Where can I find my pets medications?
There are many options for purchasing prescription medications. Typically the veterinary practice will carry most common medications prescribed for your pet. In the case they do not carry a specific medication, your veterinarian may recommend a traditional pharmacy or a compounding pharmacy.
Prescription veterinary medications can be pricey, especially for many pet parents that don't have insurance for their pets. Even with insurance, some treatment plans can cost hundreds a month.
So, where are good options for getting quality prescription medications that don't break the bank?
So, where are good options for getting quality prescription medications that don't break the bank?
Human Pharmacies
Medications that are also used in human medicine may be easily dispensed from any pharmacy such as the ones found in your local grocery store or neighborhood pharmacy.
It's a good idea to shop around because prices can vary widely between pharmacies. If you have a Costco near you, it is worth seeing if they carry or can order medications for your pet. You do not have to have a membership to use their pharmacy, but you will get more of a discount if you do. Costco also carries some veterinary drugs, so this is a great option for many pet parents.
We recommend GoodRx to help find the best price from local pharmacies. Just type in the name of the medication, the strength, and choose your formulation (tablet, liquid), and it will give you a variety of prices. As you can see with the medication below, the price varies greatly and you can get a coupon to help with the price of these medications. Just be aware, some pharmacies will not accept the coupon for pet prescriptions, but it is worth trying.
Here's another link to try too: GoodRx for Pets
It's a good idea to shop around because prices can vary widely between pharmacies. If you have a Costco near you, it is worth seeing if they carry or can order medications for your pet. You do not have to have a membership to use their pharmacy, but you will get more of a discount if you do. Costco also carries some veterinary drugs, so this is a great option for many pet parents.
We recommend GoodRx to help find the best price from local pharmacies. Just type in the name of the medication, the strength, and choose your formulation (tablet, liquid), and it will give you a variety of prices. As you can see with the medication below, the price varies greatly and you can get a coupon to help with the price of these medications. Just be aware, some pharmacies will not accept the coupon for pet prescriptions, but it is worth trying.
Here's another link to try too: GoodRx for Pets
An example from GoodRx.com
Online Pharmacies
There are veterinary specific medications and most human pharmacies will not carry them. That is where online pharmacies typically come in. It is very easy to compare prices among the different pharmacies. Always make sure you are comparing the same prescriptions and you double check to see if the price includes shipping or if shipping is added on top of the price.
We’ve included a list of reputable online pharmacies here:
We’ve included a list of reputable online pharmacies here:
- Chewy
- Drs Foster & Smith
- AlliVet
- 1800PetMeds
- Costco Online Pharmacy This is for online ordering and home delivery. Yes, Costco will ship medications to you.
- Walmart Specialty Pharmacy This is a great pharmacy for getting erythropoietin. This is a commonly prescribed medication for kidney failure pets.
Compounding Pharmacies
Another issue may be that the dose for your particular pet falls between what is normally available, or maybe you are having trouble getting the medication into your pet, for these situations a compounding pharmacy may be the right answer for you. A compounding pharmacy takes the drug and makes it into the perfect strength or perfect formulation.
These can be in the form of tablets, capsules, liquids, or even topical options. Liquids are usually a great option for small dogs and for cats. There may be compounding pharmacies close to you that your veterinarian may recommend, so make sure to ask them. We’ve included a list here of online compounding pharmacies we recommend.
These can be in the form of tablets, capsules, liquids, or even topical options. Liquids are usually a great option for small dogs and for cats. There may be compounding pharmacies close to you that your veterinarian may recommend, so make sure to ask them. We’ve included a list here of online compounding pharmacies we recommend.
It is important that no matter which type of pharmacy you use for getting your medications that they are licensed and reputable. Unfortunately, like with any business, there are places that either sell knock off medications or they do not follow the strict guidelines set forth by the government regulators like the FDA. If you are concerned you can always ask a member of your veterinary team if the pharmacy you would like to use is reputable.
Last updated March 2019