Fox 4 is in your corner with details on how to save money on prescriptions for your pets.
When the pandemic started, people poked around online for pills for their cats and dogs, and they're saving a lot of money.
More than 70 percent of people in a survey from the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies say they plan to keep doing this, after the pandemic ends. Buying your pet's medication this way may be an option to save. These medications can be expensive, and the cost can vary from pet clinic to vet clinic.
"So I think sometimes the veterinarians don't think to tell people things, or they don't want to necessarily assume someone's looking for a low cost option, so it really is on the client," Nicole Forsyth, the CEO & President of Red Rover, said.
Red Rover is an organization that provides grants for pet urgent care and emergency boarding. Forsyth said they're still seeing COVID-19 mentioned as the number one financial reason people are applying for grants.
She also said they frequently get questions about medications.
"A lot of the times, our case managers are on the phone counseling people, letting them know that they can ask their veterinarian questions. There's a lot of solutions that can save them a lot of money, and sometimes people just don't know to ask those questions," Forsyth said.
Compounding pharmacies could be one place to save. That's where you get something that's prescribed for humans, and then get a pet version of that in a smaller dosage. You may be able to do this online, but Forsyth said a lot of online pharmacies may not give you the price right away. Sometimes it's better to go directly to the pharmacist in person to get this information.
Online rewards programs like 1-800-PET-MEDS could be a good option if you're buying an ongoing prescription.
"Auto subscription services, those can save you a lot of money at places like Costco, Walmart, Target. They often offer an online version at a discount," Forsyth said.
Wherever you shop online, you want to make sure the medication you get for your pet is safe. You can check by going to this website, and putting the online pharmacy's URL in the search box. 1-800-PET-MEDS, Chewy, and Pet Care Rx are all approved sites.
