Your Vet Refuses a Written Prescription for Chewy? Your Rights Under AVMA & FTC Guidelines
You need Apoquel, NexGard, or Bravecto for your pet. Your vet charges $130, but it's $70 on Chewy or 1-800-PetMeds. When you ask for a written prescription, the clinic says: 'It's our policy not to write scripts for outside pharmacies,' or they try to charge you a $25 'Prescription Fee.' Is this legal? Under the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics, veterinarians are explicitly required to provide a written prescription upon request. Furthermore, the FTC has actively scrutinized these anti-competitive practices, and a growing number of states have laws outright banning vets from refusing scripts or charging fees for them. This investigative guide breaks down the massive markups on in-house pet medications, the exact legal and ethical guidelines protecting your rights, the sneaky waivers clinics use to scare you, and the exact script to use at the checkout counter to get your written prescription.