Dear Pet Parents,

We are informing you about a new policy change regarding outside/online pharmacies.  Recently we have seen an increased demand for home delivery services for your pet’s prescription food and medications.  We completely understand the convenience and the safety this provides your family during these stressful times.  Unfortunately, due to this increased demand we have witnessed several mistakes on the part of these pharmacies that we are worried will lead to major health crisis for your pets. We have experienced medications not being dispensed correctly or as directed, prescriptions being approved or denied without our Dr.’s consent and have been inundated with calls/emails/faxes that are clogging up our lines and preventing our clients from gaining access to our services.  There are also some questionable practices associated with the supply chain that may have resulted in medications to be improperly handled and stored that can affect the efficacy of some of the products dispensed.  Because of these events we feel it is necessary to change our policy in relation to outside/online pharmacies.  As of March 1st, 2021, Auburn Animal Care will no longer accept prescription requests from online pharmacies (Chewy.com, 1-800-PetMeds, etc.) 

So what does this mean for you?  This DOES NOT mean that you cannot purchase your pet’s medication from outside/online pharmacies.  Our new policy will be to issue hand written prescriptions free of charge directly to you the pet owner.  This ensures 2 things for you.  One that you can take your prescription and get it filled at any pharmacy that you feel is best for you and your pet.  And two that the information that is given on the prescription is accurate.  You will need to contact the pharmacy that you are choosing and determine what their policy is on written prescriptions, each one has their own policy on processing written prescriptions and to prevent lapses in dosing your pet’s medication you may need to plan ahead. If we receive a request from an outside/online pharmacy we will contact you once a written prescription is ready to be picked up.  Please be patient if making prescription requests close to the weekend.  Each doctor does not work every day and the doctor that signs the prescription by law must be the doctor that has preformed the most recent exam.  This has always been Auburn Animal Care’s policy for any prescription.  We understand that this may not be the most convenient for your family, but we have experienced too many mistakes and are not willing to put out patients at risk. 

As a small business we do our best to have competitive pricing, but we do understand that sometimes there is better pricing elsewhere and when everyone is living on a budget sometimes even small amounts can make the difference.  If you like the convenience of ordering online and having your pet’s medication delivered to your home but want the peace of mind knowing that your pet’s medication is coming from a reputable source and want to support your local small business, we have an online pharmacy that works directly with veterinarians and the manufacturers of medications and food.  Our online pharmacy is through VetSource, which offers competitive pricing, price matching, and online rebates, and discounts for first time and repeat customers.  The Dr. at Auburn Animal Care have spent a lot of time researching online pharmacies they felt they could trust and VetSource has earned their trust.  You can also contact our office and ask about rebates for medications you are interested in.  Often, we have rebates from the manufacturers that make purchasing mediation directly from us cheaper than ordering online.  The link to Vetsource can be found here:

http://auburnvethospital.securevetsource.com/site/view/HomeDelivery.pml

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to our continued partnership to get the best care for your furry family members.

-Your Auburn Animal Care Family