Buying Pet Supplies Online – Internet Shopping for Your Furry, Four-Legged Creatures
Online shopping deals and bargains don’t have to stop at clothes and gadgets for the humans in your house. Those furry four-legged creatures in our lives benefit from online shopping deals for pets. Although the numbers and types of pets in my home seems to vary from year to year, right now we have 1 pampered pooch, 2 crazy cats, and a random collection of fish bowls and inhabitants.
Keeping up with my four children, working part-time from home, and all in all being the domestic engineer of our household doesn’t leave me with a lot of time to make sure that our pets get the care they need. Online shopping for pet supplies for these adorable additions to our family has been a time-saver, and money-saver as well.
Three reasons I shop on the internet for my pet’s medication
Pets like dogs and cats require medications like flea and tick preventative and heartworm preventative each month. If you are like many pet owners you take your pet into the vet’s office for a check-up once a year. Purchasing a year’s worth of these preventative care items at one time can be very expensive, and then you need to worry about storing 12 months-worth of supplies as well.
Shopping online for medications like these has important benefits:
- Time Saver – My vet’s office is wonderful, but a 15 minute drive one way in a direction I don’t typically travel. Ordering pet medication online is easy and saves me the scheduling dilemma of not only finding the extra 30 minutes (minimum), but carving that out of my day to meet the office’s business hours.
- Money Saver – My vet’s office matches the lowest price available online, which I have found to be 1-800-Pet-Meds. However, I still have to drive to the clinic to pick up the medication or pay to have the vet’s office ship it to me. The bonus is that with a keen eye and good timing I always seem to have an additional $5.00 off coupon to use as well, bringing the total well below anything physical clinic offices can offer. 1-800-Pet-Meds offers these coupons and percentage off discounts on a regular basis through their website and email subscription list.
- Sanity Saver – I get automated reminders when I need to refill prescriptions, and I can do it within just a few clicks. The convenience of buying medical pet supplies online, combined with the financial savings and the automated reminders when my 3-month supply is running low, all add up to one more thing made easier by online shopping.
What do you need to know about buying medications online for your pet?
There are many over the counter medications available, but those like heartworm preventatives do require a prescription from your pet’s veterinarian. When I visit my vet with my dog I usually just let the technicians know that I will be requesting a faxed prescription to 1-800-Pet-Meds for future medications. When the time comes to order online, I just have to give the online vendor my vet’s contact information and they handle the rest.
Only buy medications from reputable online dealers – your furry friends are too important to risk buying someone’s “not needed” meds for sale on Craigslist. Also beware of generic brands – always just check with your pet’s veterinarian to make sure that the generic substitution will be an appropriate choice.
Beware of shipping prices for heavier items
Buying anything from pet beds to aquarium rocks online can be convenient and sometimes cost less, but buyer beware! Shipping prices for rocks or cat litter will most of the time override any small-to-medium sized discounts on prices.
Pet sites I recommend
If you’re in the market for some fun pet supplies, check out the online deals at:
- petsmart.com (offer daily deals and things like free shipping on select items)
- Petco.com (5% back with Pals Rewards program)
- Overstock.com (various discounted deals, most often on high end pet supplies)
- 1-800-pet-meds.com (some of the lowest prices on medications)
- Fosters & Smith (have a wide variety of supplies at very reasonable prices)
- Cattoys.com (my sister prefers this site for fun supplies for her cats)
Doggie doors and fences
Home maintenance retailers like Menards.com are great for doggie doors, fences, and even pet strollers. Look for coupons at these sites and check into the possibilities of having your products shipped directly to a store near you to save on shipping costs. You still have to go and pick the item up in person this way, but you save the time wandering the aisles looking for a product that might be out of stock.
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