Open Mon - Fri: 7AM - 6PM Sat: 7AM - 3PM | 200 S Tustin St, Orange CA 92866 | (714) 633-3323 | Careers

Open Mon - Fri: 7AM - 6PM Sat: 7AM - 3PM | 200 S Tustin St, Orange CA 92866 | (714) 633-3323 | Careers

The Dangers of Ordering Cheap Pet Meds Online

Ordering pet meds and prescription food online is pretty convenient, isn’t it? While that may be the case, unfortunately many pet owners are unaware of the risks that come with purchasing from inexpensive online retailers such as Chewy.com or 1-800-PetMeds. Here are some of the biggest reasons we strongly recommend purchasing through our veterinary-approved pharmacy partner, VetsFirstChoice, rather than other retailers such as these.

  1. Expired Products: Part of the reason that online retailers are able to offer products at very low cost is because these products are often expired. This is concerning because many medications begin to break down once the expiration date passes, which can affect its effectiveness and can even cause serious side effects.
  2. Counterfeit Products: In addition to occasionally expired products, unfortunately it is not uncommon for counterfeit products to be offered through these retailers as well. This is extremely dangerous as many of these counterfeit medications include incorrect ingredients and dosages, which can harm your pet and affect their treatment plan.
  3. Recalled Products: Moreover, these retailers may neglect to discontinue the sale of recalled products, meaning that your pet could be at risk if you are unaware of a recent food safety recall for their diet. By contrast, veterinarians and reputable online retailers and pharmacies immediately pull recalled products from their shelves.

At OC Veterinary Medical Center, we encourage you to purchase your pet’s prescriptions, heartworm, flea and tick preventatives, and prescription diets from our Vets First Choice online pharmacy partner. When you do, the purchase is automatically documented in your pet’s medical record, and the product’s guarantees stay intact. That’s not always the case when you buy online without a direct veterinary relationship at sites such as 1-800-PetMeds, Fosters & Smith, Chewy.com and the like.

Our Vets First Choice online pharmacy works hand-in-paw with us to make sure your pet gets exactly the medications he or she needs, and with their convenient AutoShip option, shipping is FREE on all orders.

If you have questions about ordering medications, prescription diets, or other products, please don’t hesitate to call us at (714) 602-4713.