Dog Medication Prices ?
Discussion
Our vet diagnosed our dog with the early stages of heart failure (small 12 year old terrier/poodle) so suggested a scan and then after the scan suggested putting him on a heart medication called Vetmedin, 5 mg, split into two doses 12 hours apart. Said get him on it early as it is borderline/asymptomatic and it staves off the degeneration and once there are symptoms its too late.
£140 for a scan and charged £50 for 30 tablets, which is £1.66 per tablet.
I thought I would have a look online to know what's been given, understand any potential side effects to watch for etc and the first link that comes up is this,
https://www.365vet.co.uk/vet023-vetmedin-capsules-...
42p a tablet, so they are charging £1.24 more for the same thing, if it were a short course and/or a bit more expensive I wouldn't bother as they need to turn a profit and that is one of the ways they do it but its nearly four times as much and he will be on it for as long as he lasts.
Am I completely at liberty to buy from an online supplier ? it feels a bit disloyal as we have had pretty good service for 20 plus years but its the difference between £50 a month and £20 or so for potentially another couple of years, who knows. Just seems a bit too over the odds.
£140 for a scan and charged £50 for 30 tablets, which is £1.66 per tablet.
I thought I would have a look online to know what's been given, understand any potential side effects to watch for etc and the first link that comes up is this,
https://www.365vet.co.uk/vet023-vetmedin-capsules-...
42p a tablet, so they are charging £1.24 more for the same thing, if it were a short course and/or a bit more expensive I wouldn't bother as they need to turn a profit and that is one of the ways they do it but its nearly four times as much and he will be on it for as long as he lasts.
Am I completely at liberty to buy from an online supplier ? it feels a bit disloyal as we have had pretty good service for 20 plus years but its the difference between £50 a month and £20 or so for potentially another couple of years, who knows. Just seems a bit too over the odds.
We have metacam, incurrin and a pain killer, forget the name.
We get the prescription after a 3 month check from the vet and buy on line, still costs a bit but cheaper than the vet. 13.5 year old lab if it matters. The vet doesnt't seem to mind. It isnt cheap with You Move on top of that, she's worth it.
No insurance for her just saved it up over her lifespan, no regrets.
We get the prescription after a 3 month check from the vet and buy on line, still costs a bit but cheaper than the vet. 13.5 year old lab if it matters. The vet doesnt't seem to mind. It isnt cheap with You Move on top of that, she's worth it.
No insurance for her just saved it up over her lifespan, no regrets.
jjaack said:
We have metacam, incurrin and a pain killer, forget the name.
We get the prescription after a 3 month check from the vet and buy on line, still costs a bit but cheaper than the vet. 13.5 year old lab if it matters. The vet doesnt't seem to mind. It isnt cheap with You Move on top of that, she's worth it.
No insurance for her just saved it up over her lifespan, no regrets.
We have similar with some of our pets needing long term medication, our vets are exceptionally good and actually told us that once they had written the prescription we were free to buy online and would almost certainly find it cheaper to do so.We get the prescription after a 3 month check from the vet and buy on line, still costs a bit but cheaper than the vet. 13.5 year old lab if it matters. The vet doesnt't seem to mind. It isnt cheap with You Move on top of that, she's worth it.
No insurance for her just saved it up over her lifespan, no regrets.
I don't think the vets are set up to, nor want to be large scale medication providers, they don't have the space or staff to do so.
jjaack said:
We have metacam, incurrin and a pain killer, forget the name.
We get the prescription after a 3 month check from the vet and buy on line, still costs a bit but cheaper than the vet. 13.5 year old lab if it matters. The vet doesnt't seem to mind. It isnt cheap with You Move on top of that, she's worth it.
No insurance for her just saved it up over her lifespan, no regrets.
Ours is on metacam at the moment. The vet didn't actually have any stock in last time and had to source it from another vets. If he needs it long term we will be getting it ourselves online.We get the prescription after a 3 month check from the vet and buy on line, still costs a bit but cheaper than the vet. 13.5 year old lab if it matters. The vet doesnt't seem to mind. It isnt cheap with You Move on top of that, she's worth it.
