Chewy’s Virtual Pharmacy Makes Stay-At-Home Pet Care So Much Easier

Within the list of adjustments we've needed to make during our transitions to not only working from home but staying home, there's one affecting pet owners in particular: how to handle non-urgent veterinary care. While any immediate medical emergencies should be handled directly with your pet's healthcare providers, the guidelines around less urgent matters such as renewing past or calling in new prescriptions can currently feel a little unclear.

Enter: Chewy's online pet pharmacy. For those unfamiliar with the virtual animal shopping destination, it not only delivers everything from pet toys to food and accessory essentials directly to your doorstep, but the site also serves as a care-delivering middleman between owners and vets — one that has become even more of a helpful resource during these socially distant days. Additionally, Chewy has stepped up as both an informational resource and charitable contributor amidst the COVID-19 pandemic; using its resident vet to answer pet-care questions, offering tips on how to stay healthy at home, and donating more than $1.7 million in supplies to animal welfare organizations through strategic partnerships.

Below, a quick break down of what Chewy's pet pharmacy offers owners who are currently stuck at home — along with the benefits of its Autoship program, too. Scroll on to find out if it's the right fit for you and your animal crew:

The site's dedicated carrier of pet prescriptions sourced directly from manufacturer-approved distributors — including veterinary medicines and prescription foods covering categories from allergies to antibiotics, skin to eye conditions, flea to heartworm treatments, and more for a wide range of animals — that can be fulfilled online and delivered to your doorstep.

All prescriptions (i.e. items marked with an "Rx" badge) on the site require your vet's authorization before they can be ordered — and that's where Chewy's convenience comes into play. To fulfill a prescription, customers simply add the item to their cart along with their pet's and vet's information, allowing Chewy's pet Rx team to reach out on their behalf (so easy!). After contact is made and vet verification is received, prescriptions are then processed by the pharmacy within 24-48 hours and delivered in less than a week.

A free membership service that allows Chewy customers to schedule recurring deliveries of essential pet supplies (like food and monthly medications) in advance that can be canceled or changed at any time.

Autoship saves customers 30% on their first order after signing up, with continual 5% to 10% savings on select brands for all future orders.