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How to Spot Fake Pet Medicines Online

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17 September 2025

How to Spot Fake Pet Medicines Online

In June 2025, the UK Government issued an urgent warning to all pet owners after a cat in Preston was rushed to the emergency vet after being treated with her “usual” routine flea treatment.

Smokey’s owner, Alan Wall, had been treating her with Frontline Plus for Cats for years, but after applying the treatment which he bought online, Smokey suffered severe poisoning that required emergency surgery.

Ensuring the sale of safe, affordable, and accredited pet medicines is what Pet Drugs Online is all about, and Smokey's story has struck a chord with us all.

In this article, we’re going to walk you through how to safely buy your pet’s medicines online, so you can rest assured you’re making the safest choice for your pet.

A male vet in blue scrubs smiling while holding a grey short-haired cat.

The Dangers of Fake Medicines

Unregulated retailers have been attempting (and in some cases, succeeding) to sell fake medicines online for years. These medicines might look like the ones you’re used to using, but they’re made in unhygienic or hazardous conditions.

Unfortunately, these criminals are getting sneaky with their methods and are rarely held accountable for the damage they do, just like with poor Smokey.

So, what are the real dangers of buying fake pet medicines online?

Dangerous Additions

Many fake medicines are made with additional ingredients that can be poisonous to pets, just like with poor Smokey. After testing, it was revealed the Fake-Frontline Plus contained Pirimiphos-methyl, a pesticide that is incredibly toxic to cats.

And this is just one instance of fake medicines containing harmful chemicals and ingredients, but other reports have shown fake meds to include things such as:

Rat Poison
Arsenic
Mercury
Cement

The presence of any one of these in a medicinal capacity is concerning, especially since these fake medicines don’t require a prescription, so anyone can buy them.

Financial Fraud

Any company that sells fake medicines online might not care about your pet, but they certainly care about you. Or, more specifically, they care about your money and your data.

Buying anything online from an unregulated retailer increases the risk of theft, credit card fraud, and even identity theft.

These illegal sites can usually be spotted quickly if you know what to look for, such as the following:

Overcharging for products and/or services
Do not deliver the item your ordered
Deliver an item that doesn’t match what was displayed on the site
Do not give refunds if you are unsatisfied
Do not offer customer service for queries or disputes.

Protect your pet and purse and always do your due diligence when buying veterinary medicines online.

Not Approved for Use

Unsurpingly, those who sell fake medicines aren’t interested in the rigorous testing required for any product to be legal to sell in the UK.

This means the product you purchased has zero guarantee that it will work, and has not been tested for safety, effectiveness, and may even be diluted or include other ingredients that have no place in medicines.

How to Spot Fake Pet Medicines

Counterfeit animal medicines are known to deliberately copy the packaging, appearance, and branding of accredited and genuine veterinary medicines in order to trick pet owners into buying their products.

Not only is the sale of these medicines illegal in the UK, but as we’ve mentioned above, the medicines themselves are ineffective at best, dangerous at worst.

An infographic displaying the key ways to discern if a pet medicine is fake or real | How to spot fake Frontline Plus

Not only is the sale of these medicines' illegal in the UK, but as we’ve mentioned above, the medicines themselves are ineffective at best, dangerous at worst.

Here are some of the best ways to spot if the medicine you’re buying is fake:

Low-quality, flimsy, or damage packaging
Spelling and grammar mistakes on the packaging
Missing data sheet or instructions
Provided data sheet or instructions not in English
Strange smell, colour, or texture
Poorly made tablets or pipettes
Suspiciously low prices or deals that seem too good to be true

If you suspect you might have been sold fake veterinary medicines online, you can report the company to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate!

How to Spot a Fake Website

As well as learning to spot fake medicines, it's important to know how to recognise a fake website. These sites might use domain names similar to legitimate ones, and copy some of the styling or products too, but that doesn't make them genuine sites.

Here are some of the key things to watch out for to spot a fake website:

Unusual web addresses
Poor web design with spelling and/or grammar errors
Lots of pop-up ads
Exaggerated claims (such as "100% Effective" or "No side effects")
Promise of quick, next day delivery (taking shortcuts when buying veterinary medicines, such as not asking for your pet's details or weight, could open you up to unlicensed retailers and medicines)
Prescription products being sold without needing a prescription
Payments accepted in Crypto currency
No physical or street adress available
No contact or returns details

Online safety is becoming more crucial than ever, especially with so many counterfeit goods advertised online. By using these quick checks, you can better separate the real from the fake when shopping online.

