Pet Pharmarcy

If you have forgotten or lost your prescription number, please call us at 1-888-260-0801 and we can assist you further with your prescription refill needs.

Making pet medication an easier pill to swallow.

Center Pet seeks to better educate pet owners about the many options available for medicating their pets. We provide pet owners and veterinarians with more choices for pet medication flavors and methods, along with providing valuable insight into how to better care for your pets.

The following information guide is intended to provide a background in pet medication, while highlighting the innovative services and choices we provide.

Rethinking the traditional approach.

The oldest way and the way most veterinarians teach their clients to give a tablet or capsule is by pilling. The owner has to hold the animal down, open its mouth, throw in the (dry) medication, and have the pet swallow it. At Center Pet, we understand how much of a struggle this can be for our customers.

Can you imagine taking an uncoated extra strength Tylenol, popping it in your mouth, and swallowing it dry? Many times, this method is extremely uncomfortable, irritating the esophagus of the animal. A cat has an esophagus the size of the inside of a pen and thus it can take up to 15 minutes for the pill to travel from the mouth to the stomach irritating the esophagus all the way. If the cat or dog is on a maintenance medication, over time this irritation will end up as scar tissue that may impede an animal from eating or breathing correctly, or taking anymore pills. If the problem gets bad enough a balloon dilation is needed to open up the esophagus. This whole process can severely damage the pet/owner bond--as the pet does not understand why the owner who he thinks loves him is trying to hurt him. Some animals get over it and it is only a short term problem; Others don't forget and never trust their owners again.

In the past, pilling pets was the preferred method of medication simply because most pet medications were only available in this form. This is at the core of the breakthrough idea behind Center Pet. We provide pet medications in a variety of flavors and forms that make it easier to medicate your pets, and in turn, make the medications themselves more effective.

Medication options available at Center Pet:

Tablet

Tablets are the traditional method for medicating many animals. At Center Pet, we seek to provide alternatives to this more difficult medication method. Pet owners often try to hide a tablet in a hunk of cheese, meat or other treat. A big animal will sometimes just gobble it up in one bite and never realize that there was medication in the treat. Many don't realize that this can have adverse effects on a pet. Although it's good that the animal is getting the medication, the extra treat could be interfering with the efficacy of the medication. For example, if an owner puts the tablet or capsule in a hunk of cheese the medication (depending on what it is) can be affected because a dairy product coats the stomach and can decrease absorption of the needed medication. In addition, feeding a pet high-fat treats such as meat and cheese, with each medication dose, can adversely affect their nutritional balance.

Capsule

Capsules present many of the same difficulties as tablets, except that, in addition, one risk's the chance of the animal biting directly into the capsule the owner has gone to such great lengths to hide thus releasing all of the really bitter powder inside the capsule, and causing the animal not to swallow the contents. In this event, the owner does not know how much medication was swallowed and how much was spit out. With capsules and tablets, one always risks the chance that the animal will eat the treat and keep the medication in his mouth, which he will spit out as soon as no one is looking.

Some owners will sprinkle the contents of a capsule on their pets food. At Center Pet, we don't recommend this method, as many animals will eat a little, and then, when they realize that their food doesn't taste right, they will stop eating. The owner is left with no idea as to how much medicine the animal actually ingested. In severe cases, the pet might form eating disorders, not wanting to eat because they think their loving owner is trying to trick them and make their food taste bad. This can also ruin the pet/owner "bond." The pet cannot understand why his owner would be doing something that to him seems distasteful and mean.

Flavored liquid and chewtabs

At Center Pet, flavored liquids are among our favorite and preferred method of medication. We offer flavored liquid versions of many pet medications. A flavored liquid can be squirted into the animal's mouth or put on a paper plate so they lick it up, ensuring proper ingestion of a full dose. The animal thinks he/she is getting a treat and the medication is taken in its entirety, with the pet/ owner bond intact. Flavored chew tabs are also a popular option with many medications.

Transdermal Ointments

A transdermal gel or ointment is applied to the skin of an animal; usually to the hairless part of the ear, and is absorbed through the skin to create the same medicinal effect as oral medication. Center Pet offers transdermal forms of many pet medications, it is a wonderful alternative in situations where pets are unable to take medicine through any oral means. Transdermal gels are a fairly new innovation for pets as well as in humans, that is showing great promise. It gives animals once unable to be medicated properly, a chance to take their medication as required without destroying the owner/pet "bond" thus allowing them to recover or maintain good health.

