Why "Other" Online Pharmacies are UNSAFE: 1. They May Be Unauthorized Vendors
With only a few exceptions, the only authorized vendors of prescription pet products are veterinarians. Unauthorized retailers (including pet stores, catalogs, and discount online pet pharmacies) are not obtaining many of their products directly from the manufacturer, as most manufacturers maintain a strict policy of selling products exclusively through practicing, licensed veterinarians. 2. Online Pet Prescriptions Are Not Guaranteed While investigating unauthorized retailers, the FDA has discovered companies that sell unapproved pet drugs & counterfeit pet products, that make fraudulent claims, that dispense prescription drugs without requiring a prescription, and that sell expired drugs. Prescriptions purchased directly from your vet are 100% guaranteed from the manufacturer. 3. Reselling Products Risks Making Them Unsafe Some internet and catalog goods can be second, third, or even fourth-hand products. In this case, a licensed (yet unethical) veterinarian did purchase directly from the manufacturer, but then sold the products to a reseller for profit. During the process of reselling, these prescriptions may have been stored under improper conditions, without temperature control or a regulatory agency to inspect how these products have been handled. Extreme temperature changes during shipping can dramatically impact the effectiveness: for example, if your dog's seizure medication sat in a shipping carrier in 120-degree heat for days, its ingredients are likely now inert and won't work! 4. The Prescriptions May Not Be Made In The USA Some of the medications being sold from these unauthorized sources are made for foreign markets; these foreign medicines are not approved by the FDA for sale in the United States. They may be materially different from the US products in a number of ways, including their purity and potency. These are not the same products. These counterfeit products are packaged in retail cartons and are designed to look similar to the legitimate drug. Legitimate manufacturers are consistently fighting to stop the import of these potentially dangerous and ineffective products. 5. It's All About Ethics, Safety & Transparency! All ethical veterinarians will assure you that any prescription as well as any flea and tick products at their practices have been inspected and approved by the FDA and have been purchased from the manufacturer. The goal of any upstanding veterinarian is to partner with you in your pet's health care, which includes adhering to proper quality control standards in the purchase, storage, and administration of your pet's medications. It also includes ensuring your pet's safety by making sure you are getting the correct medication and that it is labeled with dispensing directions specific to your pet's condition. VetSource has direct partnerships with all manufacturers for its entire inventory, so the products you purchase through our online pharmacy will be shipped directly from the manufacturer to you as the customer. |
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June 2023
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