Getting medication for your sick pet can be very costly. Surely, if there were any cheaper alternative to getting the needed medicine for your pet, you would take it. The fact is that there are ways to get cheaper – sometimes free – medicines for your sick pet: donated pet medications. This article discusses some hints and tips that you can use when scouting for donated pet medications.
Suppose your pet has been diagnosed with an illness that requires you to buy medication costing you a hefty sum. If you have enough funds, this should not be a big problem. But, if your cash is low, you would want less expensive or free medication. The first person who can assist you is your pet’s veterinarian.
Just like physicians, veterinarians also receive free samples of these pet medications from drug companies. If your veterinarian still has stocks of the sample medication that your pet needs, politely ask for some. Your veterinarian will most likely give you enough, especially if you can politely explain that you come from the low-income bracket.
Ask the veterinarian for the name of the pharmaceutical company that produces your pet’s medication. Check the medicine’s packaging for the company’s contact information (e.g., address and phone numbers) and take note of it. Ask your veterinarian for the generic name of the medication, too, and look up the drug companies that manufacture that particular drug. You can communicate with the drug companies and request for donations of the medication that your pet needs.
Drug companies usually turn down general requests for donations from individual pet owners. But, you can persuade them to heed your request if you can justify that you are incapable of buying the expensive medicine for your pet. The strongest supporting document that can justify your request for free donated medication for your pet is the financial statement. Your latest tax return document should be sufficient. Prepare photocopies of this document. You will be attaching a copy to your request letters.
Write a persuasive letter addressed to each drug manufacturer that produces your pet’s medication. Explain the condition of your pet and the reason why the drug is necessary. Include the contact information of your veterinarian so that the company can verify from the doctor. Attach a copy of your financial statement and the prescription’s photocopy from your veterinarian.
If your veterinarian is willing, ask her or him for an endorsement letter. Most veterinarians are willing to help you with an endorsement letter, especially if your veterinarian knows and understands your economic condition. Attach your veterinarian’s endorsement letter to your letter of request. Or, if your veterinarian is willing to walk the extra mile, he or she can make the request on your behalf. Nonetheless, you will still provide your veterinarian your financial statement, among other supporting documents that he or she might ask from you. Drug manufacturers are more likely to donate to veterinary offices than to individual pet owners. Follow up on your requests about a week after sending the letters.
If your request for medication donations does get approved, remember to send a thank you letter to the drug companies and to your veterinarian. Let them know how much you appreciate their help.
Obtaining donated pet medications is not hard to do, but you need to be persistent despite some turndowns. If you are persistent and patient enough, you will eventually receive donations from kind-hearted companies.