Where is it Safe to Buy Pet Medicines Online?

If you’re looking for a good deal on your pet’s routine healthcare, but don’t want to risk buying something unsafe, then look no further!

Pet Drugs Online is a verified, online veterinary retailer, so we know all about the necessary accreditations needed by law to sell veterinary medicines online.

"When purchasing veterinary medicines online, make sure you buy from a VMD registered internet retailer of veterinary medicines. Reputable businesses will always source genuine UK-licenced veterinary medicines that are safe to use for you and your pet."

Sarah Page-Jones

BVSc MBA CertSAS PhD MRCVS

If you want to make sure the company, you’re looking to buy from is legitimate, look out for the following:

VMD Accreditation

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is the government body responsible for issues concerning the use, sale, and manufacturing of veterinary medicines in the UK.

For a company to legally sell veterinary medicine online, they need to follow VMD guidelines and regulations, and will have their VMD accreditation number displayed clearly on their website (you can find ours in the footer of the website).

RCVS Registration

Another key governing body for the sale and use of veterinary medicines is the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. They are responsible for upholding the high standards of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in the UK.

In order to sell veterinary medicines in the UK, a retailer must be registered and accredited by the RCVS as a vet practice. This can be verified by searching for the company's registration number in the “Find a Vet Surgeon” section of the RCVS website.

Also, as per the Veterinary Medicines regulation (VMR), the sale and distribution of veterinary medicines must be over seen by a Responsibly Qualified Person (RQP). For Pet Drugs Online, this is our Head Vet, Dr Sarah Louise Page-Jones.

AIRS Accreditation

One final thing to look out for when buying your pet’s medicine online is checking if they are a part of VMD accredited Internet Retailer Scheme.

This scheme, commonly referred to as AIRS for short, ensures that sites selling veterinary medicines are complying with VMD Regulations, and the VMD carries out routine visits to the premises to check the business is working in line with legislation.

If you want to check whether a company is legitimate in their sale of veterinary medicines, check on their website for the VMD accreditation logo (you can find ours in the footer), and check it against the list of accredited retailers on the VMD website.

Someone with their laptop open to display the Compliance Team at Pet Drugs Online

^{Accreditations should be easy to find on any authentic retailer websites, just like we have on our Compliance Team page.}

Shop Safe Online

While checking the accreditations of a company should be enough to determine if they’re safe to buy from, there are some other things to bear in mind when shopping online:

Be wary of heavily discounted goods and flash sales.
Be cautious of any company asking for sensitive personal data or to be paid via bank transfer.
Learn to spot fake websites or social media accounts. Some may use an original brand name, but that doesn’t make it authentic.
Be suspicious - If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

We hope this guide to shopping for pet medicines safely online helps you to discern honest companies from imposters with poor intentions. If you are looking to buy your pet’s medicines from a genuine, safe, and accredited retailer, then why not choose Pet Drugs Online as your one stop for all your pet’s needs?

A female owner holding the face of her yellow lab affectionately with overlay text reading "Shop Pet Care"

References:

BBC News, Fake Flea Treatment Almost Killed My Cat - here's how to keep it safe. Last updated, 17th September 2025
Gov.UK, Urgent Warning to Pet Owners as Toxic Chemicals found in Flea Treatment. Last updated 26th June 2025.
Intellectual Property Office Blog, Keeping Pets Safe as Toxic Chemicals Found in Counterfeit Flea Treatment. Last updated 10th July 2025.
The Independent, Pet Owners Warned Over Buying Dangerous Fake Medical Treatments Online. Last updated 17th September 2025.
Fake Meds Gov.UK, The Truth Behind Fake Medicines.
Fake Meds Gov.UK, How to Spot A Fake.

This post is an opinion and should only be used as a guide. You should thoroughly discuss any change to your pet’s care or lifestyle with your vet before starting any program or treatment. We update content regularly to reflect the latest pet health standards.