PENSACOLA, Fla. — A new statewide law will go into effect in July. It’ll change the way veterinarians handle pet prescriptions, which could mean lower-cost medicine for pet parents.
Lawmakers say this bill is all about transparency and consumer choice.
Some pet parents say they didn’t know they could get veterinary medicine at traditional pharmacies, and now they’ll start shopping around for the best prices.
On July 1, veterinarians across Florida must start informing pet owners that they have the right to receive a written prescription to fill at the pharmacy of their choice, rather than purchasing the meds directly from the vet’s office.
“Many of the meds that we use in veterinary medicine are human meds,” said Dr. Walter Gandy, a veterinarian at the Coastal Sunrise Animal Hospital. “A lot of the antibiotics are things that you would take. Also, pain medicines are very similar.”
Dr. Gandy says filling your pet’s prescription at the vet could be beneficial.
“The advantage is you can have it right now,” said Gandy. “And so you’ve come to the veterinarian, you’ve gotten your one-stop and you’re headed home with everything you need.”
The vet’s office may also carry meds a traditional pharmacy doesn’t.
“Carprofen is a pain medicine that is only for animals, not for humans,” Dr. Gandy said. “Apoquel and Zenrelia are anti-itch medicines that are also animal-only.”
But filling your pet’s order at an outside pharmacy could mean lower costs.
“We’re very blessed in Pensacola, especially a lot of our vets are very transparent with their customers already, so they’re already kind of letting their customers know,” said Derek Stephens, pharmacist and owner of First City Drugs. “But I think for a lot it is going to be a change. Maybe they’ve been overpaying, maybe they’ll realize that they can get a 90-day supply of something for what they used to get 15 for. So I think it’s really going to open up some windows.”
Dog mom Emmy Mey says she’s looking forward to exploring other options to fill her dog Zeus’ prescription.
“Whenever we got him fixed a couple months ago, he had to have Trazodone,” Mey said. “And he has such a fast metabolism that he needed a triple dose of what they would normally give, and so it was maybe like $100.”
“I’m from Texas, so we go on road trips to and from and it’s just we need an easy sedation for him for a road trip,” said Mey. “And it’s just I can’t afford a $100 Trazodone from the vet every time we need to take him somewhere.”
Under this law, veterinarians must also put up signs in their office, informing patients of their right to choose a pharmacy.