is it safe to buy petmedication (heartguard) online?

[asscherisme]

My vet told me that purchasing online is not safe and won't give me a prescription for it. I have a pug and a ragdoll and have them both on heartguard at the vets suggestion. I noticed some sights don't require a prescription for this medication and some do. I would wnt to stick with someone reputable like dr foster smith and I called them and they said that they get medication fro mthe same source my vet would.

What do you all think? Is my vet trying to just make the extra money or are the correct that buying heartguard online is not safe?

And for fleas on cats, what do you think of advantage vs frontline?

And what is best on dogs?

My cat is an indoor cat but for peace of mind, I decided to treat for fleas.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I'm pretty sure you can buy Advantage and Frontline without an RX at petsmart. not sure about heartguard. I think it probably depends on the site. I've heard good things about 1800PetMeds.com

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I usually get a year's worth at a time and am due to get some in a couple of months. Last time I bought it, you still needed a prescription (though I do get my Advantix at Petsmart). I did order it once (I forget why) and I think I went through 1800petmeds--our vet gave them the Rx without a problem. I wonder if it's the actual site you're ordering from that is an issue with your vet? Otherwise it sounds like he just wants to keep his Heartguard business

 

[elrohwen]

I've never had a problem buying from a reputable site like Foster & Smith or 800Petmeds. I'm not sure why your vet would say that - the meds are packaged from the vendor, so it's not like the company you buy from can switch them out or sell you a different product.

As for flea meds I don't remember which is better on dogs (haven't had a dog in a couple years). I don't think you need it on the kitty though - there is really no way your cat will get fleas unless it's from your dog, but your dog will be well protected so you should be good to go. You can always buy a supply and use it in the situation where you do see a random flea. I just say this because applying that stuff all the time is kind of a pain and is so greasy.

 

[asscherisme]

Yes, the flea stuff is really gross. I was wondering if I really needed to use the flea stuff on my kitten since my dog is protected (and I need it on her since she obviously goes out for walks) but my kitten never leaves the house unless its to the vet. I did one application and am debating doing another or just skip it.

Could she get it from the vet and would that be a big enough risk? I'm trying to asses if the risk is high enough to deal with the mess.

And then I don't like to pet that spot or touch it until it goes away and that takes days. Please she is on my bed and rolls over for me to rub her belly and I think of the pesticide on my covers so I ended up having to wash that. My pug stays off my bed and prefers her own bed.

The heart guard though, since I have heard heartworms are deadly, that makes more sense. Or am I wasting my money on that for an indoor cat? thankfully she ate it no problem when I crushed it up.

Do most indoor cat owners use flea medication or heartworm medication?

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Yes, the flea stuff is really gross. I was wondering if I really needed to use the flea stuff on my kitten since my dog is protected (and I need it on her since she obviously goes out for walks) but my kitten never leaves the house unless its to the vet. I did one application and am debating doing another or just skip it.

Could she get it from the vet and would that be a big enough risk? I'm trying to asses if the risk is high enough to deal with the mess.

And then I don't like to pet that spot or touch it until it goes away and that takes days. Please she is on my bed and rolls over for me to rub her belly and I think of the pesticide on my covers so I ended up having to wash that. My pug stays off my bed and prefers her own bed.

The heart guard though, since I have heard heartworms are deadly, that makes more sense. Or am I wasting my money on that for an indoor cat? thankfully she ate it no problem when I crushed it up.

Do most indoor cat owners use flea medication or heartworm medication?

The dog can bring in fleas, even though they're protected. Your cat being unprotected just sets up a buffet for the little blood suckers. You can try dusting food grade diatomaceous earth on your kitten if you'd prefer not to use the liquid stuff. It's totally natural and safe.

I would do heartworms for all the animals, you can never be certain that a mosquito won't bite your pet. especially if you deal with mosquitoes year round.

That's just my opinion of course.

 

[Yimmers]

My vet actually recommended I buy online (800 pet meds) because it would be cheaper and easier then going through their office. We buy Advantage and Interceptor, so never had a problem. 800petmeds do ask for your vet's name, I think to confirm the prescription.

 

[shihtzulover]

I'm not sure. I'm a total worrywart, so I buy from my vet just for the peace of mind - I use Frontline and Interceptor for my dog.

 

[E B]

We get ours from 1-800-Pet-Meds. They price match, so I do some bargain shopping online for the lowest prices. No problems yet!

ETA: We use Revolution.

 

[JewelFreak]

As long as you buy the branded meds, there's no risk at all to getting them online. I've done it for ages. I wonder if your vet is protecting his own profit by refusing to give you scrip for the internet -- if so, pretty cheesy. The stuff online is the same thing you get from your vet, who charges more because he buys in smaller quantities & pays more himself.

P.S. No need to do flea stuff on your cat if he doesn't go out & the dog is protected. I have 2 indoor cats & have never done heartworm or flea preventive on them -- in fact, never done it on the indoor cats I've had over 25 yrs but my dogs all get it. Ads will try to scare you into buying meds; in this case you don't need to listen!

--- Laurie

 

[asscherisme]

Can my cat get fleas from being at the vet? She would never be loose of course, either in the crate, my arms, or on the exam table with the doctor.

What about if I go out of town and have to board her?

