Pets are part of the family and when they get sick, it not only takes a toll on emotions but on finances as well. Being a pet parent, you always want to keep your pets happy and healthy. However, keeping your pet healthy can get very expensive for you in terms of medical care.

The US market for pet medications has grown significantly in the last decade and the growth is reflected in sales of both prescriptions as well as over the counter medications. According to Federal Trade Commission, 65% of the Americans have pets at their home and approx. $7.6 billion were spent on pet’s prescription and OTC medications in 2013. A dramatic raise in sale of medications was observed in the past few years and it’s still expected to grow to $10 billion by the year 2018.

As the price of pet’s medication is rising steadily over the past few years, there are some ways with which you can save money on your pet’s medication. Follow these tips to get discount dog meds.

Tips To Save Money on Pet Medication

1. Don’t fill your prescription with your vet.

Make sure to ask your vet to write a prescription that allows you to buy medications from where ever you want. If in case, they’re not willing to write a prescription for your pet medication, consider finding another vet. Many vets also recommend some services that can help fill prescriptions at lower cost.

2. Consider alternative treatments

All treatments don’t require prescriptions. So if you’re buying medication for a flea treatment, ask your vet about the alternative that would be effective for your pet needs. You’ll find these products at low price as these products are widely available.

3. Ask for human drug equivalent medication

Ask your vet for less expensive human drug equivalent for your pet. There are many less expensive alternative medications that can help you to achieve the same results as expensive animal-only antibiotics. You can make huge savings with this.

4. Use prescription discount cards

Get a Discount Prescription Card to save money on your pet’s medication. This card will offer you a discount up to 70% on your prescription medications. You can easily get these cards from your doctors’, vets, pharmacists and websites.

5. Buy from accredited online pharmacies

If you buy your pet medications online, make sure to buy from an outlet that belongs to Vet-VIPPS accredited pharmacies. The websites that deal with Vet-VIPPS obey all the federal and state licensing requirements and quality assurance.

6. Compare pharmacies to buy medications

Pet drugs are not as heavily regulated as their human counterparts. Depending on the drug, you may be able to find a few generic and less expensive drugs for your pet. You can also visit various drugstores and websites to compare the prices of medications.

Whenever you buy medications for your pets, make sure to arm yourself with proper knowledge by asking your vets about the best possible options that can help your dogs and also help you to save money on the pet medications. Never compromise on the quality of drugs.