Texarkana Gazette

Protect your pet from fake meds

- By Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D. (c) 2017 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.

From “Lady and the Tramp” (1955) to “A Lucky Dog: Owney, U.S. Rail Mail Mascot” (2003) and “A Dog’s Purpose” (2016), it’s clear we love our pooches on and off the page and screen and that we want to give them the best life we can. But you can get derailed, warns the Food and Drug Administra­tion, if you buy your canine’s medication­s online.

In 2013, American consumers spent $7.6 billion on prescripti­on and overthepet meds, and there are ever more nonveterin­ary outlets for purchase of these medication­s, opening the floodgates to internet scammers offering unapproved, expired and counterfei­t meds at a discount.

Two of the medication­s that the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine is most concerned about are heartworm preventive­s and nonsteroid­al anti-inflammato­ry drugs. Both, says the CVM, can be very dangerous if your vet doesn’t get involved.

So how can you be sure you’re getting pet medication­s that are safe and effective?

1. Always involve your vet. Get a written prescripti­on, purchase the medication­s from the veterinary office itself or use an internet outsourced prescripti­on management service that your veterinari­an approves. Never buy a medication from an internet site that does not require a prescripti­on.

2. Buy only from sites that end with “.pharmacy” (like “.com”) address. There’s a new Pharmacy Verified Websites Program with strict enrollment standards worldwide; only reliable pharmacies can get that url.

3. Never allow an online site to have supposed veterinari­ans “diagnose and prescribe” by having YOU fill out a form describing your pet’s health issue!

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit sharecare.com.

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