PET owners will know the awful feeling of seeing their beloved animal unwell, which can be made even worse if their treatment is expensive.
Having pet insurance helps, but if your cat or dog ends up needing regular pills it might hit you in the wallet - plus you need to factor in flea and worming treatments.
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Even with pet insurance, going to the vet can be a costly businessCredit: Alamy
How can I avoid huge vet bills if my pet falls ill?
One way around this is to buy what you need online, as often medicine will be much cheaper.
But of course, you need to make sure you are getting the real deal and ordering exactly what your pet needs.
The single most important thing to consider is that your seller is reputable.
NEVER order from a website without doing research first.
You need to be sure that whatever you're getting, whether it's a worm pill or prescription medication, is safe and in date.
Visit to find an approved seller.
If the site you're interested in is reputable, it'll have the Veterinary Medicines Directorate badge on it.
You can also get in touch with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate if you want to double check before ordering.
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You can save money on your pets' medication by buying online, but there are several things you need to be careful about before going this routeCredit: Getty Images
Even when buying online you'll need a prescription from your vet.
This stands to reason as you need to be sure you're treating your animal correctly, so if a website doesn't ask for one don't use it.
If your animal needs medicine you can get your vet to give you the prescription rather than buying from them.
They might charge you, so it's also worth checking the cost of that combined with buying the treatment will actually save you money.
Buying worm and flea treatments online is one way to make a big saving, as they are often a lot pricier at the vet.
One thing to remember is that some places will still need a prescription though.
How do I know if my pet needs treatment?
You should never try to decipher what's wrong with your pet without seeing a professional first.
That stands for whether we're talking about an antibiotic or a simple supplement.
You must ALWAYS speak to a vet before administering medication.
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Make sure you speak to a professional before giving your animal ANY medicationCredit: Alamy
Is it safe to buy medicine from abroad?
You'll probably have seen a vet in the UK, so you want to make sure you're getting your medication here too.
It's important as that will be exactly what the professional has prescribed.
not to be swayed by super low prices either - if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
