Can I tell you all how much I hate the PetMeds commercials? It’s such a hassle to take your dog to the vet! “Put the dog in the car…driiiiiiiive to the vet’s office…and WAIT!”
They take a process that’s really not all that much of a hassle, and exaggerate words to make it sound like it’s a huge deal to “put your dog in the car” (most dogs love to go for rides, or at least tolerate them - nothing too difficult here), “drive to the vet’s office” (yes, some vet’s offices are far from where you may live…however, you still take your kids to the doctor - your dog is a living thing, too!), “and wait!” (yes, wait - it’s what you do when you go to any office appt, whether it’s the dentist, doctor, or vet - and in my experience with vets, it’s usually a much shorter wait than at “people” offices).
Yes, maybe pet meds is good for when you don’t have time to go pick up certain medications that are already prescribed (heart worm pills and the like), but it cannot take the place of a vet seeing your pet. What if there’s something wrong with it that you are unaware of?
I’m not pitting the easy availability of meds for your pets, but the ridiculous commercial! if you are as lazy as the woman in the commercial (or too busy), then you obviously don’t have any time to spend with your pet otherwise, dammit! When you buy a pet, you should take it as a given that you’re going to need to take it to the vet sometimes - not even that often when they’re healthy, either.
Anybody else feel this way? What other commercials bother you folks?
All I can say about PetMeds.com is that I thought I would outsmart my veternarian by getting my medicine through them. My pet Dachshund “Frank” (I know–I’m a bastard for naming him that), had his tear ducts in one eye stop working, so I have to put ointment in his eye twice a day.
As it turns out, the ointment is $5.00 more expensive through PetMeds.com. So, I’m saving money and supporting the people that care for my pooch, even though I have been “inconvenienced” by driving Frank to the vet every now and then…
(I just find it amusing that the Queen of Goths is upset by a TV commercial for pets. Seeing as to how my dog goes to the vet once a year, I don’t see it as a big inconvenience.
which is precisely why I hate the commercial! It makes it seem like it’s this HUGE inconvenience to take your pet to the vet, but it’s really not all that bad - they just exaggerate it so much.
I don’t have to take my dog with me if I am just picking up more medicine anyway, unless they want to weigh her. I also checked their prices and it’s cheaper to get them from my vet. I’m not sure who they are comparing their prices with to claim big savings.
I can theoretically see an advantage to getting refillable medicine through the mail like Frontline or something, but not from them.
I guess it depends what your pet is on. Our golden is on an antidepressant, and the vet here doesn’t sell generics, and the name brand is unbelievably expensive. We get him the generic from PetMeds for quite a bit less.
The thing that cranks me about these commercials is, as someone else mentioned, that I prefer to buy meds from my vet and support his business, since he’s the one who helps keep our critters happy and healthy. That’s worth a few extra bucks in my book.
And yes, some meds you can just pick up sans dog. Plus our vet is only a few miles down the road, so it’s a pretty quick trip.
I can just pick up the flea/worm pills after I call them in – I think this is pretty standard with vets. Of course I had to take my animals in to get the Rx and I have to take them every two years for shots but thats a good thing right? What an inconvienence to have to go all the way to the vet twice a year sniff.
And let’s not forget the uncontrolable Golden Retriever that inflicts massive internal injuries on his poor, helpless master as she struggles to get him into the car.
And yeah, if you can order your meds online, why would you need to take your pet to the vet to pick them up?
Most of the vets in my area have become VCA corporate chains, so I wouldn’t mind buying from PetMeds.com. The problem, as mentioned by most others is that PM.com ISN’T cheaper, and either is dead even or more expensive in most cases.
What chaps my ass about the whole thing is that a few years back, Merial (the makers of Frontline) sent my old office a notice saying that Frontline was only to be sold by a licensed veterinarian. If we were contacted by PetMed or any other pet pharmacy about buying stocks of Frontline, we were to call Merial immediately with the contact information. Between that and the stories I’ve heard about them dispensing heartworm preventative without a negative test on file (giving preventative to a heartworm positive dog can be fatal), I wouldn’t buy a bag of kibble from those folks. I’d be afraid it was black market or would kill my dog.
It also pisses me off because they make such a big deal out of the inconvenience of getting flea preventative or heartworm preventative. If your pet is full-grown and at a stable weight, you can buy a year’s worth of both at your annual checkup/vaccination visit. You know, when you’re already at the vet anyway. A twelve-pack of Heartgard is cheaper than two six-packs, anyway, and they’re usually running a $5 rebate offer on the 12-packs. If your pet is still growing or has an unstable weight, then you need to weigh it, and the easiest way is usually to bring the critter along. Of course, if we can’t accurately dispense the meds without a current weight, neither can PetMeds.
Oh, and most vets are happy to ship your regular meds to you if you’ll pay for the postage, just like PetMeds. Depending on how busy it is, we might have to wait until the next day’s pickup to get it out, but it should be in your hands within 3-4 business days at most. I don’t know what PM’s turnaround time is, but I doubt it’s much better.
Queenie hasn’t ever taken my 95 pound “I aint afraid of ANYTHING! Except the god damned truck” shepard/husky to the vet. Yeah, I just love doing 50 down the highway when he decides he needs in my lap!
Um so I give this rant a 1.0 for really, really stupid.
Rusty is on drugs because of what I think in a human would be a bad case of generalized anxiety disorder plus severe storm phobia. This is a dog that once took out a bedroom door in a panic. He has…issues.
He’s doing well these days, and is a delightful creature, except at 4 AM when a storm comes in and he gets scared. Even then he’s better than he used to be. But if it wasn’t for the drugs, I don’t think he could have anything resembling a normal life.
He’s probably a puppy mill product. He came to us from a golden rescue org, after being picked up off the street.
Am I mistaken or don’t we have to take the pets to the vet no matter what to get the prescription? That’s what bugs me about those commercials, they imply that we can skip the vet visit.
I also priced an expensive prescription drug for my dog on pet meds and it was no bargain. I found really good prices at www.internetvets.com . My deceased dog, may she rest in peace , had a 70.00 dollar per month prescription at the cheapest price. It would have been more like 120.00 at pet meds.
Before we figured out that sleeping in the basement with her ( there is a superbly comfy couch down there) we use to use Valerian Root to calm her Doppler Dog Radar.
My dog, however, goes absolutely berserk every time I have car keys in my hands.
From late Oct - April she rides in my passenger seat. If I don’t take her with me I get big fat cow eyes from her and a huge dose of guilt.
Going to the vets is never a problem for us.
The only thing I like about the Petmed commerical, and this is vain, is that the woman who is “right” is a brunette. The stuck in traffic and blood pressure up to here chick is a blonde. Serves her right.
We have three dogs, all in the Extra Large Jumbo SuperSaver size. NOBODY goes in our back yard without asking politely first.
They’re a pain to take to the vet, because my husband and daughter won’t work with them enough to get them to mind properly (I’m allergic to dogs, so I can’t), but I’d still rather have a vet take a good look at them before dispensing most medications.
On refills and such, our vet is quite accommadating, and will allow us to pick up the prescriptions without bringing the animal in, as long as we answer a few questions. Mostly, though, we WILL bring the animals in…a vet can see little problems that we haven’t noticed before they become big problems.
, had a 70.00 dollar per month prescription at the cheapest price. It would have been more like 120.00 at pet meds.
