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| Popular Flea and Tick Products Going OTC Posted: 15 Feb 2010 07:10 AM PST
That's a big deal for consumers and not so good news for the veterinary community. Let me explain. Up until now you had to go to the veterinary clinic to get these insecticides. Vets make a considerable portion of their income in areas where fleas are a problem, especially those areas where fleas are a problem year round. You can imagine how this might have an impact on a veterinary clinic in Florida, for instance. This is kind of a hard one for me. I can see how my colleagues would be upset. This will have a significant impact on many small animal practitioners. But I can also see the other side considering that I'm now an animal health consumer with Miles to think about. It can be less convenient to go to the vet clinic to buy things and it will probably be cheaper to purchase these products at pet stores. By selling directly to an outfit like PetSmart, Bayer is cutting out the middle man, namely the distributor of veterinary products. Veterinary distributors buy directly from manufacturers at one price and then sell to veterinarians at another price, pocketing the difference to run their business. This works for the manufacturer because they now have say, 10 big customers: the distributors, instead of 25,000 small customers: the veterinary clinics. Logistically that's a much more efficient model. By cutting out both the veterinary distributor and the veterinarian, Bayer can now sell to big pet store chains directly pocketing some of the margin they previously gave to the distributor and the vet. In the end they come out smelling like a rose. If I had Bayer stock I'd probably be happy about this. The problem they may encounter is that veterinarians may stop selling their products altogether. I'm sure Bayer has planned for this scenario and they have made the calculation that they'll make more money going direct. Veterinarians are naturally upset. They can't compete with big pet store chains on price. They have to charge more for products because the distributor model means they pay a higher wholesale cost. It's not that they want to price gouge clients, it's that they pay more for stuff than big retailers and they have a business to run, too. Vets are also concerned about the potential for misuse of these products. if you look at the statement on the AVMA web site that seems to be their biggest worry. If you give a small dog the wrong dose you can end up with a serious problem and even the potential for death. Same thing happens if you give dog products to cats. Read the instructions very carefully! I guess my feeling is that vets should focus more on medicine and surgery than product sales. After all we didn't go to school for eight long years to be merchants (not that there's anything wrong with that). With all the new diagnostic tools and procedures we have at our disposal we should have more than enough to do providing the best care possible. I think many of my colleagues feel the same way and have been moving in that direction for several years. So this is good news for pet owners and, in the short term, a problem for veterinarians. I'd encourage pet owners to still seek and follow flea and tick control advice from veterinarians. They are obviously more prepared to do that than some high school kid working in a pet store. You will still be able to buy Bayer products at vet clinics if the vets choose to carry them. There are advances in insecticides every year and veterinarians will always have the latest and greatest. For instance, Summit Pharmaceuticals makes a really effective product called Vectra that you'll be seeing more of now, I'm sure. If you do decide to go OTC just be careful. These products are not like many over the counter drugs and there can be serious consequences for misuse. |
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