External Pharmacy Policy

At Coastside Veterinary Clinic, we take pride in being your pet’s doctor and see our role as an important part in providing healthcare to your pet. The primary focus of our practice is centered on offering a professional level of high quality medical, surgical and dental care. In addition to these professional services, we stock pharmaceuticals, vaccines and products for your pets. Some of the items are not stocked in the clinic.  However, they can be ordered directly on the CoastsideVet.com website from VetSource.

Coastside Veterinary takes measures to ensure the vaccines, medications and products we provide to our patients are properly handled and stored from the initial manufacture until they reach our facility. The items we offer from our hospital and website supply are obtained either directly from their manufacturing source or via our relationships with selected major distributors which track these items to verify their integrity. In contrast to prescriptions filled either in-house or from our website where Coastside Veterinary can guarantee competently filled prescriptions by qualified staff, we do not have this same level of confidence in most internet based pharmacies and catalogue companies.

We are fully aware there are many internet sites and catalogue companies which sell pharmaceutical products directly to consumers. Contrary to slick print and television advertising marketing touting pet medications available at less than half the price from the veterinarian, this veterinary office generally offers these medications at similar prices.

It is our practice policy to provide written prescriptions to our clients at their request. We do not charge a fee for writing prescriptions to our patients. We do, however wish for your decision on where you have your pet’s prescriptions filled to be an informed one, and feel it is part of our responsibility as your pet’s doctor to advise you consider the following:

1) We will provide a written prescription on request provided we have recently examined your pet and the particular medication or product is appropriate. The time frame of “recent examination” is at the doctor’s discretion but will never exceed a maximum of one year from your pet’s last annual examination, based on Federal regulations. The written prescription will be provided directly to you. You may request to pick it up or ask it be mailed to your home.

2) If you choose internet or catalogue sources, we advise you to copy your script and mail them the original. We recommend this process for the same reason we will only provide written prescriptions to you on our script pads and why we do not respond to fax or telephone requests from internet or catalogue companies.  We require our physical prescription form to be used so it can be tracked back and authenticated in the event medication error, failure, or reaction occurs.

3) Please double check to ensure your prescription is sent, filled, labeled, shipped and used correctly. Carefully select your choice of pharmacy including thorough research for Board of Pharmacy disciplinary actions.

4) Some guarantees made by manufactures regarding their products are null and void if their products are purchased through non-approved channels. This includes reimbursement for heartworm/intestinal parasite claims if your pet contracts heartworms or specific parasites while on prevention. We are also aware of clients who have purchased products from the “mail-order” pharmacies which were expired by the time the client received them.

5) Some internet based and catalogue companies have been repeatedly reprimanded by the FDA and State Boards of Pharmacy for violating prescribing procedure. Several well known companies have been sited and fined repeatedly for the same violations in the same states or several states!

6) Pharmaceuticals manufactured and labeled for use in other countries have been illegally diverted and sold through some internet sources and catalogues in the United States. The FDA-CVM has documented these problems with the use of some internet sources. www.fda.gov. In addition, counterfeit medications, preventatives and product have been produced and sold to unsuspecting consumers. Due to the extended shipping and reshipping required, some of these products may be damaged by environmental extremes.

As part of your community, we are here to help you when your pet needs our care. We want you to be properly informed so that you can decide on the best way to use the prescription. We appreciate your letting us be a part of your pet’s health care team. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter.