Many heartworm medication for dogs products are widely available on the Internet. They are often offered at a discount which can make the sites offering them very attractive to pet owners, especially in the current economic climate where we are all looking to save money.
However, the FDA prints a very helpful guide to buying pet meds including heartworm medication for dogs online (which along with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief are two drug types that pet owners are searching for in the USA today and about which, the FDA has expressed particular concern).
There are several pitfalls for the unwary as whilst many internet sites are reputable and compliant with FDA guidelines, there are many sites that Martine Hartogensis D.V.M. (who is the deputy director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine) states are -
“… fronts for unscrupulous businesses operating against the law.”
The FDA has uncovered sites that not only sell unapproved, counterfeit or past use-by date products but they also dispense prescription drugs without a prescription.
There are significant risks for buying heartworm prevention for dogs online if you do not buy from an accredited site – at best, your dog may not be getting the protection you believe you are buying – at worst, you could be putting his life in danger. Watch the short video at the foot of this post for more information.
With heartworm preventative medicines, there is a very serious danger if you have not had your dog tested for heartworm disease by a veterinarian prior to putting him on a preventative drug. This is because only proper testing by your vet can determine whether your dog already has adult heartworms. If you give preventative medicine to a dog with adult worms there could be very serious reactions. So before contemplating buying heartworm medicine, you should definitely get your dog tested.
When buying online, the FDA provides some very simple guidelines using the acronym A.W.A.R.E. the initial letters stand for:-
A- Ask your veterinarian
W-Watch for red flags
A-Always check for site accreditation
R-Report suspicious online pet pharmacies
E-Educate yourself about online pharmacies
You can read the full guidelines here.
Provided that you follow the guidelines buying heartworm medication for dogs online should be both safe and less expensive.
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