Bayer Animal Health, maker of Seresto flea and tick collars, has carried out some market research which suggests that as many as one in ten pet owners have been duped into buying counterfeit pet medicines. 

For the research, 2000 pet owners were asked whether they they had bought counterfeit pet medicines online. 31.3% said yes. They were then asked if they had reported the matter. 62.2% said they had. Finally, they were asked what the outcome of their report was. 60.9% said their purchase was confirmed as a fake, suggesting that at least one in ten pet owners - probably more - have bought fake pet medicines.

Bayer says the true number of owners affected is likely to be even higher, as a further 12% of pet owners in the survey said they believed that they may have bought fake pet medicines but had not reported it. 

The research also showed that 87% of shoppers purchased pet parasite prevention products from unaccredited sites that have been known to sell counterfeit pet medicines. Indeed since April this year, the VMD has removed over 500 veterinary medicine listings from online marketplaces.

The message to clients is that chasing the lowest price for veterinary medicines can be a false economy.

Photo: Can you tell whether this product is fake or not?

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