Clark Howard

5 Best Places To Buy Pet Medicines

By Ruthe Hall
By Ruthe Hall

Americans are spending more and more on pets each year. While pet food is the top expense, vet care and pet meds are numbers two and three on the list of pet-related expenses. In fact, more than $31.5 billion dollars was spent on pet supplies and over-the-counter medications in 2022.

If you’re looking to keep the cost of medications down and the quality of service up when it comes to your pet medications, we’ve got you covered!

Whether your pet is furry, furless, or feathery, there are lots of great options for getting good deals on medications. This article lists some of the best places to buy pet medications, including:

5 Best Places To Buy Pet Medicines

Our number one spot is money expert Clark Howard's top choice, but every other place is listed in no particular order. Take a look at the five best places to buy pet medicines. For this list, I looked at medication prices, customer service (including customer satisfaction and the process for adding/transferring prescriptions), shipping costs, and available deals.

1. Costco

It's no secret that we're big fans of Costco here at Team Clark. And when it comes to pet medications, Costco has done it again! Clark says:

“Costco is the best deal that exists on pet meds…pet medications tend to be marked up — potentially even more than human meds are — and so Costco has adopted this as a new niche. They sell pet meds at a big, big discount to what you’re usually paying.”

“Most Costcos now have a big sign behind the pharmacy: ‘We fill pet meds,’” Clark explains. The company offers deals on pet medications as part of its Member Prescription Program. If you’re a Costco member, then you have access to all the benefits of their pet pharmacy.

Costco has an online search tool for you to preview their medication offerings. Some prescriptions can be shipped to you as part of their prescription home delivery program. And you might be able to get discounts at pharmacies other than Costco — if they participate in the Costco Member Prescription Program — by showing your Costco card.

But here’s a tip: Call your local pharmacy to get final pricing. You might find that deals are better in-store than online for some medications.

2. Chewy

When it comes to pet medication selection — and really pet supplies in general — you can't beat Chewy! The company sells and ships all types of pet products. Under their Healthcare Chewy section, you can get great deals on pet prescriptions and meds. Chewy also has a compounding pharmacy if your pet needs special compounded prescription medications.

As a bonus, the company usually has first-time deals (ex: first pharmacy order, first autoship order, etc.), anywhere from 20-35% off your order. To get free shipping, you’ll need to meet a minimum spending requirement though.

3. Sam’s Club

Sam's Club wants you to know — when it comes to pets — "your pharmacy is their pharmacy." The warehouse club will take your pet's prescriptions in their pharmacy. Or, you can also have one of their pharmacists reach out to your vet for you.

Some of the pet medications that Sam's Club offers discounts on include:

  • Apoquel
  • Atopica
  • Bravecto
  • Carprieve
  • Cerenia
  • Galliprant
  • Heartguard Plus
  • Interceptor Plus
  • Revolution Plus
  • Rimadyl
  • Sentinel Spectrum
  • Simparica Trio
  • Thyro Tabs
  • Trifexis
  • Truprofen
  • Vetmedin

To find out exactly how much you’ll save on pet prescriptions, you might need to call or visit your local Sam’s Club pharmacy. Although they say you can perform a Sam’s Club drug search to see savings, I wasn’t able to see any pet meds using their tool.

4. PetCo

PetCo is the second-largest pet supply company in the country. And while there are more than 1,500 brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S., you don't need to go in store to get your pet meds at a good rate.

PetCo has teamed up with Vetsource to deliver pet meds to customers. Using their online pharmacy makes it easy to manage medications. You can keep track of refills, set up automatic deliveries on repeat medications, and get rewards added to your PetCo account.

5. Amazon

You won't be able to fill pet prescriptions on Amazon, but the retailer offers a wide selection of non-prescription/over-the-counter (OTC) medications and pet products.

From the Amazon Pets page, you can choose the type of pet you’re shopping for first. This includes dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, horses and more! Then you can shop by category. If you’re looking for medications, choose “Health Supplies.” Otherwise, you can also shop for food, treats, toys, furniture and much more — typically at great prices.

Other Ways To Save on Pet Medicines

In addition to shopping with some of the companies above, there are a couple more ways you might be able to save money on pet insurance.

First: pet insurance. Often, if your pet is treated for a condition that's covered by your policy, then your insurance will pick up the tab. But don't rush to get pet insurance if you don't already have it. I've written about whether pet insurance is worth it and what companies offer pet insurance. And you can also read why Clark isn't the biggest fan of pet insurance and what he recommends instead.

And if you purchase prescriptions — whether for yourself or your family (including fur babies) — you should become familiar with GoodRx. The company is widely known for its website which is loaded with coupons for many medications and allows you to compare drug prices across pharmacies in your area.

But many people don't realize that GoodRx also can help you find the best deal for pets. In their own words, GoodRx for Pets, "brings together prices from major online pet medication retailers, local pharmacies and other sources to help find you the lowest prices on all your pet medications."

Final Thoughts

The cost of medications can add up quickly. If you’ve got pet prescriptions you need to buy, there are a few ways you can keep costs down.

Shop smart to get the best deal by comparing prices across retailers. And if you have medications that your pet takes regularly, consider bulk orders or subscriptions/auto-delivery for even better deals!

This article was originally published on Clark.com

The post 5 Best Places To Buy Pet Medicines appeared first on Clark Howard.

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