We understand our clients may want to purchase medications from online retailers or outside pharmacies instead of directly from us. To assist you in making the most informed decision for your pet, we recommend that you purchase products from a properly accredited and certified veterinary pharmacy.

Fern Hill Vet Care will not process orders for medications or preventatives sent directly to us (via phone or fax) from online suppliers or from outside pharmacies (with the exception of compounding pharmacies for a specific medication formulation).

We absolutely support our clients’ choice to choose where they obtain their pet’s medications and are happy to accommodate a request to do so. Clients who opt to obtain their pet’s medication through these avenues will simply need to ask for a written prescription. We recommend obtaining a prescription at the time of your appointment. Alternatively, we can email you a prescription.

Why did we institute this policy?

Unfortunately, we do not have the staff to process calls and faxes for outside prescriptions while still providing excellent care for you and your pets.

It takes a significant amount of time to review medical records, ensure proper documentation of the medication request, and call/fax in the prescription. We could raise our fees across the board or charge a fee for the time it takes to manage outside prescription requests, but instead have chosen to streamline this process in a way that makes sense for our workflow and staff resources.

We also feel that it is better medicine to have written documentation of any prescription that is filled outside of our hospital. There are more prescription errors when relaying information over the phone. Again, we would be happy to provide you with a written prescription if you wish to use an outside pharmacy or online retailer. Just let us know!

Finally, we understand that cost is a big reason that our clients purchase from outside pharmacies and online retailers. We do our very best to make our medications and preventatives affordable, but the reality is that most large online pharmacies sell their products for less than we can purchase from our distributors. Most importantly, by purchasing directly from our hospital and from our online store, you are supporting our local business here in Portland. The warehouse for our supplier, Vetsource, is also located in Portland. Rather than send your dollars off to a large corporation, we would hope that you would choose to support our small business and shop locally.

We would like to encourage our clients to order medications and preventatives directly from us through direct purchase at our hospital or from our own online store through Vetsource. Because our online store is part of our clinic infrastructure, you will not need a written prescription if you order this way. Our hospital and online store’s supply chain is 100% secure. From the time the medication you order is manufactured all the way to when you are going to give it to your pet, it has been handled, stored, and packaged in compliance with manufacturer guidelines. The product you receive is guaranteed to be the name-brand medication in the proper dosage and packaging. Medications purchased directly from us and our online store are guaranteed by the product’s manufacturer and, most importantly, by us, your pet’s veterinarian.

Please note that a valid Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship (VCPR) is required by Oregon law in order to authorize all prescriptions.

According to the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association, a VCPR exists when the following conditions are met:

• The veterinarian must have sufficient knowledge of the animal to initiate at least a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical condition of the animal.

• This means that the veterinarian has seen the animal within the last year and is personally acquainted with the care of the animal by virtue of a physical examination of the animal or by medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animal is kept.

A VCPR must be in place for a veterinarian to be able to legally provide treatment, prescribe medications, or administer vaccines to an animal.

If you have any further questions about our policy, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for trusting us with your pet’s medical care!