Friendly Reminder: New Prescription Protocol

As a reminder, our online pharmacy offers the same trusted products you can find at our hospital, plus even more! Every purchase you make through our online store is guaranteed to be safe, effective, and tailored to your pet’s health and happiness.

Recently, we made a small change to our prescription process: As of March 1 2025, we no longer authorize prescription requests from online pharmacies other than our own.

If you prefer using another pharmacy, no worries! We’re happy to provide you with a written prescription that you can submit to your preferred service at your convenience.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out to us at 503-648-1643. We’re here to help and ensure your pet receives the care they need.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support. We appreciate you and your dedication to your pet’s well-being!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get my pet’s prescription if I want to fill it at another pharmacy (ex: Costco, Walgreens, Chewy, etc)? Please contact us via email, or text/call us at 503-648-1643 and leave a voicemail by selecting the prescription refill option. We’ll have your pet’s veterinarian create and sign a written prescription for you to pick up. Please allow 3-5 days for these to be prepared – we’re open 7 days/week but remember, just like you, our doctors need days off! When your pet’s veterinarian is in the office we’ll get your prescription ready and contact you for pickup.

Why can’t you email me a prescription? Oregon law requires an original ink signature on prescriptions – a quick Google search can point you to a summary of the statutes or visit the Oregon Board of Pharmacy Laws & Rules or Newsletter for complete information. In addition, we have been working with Chewy during this change and their pharmacists also strongly prefer written physical prescriptions to reduce the chance of duplicate or fraudulent prescriptions.

Why can’t you just call in prescriptions for me? Our Client Service Team are routinely spending up to 30 minutes calling in a single prescription to outside pharmacies – that 30 minutes multiplied by the thousands of patients we see each month has tied up our team’s time and made us unavailable to help you in hospital or by answering calls/texts/emails. We’re all frustrated – us because we want help you and your pet, and you because we can’t answer phones or address other communications quickly – this change will allow us to improve our responsiveness and client service.

Why are Frontier’s prices higher than big box store pharmacies? We understand that costs are an important consideration for pet owners and wish we could compete with these retailers! Unfortunately, we simply cannot buy medications in the large quantities that offer the cost savings big box, commercial pharmacies or online retailers are able to pass along to customers. 

Some context on costs and competitors:

We know we can’t compete with retail chains and big box stores, and it’s important to remember that these companies are in the business of making money and do not provide health care for your pet like we do! Many retailers use low pharmacy prices as a way to attract customers who will make other purchases while in store picking up prescriptions. Yes, we are a business too, but our recipe for success is different – we need to be financially healthy to afford the continuing education and equipment that allow us to provide the highest quality patient and client care, AND we must pay our team a living wage. Frontier, and veterinary medicine as a profession, have long struggled with losing valuable team members to other industries because of burnout due to low wages paired with the high physical and emotional demands of this work. And without a team we can’t care for your pets! We hope you choose to support us if you can – we’re the people you and your pet know in real life, we’re all pet owners with the same concerns as you (yes, we pay for services too – that’s why most of us have pet insurance!), and we live and work alongside you in our wonderful PNW community.

Does Frontier have an online pharmacy? Yes! Our online pharmacy offers the same trusted products you can find at our hospital, plus even more! We guarantee that everything you purchase through our online store is safe and effective for your pet’s health and happiness. Unlike other online stores, our products are never counterfeit, expired, or improperly labeled, stored, or shipped. This ensures your pet’s safety and well-being, preventing the risk of toxic products, ineffective medications, and preventable diseases. We’ve recently updated our website to make requesting refills fast and easy – see below for where to look!