No insurance for her just saved it up over her lifespan, no regrets.
I hate vets with a passion,if they charged £200 an hour it wouldn't phase me,they've trained for the big bucks,it's the fact they feel they have to screw you for medication,last instance was my elderly cat,£29 for some antiobiotics,i usually instantly look online to compare prices,£6 incl. Vat,a healthy margin in anybody's book.
Then ofcourse there was the following £600 wasted on this elderly cat in one week,start of the week,thin and not eating,end of the week,thin and eating.
We took encouragement from him eating this much this one last day of that week,next day they wanted to put him down??So why bother extracting £600 from me?Just save me that week of stress!!
All the time in the back of my head during all this are the two animals i've lost at this vet during routine spayings,considering statistically 0.1% of animals are lost during neuterings/spayings,that must be all me!! :-)
Then ofcourse there was the following £600 wasted on this elderly cat in one week,start of the week,thin and not eating,end of the week,thin and eating.
We took encouragement from him eating this much this one last day of that week,next day they wanted to put him down??So why bother extracting £600 from me?Just save me that week of stress!!
All the time in the back of my head during all this are the two animals i've lost at this vet during routine spayings,considering statistically 0.1% of animals are lost during neuterings/spayings,that must be all me!! :-)
robbocop33 said:
I hate vets with a passion,if they charged £200 an hour it wouldn't phase me,they've trained for the big bucks,it's the fact they feel they have to screw you for medication,last instance was my elderly cat,£29 for some antiobiotics,i usually instantly look online to compare prices,£6 incl. Vat,a healthy margin in anybody's book.
Then ofcourse there was the following £600 wasted on this elderly cat in one week,start of the week,thin and not eating,end of the week,thin and eating.
We took encouragement from him eating this much this one last day of that week,next day they wanted to put him down??So why bother extracting £600 from me?Just save me that week of stress!!
All the time in the back of my head during all this are the two animals i've lost at this vet during routine spayings,considering statistically 0.1% of animals are lost during neuterings/spayings,that must be all me!! :-)
We all compare the cost of animal care against our own costs. However because we get everything free we consider the vets to be a rip off merchant. If we didn't have the NHS and had to pay for our own medical care I suspect our opinions about vets costs would change significantly!Then ofcourse there was the following £600 wasted on this elderly cat in one week,start of the week,thin and not eating,end of the week,thin and eating.
We took encouragement from him eating this much this one last day of that week,next day they wanted to put him down??So why bother extracting £600 from me?Just save me that week of stress!!
All the time in the back of my head during all this are the two animals i've lost at this vet during routine spayings,considering statistically 0.1% of animals are lost during neuterings/spayings,that must be all me!! :-)
the vet is duty bound to give you a prescription (there may be a small charge for this) and then you can buy the meds anywhere BUT remember when you need the vet in the middle of the night or a bank holiday you may not be flavour of the month.
Some of the larger vet companies and especially chains are notorious for upselling.
In a rural area we tend to be a bit luckier with our vets, at least I think so!
Some of the larger vet companies and especially chains are notorious for upselling.
In a rural area we tend to be a bit luckier with our vets, at least I think so!
Red9zero said:
Ours is on metacam at the moment. The vet didn't actually have any stock in last time and had to source it from another vets. If he needs it long term we will be getting it ourselves online.
Have tried that this week for the Border Collie I was previously dog walking and who’s now adopted us.Nothing but the smallest bottle , 32ml , available. Trying to find a natural alternative.
Shame he ain’t a Beagle
Hashtaggggg said:
We all compare the cost of animal care against our own costs. However because we get everything free we consider the vets to be a rip off merchant. If we didn't have the NHS and had to pay for our own medical care I suspect our opinions about vets costs would change significantly!
