Prescription Policies
Beaver Lake Animal Hospital

At Beaver Lake Animal Hospital, it is our policy to take every possible step to ensure that our patients receive the very best pharmaceutical products available.  Veterinarians are required to have a valid client/patient/veterinarian relationship in order to prescribe certain medications for patients.   We carry a number of prescription products, veterinary prescription diets' and products labeled by the manufacturer 'for sale by licensed veterinarians only'.  We try to balance the convenience for you by having products available at the clinic and also through our online store.  We try to keep our prices reasonable and may be lower then the services that claim they have lower prices.

Since there are many local pharmacies that sell generic prescriptions less than we can purchase the medicines for, we will try to alert you to this option for prescriptions that pets are on chronically.
 
As an additional service to you, if you prefer the convenience of having prescriptions delivered to you directly from our office, we offer mailing for a nominal fee of $5 - $6 for most prescription items.  We can deliver the product + any manufacturer rebate coupons/offers and product information to you through the United States Postal Service in only 1-2 days.  


            You may also use our online store at https://beaverlakeah.vetsfirstchoice.com/ You can also purchase any Hill's Science Diet or Prescription Diets through this online store.  This service allows us to prescribe medications and prescription diets we do not regularly carry.  We have control of the prescription(s) and can monitor for compliance/refills, just as if the prescription/food was sold at the veterinary clinic. The products sold on our site are purchased through distributors approved by the product manufacturers.  We also use www.vetcentric.com for diets and products we do not have available from our online store.

Please read this information from the FDA about purchasing veterinary products online.





And more from the FDA

And here is information from the EPA

 If you wish, we will gladly write prescriptions for your pet in lieu of selling them through the recommended sources noted above.  We do, however wish for your decision to be an informed decision, and want you to know several things regarding prescription sales through some or all other sources:

1.        All major manufacturers (Novartis, Pfizer, Bayer, Merial, etc) of veterinary specific products (Interceptor®, Sentinel®, Frontline®, Rimadyl®, Anipryl®, Metacam® to name a few) maintain a policy of sales exclusively through licensed veterinarians. 

2.        Most catalogue/online sources cannot obtain specific veterinary products directly from the manufacturer.  They have been known to twist their words about were they obtained their product.  They may report the product is from X manufacturer.  They do not say they purchased from the manufacturer.

3.        Most catalogue/online source sales of these products/medications are through non-approved channels. 

4.        All or most catalogue/online sources will not divulge from whom they are purchasing their veterinary specific products.

5.        Most guarantees that manufacturers make regarding their products are null and void if their products are obtained through non-approved channels.  This includes the guarantee reimbursement programs for flea control, as well as all heartworm and intestinal parasite claims.

6.        Pharmaceuticals manufactured and labeled for use in other countries (namely Australia) have been illegally diverted and sold through these discount houses in the United States.

7.        Counterfeit products have been produced. Click here for a news report.

8.        Some discount houses have been cited by the FDA and State Boards of Pharmacy for violating prescribing procedures.  PetMedExpress (a.k.a. SaveMax), in particular, was recently fined over $100,000.00 by the EPA and Florida Department of Health. Click here for a link to this article.
This particular discount house has also recently been sued by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and the Texas Pharmacy Board. Click here for a link to this article. 
And more...
Florida Board of Pharmacy disciplines PetMed Express, Savemax ...
Novartis sues Internet pharmacies for prescription drug
PetMed Express disciplined by Ohio State Board of Pharmacy
PetMed sued for alleged securities violations - October 1

9.        PetMedExpress has deceptive advertising, as many times our prices are LOWER than their prices.  They have actually lowered their price on a product when the client was informed.

10.     PetMedExpress in particular at times has been aggressive and rude when they have called us.  They have called multiple times after we declined authorizing prescriptions.  They have wasted our time and upset our staff.  They have called even after we requested they never call us again.  They have tried to get us to authorize medications for pets we have no current client/patient/veterinarian relationship with.

11.     Our products come with a person to help you utilize them in the most efficient manner.  For example, we do not charge for recheck exams/consults for flea control if a prescription flea control product was purchased here.  We will help you learn to apply product properly.

12.     Shipping charges, delays, mis-shipments, and damaged products are several of the reasons that many clients feel that the hassles of dealing with the catalogue houses are not worth the savings.

13.     Our fees for most prescriptions sold in the clinic include the price of the medication plus a prescription fee.  We normally charge a prescription fee of $19.00.  We reduce this to $8.50 on most medications that pets are on chronically, and a whole bottle is prescribed.  Although the discount houses have concluded their business with you after you pay, we keep records for your specific pet, medication, dose and dosage instructions as well as refill information and requirements, regardless of where you choose to purchase the product.  We keep records for at least 3 years after the last time we see the pet.

If you prefer to purchase your products at other catalogue/online houses, we will write prescriptions for these products according to the following guidelines:

All state and federal prescribing laws apply the same as if you purchase it here. (Some of the discount houses have not always followed the federal and/or state laws, but trust them at your own risk.)  We will write one prescription per medication per pet per 6 months at no charge.