Heartworm disease is a serious illness in dogs . Fortunately , it is promiscuous to foreclose with prescription medicine . While it might be tempting to save money by avoiding a visit to your veterinary ’s federal agency , there are risk of infection involved with get heartworm preventative medicine without a prescription .
Heartworm Disease Prevention
Heartworm disease is transmitted by mosquitoes , so it is inconceivable to know if your pet has been bitten . It should be mark that topical flea and check preventives do not reliably prevent mosquito bites . you may only prevent heartworm disease with monthly medication . Monthlyheartworm preventive medicationsare very safe , while treatment for a dog that has become infected is expensive , awful , and carry a risk of serious orfatal complications .
Heartworm Preventative Medication
The most pop preventative medication for heartworm that require a prescription medicine are :
Purchasing Medications Without a Prescription
All effective heartworm medications ask a prescription in the United States . It is illegal to prevail an FDA - approved prescription medicine medication without a prescription . According toConsumer Reports , it is also illegal to import ethical drug medications from other countries . The FDA isunlikely to take legal actionagainst individual vendee of medications without a prescription , preferring instead togo after the provider . Many states have lawsabout possess drugs without a prescription or even possessing drugs that may be legally obtain but are not yours although enforcement of these laws is not strict . This depends however on the type of drug , aspossession of narcoticswithout a prescription drug can be a felony , although this would be an extreme case equate to drug such as heartworm prophylactic .
Warning Signs of Rogue Pharmacies
It is becoming more vernacular to ordain medications from Canada or through other oversea locations . The Canadian International Pharmacy Association has a seal of approval to help distinguish certified pharmacies . However , theCIPA has report fraudin which rogue web site have been using the CIPA seal . Before ordering online , do as much enquiry as possible about the pharmacy . Rogue pharmacies have been shown to sell counterfeit or contaminated drug . Thewarning signsof a rogue pharmacy include :
Reputable Online Pharmacies
buying medications from an on-line pharmacy is not necessarily the same as obtaining a medicament without a prescription . Many online pharmaceutics are reputable and follow standard pharmaceutical practices . One way to tell if an on-line favourite drugstore is trustworthy is to expect for the VET VIPPS seal . This is a certification through the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy that shows that the pharmacy ’s license , policies , and procedures have been verify . A reputable on-line pharmacy will require a prescription prior to fill your society . They may either require that you upload a scan of your prescription medicine , fax or mail it to them , or many will reach your veterinarian for you to control the prescription item .
A Prescription From Your Veterinarian
Your veterinarian will probably require that your pet have a recent interrogatory and a negative blood trial for heartworms before writing your dog a prescription drug for heartworm preventatives . TheAmerican Heartworm Societyrecommends one-year heartworm testing for all Canis familiaris . If your veterinarian authorizes a heartworm preventative , you may either buy it directly at your vet ’s office or you may ask for a written prescription . As long as your dearie is seen regularly for preventative care and inoculation , you wo n’t need to schedule a freestanding visit . You should be capable to obtain refill for the rest of the year without another prescription .
Saving Money Buying Prescriptions Online
Many favourite owner prefer the wash room of purchasing their prescription online . They can be embark direct to your dwelling house and you may also see additional price savings over what your veterinarian charges for the same prescription . Keep in thinker though that many veterinary surgeon offices will offer to match the cost of online pharmacies for heartworm preventatives . Others may offer to sell the medication with an extra dose included for the same cost . Sometimes rebate programs are available if you buy from your veterinary ’s office . Also , be cognisant that online pharmacy may charge for shipping , so the initial savings that you might obtain could vanish by the meter you finish the edict .
Buying Heartworm Preventatives Online or In-Store
If you decide you want to purchase your preventative medicament online , you may use services such asChewy.comand1800PetMeds . If you want to buy medications in stores such as PetSmart , you may do so if you ’re a current customer of their Banfield veterinary clinics , as well asorder them online . If you are not a current Banfield customer you will take to bring a prescription from your veterinary to buy the medicinal drug in the memory . you may also buymany pet prescriptionsat in - store pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS .
If Your Pet Develops Heartworm Disease
While heartworm preventive medications are extremely effective , theJournal of the American Veterinary Medical Associationreported sporadic resistance to the drugs in 2013 . If your domestic dog is submit a heartworm preventive purchased through your veterinarian ’s office , the pharmaceutical companymay pay for treatmentif your pet is later on diagnosed with heartworm disease and you and your veterinarian can understandably show that this was due to a loser of the production . If you purchased a heartworm preventative without a prescription , it is dubious that the pharmaceutic company will get necessitate . They will also not likely get involve if the prescription was purchased online , even via a licit prescription drug , as it is much surd to prove timber control with an on-line pharmacy .
Although heartworm encumbrance are very safe , a few dogs may experience side effects . In some cases , the pharmaceutical company may help out financially with treatment for these side upshot if the merchandise was purchased through a reputable outlet .
Talk to Your Veterinarian
If you have headache about the price of prophylactic fear for your wiener , speak to your veterinary about which medication , vaccination , or lineage tests are needed the most . While heartworm preventatives can be purchase online without a prescription , there are many risks involved with this approach .
