Starting March 27, 2023, we will no longer approve prescription requests from outside pharmacies by phone or by fax. This DOES NOT mean you cannot get your pet’s medication from an outside pharmacy. We can provide a written prescription at no charge but you will be responsible for ensuring delivery of the written prescription to the pharmacy of your choosing by mail, email, or in person.

If you would like the convenience of ordering online and getting your pet’s medications delivered directly to you, we have an online pharmacy that works directly with the manufacturer of the medications. We offer competitive pricing with the peace of mind products are coming from a reputable source and are backed by the manufacturer. We offer discounts for first-time and repeat customers. Best of all, purchases made through our online pharmacy are integrated with your pet’s medical records for better insight into their treatment and care. Products for the online pharmacy are packed and shipped through a partnership with Covetrus, the vendor we purchase our hospital products from. The link to our online pharmacy may be found on our website or simply use the following link https://ngpethospital.vetsfirstchoice.com/

So why the change in policy?

• We do not have an adequate working relationship with most internet/mail-order pharmacies, because of the unknown conditions encountered in transport and storage of medications, the unknown source of products, and the uncertain legal status of some pharmacies, it is our hospital policy not to authorize or approve prescription requests sent to us by fax or telephone from internet/mail-order pharmacies any longer.
• Some online pharmacies do not purchase their medications directly from the manufacturer. They are often purchased from 3rd parties with no guarantee of how they have been stored or from where they came.
• Northtown Guardian cannot verify if a pharmacy is FDA compliant or if their products are backed by the manufacturer guarantee.
• We have experienced additional issues with 3rd party pharmacies including:
  • Medications not being dispensed correctly or as directed.
  • Prescriptions approved or denied without our consent.
  • Products arriving in secondary containers, not in the original packaging.
  • Products arriving labeled for use in other countries.
  • Fraudulent products being sold.
• The sheer volume of requests and the staff time required to process these requests is taking our staff away from providing the best care for our patients and clients.

If you choose to utilize the services of an Internet/mail-order pharmacy, we suggest that you check with the California Board of Pharmacy to verify that it has met all of California’s consumer protection requirements, including registration. Some nonresident pharmacies are facing disciplinary action in their home states. You may also want to visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website to obtain information on buying prescription medicines online.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact a member of our management team:
Hospital Manager: Angelise Alexander, RVT
Pharmacy Team: Jill Carter or Renee Moorehouse
Call us: (707) 546-6355