Guest blog by ASPCA Regulatory Affairs Manager Deborah Press
Our pets are family, and when they get sick we want to make sure they get the best care possible. We rely on the wonderful vets in our communities to keep our pets healthy and ease their suffering. But for many pet parents struggling to keep their animals healthy in this tough economy, the costs can often be overwhelming—even impossible to afford.
In 2011, Americans spent nearly $7 billion for prescription and over-the-counter pet medications. Though purchasing meds from the vet is convenient, in some cases pet parents can save money by filling pets’ prescriptions at their local retail pharmacies. For many pet lovers struggling to keep their animals healthy in a tough economy, being able to fill prescriptions at the lowest cost could mean the difference between being able to afford the medicine—or even being able to afford keeping the pet—or not.
Most vets are happy to write prescriptions for their clients to fill anywhere they choose, but others may not be. We think pet parents deserve the freedom to comparison-shop for pet meds, but to do that, they need a copy of their animals’ prescriptions.
Here’s where you come in.
Take Action
The Federal Trade Commission wants to hear from you! The FTC wants to understand how to make prescription pet medications more affordable to consumers. They want to know how much you’re spending on pet meds, where you’re buying them, and whether a law requiring vets to give you a prescription to fill wherever you choose would help make pet care more affordable and accessible to you and your animals.
Tell FTC that for the sake of cost and convenience, you would like to have the option of receiving a written prescription from your vet that you could fill wherever you choose.
In addition, please tell them:
- How much you spend on prescription pet meds
- Where you buy your pet meds—at the vet or at a pharmacy?
- What you like/dislike about filling your pet’s prescriptions with the vet as opposed to a pharmacy where you’d fill your own prescriptions
Please note: FTC is accepting comments beyond the September 14th deadline and wants to hear from you!
Submit your comments TODAY—scroll to the bottom of the page and type your comments in the box.
