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Veterinarians
vs Wal-Mart, pet owners
Are you entitled to your dog's prescription?
 |
If
you hear snarling, snapping and whining at your veterinarian's, it may
not be a patient but the vet reacting to the Fairness to Pet Owners Act
(H.
R. 1406)
currently stalled in the U. S. Congress.
On
one side is the American Veterinary Medication Association (AVMA) which
is the vet's version of the American Medical Association. On the other
side, are
Wal-Mart and similar stores such as Target, chain drug stores, Costco,
and
Sam's Club.
The
Pet Owners Act would require veterinarians to provide owners with a copy
of their pet's prescription and a written disclosure that the owner may
fill the prescription through the veterinarian or other pharmacy.
It would prohibit veterinarians from requiring purchase of the medication from themselves or for charging a fee to write a prescription.
AVMA Side
The
AVMA claims the law is unnecessary because the AVMA encourages
veterinarians to offer owners a prescription and because the federal law
may conflict with existing state laws that are in effect.
Of
course, the bottom line is money. Veterinarians maintain that they would
have to raise their fees if they lose the income from prescription medications.
One online veterinarian claimed his fees would increase as much as one-third
to cover the loss.
Chain
stores offer cheap medications as loss leaders to get you in the store
where you also buy soda, snacks, clothes and cameras. Veterinarians don't
have
the luxury of making medications loss leaders.
There's
also the concern that vets make sure you get the correct dosage and
formulation for your small dog. Chain
store pharmacists are not trained in animal physiology or pharmacology.
You
get the medication right then and there at the vet's and don't have to
make another trip to a pharmacy. There's always a concern whether people
will make
the effort to get their own medicines and take them properly, let alone
make
the extra effort for their dog.
Wal-Mart Side
Big
box stores note that the law requires veterinarians to provide a copy
of
the pet's prescription because no federal law currently does. The
'encouragement' of AVMA to do so is nice but not binding. State laws are
inconsistent (anyone know what their state law is?).
In
a majority of states, a vet can say 'no' when asked to provide a prescription
that the owner could fill at Wal-Mart or whenever.
You can reply, go to another vet and that works if you live in Houston or Los Angeles. That doesn't work so well if you live in a small town or rural area.
Someone
with a chronically ill or senior dog may not want to change vets (and
note that in most states vets, unlike human doctors, don't have to provide
your
pet's medical records). Those type of pets also are the ones that can't
be
covered by pet insurance. Owners pay through the nose for medications.
There's
no reason veterinarians should be able to hold dog owners hostage.
Consumers should be able to price shop for their dog's medications just
as
owners do for their own.
Without question, competition will cause prescription prices to be reduced.
Ongoing
When
Walgreens started a “prescription savings club” about three
years ago, it
included pets under the family plan. For a $35 annual membership fee,
families
can obtain any of more than 400 generic medications for $4 per one-month
dose, and discounts on a variety of other drugs.
http://www.walgreens.com/pharmacy/psc/psc_overview_page.jsp.
Walgreens fills veterinary prescriptions only for medications that it
stocks for
people. Even with that limitation, Walgreens publicized that it filled
400,000 prescriptions for Fido and Fluffy in just one year.
Note:
Wal-Mart and other chain pharmacies offer $4 medications as well.
Walgreens was the only one to publicize its volume of pet medications.
Walgreens
is looking at expanding with a dedicated pet medication section.
Target has been testing offering pet-specific medications at certain stores
as have
Costco and Sam's Club.
Kroger, the grocery company, is offering pet-specific medication nationwide as of January 2012. Kroger intends to undercut veterinarians on price while offering the convenience of shopping for other items. http://www.kroger.com/pharmacy/Pages/pet_meds.aspx
It's inevitable
Veterinarians
need to face the future. Even if the current bill is defeated, it's likely
more consumer groups and pet owners will be demanding the right to fill
Fido's prescription more cheaply.
With our
bad economy and escalating pet care costs, owners need all the help
they can get to control costs.
There's no
reason veterinarians couldn't offer their own online prescription
sales and provide the guidance pet owners need to safely medicate their
pets.
My Recommendations
1. Ask your representatives to vote for H. R. 1406.
2. Comparison
price any medications that your dog needs on a regular basis.
When you go to the vet, ask if they can match that price.
3. Ask if the vet can write a generic version of the prescription medication.
4. Ask if
there's a human version that you could use safely for your dog. You
can pay a lot more money for the dog-version of bismuth subsalicylate
or buy the generic version of Pepto-Bismol and get the same thing. Just
be sure
you know the correct dosage for your small dog.
For even more savings, use this Amazon.com link:
At least 70% off dog supplies
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referred sales of some or all mentioned products
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