By Dr. Laura Hady
About 10 years ago, a client told me that she found an option online that helped lower the cost of her dog’s unaffordable $400-per-month seizure medication, which was at the time only available at human pharmacies. She and I both were relieved that she would not have to incur debt for her beloved dog to receive a regular regimen of the life-saving drug.
For small veterinary medical clinics, drug costs can account for over 20% of expenses annually. While we aim to keep almost all medications and supplies for pets on hand, it is difficult to stock every drug at affordable prices. New Mexico, as well as other states, allow pet owners to purchase pet medications either at a veterinary clinic or to ask for a vet-written prescription to be filled at a human or corporate animal pharmacy.
Please remember that no matter which you choose, your family veterinarian is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment plan for your pet. Your responsibilities include letting the clinic know if a medication is working, alerting the clinic that a refill may be needed, and taking your pet in for regular exams.
The following is information involved in the cost of medications at your family veterinary clinic and elsewhere.
- About 30% of dogs and cats are treated with medications for chronic illness, with 75% of pet owners reporting that the cost is burdensome. In fact, some of the most expensive prescribed medications are routine preventatives for heartworm, flea and tick infestation. In the last 20 years we have seen the emergence of large pet pharmacies such as Chewy and Amazon pet, as well as Sam’s Club and Costco supplying pet-specific drugs. These large corporations have much greater buying power and can sell medications at a lower price than your family veterinarian.
- The amount and frequency of a drug that your veterinarian can prescribe is based on the medical condition and at least yearly, based on law. To effectively treat osteoarthritis with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), bloodwork may need to be performed once or twice a year to monitor kidney and liver enzymes to see if the drug is working for your pet and if the dose or frequency needs to be reduced. Most importantly, dogs with allergies that can result in secondary skin infections may require an exam before refilling a treating antibiotic so as not to promote antibiotic resistance.
- Discount pet medication apps that provide coupons for human-equivalent medications include GoodRx, RxSaver and WellRx. Veterinarians can guide owners to those human pharmacies that carry drugs their vet clinic may not provide, along with the formulations available (capsule, tablet or liquid), and prices they should expect to pay. No human pharmacy is consistently lower on every medication, so it is a good idea to check with several. It is also worthwhile to call the pharmacy to see if the Good Rx coupon or code can apply to their pets.
- Controlled substance prescriptions are for medications with a high tendency for addiction. These include opioids, certain anti-anxiety medications including Valium and Xanax, nerve pain medications such as gabapentin, and anti-seizure drugs such as phenobarbital and levetiracetam. To prescribe these drugs, a veterinarian must have a state license number, a state-controlled substance number, and a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) number. Veterinary clinics must record and account for every pill within these controlled substances, which are usually monitored at the state and federal levels. Human pharmacies now require new individually written prescriptions without refills listed for medications such as hydrocodone syrup and oxycontin, and there may be a limit to the amount that is prescribed at a time. Some human pharmacies also will call the clinic to verify that the vet wrote the prescription. For anti-seizure medications, such as phenobarbital, it is suggested that the veterinarian monitor drug levels in the system and in liver enzymes at least once a year.
