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Anybody run into issues with ordering or have ordered HeartGuard Plus from Petsupplyexpress.com have just had an issue with vet because they did not fax an request for a prescription which could get them in trouble.

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I'm not sure what you're asking? Most companies will require a prescription from the vet before allowing the purchase of HW meds.

 

J.

Petsuppyexpress.com I have ordered from twice and they have never called for a prescription from vet that is the problem I am having and now the vet says because they never called for a script the violated law and I should go after them for dispensing meds without a script and now they have a new rule that every 18 months all dogs on HW med have to have the $37.00 test for Heart Warms which I never had done in the past 13 years with our other dog.

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Many veterinarians require a yearly heartworm test before dispensing heartworm medications. My veterinarian will occasionally let it go out to two years if you swear on a bible that you never miss or are late with a dose.

 

HW preventative is not 100% guaranteed. You are doing your dogs a huge disservice to continue administering preventative without testing regularly.

 

If this company dispensed HW preventative without a prescription, they are, indeed, in violation of the law. No different than if I walked into a pharmacy and asked for Vicodin and they gave it to me. It's a controlled substance.

 

I would be quite hesitant to order from such a company, as I would wonder what other unlawful things they do -- or if their products are expired, etc.

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Most of the places I've ordered from require me to send in a physical prescription by mail. And, my vet does require yearly heartworm testing to write the prescription. I've sometimes been able to get less expensive testing by having it done at a heartworm clinic in the spring. Bottom line, you are going to have to pay for a heartworm test. And, like others have said, it's really a good idea anyway. If you give your dog heartworm meds and they are positive, it can cause problems.

 

Once you get the prescription, I've gotten good prices at www.valleyvet.com. I actually use Iverthart Plus which is a bit cheaper than the Heartguard.

 

Good luck.

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Here is the answer from Petsupplyexpress.com about the scripts.

(Your Vet isn't a regulatory agency so isn't a legal position to take that kind of action making his comment ridicules. We are outside the jurisdiction of the USA thus a RX isn't required.)

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Weird... While you can't find any sort of actual contact information on their website, if you look up the business it shows the IP address is based out of Australia. Have they set up shop in Australia to avoid US commerce law but distribute from US warehouses? No other way they could advertise their $3.99 shipping.

 

This is not a company I would support. Especially if what you posted (grammar and spelling errors) is copied and pasted from their reply to you.

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Their response begs the question of why they then wanted a script from your vet if in fact they don't need one? I have used companies out of Australia, but I think it's wise when ordering pet meds to be extra careful about where you're getting them from and whether the site/dealer is likely to be reputable. I'm all about saving money with as many dogs as I have, but you still want to be sure that the products you're buying are safe and effective.

 

J.

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Here is her next reply and no they did not want a script.

 

(In Australia for example no RX is required to purchase Heartgard Plus.....Our Govt isn't manipulated by a large Drug Lobby forcing it's citizens to require a RX before purchasing this product. In Australia our citizens are given credit for having the good sense to be aware that their pet be tested and free of heartworm's before putting their pet at risk and administering this product.)

 

Carol

When I ordered the meds from PetcareRX they called the vet for a script and they denied it ,because they thought I was not giving Emma HGard Plus all year, but I had been giving her it 12 months out of the year with the last 6 month supply gotten from Petsupplyexpress.com which called for no script. So flags went off at the vets office and they wanted Emma to come in for a test before they would ok the shipment. Plus she was just tested 6-14-2011 for Lyme,HW and the two others that the test Snap 4 test checks for and that is when we found out she was positive for Lymne and has been treated and her last blood work only showed a 12 count.

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Well the old procedure at this office was that if the dog is on HW meds 12 months out of the year they did not test. I still believe the dogs health is the most important issue. Thanks

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Burdock,

Back in the dark ages (1980s) when I worked for a vet, we did not test yearly if the dog was on HW preventive year round (and we also didn't suggest that people keep dogs on preventive year round--they cold come off for the winter months, but those that did then did require testing before starting back up in the spring). But because there have been failures of the preventive, standard protocol is to check yearly, so if there is a failure, treatment can be started early, before it's a major problem.

 

Also, we all know that people forget meds sometimes. So it's another way of making sure that the pet is protected in case of human error.

 

J.

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That USED to be the protocol for some vets, however since the preventative meds are not 100% effective even when given properly all year long, testing needs to be done. A friend of mine just had her dog diagnosed with heartworms and she was religious about giving it the first of every month, 12 months a year.

 

There has even been studies done recently on heartworms possibly becoming resistant. Some vets are now recommending testing every 6 months in areas where mosquitos are bad. And with that warm winter most of us had, mosquitos are going to be bad this summer.

 

Do your dog a favor and get him tested.

 

Julie: Your phone is smarter than you are! haha Pretty soon you'll be forgetting punctuation and not capping letters like the rest of us. ;-)

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Two things: As one who had a dog get heartworms despite being on preventative, yes, please get your dog tested yearly.

 

And secondly, I didn't know about the two spaces thing on my phone, either. Thanks! :D

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