Be very careful where to order online, though...
Many 'online pharmacies', be they human or veterinary, import their drugs, or even have them sent directly to you from abroad, and there is no telling if they are the genuine article or fakes.
There is no difference at all from the real thing, neither in the packaging, nor the look of the drugs themselves, so you will never know if you have been sent a fake drug or the real thing, but a fake drug does not contain the medication, and may even be positively toxic.

Online sales of viagra have been known to dispense tons of fake drugs, but it is all around, nowadays, also in veterinary medication. I believe there was some thread about receiving dubious drugs ordered online from a UK webstore being sent from abroad in aonther thread somewhere....
So be very very careful where you order online, don't ever use some online-only web pharmacy, unless you have absolute proof they are legit.

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Jiskefet & the mognificent Dutch bunch

My little angels at the rainbow bridge

A very good point. I only trust the ones who I've seen with stalls at champ shows and then I know they're legit.

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Bergies and borders - what more could anyone want? Siamese and maine coons, of course!

From the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:
The Moving Finger writes, and, having writ,
Moves on, nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
(But you can always edit your post, of course )

Yes there is and I've mentioned it more than once on this forum in the hope that members will know where to turn.
NOAH Compendium of Animal Medicines: Overview - Welcome
Type the name of the product you've been given into the search box and you can check everything. The legal category for prescription drugs is POM-V.

It can however, be as quick to just google the product and hit a UK supplier. They state if a prescription is required for any given item. The time to check though is before you leave the vet. You're just given a load of stuff, it's all come out from the dispensary at the back so you have no idea what's what. ASK! I would never object to paying whatever a vet asked for a POM-V drug, at least for an initial course. Certain non-prescription items may also be urgently required - Lectade for example though it's cheaper to have it in your first aid kit before you need it. Much other stuff comes under the banner of upselling. Commercial OTC products, not life saving and maybe not even necessary. You can't know without asking. If your vet knows you are going to check then you may just find your bills falling.

I don't blame vets, medicine has advanced, treatments are now available for animals that give hope where there wasn't any before.

I think the choices available is down to the owner. I had a 14 year old cat with a tumour in his mouth. Given the treatment that was available (not a cure) and his age the kindest thing to do (for me and my cat) was to have him pts.

However one of my cats at 2 years old had a blockage in his urethra that bad he had to have his bladder emptied abdomally because at that point they could not get a catheter in. Long story and we nearly lost him, but I wanted the treatment to continue to try to save his life. He had a PU and is now 3 years old and living life to the full.

I do not have insurance but insurance has nothing to do with my decision as to when to throw the towel in, the most important factors to me are the animals age, the long term prognosis and the quality of the animal's life after treatment.

These decisions are not easy ones to make but for me its part of being a responsible pet owner.