don't work, the time and aggravation of having to clean up the mess is going to cost more than the increased cost of getting them from the vet. But more important to me is the heart worm meds, the consequences of that not working simply isn't worth any amount of savings.

Not to mention your pet could die.

I was in the vet office one day and a woman came running in with her dog. The dog was having convulsions from the flea & tic meds she'd used. Bought on-line.

This is another reason I always keep Dawn DishSoap on hand. If your animals react to the flea & tic, before even going out the door to the vet office, get that stuff OFF of them with a wet towel & Dawn.

[mafitz701]

Not to mention your pet could die.

I was in the vet office one day and a woman came running in with her dog. The dog was having convulsions from the flea & tic meds she'd used. Bought on-line.

This is another reason I always keep Dawn DishSoap on hand. If your animals react to the flea & tic, before even going out the door to the vet office, get that stuff OFF of them with a wet towel & Dawn.

God that would give me a heart attack. Our vet carries the heartguard plus and the advantage which is what we use on the dogs and cats, but he is carrying the Pro (name escapes me now) and capstar too. Does anyone else have experience with the heartworm pill that is supposed to prevent fleas too? Does it work as a flea preventative for the 30 days?

[R~O~S]

Not to mention your pet could die.

I was in the vet office one day and a woman came running in with her dog. The dog was having convulsions from the flea & tic meds she'd used. Bought on-line.

This is another reason I always keep Dawn DishSoap on hand. If your animals react to the flea & tic, before even going out the door to the vet office, get that stuff OFF of them with a wet towel & Dawn.


Oh I've heard of that reaction with the OTC stuff, but you're so right!


I didn't know about the dawn to get it off though! TY Noah, I've added it to my memory bank.

[crocdog1]

I asked my vet about the catalog companies and she strongly discouraged me from ordering their meds. Said she wasn't satisfied with their sources.

Now she offers *specials* at the office - makes it more affordable for all of us to buy from her. But I'd get them from her either way, cuz she doesn't trust those companies & I trust her.

Veterinarians charge a lot more for thier meds than does such companies as Drs Foster&Smith.

I get my Heartgard Plus (chewables) from Drs F&S. It is the exact same sealed package as the ones you get from your vet--and quite a bit cheaper.

Please tell me how, if I'm getting the exact same med from Drs F/S as you get from the vet, somehow I'm getting an inferior product.

Just doesn't make sense to me.

[R~O~S]

Veterinarians charge a lot more for thier meds than does such companies as Drs Foster&Smith.

I get my Heartgard Plus (chewables) from Drs F&S. It is the exact same sealed package as the ones you get from your vet--and quite a bit cheaper.

Please tell me how, if I'm getting the exact same med from Drs F/S as you get from the vet, somehow I'm getting an inferior product.

Just doesn't make sense to me.


It's because of how they're acquired by Dr Foster & Smith. Just like Petmed.com, they're not supplied by the manufacturer, they're shipped out of country and back into the US.

Because they can't be certain they were handled properly when out of country, the manufacturer will not guarantee the "safety and effectiveness" of the product.

MERIAL Limited
3239 Satellite Boulevard
Building 500 30096
Duluth - Georgia
Tel: +1 678 638 3000

Call them, they sent me their official policy & it names Drs Foster & Smith specifically. I also use heartguard plus chewables, the manufacturer is Merial.


ETA: Croc, I understand what you're saying. I just spent twice as much to get them from my vet after they sent me the letter. I would have loved to save 50%, but not at the risk of harming my Dakota, no way, no how, not worth the risk.

[Noahs ARK]

Oh I've heard of that reaction with the OTC stuff, but you're so right!

I didn't know about the dawn to get it off though! TY Noah, I've added it to my memory bank.

Yes - Dawn cuts thru the grease and gets it off their skin & hair faster than regular dish soap. That's why they use Dawn to help get oil off the wild animals after an oil spill.

[True2Blues]

Yes - Dawn cuts thru the grease and gets it off their skin & hair faster than regular dish soap. That's why they use Dawn to help get oil off the wild animals after an oil spill.

Interesting. I refuse to use that once a month flea stuff. It's an insecticide that they are absorbing right into their skin. My husband has a flea phobia (we've seen maybe 5 over a 13 year period) but I put my foot down on that. It bothered me. Earlier this year I started seeing articles saying that type of flea application was found to be causing cancer in dogs.

