When your veterinarian prescribes medication for your horse, you can obtain it directly from your vet at the farm or from their office. There are times when you may elect to fill the prescription at an online internet pharmacy for the convenience of purchase and home delivery. Yet, there are some precautions to consider before diving right in with ordering, especially from an unfamiliar pharmacy source.
Safe Pharmacies
There are good reasons to take precautions when ordering from online pharmacies and their websites. To ensure that the products you receive are legitimate and are not counterfeit or handled improperly, you’ll want to do some homework. It is important to identify a pharmacy that operates legally and is known for Safe Practices. The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) has a BeSafeRX website to keep you informed about state-licensed online pharmacies and how to locate them: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/quick-tips-buying-medicines-over-internet/besaferx-your-source-online-pharmacy-information
Another security measure for ordering is to acquire information about the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites TM Seal (VIPPS Seal), which guarantees that the Internet pharmacy has met state licensure requirements and criteria from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). One place to secure this verified information is through the NABP at: https://nabp.pharmacy/programs/accreditations-inspections/digital-pharmacy/accredited-digital-pharmacies/
And, to err on the safe side when checking out a pharmacy, consult the list of pharmacies NOT to use as recommended by the NABP: https://safe.pharmacy/not-recommended-sites/
Signs that a Pharmacy Follows Safe Practices
There are several caveats to check about a pharmacy before you order:
- Does the pharmacy have a license through the state’s Board of Pharmacy?
- Will they only fill your request with a valid veterinarian’s prescription?
- Does the pharmacy have an address and phone contact within the United States?
- Does the pharmacy have a licensed pharmacist on staff to whom you can direct questions?
If you cannot verify that the caveats above are true, then look for a different pharmacy. Other things that might tip you off to a problem with a particular pharmacy is if you receive blasts of unsolicited emails and offers of deeply discounted prices.
The last thing you want for your horse is to administer outdated, tainted, contaminated, or illegal black-market medications that could do considerable harm. Medications with incorrect ingredients or dosages, or those that have incorrect active ingredients create a risk for harmful consequences. You need assurance that medications have been stored and handled properly otherwise they could be rendered ineffective. In addition, don’t forget that you’ll be providing the “pharmacy” with credit card and personal information that is potentially shared with or sold to other suspect websites.
What to Order?
It is important to realize that every horse is an individual and experiences individual medical issues. What happened to a friend’s horse in your barn or down the road and how it was managed may have little bearing on the issue at hand for your horse. Your veterinarian customizes treatment to each individual, and offering a prescription means it applies to your horse at that moment in time. So, you’ll want to heed your vet’s advice as effective for your horse’s specific problem. This is one reason why a valid prescription is necessary to order medications – it is based on a medical diagnosis that is based on a clinical exam. Over time, a prescription may need to be fine-tuned for an individual horse.
A veterinarian can only provide a prescription for your horse if there is an active veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPPR) that also confirms that your vet has examined your horse within the past year, and preferably more recently. The biologic body is ever changing, and health issues and circumstances fluctuate. This requirement is stipulated by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) ethics practices and is legally enforced by Veterinary State Boards. It is meant to protect the health of your animals. Without a veterinary examination and diagnosis, some medications can be injurious and elicit unintended consequences. In some cases, dosages need to be reevaluated and adjusted periodically to achieve the best and safest results.
Check the expiration date as soon as you receive the medication. An outdated product may…
