Online Pharmacies vs. Meds from Veterinarians

I learned something today about veterinarians and online pharmacies that I did not know.  I have always known vets prefer you buy all meds from them, and I even know of one vet that refuses to approve medications for online pharmacies or provide a prescription for same.  Today I found out some vets charge a prescription fee if you want to use an online pharmacy.  I have used 1-800-PetMeds for heartworm prevention and flea & tick topicals for years, and have never had any problem getting prescriptions approved.  Of course, flea and tick medications don’t need prescriptions anymore, but not so long ago they did.  Anyway, today I ordered heartworm prevention for my little dogs, and used the vet my husband took Midget to for her heartworm test.  Not our local vet, but the one we use for dental.  In just a few minutes, I received an e-mail from 1-800-PetMeds saying the vet wanted me to call.  When I did, I was told there was a $13 prescription fee to use an online pharmacy.  And I was going to pay it, but they wouldn’t take American Express and I didn’t have any other credit card handy, which worked out well for me.  After getting off the phone with them, I called my regular vet, told them what happened, and asked if they would approve the prescription if I faxed them all the paperwork.  They prefer we buy meds from them too, but agreed to help immediately.  The lesson here is, don’t assume all vets will work with an online pharmacy, or that the vet who gives shots or does tests has to be the one who approves a prescription.