In order to serve you better, please remember:

• Medication refill requests should be made 24 hours in advance.
• Written prescription requests should be made 24 hours in advance.
• Kindly give 24 hour notice of appointment cancellation.
• Record transfer requests may take up to one week to process.

To allow ample time for all patients and scheduled surgical procedures, we operate primarily by appointment.  Emergency cases shall always receive top priority, which is why occasional appointment delay is inevitable.  Please realize that we make a sincere attempt to see each client on time.

Online/Catalog Pharmacy Prescription Policy:

At the Delmar Animal Hospital, it is our policy to take every possible step to ensure that our patients receive the very best pharmaceutical products available.  We understand the desire to find products at the best possible price. We promise to compare our prices on common prescription products to 1-800 Petmeds  and remain competitively priced. Please let us know if you do not think a product is competitively priced.  We regularly prescribe to other sources when we know they can provide a better price.

            If you wish, we will provide written prescriptions for products to be purchased elsewhere. We do want you to make an informed decision, especially in situations where the products are exceptionally low priced. Please keep in mind that major manufacturers maintain a strict policy of sales exclusively through licensed veterinarians. Many online or catalog pharmacy sales appear to be through non-approved channels. Manufacturer guarantees on their products are null and void if products are purchased through non-approved channels. This includes guarantee reimbursement programs for heartworm, intestinal parasite and flea control claims. Pharmaceuticals manufactured and labeled for use in other countries have been illegally diverted and sold through online and catalog sources in the United States. Many discount pet pharmacies have been cited and fined innumerable times in multiple states by the FDA and State Boards of Pharmacy for violating prescribing procedures.

            We will provide written prescriptions according to the following guidelines.  All state and federal laws apply to all prescriptions.  We will provide the written prescription to be filled at the pharmacy of your choice. Please treat the written prescription with respect, we cannot rewrite prescriptions if we feel there is a chance of misuse. You can pick up the written prescription from us or we will mail it to you.  For security reasons, we will not communicate with the online/catalog pharmacy. We will not fax or call prescriptions into these sources. It is your responsibility to ensure the prescription is sent, filled, labeled, shipped and used correctly. Laws often prohibit the faxing of prescriptions and you may note that your online pharmacy requires you to mail the written prescription to their address and they do not accept faxed prescriptions from your home or business. Read the website information provided closely and follow those directions.  We cannot become involved in any product failure issues for products purchased other than directly from us.

            The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy reviews online pharmacy sites and accredits recommended sites through the VIPPS or Vet-VIPPS program.  NABP.net provides a link to recommended internet pharmacy sites. There is currently only one site approved for veterinary patients.

 February 2010

Recent price comparisons with 1-800 Petmeds show us with less than $5 difference on prices for Advantix, Advantage, Frontline and Heartgard. Our prices on all 3 sizes of Rimadyl beat the Petmeds website by $3-12.