Yes, GoodRx works for many pet medications. If your vet prescribes a drug that’s also used by humans, such as antibiotics, anti-anxiety medications, or anti-seizure drugs, you can use a standard GoodRx coupon at retail pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart. For pet-only medications like flea preventives or heartworm pills, GoodRx runs a separate service called GoodRx for Pets that offers price comparisons and home delivery.
The savings can be significant. Some medications show modest discounts of a few dollars, while others drop dramatically. An anti-seizure medication that retails for around $267 can fall to roughly $25 with a GoodRx coupon, and a liver support drug priced near $80 can drop below $19. GoodRx advertises savings of up to 80% on pet prescriptions.
How It Works at a Regular Pharmacy
The process is nearly identical to using GoodRx for your own prescriptions, with a few extra steps. First, search for your pet’s medication on GoodRx.com or the app just like you would for a human drug. You’ll see a list of nearby pharmacies with prices for each one.
The key difference: you need a paper prescription from your veterinarian. Ask your vet to write one out rather than filling the medication in-house. That prescription should include your vet’s license number. If the drug is a controlled substance (something like a sedative or certain pain medications), it may also need your vet’s DEA number. Most vets include this automatically, but check before you leave the office.
When you drop the prescription off at the pharmacy, let the pharmacist know it’s for a pet and that you’re paying with a GoodRx coupon. Have the coupon pulled up on your phone or printed out. One detail that catches people off guard: the pharmacist will ask for your pet’s birth date. This is how the pharmacy system identifies the patient. Check your vet’s paperwork ahead of time so you’re not guessing at the counter.
One important heads-up: not every human pharmacy will fill pet prescriptions, even when the medication is identical to what they’d dispense for a person. Call your preferred pharmacy before making the trip to confirm they handle veterinary prescriptions.
Which Medications Qualify
Any medication that exists in both human and veterinary medicine can typically be filled at a retail pharmacy with a GoodRx coupon. Common examples include gabapentin (used for pain and anxiety in dogs and cats), fluoxetine (an antidepressant often prescribed for behavioral issues), trazodone (for situational anxiety), prednisone (a steroid for inflammation and allergies), and cyclosporine (an immune-suppressing drug used for skin conditions). Anti-seizure medications like phenobarbital and levetiracetam also fall into this category and tend to show some of the largest savings.
Medications made exclusively for animals are a different story. Flea and tick preventives, heartworm pills, and veterinary-specific brands like Apoquel (for allergic itch) or Vetmedin (for heart disease) aren’t stocked at CVS or Walgreens. For these, GoodRx offers price comparisons and home delivery through its GoodRx for Pets platform. You can browse prices at goodrxforpets.com and order directly, often at lower prices than what your vet’s office charges. Apoquel chewable tablets, for instance, start around $28 through the service, and latanoprost eye drops can be as low as $5.39.
Getting a Written Prescription From Your Vet
Some pet owners worry their vet won’t provide a written prescription because the clinic prefers to sell medications directly. Under federal law, veterinarians can dispense drugs themselves or issue a written order allowing a pharmacy to fill it. The specifics vary by state, so your vet’s willingness may depend on local regulations and office policy. Most vets will write a prescription if you ask, though some may charge a small fee for doing so.
If your vet seems reluctant, it helps to be straightforward. You’re not questioning their care. You’re simply filling the prescription where it costs less, the same way you might shop around for your own medications.
Other Ways to Save on Pet Medications
GoodRx isn’t the only option. Walmart has long offered a program with hundreds of generic medications available for $4 for a 30-day supply, and many of those generics overlap with common pet prescriptions. Costco’s pharmacy is another strong option, especially since you don’t need a Costco membership to use their pharmacy in most states.
For pet-only drugs, online veterinary pharmacies like Chewy and PetCareRx compete on price and often run promotions. Comparing prices across these platforms alongside GoodRx for Pets gives you the best chance of finding the lowest cost. The price differences between sources can be surprisingly large, sometimes hundreds of dollars on the same medication, so spending five minutes comparing is almost always worth it.