I have private healthcare and even though I don't actually pay the bills, I get to see them. The costs do actually seem pretty similar.robbocop33 said:
I hate vets with a passion,if they charged £200 an hour it wouldn't phase me,they've trained for the big bucks,it's the fact they feel they have to screw you for medication,last instance was my elderly cat,£29 for some antiobiotics,i usually instantly look online to compare prices,£6 incl. Vat,a healthy margin in anybody's book.
Then ofcourse there was the following £600 wasted on this elderly cat in one week,start of the week,thin and not eating,end of the week,thin and eating.
We took encouragement from him eating this much this one last day of that week,next day they wanted to put him down??So why bother extracting £600 from me?Just save me that week of stress!!
All the time in the back of my head during all this are the two animals i've lost at this vet during routine spayings,considering statistically 0.1% of animals are lost during neuterings/spayings,that must be all me!! :-)
If you hate vets in general stop going. If you have lost two pets through routine ops then change vets. Some will supply you with care until your pet departs or needs to depart, and sometimes that doesn't suit the owner, ther you have to take some responsibility for saying what you want, just as we have to take responsibilty for giving balanced informed advice. Then ofcourse there was the following £600 wasted on this elderly cat in one week,start of the week,thin and not eating,end of the week,thin and eating.
We took encouragement from him eating this much this one last day of that week,next day they wanted to put him down??So why bother extracting £600 from me?Just save me that week of stress!!
All the time in the back of my head during all this are the two animals i've lost at this vet during routine spayings,considering statistically 0.1% of animals are lost during neuterings/spayings,that must be all me!! :-)
Nex time yoou take a pet to a vet (hopefully not) then for goodness sake explain your findings from previous visits, and if you are lucky, you might find someone able to deal with your view on what you want for your pet and how that ties in with animal welfare.
My profession will always come in for flak from those that want a general PDSA and don't expect life to move on with differing and evolving views on pet welfare, if you don't want the covenience of getting your meds from the same place as you get treatment, then ask for a prescription, we are duty bound to give you one. Lets hope you don't then need that vet in the middle of the night.
loskie said:
the vet is duty bound to give you a prescription (there may be a small charge for this) and then you can buy the meds anywhere BUT remember when you need the vet in the middle of the night or a bank holiday you may not be flavour of the month.
Some of the larger vet companies and especially chains are notorious for upselling.
In a rural area we tend to be a bit luckier with our vets, at least I think so!
Our old dog was suffering with arthritis in her later years. We did get the medication direct from the vet for a long time, but it was getting expensive. Some of the larger vet companies and especially chains are notorious for upselling.
In a rural area we tend to be a bit luckier with our vets, at least I think so!
We got a prescription from the vet and ordered online. The medication was 1/4 of the price. It's too big a gap. The vet charged £12 to write the prescription and it needed to be renewed every few months.
Driver101 said:
loskie said:
the vet is duty bound to give you a prescription (there may be a small charge for this) and then you can buy the meds anywhere BUT remember when you need the vet in the middle of the night or a bank holiday you may not be flavour of the month.
Some of the larger vet companies and especially chains are notorious for upselling.
In a rural area we tend to be a bit luckier with our vets, at least I think so!
Our old dog was suffering with arthritis in her later years. We did get the medication direct from the vet for a long time, but it was getting expensive. Some of the larger vet companies and especially chains are notorious for upselling.
In a rural area we tend to be a bit luckier with our vets, at least I think so!
We got a prescription from the vet and ordered online. The medication was 1/4 of the price. It's too big a gap. The vet charged £12 to write the prescription and it needed to be renewed every few months.
Nothing against the vets making a decent living, years of training and large overheads to run a surgery in terms of equipment, admin staff, equipments etc but if I can save a few quid I will.
£20 a month is more palatable than £50, plus you still have the Yumove as someone mentioned, then the flea and worm treatment, boosters etc.
Can afford it but still want to get best value where I can.
£20 a month is more palatable than £50, plus you still have the Yumove as someone mentioned, then the flea and worm treatment, boosters etc.
Can afford it but still want to get best value where I can.
loskie said:
BUT remember when you need the vet in the middle of the night or a bank holiday you may not be flavour of the month.
