1. Introduction:

Prescription pet medication costs have skyrocketed over the last several years. The impact on dog rescue is profound. For our charity dog rescue partners, higher medication costs result in lower adoptions and more "owner surrenders".

To help, we searched for solutions and crafted a "system" that allows them to get the medications they need at discounted prices quickly and easily.

We are sharing this system with you, our Mighty-Mighty DRHC, with the hope that you too can provide the excellent medical care your dog deserves without breaking the bank.

As a quick overview, we identified a single company, GoodRX, and 3 steps to follow to save 40% - 83% on your dog's prescription medications as follows:

Step 1: Get prescription from Vet
Step 2: Check to see if it is a medication also used by humans
Step 3: If not, order online

In this mini-course, we take you to the websites and include screen shots that will help you use this simple system to significantly reduce prescription pet medication costs in just a few minutes.

Thank you for everything you do to help make the world a better place for dogs.

Enjoy!

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2. Pet + Human Medications

Many pet prescription medications are also used by humans, just in different dosages and quantities. Great! That means you can use the regular GoodRX site to save 80%+ or more and pick the medication up, usually the same day, at one of over 70,000 locations nationwide. Odds are, there are several locations in your town or city.

Here we are on the home page of GoodRx.com. You can get your medication, price and available pharmacy by using the search bar at the top.

In this case we searched for Tramadol, a pain reliever used for both humans and dogs. 

Hit the "Enter" key and you will see this...

This is a list of pharmacies in the Seattle, WA area that will fill that prescription at the agreed upon price. Just bring your prescription and the discount coupon and BOOM, instant savings.

 

Yes, it is THAT simple!

 

If you want (it is optional), you can set-up an account at GoodRX.com/discount-card and have a prescription discount card mailed to you. This is a good idea if you have a lot of medications and you want to use GoodRX to keep track of everything.

If you enter the prescription medication and don't see what you are looking for, it is likely a pet-only medication. No worries, the next module will show you how to get it and STILL save money.

3. Pet-Only Medications

So you got your prescription from your vet, entered the medication on the GoodRX website and got no results. That means it is likely a pet-only prescription. No worries, you can still save 40% -45% following the simple procedures outlined below:

 

Here we are on the home page of GoodRxForPets.com. You can browse medications on the main navigation by: Pet type, Medication brand and Condition

To save big on pet medications with GoodRx, you must create a new account:
Click or hover on “My Account” and scroll to the bottom and click Sign In.
Fill your personal info on the right-hand column for new customers.

Info to enter: First name, Last name, Email and Password. Then click Create Account.

Your GoodRxForPets account is created. We are now on the “My Account” page. 
Here you can view/edit your account settings: 
Profile info: name, email, phone number, Primary shipping, Primary billing, Make your first order and add account assets to account navigation.

Let’s add your first pet to your account: Click on My Pets.
This is the My Pets page, where you can add and edit your pets. Click Add a Pet.

Create your first pet profile: 
Fill in all required info about your pet, fill in optional pet medical info and then click Create

We’ve just created our first pet and are back on the My Account page. We now need to add our vet! On the same navigation, click on My Vets. This is the My Vets page, where we can add or edit our pets’ veterinarians. Click on Add a Vet.

Here you can search for your vet by either name/state or phone number (Provider name, not clinic name). If your vet does not show up in results, click Add New Vet.

Let’s create a new vet:
Fill in their full name, clinic, city, state, phone, and ZIP code then click Create.

We are now back on the My Account page and we can make our first order by: Shopping by brand, shopping by condition or using the search bar to find a specific medication.

Typing in a medication in the search will automatically populate the results field.We searched Apoquel and we selected Apoquel Chewable

On the medication detail page:
Use the strength dropdown menu to select your prescribed strength
Select your quantity (in number of pills). To get biggest savings, select delivery “Cycle”. Selecting auto-ship gets you the biggest savings on the meds, plus 5% off future shipments and free shipping over $49

You can pause, skip, or change your auto-ship details at any time. We chose 16 mg, at 20 total pills, with a delivery of every 4 weeks. Our cost per pill went from $3.07 to $1.84 (40% savings!)
Click Checkout

On the checkout screen:

Enter your shipping info, if not already populated

Choose your preferred shipping method/speed

Enter your payment info (remember this is every month)

Make sure the correct pet & vet are selected and click Save and Continue

Review & submit your order

Place Order

Congratulations, you are now a RX-Saving Hero!

Check out the last two modules for additional tools and resources and to hear about another pet medical cost saving program we are working on.

4. Additional Resources & Tools

Resources & Tools for Doggo Meds — your treasure trove of helpful links, trusted tools, and handy hacks for managing your pup’s prescriptions like a pro. From vet-approved medication guides to comparison sites and refill reminders, these resources make it easy to keep your furry friend healthy without ruffing up your wallet. Let’s dig in and uncover the best ways to save while giving your dog the care they deserve!

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Getting Picky Pups to Take Pills

It is easiest and most effective to condition your pet to take medication when healthy, before your pet’s appetite may be affected by illness or injury and giving medications is critical. Begin working at mealtime, when your pet is already hungry. Portions of the daily meal may be used for training.

 

Dogs and cats may refuse familiar foods when taste and texture are altered by the addition of tablets, capsules or powders. Adding a textural element helps disguise the presence of medication in a portion of food, as does developing a predictable medicating routine that your pet knows and enjoys. 

Find foods your pet likes 

Make sure they contain no garlic, onions, raisins, or artificial sweetener:
• Cream cheese
• Salmon cream cheese
• Processed/soft cheese
• Bacon-flavored processed cheese
• Processed meat
• Marshmallow creme
• Peanut butter
• Pate-style canned food
• Pill Pockets
• Hot dogs or Vienna sausage
• Mashed potatoes
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Softly scrambled egg
• Tuna fudge
• Whipped cream
• Nutri-Cal paste
 

Practice with a variety of foods. Size matters; the food should be about twice the size of the capsule or tablet. If larger, the medication inside is easier to detect and separate from the food. When practicing with no medication, use pea-sized pieces.

Add Texture

Add crispy or crunchy food to the pea-sized pieces of soft food to disguise the texture of an added medication. Good choices include crushed potato chips, panko, pita chips, dog or cat food, tortilla chips, cheese crackers, cereal crumbs (no raisins), bacon bits, crushed cheese curls, etc. The textural ingredient can be sprinkled over the food, or dipped into/rolled in the additive. 

Tips & Tricks

• For bitter medications like metronidazole, enclose the tablet in an empty gelatin capsule before coating with food. These are available at health food stores and online.

• Some medication can be compounded into chewable form; ask your veterinarian if this is possible.

• Some medications need to be given with a syringe of water to wash them down. Tuna juice, coconut milk or meat broth is a great substitute for water. Your veterinarian will instruct you if the medication your pet is taking requires this.

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💊 Generic Meds: The Secret to Smart Savings

When it comes to keeping your pup healthy, brand names aren’t always the only (or best) option. Many top dog prescriptions have generic equivalents that work exactly the same — same ingredients, same strength, same tail-wagging results — but at a fraction of the cost! 

Download the generic meds list below.

DOWNLOAD MEDS LIST
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Pet Medication Schedule

This handy downloadable PDF keeps all your doggo’s important info in one easy place, from vet contacts and health notes to daily meds and refill reminders. It’s the paw-fect way to stay organized, never miss a dose, and keep your fur-baby feeling their best every single day.
Download the  Medication Schedule below.

DOWNLOAD MED SCHEDULE