Prescription Medication Policy

FVH Policy on Prescription Medications Purchased Elsewhere

• We strongly encourage all clients to purchase their pet’s prescription medications directly from the hospital and not from online pharmacies or local brick and mortar human pharmacies.  The reason for this is because the vast majority of manufacturers of pet prescription medications only sell directly to veterinarians.  They do not sell directly to online pharmacies or human pharmacies. Online pharmacies and human pharmacies purchase the majority of their pet medications from a wholesaler, not the manufacturer.     
  
• When pet medications are provided from an online pharmacy or human pharmacy, the chain of command from the manufacturer  is lost and the manufacturer no longer guarantees the medication.  This is because they don’t know if the medication has been stored properly (correct temperature, humidity), tampered with or damaged.  Pet owners need to consider these risks and understand that they could pose a threat to their pet’s health.
  
• If a client still wishes to purchase their pet’s medication from an online pharmacy, then it is NYS law that we provide the client with the original hard copy of the prescription on an official NYS prescription pad for them to mail in to the online pharmacy.  Alternatively, we can fax the original hard copy of the prescription on an official NYS prescription pad to the online pharmacy as well. 
  
• The turnaround time for us to provide or fax a written prescription is 1 week. 
  
• The above mentioned NYS laws can be found at the following website (see question #9):       http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/pharm/pharmelectrans.htm
  
• If a client wishes to purchase their pet’s medications from a brick and mortar pharmacy (Wegmans, Walgreens, Walmart, etc) in New York State, then we can call the prescription in to that pharmacy as long as it is not a controlled substance.  The turnaround time for phone-in prescriptions is 2 to 3 business days.  Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days.
  
• NYS law mandates that we provide clients with a written prescription for all controlled substances purchased at a brick and mortar pharmacy.  We cannot legally call these in.