I am finding that with pets, it reminds me of when my babies were little and the whole baby industry seemedl ike it profited off parents fear. The pet industry seems similar.

 

[radiantquest]

I buy everything from Drsfostersmith. I have never had any problems with anything from them. Of course your vet would prefer that he make money off you. There is nothing wrong with that. It is business. Just like everytime you have a medical issue no matter how small that doctor always insists that you need to come in even though nyquil would have done you just fine.

As far as Frontline vs. Advantage. I am an Advantage user. Frontline either never worked or stopped working. I would put it on my cats every month as directed and they still had fleas. Once I switched I did not have any issues.

 

[asscherisme]

radiant, are you cats that were getting fleas indoor cats?

 

[gemgirl]

It's my thought that your Vet suggested that you not buy your pet's prescription meds on line because the Vet would rather sell you what you need and make a profit from the sale. My former Vet did that. They refused to give anyone a prescription and they charged a small fortune for medication in house. Vets kind of have people by the short hairs as far as prescription medication goes.

Now I use a house call Vet and she is so reasonably priced that I can have her visit once a year, give my furbabies their complete physical with bloodwork, all of the vaccinations and buy a full year's worth of heartworm meds, all for what I would usually pay for one dog to have her annual physical at my former Vet's. I love the idea of a house call Vet because if they need an emergency visit, she's at my house the next morning.

 

[Sabine]

I suspect that your vet is just trying to make a profit. I've had issues with this as well...one vet we went to flat out refused to verify that my dog had tested negative for heartworms for online orders. The next vet we used, before we went to the first appt. I asked if they were ok with me ordering online and they said it was fine, and then after I paid for the heartworm test, they said, oh, we charge a fee for writing an rx that you can use to order online.

 

[Berryluv]

Vets generally perform heart worm tests before prescribing hw medication. There is a risk to the pet to be on the meds and have hws.

 

[Berryluv]

I suspect that your vet is just trying to make a profit. I've had issues with this as well...one vet we went to flat out refused to verify that my dog had tested negative for heartworms for online orders. The next vet we used, before we went to the first appt. I asked if they were ok with me ordering online and they said it was fine, and then after I paid for the heartworm test, they said, oh, we charge a fee for writing an rx that you can use to order online.

Thats ridiculous, all they have to do is sign the script request from say petmeds or wherever. They don't write out anything.

 

[Yimmers]

The vet used to have our old dog come in before renewing his interceptor and advantage meds...but, he was also suffering from congestive heart failure, so I think part of it was to make sure his weight and vitals were still stable. For our current dog, he just gets checked once a year, and I have no problems refilling the prescription on 800petmeds. There's no reason to refuse to allow prescription refills except for the fact they lose on profit. Since we kept our vet in the city, but live about 20 miles south now, it'd be a huge hassle if I had to visit the vet's office to pick up the prescription.

 

[gemgirl]

I suspect that your vet is just trying to make a profit. I've had issues with this as well...one vet we went to flat out refused to verify that my dog had tested negative for heartworms for online orders. The next vet we used, before we went to the first appt. I asked if they were ok with me ordering online and they said it was fine, and then after I paid for the heartworm test, they said, oh, we charge a fee for writing an rx that you can use to order online.

Thats ridiculous, all they have to do is sign the script request from say petmeds or wherever. They don't write out anything.

While it may sound ridiculous, that's how my old Vet was too. They were all about making money any way they could. That was their bottom line. They would never write a prescription for me (for my dogs) for something I could buy from them.

 

[elrohwen]

About fleas on the kitty, I really don't see the point of the flea meds. We actually stopped using the flea meds on my dogs, who went outside constantly, because they just weren't in contact with other dogs that much and that's primarily where they get fleas. One dog was allergic to fleas and would get itchy if he got one flea, so we just kept an eye on him and treated if we noticed a flea (which cut our treatments down to only the summer months mostly). We never had a need to treat the other dog. Could be that we lived in a low flea area, which I doubt (Pennsylvania), but I think treating an indoor cat would be totally unnecessary and a waste of money. If you are worried about fleas at the vet, just treat that month. Or you could also treat in the summer months when fleas are the worst. Treating year round is a waste of money, imo.

I currently have two indoor rabbits who visit the vet monthly for nail trims (so I consider them the same risk as an indoor cat, or more, because most cats don't go to the vet monthly) and they've never had fleas (or any other bug passed from animal to animal, like mites)

 

[Berryluv]

I suspect that your vet is just trying to make a profit. I've had issues with this as well...one vet we went to flat out refused to verify that my dog had tested negative for heartworms for online orders. The next vet we used, before we went to the first appt. I asked if they were ok with me ordering online and they said it was fine, and then after I paid for the heartworm test, they said, oh, we charge a fee for writing an rx that you can use to order online.

Thats ridiculous, all they have to do is sign the script request from say petmeds or wherever. They don't write out anything.

While it may sound ridiculous, that's how my old Vet was too. They were all about making money any way they could. That was their bottom line. They would never write a prescription for me (for my dogs) for something I could buy from them.

I'm so surprised to hear thats the experience you guys had. I know petmeds and other online pet pharmacy's are really an annoyance to vet's business but the one's I know never flat out refused to allow their clients to choose where they bought meds from. I would be really hesitant to deal with a vet with that policy. They only required that they had seen the pet within a year.