Visits to the veterinary may not be your favourite thing, neither your pet's one, but it is necessary. Unless you bring your pet for annual checkups, you'll probably walk out from the vet's office with a prescription pet medicine and detailed instructions on how to administer.

There will be times you will ask yourself if a cat or dog medication is really necessary, or if there is an OTC option that could work just as well. The thing is, if your vet has prescribed veterinary medicines, there is a good reason for it and it's your responsibility as a pet parent to give it to your pet just as prescribed.

Below are some common reasons why ped medications are prescribed and how they can help your pet.

Seen a flea scurrying through your pet's fur or feeling a tick buried deep in your pet's fur isn't a pleasant experience. In fact, it is a reminder that prescription flea and tick pet treatments aren't just something to think about in the spring. Maintaining your pet on vet-recommended meds for fleas can prevent fleas. Most of these medicines also treat ticks, and some also take care of chewing lice, mites and mosquitoes. Your vet will determine whether your pet would od better with a topical treatment or a chewable tablet. Once you have the prescription on hands, you can even order this prescription pet medicine online through a pet pharmacy.

In addition to the parasites that you can actually see, there's another threat that can actually live inside your pet's lungs and heart - the heartworms. Without proper pet medication, they could multiply and lead to more serious problems for the pet. If you've adopted a new pet, check with the shelter if they have been treated for heartworms and talk to your vet about ongoing heartworm treatment. For dogs, treatments can be a chewable tablet or topical solutions. For cats, it can be a topical form that usually also help control fleas, hookworms, roundworms and ear mites.

If your pet is experiencing an upset stomach, your vet can determine the cause of the problem and prescribe the right medication if necessary. When a pet eats something he is not supposed to, he can experience acute pancreatitis. In this case, medicines can help. Other reasons for needing prescription medicine include stomach ulcers, reflux disease, stomach inflammation, and other gastrointestinal disorders.

Pets can suffer from food allergies, flea allergies, seasonal allergies and skin allergies - all of which can lead to plenty of unpleasant symptoms. If you notice your pet scratching or gnawing on their skin relentlessly, this could leave sores and bald spots. Other signs of pet allergies include skin rashes and inflammation or sneezing and watery eyes. These allergies can be managed with specially formulated medications, which comes in different forms, like capsules, tablets and liquids. Your veterinarian is the best person to recommend the best medicine and how to easily administer it.

As pets get older, they can develop a range of chronic health issues. The great news is that many of these diseases and illness can be managed under a vet's care. For example, for pets with hypothyroidism (lowered production of thyroid hormones) thyroid and hormone pet medications can be prescribed. Pet medicines for seizure and epilepsy work in different ways to help prevent pets from having episodes. Vet-recommended pet food can also be helpful in managing common conditions like kidney disease in cats, pancreatitis in dogs, dog skin allergies and dog or cat diabetes.

If your pet isn't getting around as well as he used to or is having trouble jumping up on things like before, arthritis could be the cause. Check with your vet to find out if these are symptoms of arthritis in pets. If it does turn out to be the case, you can manage this chronic condition with prescription pet treatments, such as anti-inflammatory. These medications can help relieve hip and joint pain on a long-term basis. Your vet may prescribe NSAIDS for dogs or cats, which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds that work by decreasing inflammation and pain.

Ear or eye infections on some pets can be caused by things like tear duct issue, allergies or breed disposition. Antibiotics and anti-fungal vet medicines can help treat these infections, whether they are chronic or acute. These medicines help clear up the cause of the infection by killing bacteria, yeast and fungi. Once the infection starts to go away, your pet can feel relief from itchy and inflamed eyes or ears. They are available in liquid form, in drops and an ointment for treating eye conditions like conjunctivitis and pink eye.