In these tough times, keeping a pet healthy often means taking a good look and a sharp pencil to every aspect of pet care to make sure you're getting the biggest bang for your buck.

If you're doing that now, you should know that you can save money on your pet's prescription medications in ways that many people don't know exist. The place to start: With a respectful and open discussion with your veterinarian.

Dr. Patty Khuly, a Miami veterinarian and the author of the top veterinary blog Dolittler.com, says veterinarians should be open to helping clients save money on medications.

"Our job as veterinarians is to help people get their pets the care they need," she says. "What I'm seeing in practice now is that people need to make cuts so they can afford basic and emergency veterinary care. One way I can help make that possible as a veterinarian is to offer options when it comes to prescription medications. People can then weigh those options and make an informed decision."

There are benefits to buying medications from your veterinarian, notes Khuly. Convenience is one factor, and being able to start treatment immediately is another. There's also a risk with some sources that the medication you may buy isn't what you think you're getting – which is one reason why your veterinarian's help is so vital.

Khuly's tips include:

• Take the prescription to go. Talk to your veterinarian about getting a better price elsewhere. Your veterinarian may have a reason for wanting you to buy from the practice, and you should listen to and consider those reasons.

It's also not unreasonable to ask for price match, which will save you both money and time. But if you can get a better deal on some medications elsewhere, your veterinarian shouldn't mind it if you take a prescription away with you if it doesn't risk your pet's health.

• Go for the generics. The same medications are often prescribed for people and pets both. Instead of getting a name-brand medication, ask your veterinarian if there's a generic equivalent. Some common antibiotics, behavior-modification medications, thyroid and anti- inflammatory drugs can be found in less-expensive generic equivalents. Big-box retailers and grocery stores with pharmacies offer many generic medications for as low as $4 for a typical course of treatment.

• Look for prescription savings clubs. For a low annual fee, some pharmacies and associations will grant you access to huge discounts on hundreds of different generic drugs and on name-brand medications as well. Pets often count as family where these plans are concerned.

• Online pharmacies. Shopping online can save money on the animals-only medications you can't buy from a "human" pharmacy. But there is a big caveat, says Khuly: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns against doing business with online merchants that don't ask for a prescription. These may be offshore outfits selling expired, unapproved or even counterfeit drugs.

For more on the FDA's advice in dealing with online pet pharmacies, see www.fda.gov/fdac/features/ 2006/606_pets.html.

Stick to reputable companies that will work with you and your vet.

• Buy in bulk. For pets with chronic illness that need to be on medication for a long while, ask about buying 60- or 90-day supplies.

• Ask your veterinarian to prescribe medications in larger doses and then split them. Many pills are already scored to make splitting easier, and the pill-splitting gadgets found in any pharmacy make it easier still. Splitting larger doses is often less expensive than giving single pills of smaller doses – but the splitting needs to be accurate for safety.

Some of these strategies are no-risk no-brainers, while others (such as splitting doses) are really not to be undertaken without your veterinarian's assistance and oversight.

And that's really the point, says Khuly. Working with your veterinarian is essential to making sure your pet stays healthy.

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and journalist Gina Spadafori. E-mail them at petconnection@gmail.com or visit www.petconnection.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/spadafori.