May 2008

Dear Client and Friend of Richland Animal Hospital,

It is the policy of Richland Animal Hospital that all prescriptions for medications filled by sources other than our hospital pharmacy be certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and is required to be licensed in the State of Michigan.

We take our responsibility to protect the health and welfare of your pets seriously. Richland Animal Hospital understands the importance of protecting your pet with year-round prescriptions for fleas, ticks and heartworms and the value of long-term medications. We also understand that "convenience" of refilling a prescription must be recognized especially in our busy daily lives.

When a prescription refill is requested, the following 5 steps must be completed by our staff:

1. Your pet's medical history must be reviewed by a veterinarian to confirm that your pet is well enough to take the medication. Weak, sick, or older pets should not take certain medications.
   
   
2. A review of your pet's medical record is performed to ensure that tests are current. For example, your pet needs a heartworm test with a negative result before any heartworm prevention can be dispensed. Certain arthritis medications (NSAIDS) require routine blood tests to check liver and kidney function in order to safely prescribe them to your pets.
   
   
3. The record will be confirmed for appropriate dose, how often the medication should be given and the number of refills allowed.
   
   
4. A verification of the pharmacy you are using showing that it is licensed with the state board of pharmacy. Our doctors will only call in a prescription that will be filled by a company with a state pharmacy license.
   
   
5. The prescriptions will need to be recorded in your pet's medical record so we can carefully monitor its interaction with other medications your pet may be taking.

Out of concern for your pet's safety, we will not deal directly with Internet pharmacies. We also will not fill prescriptions received in our office by fax or phone from an outside source. Caution needs to be exercised especially when obtaining prescriptions from an internet pharmacy. Several companies have been disciplined for dispensing products and drugs that these pharmacies obtain from outside of the United States which may not meet the FDA standards for safety and quality, and for violations of state and federal pharmacy laws. If you choose to purchase a prescription through such pharmacies, please be aware of the following risks:

• The drug manufacturer may not guarantee medications.
• Some medications may be foreign drugs that may not have the same quality and purity assurance as the United States does. It is illegal to dispense foreign drugs in the U.S., including foreign versions of U.S. products.
• Some medications may be imitations of approved drugs.
• Selling prescriptions directly to consumers without a veterinarian-client-patient relationship may pose serious health risks to patients.

It is our commitment at Richland Animal Hospital to provide quality medications backed with our guarantee of authenticity. We provide the ability to return a product if there is a negative reaction to a medication by your pet. Internet or other pharmacy sources will rarely allow a return of a prescription medication once you have tampered with it. If your pet has an allergic reaction to a medication purchased from an Internet pharmacy, the question will always remain if the product you gave your pet was indeed the product your pet needed.

It is our goal at Richland Animal Hospital to honor and value the business relationships we have in the Kalamazoo community. In an effort to help the economy of our neighbors and business associates, we strive to avoid Internet Pharmacy relationships.

It is our intention at Richland Animal Hospital to keep the fees involved with prescription medication refills fair and reasonable. As mentioned earlier, the refill of a prescription requires the above 5 steps; in addition to other hidden fees such as Michigan state tax, staffing, maintenance of an inventory, and the actual paperwork to dispense a product.

Our pharmacy is a vital and integral part of our practice. It provides our clients and their pets with the latest technology, convenience, and the right medications - all at a competitive price. Revenue from our pharmacy allows us to purchase the latest equipment and pay for our caring, dedicated staff of professionals.

For your convenience, we offer the following services:

1. A prescription refill request line. This will be a staffed direct-dial phone line with voicemail in our pharmacy or you may also visit our website at www.richlandanimalhospitalpc.com and click into the section called "prescription refill". A technician will answer the phone line, and if a staff member is unavailable, the voicemail can be used to record your order. This voicemail will be checked hourly and the staff member will call to let you know when your pet's medication will be ready for pick-up.
   
   
2. Long term medications when purchased in amounts of 90 or more will be given a 5% discount from the refill price.

If there are any questions regarding your current medication or refill, kindly ask for our practice manager, Amie or a technician to assist you.

Thank you for your attention and understanding,

The Doctors of Richland Animal Hospital

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