metadata dict | summary dict | channelChoiceLogic dict | markupDistribution dict | drugs list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
{
"name": "PetMaxxing 2026 Pet Drug Pricing Audit: Vet vs Human Pharmacy vs Online",
"description": "Cost comparison of 30 commonly prescribed companion-animal medications across three dispensing channels: typical veterinary office, Costco/Walmart human pharmacy with veterinary script, and Chewy/PetMeds online pet ... | {
"drugCount": 30,
"medianMarkupMultiple": 4.6,
"minMarkupMultiple": 1.4,
"maxMarkupMultiple": 12.3,
"drugsWithIdenticalHumanFormulation": 22,
"drugsRequiringVetScript": 30,
"drugsAvailableAtCostcoCash": 24,
"drugsAvailableAtChewy": 28,
"channelMedians": {
"vetOfficeMedianHigh": 48,
"costcoMed... | {
"useCostcoOrWalmartWhen": "Drug shares an identical active ingredient and form with a human-approved generic, vet writes a prescription, and the human pharmacy will fill for an animal patient (most chains do).",
"useChewyOrPetmedsWhen": "Drug is a veterinary-only formulation (such as Apoquel, Bravecto, Heartgard,... | {
"underTwo": 7,
"twoToFour": 3,
"fourToSix": 11,
"sixToEight": 6,
"eightPlus": 3
} | [
{
"drug_name": "Fluoxetine",
"form": "20 mg tablet",
"dose_range": "0.5 to 2 mg/kg PO once daily",
"common_indications": [
"separation anxiety",
"compulsive disorder",
"fear aggression"
],
"vet_price_low": 38,
"vet_price_high": 62,
"costco_price": 7,
"walmart_pr... |
PetMaxxing 2026 Pet Drug Pricing Audit: Vet vs Human Pharmacy vs Online
{"drugCount":30,"medianMarkupMultiple":4.6,"minMarkupMultiple":1.4,"maxMarkupMultiple":12.3,"drugsWithIdenticalHumanFormulation":22,"drugsRequiringVetScript":30,"drugsAvailableAtCostcoCash":24,"drugsAvailableAtChewy":28,"channelMedians":{"vetOfficeMedianHigh":48,"costcoMedian":12,"chewyMedian":26,"petmedsMedian":28}}
- License: CC-BY 4.0
- DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20632764
- Source study: https://petmaxxing.com/research/pet-drug-pricing-2026/
- Author: Vincent Wesley Couey (ORCID 0009-0005-6869-308X) · published via PetMaxxing (petmaxxing.com), part of the Lattice research network.
What's in it
Files: data.json. Main table drugs (30 rows): drug_name, form, dose_range, common_indications, vet_price_low, vet_price_high, costco_price, walmart_price, chewy_price, petmeds_price, markup_multiple_high, requires_vet_script, identical_to_human_formulation, source_urls.
Method
Pricing collected April through May 2026. Vet-office prices reflect typical retail markups documented in AVMA practice surveys, AKC cost guides, and Banfield published rate cards across 4 pet-pharmacy zip codes (urban, suburban, exurban, rural). Costco and Walmart prices reflect their published cash price for the human formulation of the identical active ingredient at the dose typically prescribed for companion animals. GoodRx published cash prices were used as a cross-check on chain pharmacy figures. Chewy and PetMeds prices are publicly listed on their product pages as of the audit window. Chronic medications are normalized to a 30-day supply at a representative mid-range dose for a 30 lb dog or 10 lb cat where applicable. Acute medications are priced per typical course. All figures USD, rounded to the nearest dollar. Markup multiple is computed as vet_price_high divided by costco_price; where the human formulation requires no veterinary script (rare), the comparison still requires a valid veterinary prescription for legal dispensing in companion animals.
Citation
Couey, V. W. (2026). PetMaxxing 2026 Pet Drug Pricing Audit: Vet vs Human Pharmacy vs Online [Data set]. PetMaxxing. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20632764
CC-BY 4.0 — free to use with attribution. Informational and research use only. Not medical advice; verify against the primary source and a licensed professional before relying on any value. Dated snapshot; verify current values before relying on them.
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