Our site is SSL-secured by VeriSign which uses encryption software therefore your information is safe with us. We will never share, distribute, or sell your personal information. We promise secure, fast and easy ordering options. Orders may also be placed by phone or fax.

To place an order by phone please call toll free 1-888-260-0801. Fax orders can be placed by faxing your order to 202-363-4312.

The following terms may apply to your shipment:

• Center Pet ships every order as quickly as possible. There might be times when we are out of your medication and our customer support representatives will notify customers of any delays.
• The prescription verification process may add one or two business days, depending on your veterinarian, to shipping times.
• We would like to get things to you as soon as possible but occasionally, unforeseen shipping delays arise. We rely on USPS for our shipping and once a package goes out we ask you to be understanding of their terms.
• We ship packages on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only.
• Refrigerated items do not qualify for free shipping and can only be shipped USPS Express (unless otherwise specified by customer).
• Express Service ordered on Thursday should be delivered on Mondays.
• Due to extreme heat or cold weather, suspensions, and other liquids may require additional shipping time.

If you have any further shipping questions, send us an e-mail at shipping@centerpetpharmacy.com or call 1-888-260-0801.

Shipping Charges:

• 5-10 Day USPS Regular (US Only): *Free (Orders over $150.00).
• 5-10 Day USPS Regular (US Only): $6.99 (Orders under $150.00).
• 4-5 Day USPS Priority (US Only): $9.99 + $4.00 per lb over 2 lbs.
• 1.2 Days USPS Express (Continental US Only): $19.99 + $6.00 per lb. over 2 lbs.

In general we offer very competitive prices, even better then the most popular veterinary online pharmacy. We sincerely care about all of our customers and their pets and would like you to feel confident when purchasing from us. If you find the same item elsewhere at a lower price, we will generally meet or beat there price. In order for us to meet or beat there price, the following conditions apply: this must be an identical item from a valid national online pharmacy, just show us the price and we will match it. Price matching?cannot be combined with any Center Pet special offers. Our price match guarantee only covers regular prescription items and doesn't include other sites temporary specials. For more information, or a specific price match request, please e-mail customerservice@centerpetpharmacy.com or contact customer service at 1-888-260-0801. Please include the following information in your e-mail:

• Product name, strength, and quantity
• Competitor's web address
• Competitor's price
• Competitor's shipping price
• Your name, e-mail, and telephone number

We are first and foremost devoted to sincerely seeking what is best for each pet, in consultation with your family and veterinarian. We also affirm that the simple principle of meeting and exceeding the customer?s needs with dignity and respect. We value you as a customer and know we would not be here without you.. At the same time we respect the relationship you have with your veterinarian and will work with his/her staff to make sure you have the best products best suited to help you and your pet.

Customer satisfaction is our top priority! If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may contact us up to 15 days of delivery of your product(s) and we will gladly provide you with instructions on how to return a product for either a refund or store credit. However we cannot accept returns of opened items. If you would like to receive a refund on a credit card purchase, please allow up to 30 days for the credit to appear on your monthly statement. We can refund shipping fees only if the return is a result of our errors. However we do not refund shipping and handling fees otherwise. This includes the original shipping fee and return shipping fees. Please e-mail us customerservice@centerpetpharmacy.com or call us 1-888-260-0801 to request a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number for your return, as this is required for all returns.

Please direct all returns to:

Center Pet
4900 Massachusetts Ave.
NW Washington, DC 20016

And please be sure to include a copy of your original invoice and a short note explaining the reason for your return.

Our store is open Monday thru Friday 9 am-5pm EST. You can reach us via phone: 1-888-260-0801 or fax: 202-363-4312 or you can always email us customerservice@centerpetpharmacy.com.

As a licensed "bricks and mortar" pharmacy that has been in business for 50 years, we only dispense U.S. FDA/ EPA approved medications (the same exact medications sold by your veterinarian). We are members of American College of Apothecaries, American College of Veterinary Pharmacies and we are also members of Pharmacychecker.com. We are not just an online pharmacy we have a free standing pharmacy and we welcome you to visit us at 4900 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, DC where you can meet our Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and support staff.