Pet medications

I keep seeing a ad on TV about an 800 # where you can get pet medications cheaper than at the vets (as in flea meds etc) They say they are the the SAME....does anyone know if that is true?
I`ve heard before that it is NOT a good idea to buy these type of things from a pet store, because they are not the same as what you get from a vet.
Just wondering???????????????
Thanks to anyone who knows for sure!
Linda

It's 1-800 pet meds. I've compared their prices to those from my vet and once you add shipping to the cost, my vet's rates are less expensive. I've never bought from them, so have never had the chance to compare ingredients against what I get from my vet. They do sell brand names, so one would hope they would be the same. The problem with over the counter meds is that they are not the same active ingredients that you would get from a vet.

What Momofmany said is true. I haven't compared prices myself but what she said doesn't surprise me.

Anything that requires a prescription from your vet would also require a prescription when ordering from the online companies, like 1-800 pet meds. They need a faxed (or phoned in) Rx from a vet to dispense the meds, just like a local pharmacy would.

Some flea meds that we get at the vet actually do not require a prescription, that's why/how they have them available at Petco, etc. I'm talking about things like Frontline and Advantage, NOT the Hartz products or similar "grocery store" type stuff.

Thank you both for the info....and that was the # I was referring to about what I`d seen on TV......don`t know why , but I was thinking they said free shipping....prob just best to go through my vet. I`m suspecting the new kitty may have had fleas after all when we first got him, cause he`s been scratching....and now the other 2 are beginning to...even though i have`nt actually found any on them yet.
Guess I need to wet my white bathroom sink and fluff the cats fur up over it to see if I get any "bleeding flea dirt"
Thanks again!
Linda

I have, also, checked out 1-800-Petmeds and their prices are not at all less than my vet. Like Beandip mentioned, anything that you get from your vet that requires a prescription, will need a prescription to order. I get my Frontline Plus for our dogs from PetEdge. I've found their prices to be the most competitive, but I always place a large order of things, so it's not too bad with the shipping. I still go through my vet for Interceptor (for the dogs) and Revolution (for the cats) , though.

I've also used 1-800-PetMeds and found it much cheaper than my vet's office. Yes, they're the same medicines, and the Web site requires that you submit a vet's prescription just as you would anywhere else. (Purchases there are covered by my pet insurance company, Petcare, though they don't reimburse for shipping and handling.) My vet said that it's fine to order medications from that and similar sites.

They often have specials of free shipping if you spend a certain amount ($39, usually).

Cosequin is a non-prescription product. In my limited experience, the non-prescription products are considerably cheaper online, but the prescription ones aren't.

That's not been my experience. I get 100 pills of my cat's prescription heart medication for the same price the vet charges me for 20.

I've checked out their website, and haven't found where they are any cheaper than my vet. Well, I think one thing was like $2 less on the website, BUT considering in the cost of shipping... it would be a lot cheaper to just go to my vet and get it.