Why getting your pet’s prescription filled at a pharmacy isn’t an easy option in Canada – CBC

CBC/Radio-Canada investigation finds some in industry work to limit supply of pet meds

Jan 24, 2025

With three dogs, Anna Mikicinki sees her pets’ medical bills add up quickly. She figured out a way to cut costs, but it involved shopping for pet medications on the other side of the world.

Mikicinki went online and found the Australian manufacturer of the NexGard flea, tick, heartworm and parasite medications she gives her Australian shepherd and two Pomeranians. Buying directly helped her save almost 70 per cent, she said.

“In Canada, a nine-month supply would cost me around $1,170 Canadian. From Australia, a nine-month supply costs me $366,” she told The Fifth Estate via email.

But this year, the company stopped selling directly to Canada, leaving Mikicinki to find a workaround.

“I have to have them sent to a friend in Australia who sends them to me now,” said Mikicinki, who lives in Dorchester, Ont., near London.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pet-medications-veterinarians-regulators-distributors-1.7438620