It’s a common question — can I buy vet or veterinary supplies only from a licensed vet or medical supply house? The answer is yes, and no. There are many veterinary supplies that can be purchased from pet stores, online vet supply houses, mail order catalogs as well as from your local vet. Some things, like grooming supplies, specialized shampoos, and flea and tick control products can be purchased at any local pet store.

Monthly preventative medications like Frontline or Heartguard for heartworms can be purchased online and through mail order quite a bit cheaper (sometimes up to 50%) than your local veterinarian. An example of a reputable online store offering pet meds at a discount is PetCareRX.com. You can often save up to 50% when you buy flea & tick products at PetCareRx.

Some catalogs and websites even have formulations available to the public for vaccinations and specialized medicines for say, ear mites, for example that you would traditionally have to get through a licensed vet. I’ll post some resources for those types of medications here soon.