(831) 659-2286
Due to the high volume of outside pharmacy requests received daily, we are making some changes to the processing of requests through outside online pharmacies.
Effective March 15, 2023, we will no longer approve prescription requests from outside pharmacies by phone, fax or email. As a small business, we do our best to keep our costs as competitive as we can and will be offering comparable pricing to other home delivery pharmacy providers, both in-office and online.
We absolutely support your choice to choose where you obtain your pet’s medications. If you choose to obtain your pet’s medications through an outside pharmacy, you can simply pick up a written prescription at the clinic and you will be responsible for ensuring delivery of the written prescription to the pharmacy of your choosing by mail or in person. 2-3 business days are required for these requests, please!
So why the change in policy?
Some online pharmacies do not purchase their medications directly from the manufacturer. They are often purchased from 3rd parties with no guarantee of how they have been stored or where they came from. Carmel Valley Veterinary Hospital cannot verify if a pharmacy is FDA compliant or if their products are backed by the manufacturer.
Additionally, we have experienced some issues with 3rd party pharmacies including:
-Medications not being dispensed correctly or as directed
-Prescriptions approved or denied without our consent
-Products arriving in secondary containers, not in the original packaging
-Products arriving labeled for use in other countries
-Fraudulent products being sold
Most importantly, the sheer volume of requests and the staff time to deal with these issues is taking our staff away from providing the best care possible for our patients and clients.
All purchases made through our online pharmacy are integrated with your pet’s medical records for better insight into their treatment and care. These products are packed and shipped through a partnership with Covetrus. The link to our online pharmacy may be found on our website and below.
https://carmelvalleyvh.vetsfirstchoice.com/
What should I do now?
Depending on how you would like your prescription filled, the following options are available to ensure your pet’s medications are filled in a timely manner:
https://carmelvalleyvh.vetsfirstchoice.com/
Carmel Valley Veterinary Hospital contact information:
Phone: 831-659-2286
Email: mail@carmelvalleyvet.com
If you have any questions regarding this policy, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for trusting us with your pet’s care; it’s a privilege.
Sincerely,
Carmel Valley Veterinary Hospital Doctors and Staff