PHARMACY

Lakeside Animal Hospital offers a wide range of medications in our full in-house pharmacy.  If we do not have the specific medication needed for your pet, we can provide you with a prescription for a local human pharmacy, or we would be happy to special order the medication for you.

 

We also work with a local compounding pharmacy to provide flavored medication in various forms, including flavored chews and liquids.  In some cases, transdermal gels are also used.  In accordance with guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association, the doctors of Lakeside Animal Hospital will be happy to fill prescription medications in house, will call-in prescriptions to reputable local pharmacies or will provide written prescriptions to clients wishing to purchase medications on-line.  In all cases, there must be a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship (current exam within the past 12 months and current understanding of the problem being treated) and the medication must be deemed  the appropriate therapy by the attending veterinarian.  For some medications, follow-up evaluations or monitoring lab work are necessary to ensure that the medication is appropriate and to minimize health risks to the patient.

 

We realize that several internet businesses sell prescription products at prices which may be lower than our prices.  You may purchase from these internet businesses, but we caution you to be an informed consumer prior to making your purchase.

Product Guarantees

Major pharmaceutical manufacturers maintain a strict policy of sales exclusively through licensed veterinarians. Unless the internet pharmacy is owned by a veterinarian, all internet sales of these products are through non-approved channels. Pharmaceutical manufacturers will only honor product guarantees when medications are prescribed by and purchased from the pet's veterinarian. This includes reimbursement programs like Heartgard offers if you pet is diagnosed with heartworms.

 

FDA-Approved Medications

 

Any prescription medication purchased from our hospital has been inspected and approved by the FDA or EPA, and is manufactured and packaged according to US government regulations. Our prescriptions (including medication, concentration, and administration instructions) are reviewed carefully to minimize errors. In addition, since we keep close track of medications dispensed to your pet, we can inform you immediately of any product recalls or health concerns involving your pet's medications.

 

Tips on Using Internet Veterinary Pharmacies

 

Before you mail in a prescription to a veterinary online pharmacy, please do two things. 

 

Check to see if the pharmacy is licensed in Wisconsin.  

It  is illegal to ship prescription medicine into Wisconsin without a valid Wisconsin Pharmacy License. You can double check at the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing's website.

 

And check to see if the pharmacy is accredited.

One way to check on an internet pharmacy's reputation is to look for the Vet-VIPPS seal displayed on their web site. In 2009, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy launched the Vet-VIPPS program to address a growing sector of Internet pharmacy; Vet-VIPPS incorporated new criteria specific to veterinary pharmacies. The Vet-VIPPS program is an expansion of the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program, which was established in 1999 after a coalition of state and federal regulatory associations, professional associations, and consumer advocacy groups provided their expertise to develop criteria for accredited Internet pharmacies to follow.

 

Pharmacies displaying the Vet-VIPPS seal have demonstrated to NABP compliance with Vet-VIPPS criteria including patient rights to privacy, authentication and security of prescription orders, adherence to a recognized quality assurance policy, and provision of meaningful consultation between clients and pharmacists.

 

Vet-VIPPs pharmacy sites are identified by the Vet-VIPPs hyperlink seal displayed on their Web sites. By clicking the seal, a visitor is linked to the NABP Vet-VIPPS site where verified information about the pharmacy is maintained by NABP. The public is also welcome to access the Vet-VIPPS site to search for a Vet-VIPPS Internet pharmacy that matches their needs.