Your pet needs medicines to keep it in good health, and there are various places for you to get cheap pet medicines, including online. Pet medicines can be expensive, but you can find many stores that sell discounted pet medicines. One of the most popular places to buy cheap medicines is an online pharmacy. Websites sell everything, including medicines. Since they do not have a physical store to maintain, they offer medicines at cheap prices, but you need to be cautious when you buy medicines online.

Here are some ways to exercise caution while buying medicines for your pet online:

1. Check the license
There are many stores, not necessarily pharmacies, where you can buy cheap medicines for pets. The first precaution to take while buying from such stores is to ensure that it is a licensed store. It must have the approval to sell medicines. In the case of a pharmacy, it should be approved to sell pet medicines. You can look at the approved pharmacy list for your area and buy only from those stores. Buying from a shop or pharmacy that is not licensed can be risky for your pet.

2. The prescription
A prescription is necessary for most pet medicines, and selling medicines without a prescription is not permitted in most places. Pain killer medications and preventive medicines for worms are among some of the medicines for pets that need a prescription.
Any website or store that does not demand a prescription before selling medicines should not be trusted. Such stores should be avoided as the medicines they sell may not be genuine.

3. Check for approvals
The medications sold by the store or online pharmacy need to be approved by the FDA. Online stores may offer unapproved products or medicines manufactured in other countries that are not FDA approved. The product may claim to be approved in the country of its origin, but such approval would not be valid. Check for product details and look for FDA approval. If in doubt, ask the seller whether the medicine is approved. If not approved, you would do well to avoid it as it can have negative effects on your pet’s health.

4. Refer to vet-VIPPS®
Vet-VIPPS® is the Veterinary Verified Internet Pharmacy Sites®, a voluntary listing with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. This listing contains the details of pharmacies that follow guidelines on dispensing pet medicines. You can refer to their website, check the list of approved websites, and buy only from such websites that are part of this listing.

5. Check the website address
As per the latest norms, online pharmacies should have a website with the “.pharmacy” domain, and others should be avoided.
Your pet needs medication from time to time. If you are looking for cheap medicines for your pet, ensure that you buy them from a licensed store or an accredited online pharmacy. Don’t take risks with your pet’s life by buying medicines from dubious places.