I'm glad I said no. We already have a dog who has had two cancerous tumors removed this year, that's enough on it's own!

[crocdog1]

It's because of how they're acquired by Dr Foster & Smith. Just like Petmed.com, they're not supplied by the manufacturer, they're shipped out of country and back into the US.

Because they can't be certain they were handled properly when out of country, the manufacturer will not guarantee the "safety and effectiveness" of the product.

MERIAL Limited
3239 Satellite Boulevard
Building 500 30096
Duluth - Georgia
Tel: +1 678 638 3000

Call them, they sent me their official policy & it names Drs Foster & Smith specifically. I also use heartguard plus chewables, the manufacturer is Merial.


ETA: Croc, I understand what you're saying. I just spent twice as much to get them from my vet after they sent me the letter. I would have loved to save 50%, but not at the risk of harming my Dakota, no way, no how, not worth the risk.

R~O~S, I called MERIAL and got a very odd, somewhat confused, response.

They would not comment, except to say they only sell their products to licensed veterinarians.

The person I talked to never heard of DRS FOSTER & SMITH.

I then called DF&S.

They informed me that both Dr. Foster and Dr Smith are licensed vets and that they have a Pharmacy where they sell all kinds of animal meds. Many of their customers are Vets.

This is not an argument. I just don't really understand what is going on here.

Croc

[Noahs ARK]

Interesting. I refuse to use that once a month flea stuff. It's an insecticide that they are absorbing right into their skin.


So how do you control fleas? I don't know where you live, but here in TN they're prevalent and if I didn't use Advantix...:scared:

[True2Blues]

So how do you control fleas? I don't know where you live, but here in TN they're prevalent and if I didn't use Advantix...:scared:

Fortunately we've seen very few fleas. We bathe with flea shampoo and that takes care of it. We also put cedar sachets in the furniture and around the dogs beds, fleas don't like it. Also, since we have an ancient Basset and two English Bullies, they aren't outside much in the summer. They can't take the heat.

When I was younger and lived with my parents we had a terrible flea infestation and 5 dogs. My dog was allergic to fleas. We gave them regular baths, got flea collars from the vet and bombed the house. We also had them dipped, though I wouldn't do that now. It was a pain in the bum, but we got through it.

I just can't reconcile putting insecticide on an animal and letting it soak into their skin. I know a lot of people do it regularly, but it just bothers me.

[mafitz701]

R~O~S, I called MERIAL and got a very odd, somewhat confused, response.

They would not comment, except to say they only sell their products to licensed veterinarians.

The person I talked to never heard of DRS FOSTER & SMITH.

I then called DF&S.

They informed me that both Dr. Foster and Dr Smith are licensed vets and that they have a Pharmacy where they sell all kinds of animal meds. Many of their customers are Vets.

This is not an argument. I just don't really understand what is going on here.

Croc

This would suggest then that DF&S are no different than any other vet, so why couldn't keep getting our scripts through them? I think the manufacturers need to clarify this issue.

The best thing I could see is perhaps finding out if DF&S order from the manufacturer, and if any of their products are shipped overseas and then shipped back to the US for market? :confused:

[Rangerx1]

I was recently asking my vet about a generic form of Heartgaurd Plus. They looked into it and found that it did not cover parasites that HP does. The vet did offer though that they carry a generic that does cover everything HP does. I wish I could remember the name though now. May be something to ask the vet as I never knew they had it until I asked them about it.

Even with that though, my vet always has as good or better prices on HP or Sentinel as I've found online. I guess I was lucky that the vet I found when I moved has been very reasonable overall. So much in fact that a friend that lives a good distance away has started bringing her dogs also. The doctors there have all been very thorough I've found and have treated my pets well, but I've talked to people that are shocked at how much less my bills have been, such as when my previously mentioned friend called about getting her older dog's teeth cleaned, the estimate was a couple hundred less than where she had been going.

I'm not sure if it's against the rules here to mention specific vets, so would just say if anyone is in the West Chicago, IL area and interested, PM me if you'd like the name to look into them.

[incidentally]

It's $44.99 (free shipping) for what I used to get my baby (on sale at petmed.com) and I used to pay $40.00 at my veterinarian.

I wonder why so many vets are charging so much more. My friend who has five dogs and three cats gets all her medications from the same vet I used and she gets a 20 percent discount because of the amount she buys.