Thevet said:
Lets hope you don't then need that vet in the middle of the night.
Interesting that two posters, one being a vet, have the same opinion, buy the inflated medication or forget getting treatment when you need it!Seems very mercenary to me, as already i presume consultation fees are probably being paid regarding medication, and that's probably currently a phone call at 35 quid for 5 mins in the current restrictions.
Wonder if the NHS started to take that view how that would be perceived by the general public, no one I think likes to be held to ransom.
rigga said:
Interesting that two posters, one being a vet, have the same opinion, buy the inflated medication or forget getting treatment when you need it!
Seems very mercenary to me, as already i presume consultation fees are probably being paid regarding medication, and that's probably currently a phone call at 35 quid for 5 mins in the current restrictions.
Wonder if the NHS started to take that view how that would be perceived by the general public, no one I think likes to be held to ransom.
Is it mercenary to charge for your service? If you don't like the fees my practice and many others charge, then go for a lower standard of service somewhrere else. I run a 12 vet mixed practice that is aiming to provide a top clas service, and of our turnover, 40% is small animal, with probaly 70% of wage costs plus 90% sugery running costs. Rates are now over £4k a month. We get plenty of people who think we're good but also plenty that think we haven't given enough in the care of their pet. There are plenty of complaints usually because someone doesn't like the cost or has been asked to pay before leaving. Running a vet practice is a pain at times, look at the present impetus for charging a similar rates level for on line traders like the pet pharmacies . Anyway, I get tired of trying to justify our fees when i have to get out of bed on many a cold wet night to go and get covered in various bodily fluids so I'll leave it here as you all have the option to get your prescriptions on line if you wish and enjoy the service of underfunded practice.Seems very mercenary to me, as already i presume consultation fees are probably being paid regarding medication, and that's probably currently a phone call at 35 quid for 5 mins in the current restrictions.
Wonder if the NHS started to take that view how that would be perceived by the general public, no one I think likes to be held to ransom.
loskie said:
yet folks pay how much to a BMW dealer for a young spotty lad to service or supposedly service their car?
The same amount for the two year service with oil and filters as it was for 15 minutes at the vet for some cream for conjunctivitis a couple of weeks ago. A lot of people won't pay main dealer prices when an indy does the same job cheaper. They don't undercut a main dealer by the same margin for the same goods. You can even give the main dealer the oil to keep the cost down.
I understand the vet has costs, but the medication is 4x+ more expensive than online.
Edited by Driver101 on Monday 8th February 20:30
The vets we use in mkt bosworth are just awesome people, our animals have been clients for over 26 years now, during that time i have spent for various animals a small fortune in fees and drug costs but you know what i do not begrudge one penny.
the vets are a small two woman band employing three nurses and a locum when needed , they provide a free service to various local wildlife charities and the locum helps out with the animals at twycross zoo.
i have on occasion been given very favourable payment terms when a large bill has cropped up, when i picked up a stray cat they did a free health check for me and when it became evident she was pregnant they checked over the kittens and mum for free after the births as well.
not only that i like the idea i am helping in a small way to stem the tied of the large chain vets with their very impersonal sell at all costs business model.
this constant race to the bottom value wise is literally sucking the life out of small community businesses and our country is the poorer for it.
quite frankly you get the service you deserve and i am struggling to remain polite
the vets are a small two woman band employing three nurses and a locum when needed , they provide a free service to various local wildlife charities and the locum helps out with the animals at twycross zoo.
i have on occasion been given very favourable payment terms when a large bill has cropped up, when i picked up a stray cat they did a free health check for me and when it became evident she was pregnant they checked over the kittens and mum for free after the births as well.
not only that i like the idea i am helping in a small way to stem the tied of the large chain vets with their very impersonal sell at all costs business model.
this constant race to the bottom value wise is literally sucking the life out of small community businesses and our country is the poorer for it.
quite frankly you get the service you deserve and i am struggling to remain polite
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