Our policy, in regards to prescription medications and diets follow Federal and Florida State pharmacy laws in the following manner:
- Physical examination is required for all prescription medication and prescription diets. Florida State Law requires a Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) exist before any medication or diet is prescribed, and this relationship can only be established with the physical examination of the patient by a veterinarian, consultation with the family, and the documentation of such examination and consultation within the patient’s medical records.
- Yearly or bi-yearly physical examination is required for prescription medication and prescription diet continuation. Any pets with chronic illness that are on long term pharmaceutical or nutritional management require once to twice a year health exams to determine if their condition is being managed to the satisfaction of the veterinarian, family, and general well-being of the pet. Certain diagnostic tests such as blood work or urinalysis will be required for the continuation of any long-term therapeutic medications and diets.
- Follow-up examination is required for continued medication and diet dispensing. Any pet that has a medical condition will require follow-up examination with the veterinarian to continue any course of treatment that was prescribed, or to pursue alternate forms of therapy. Failure to schedule and appear for follow-up examinations will result in the necessity of full exam fees being charged for future visits, even if it is “the same thing that happened before.”
- West Villages Animal Clinic will not provide returns, refunds, credits, exchanges, or any other form of compensation for any dispensed prescription medications. Over the counter, unopened, non-perishable merchandise may be returned within 14 calendar days with an original receipt. Prescription medication is legally prohibited from being resold in the state of Florida. Therefore, all prescription medication is non-refundable.
- Drug disposal. Families who have prescription medications for their pets they find they no longer need should dispose of those medications in a manner that prevents them from being obtained by children or pets. West Villages Animal Clinic encourages clients proper disposal of their pet’s unused prescription medications. Permanent drop boxes locations are located at:
- North Port Public Safety building M-Th 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.19955 Preto Boulevard.
- North Port Police Department lobby 24/7 at 4980 City Hall Blvd
Sharps can be dropped off at any fire station in the City of North Port.
Click Here For Drug Disposal Information
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West Villages Animal Clinic has a fully stocked pharmacy, plus several online trusted pharmacies. Our online pharmacies include Pro Plan Vet Direct, Hills to Home, VRS Health, and VetSource. The links to these pharmacy options can be found on the upper left corner of our website homepage. All prescriptions purchased from our pharmacies are FULLY manufacturer warranted and guaranteed. We make every effort to price our prescription products competitively, and often for less after rebates and specials, than many online pharmacies. Notice of 24-48 business hours is required for refills.
We are aware of the many options available for pet prescriptions. In the event you wish to purchase from a third-party pharmacy, we ask that you read our pharmacy policy. We will provide a written prescription upon request, provided that we have recently examined your pet, that its required tests are current, and that the particular medication or product requested is appropriate based on the weight and health of the animal. The timeframe of "recent examination" and "current" test is at the doctor's discretion but will never exceed more than one year from your pet's last annual examination and last negative/normal test.
The written prescription will be provided directly to you within 1-2 business days of your request. You may request to pick it up directly from the clinic or ask to have it mailed to your home address. We do not charge a fee for writing prescriptions for our patients. If you would like the written prescription mailed to your home address, there is a $5 shipping & handling fee. Prescriptions will be available for pick-up at our office during regular business hours, within two business days of your request.
If you choose to use an internet or outside pharmacy to obtain your pet's medications, you should mail the original written prescription to the pharmacy. We do not respond to fax, email or telephone calls requesting prescription authorizations from any online or outside pharmacies. Special security features of our written prescriptions prevent any attempt to fax, copy or scan them by causing "VOID" to appear across the copied prescription, thus invalidating it. Carefully select your outside pharmacy. Unfortunately, due to unethical practices and consistent medication errors made at several online/outside pharmacies, West Villages Animal Clinic has created this policy. The purpose of this policy is to ensure the health and safety of your pet and thus will not be deviated away from under any circumstances.
Click Here For Warnings From FDA and EPA Regarding Internet Pharmacies
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West Villages Animal Clinic strives to price medications and food comparatively to other merchants. In the event a price is different, we do not price match our in-clinic prices of any medication or diet with the prices of any outside pharmacies. Families who wish to purchase medications from our clinic or our Vetsource Online Pharmacy may do so at our in-clinic and online pharmacy prices.
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Just like a human medical doctor hands you a prescription paper for your medication, we will gladly provide such a prescription paper for your pet that you are welcome to submit to the pharmacy of your choice. You will be responsible for completing the submission process in accordance with the pharmacy you choose.
If you are submitting your written prescription to a local pharmacy, be advised that not all veterinary medications are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for human use, and your local pharmacy may not carry the medication your pet needs if it does not have an equivalent FDA approved human form or strength. While we will attempt to work with your local pharmacy to provide your pet with the best options available to them, the best option may still be a veterinary-specific medication not available at a local pharmacy or in a generic form. Call us first, if your pharmacist is recommending any substitutions or alternative medications from the one that was prescribed, because not all human medications are safe and effective for pets, and the dosing is not the same in pets as in humans.
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If you take a written prescription then decide to have that medication filled at our in-clinic or online pharmacy, we require you return and submit that written prescription back to our office in order for us to fill it. [In other words, once a written prescription leaves our hospital without being filled, we are no longer a prescribing hospital, but become a pharmacy under the law. And, as with any other pharmacy, we are required by law to have you submit a written prescription to us in order for us to fill the medication, whether it be through our in-clinic pharmacy or our online pharmacy. We do this because certain medications (e.g., heartworm preventatives, controlled substances) can only be dispensed in certain quantities at a time, and if we dispense those medications while there is still a valid written prescription “floating out there,” then we have violated the quantity restrictions on that medication.]
We look forward to working with you to provide your pet with comprehensive care.
Please call us at 941-202-6750 if you have any questions regarding prescriptions for your pet.
