The costs of healthcare for pets is now increasing. Pet medicines that were only available at the veterinarian’s office are now available online as well. Since the cost of pet meds are lower at these online shops, most pet parents opt to buy them. Buying pet meds online has brought convenience. However, one needs to be careful of what they purchase online.

Online pet meds stores can provide misleading information regarding pets and pet medications. Buying pet meds from non-accredited sites could lead to counterfeit or expired drugs. These meds can be non-effective, harmful, or fatal to your pet. Here are a few tips when buying pet meds online:

1. Verified sites only
First, ensure that the store is legitimate. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has the Verified Pharmacy Program (VPP) to license pharmacies in multiple states. This program includes an accreditation program for pet meds stores called Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site® (Vet-VIPPS®). Additionally, one can check if a website’s online pet store has been reviewed by the NABP. Most sites also have information about accredited pharmacies.

2. By prescription
While there are a few websites that offer to sell pet meds without a veterinarian’s prescription, medication is also available over the counter. These drugs do not need a prescription from a veterinarian. By and large, a large number of pet drugs can be sold only if there is a prescription from a veterinarian. One must always purchase pet meds only if the veterinarian recommends it, as certain medications could be harmful. Additionally, pet health insurance can ease the financial burden in most cases. Typically, flea and tick drugs are OTC meds that do not require a prescription. Drugs like preventive medicine, diet, and nutrient-supplements require a prescription. Even preventive heart-worm medication should only be prescribed by a veterinarian.

3. Secure payment
Since shopping for medicines online has become ubiquitous, one needs to make payments online as well. As a result, before making a purchase, ensure that the pharmacy has precautions to protect customer details, especially banking, debit, or credit card information. Fraudsters can hijack billing and other information for their nefarious use if the transaction channel is not secured by data encryption and other data security tools.

4. Accreditation
Since this is a lucrative business, a lot of online pet meds stores engage affiliates who promote the store for commissions on sales. Such promotions may be seen on personal websites as online ads displayed through search engines and even on email signature lines. Pet owners are advised to check out the original seller for accreditation and authenticity.

5. Drug expiry dates
Since online stores are accessed over the internet, some pet meds stores may be located outside the country as well. These stores may not have proper accreditation and may offer pet meds at attractive discounts. It is best to avoid buying from such stores, as the drugs may be spurious or may have expired.