Online shopping- where is your best deal?
Online shopping is a way of life these days. It is hard to beat the convenience of finding, comparing prices, ordering and arranging delivery of everyday items. The online marketplace has become very competitive and every site seems to offer special deals. The vast number of websites that offer the same product can make selecting the best purchasing site a bit of an ordeal. This includes pet care items. From toys to dog food to prescription medications, there are dozens of options when considering where to purchase your pets’ supplies. How do you pick? Aren’t they all the same? In certain cases, no. So how do you tell?
When considering prescription medications, the purchasing site matters. It is strongly recommended that online purchases be completed through an online store available through your veterinarian. In our case, we utilize Vet’s First Choice as our distributor of diets and prescription medications. Why? Unfortunately, in less regulated online pharmacies, there is a real risk of receiving a counterfeit product, particularly in flea/heartworm products. It is very difficult to tell the difference between the genuine and the counterfeit product except that the counterfeit product is not effective. It is tough to learn that your pet has been taking heartworm prevention that hasn’t worked and that there is no recourse since the product wasn’t genuine.
As everyone knows, no preventative is 100% effective and there are cases where rare drug side effects occur. With veterinary provided medications (including our online store purchases), these rare failures or side effects are guaranteed and backed up by the manufacturer. You have someone to report to if there is a problem, and often there is financial support if needed as well. However, with random online pharmacy purchases, those guarantees are not honored. The manufacturer knows they cannot predict how their products have been handled/stored/distributed outside of the veterinary circle, and they will not guarantee their efficacy or safety.
So what about the price difference? With the frequent coupons/specials Vet’s First Choice offers as well as free shipping with the auto-ship feature, our online store is very comparable to most online pharmacies. When considering diet, the auto-ship feature works great to avoid running out of food. Also, our Royal Canin loyalty program (punch card for buy 10 get one bag/case free) applies to purchases through our online store as well as in hospital purchases. These benefits bring the per bag cost for most Royal Canin diets way down.
We realize your time is valuable, and that you are looking for the smartest way to spend your money. By making careful purchasing decisions regarding your pets’ prescription medications and diet, you can maximize your value while offering the most complete protection for your pet. Ask us how to sign up for Vet’s First Choice today! or visit
dogwoodvet.vetsfirstchoice.com to start saving today!