Partner Article

On-line Pharmacy shakes up Pet Medicines market

A nation of animal lovers, we rescue, adopt and open our homes and hearts to a veritable smorgasbord of 24 million creatures great and small. Dogs reign supreme as the preferred pet of choice, with 23% of UK households owning at least one canine, while the purring warmth of a cat has another 19% of the UK population opening the cat-flap to their feline friends.

Rescue case or pedigree animal, owning a pet does come with certain responsibilities. Any new animal should be checked over by a veterinary surgeon to assess the overall health of the animal and identify any problems. This usually involves advice and routine inoculations, and the vet recommending the necessary products for regular health care such as parasite control.

This is when pet ownership can begin to bite financially, as caring owners commit to providing the best possible veterinary health care and maintenance for their animal. Worming, aural and oral hygiene, flea and tick control are all a routine part of that package.

Unfortunately, each prescription issued by the veterinary surgeon has a value that is calculated to ensure the drug manufacturer, wholesaler and dispensing veterinary pharmacy all make a profit. For the pet owner, this means they have to fork out cash to cover a substantial mark-up on the trade price.

DrugsDirect, a licensed and approved online pharmacy regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, offers reassurance to pet owners that they can still do the best by their pets without breaking the bank. DrugsDirect offers prescription and pharmaceutical medicines for pet health at trade prices, and it does this by supplying the prescribed drugs directly from the manufacturer to the pet owner, with zero mark-up.

Routine veterinary prescriptions and health products are expensive enough, but what happens if a beloved pet develops an illness or condition that requires specialist veterinary drugs or therapies? A Petplan Pet Census revealed that a hefty 29% of pet owners have to medicate their pet on a regular basis.

Young animals, as well as old, can unexpectedly present with conditions that necessitate specialist therapeutic medicines; digestive ailments, heart problems, diabetes, cancers, geriatric and arthritic conditions can all require expensive and ongoing veterinary prescription drugs. This can take owners by surprise, and puts many in a difficult position, as they struggle to finance the recommended drug therapy for their friend and companion.

When DrugsDirect customers invest in a Dispensing Card, they can enjoy the benefit of having access to an unlimited range of the necessary veterinary prescription drugs at trade prices. DrugsDirect is offering customers a limited opportunity to take advantage of a symbiotic crowd funding investment with their company. For a nominal fee of £250 for one pet, £350 for two pets, customers enjoy an equity share in DrugsDirect and a Dispensing Card valid for three years. The investment can then be retained, or monies returned, at the end of the three-year period. This represents a potentially colossal saving for pet owners.

Should the drug therapy no longer be required for any reason during the three-year period, the Dispensing Card can be transferred to a friend or charity, free of charge, with full equity retained.

DrugsDirect is affiliated with CrowdCube, the first Financial Services Authorised (FSA) crowdfunding platform to allow investors to become direct shareholders in UK businesses. Click on the link to find out more about this amazing crowd funding opportunity with DrugsDirect http://www.crowdcube.com/investment/drugsdirect-12313
Prescriptions issued by a veterinary surgeon can be presented to any independent pharmacy to be dispensed, and DrugsDirect offers a significant saving for both pet owners and the pet insurance company that may have to cover these costs.

While we all hope that our pet never needs veterinary intervention, DrugsDirect can lighten the financial load for pet owners so they can better afford both routine veterinary prescriptions, and vital drug therapies, to care for their pet when the need arises.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ian Findlay .