Pet Meds Question

self

[hsmomx3]

PetMeds.com advertises the dogs heartworm meds. for $11.00 less than what our vets office charges per dog per Rx.

I told them I might go through petmeds.com and they said that they cannot vouch where the meds came from even though the packaging looks legit.

What are your thoughts on this? Woud you order from petmeds.com or order from the vet?

[blam]

"Lucky dogs. And fine looking ones, too."

Thank you. They are my best friends and I take very good care of them. They have their own heated and air conditioned building with carpeted floors. I can't figure it out, it can be 97 degrees here and they'll be panting like crazy but, will not go into the cooled building. They're always in there during the winter (heat) and when it rains. Beats me?

"It's fun having a youngster around the house again. "

I agree. I bring my brother's 6 month old Lab over for a visit about once every two weeks. He does perk the others up with all that energy, especially my Australian Shephard. Play, play ,play, lol.

[Goodgirlinred]

Now, now. Don't lump all vets in that pot. My vet is excellent. He really cares about my pets and me. I have been taking my pets to him for over 25 years, since he began practice here. He also treats wild animals for free when the police or animal control call him about a wounded bear, eagle, etc.

[republican4ever]

Love me, love my dog... I think. My Latin is lousy, but I am pretty sure I'm right.

[Titan Magroyne]

I asked my vet to write the prescription for heartworm meds that Foster & Smith required before selling it to me. The vet sold me the medicine at the mail order price.

I can't answer your question as to the quality of the mail order stuff, though.

[blam]

"My vet is excellent. He really cares about my pets and me. I have been taking my pets to him for over 25 years, since he began practice here. He also treats wild animals for free when the police or animal control call him about a wounded bear, eagle, etc."

Good for you, keep him.

Also, tell him what I said and my impressions and about how happy you are that he is your vet. I wish I had one like him.

I found a dog once crawling (couldn't stand up, no obvious injury) down the side of the road and picked him up and took him to the vet. The vet said that he had severe heartworms and the only thing to do was to 'put-him-down' and it would cost me $50,00 to do so. I looked at that poor dog and said do it. I recieved his bill two days later. POS vet!

[elli1]

Yikes. That sounds way out there expensive but I can't help you with prices because I've always given the vaccinations myself. A lot of people around here keep their dogs on heartworm meds year round...esp. smaller dogs because it's more convenient/ cost effective (don't have to do an annual check for heartworm.) About the only time I use a vet is for emergencies.

[mplsconservative]

Thanks for the info Blam.

I vaguely recall seeing a similar report around that time, then just went back to doing the same old, same old.

Interesting what you had to say about your ex-vet. So much of medicine seems a sham.

Our dogs are on Heartgard six months of the year due to our climate. Not many skeeters in Minnesota in the winter months.

Due to that fact, the vets insist they have a heartworm check before they start up on meds again.

Perhaps it would be wiser for me to keep them on Heartgard year-round, thus no need for a test.

Do you get a three-year prescription for the meds, or is no prescription required?

Sorry if that question's been addressed already on this thread - my eight-year old son and his six-year-old cousin are a bit of a distraction this evening. (:

[dervish]

I started ordering from VetCentric. But my vet calls or writes the rx. I don't know if that is required for stuff like heartworm. My vet is at a large clinic which charges a lot and is a pain to deal with. The meds are mailed to me. The service was great and the stuff is pharmaceutical.

Their # is 866-571-6790.

[Goodgirlinred]

I will always keep my vet until he retires. He has some younger vets there who are also great.

I saw a dog hit by a car on the highway. It was on the other side going in the opposite direction. The driver did not stop. I made a quick U-turn and rushed back and jumped out to get the dog before someone else hit it. I did not know if it was dead or alive. I rushed it to my vet.

They came and got him out of my car and took him into the emergency area. My vet examined him and told me he was dead. I was so upset. My vet told me that the dog did not suffer, that he had died instantly. I had described what I had seen when the dog was hit.

He did not charge me a cent. He just felt bad and told me I had tried.

He knows how much I think of him. He is the greatest. When I was in nursing school my personal cat, PittyPat, had cancer of the ears. He had to amputate them. She was old then and I was afraid she would die on the operating table. He allowed me to stand by and watch the operation so I could be there if she died. That operation gave her one more year of life. Then, she began having tarry stools one night. I called the vet. He called me back and told me to meet him at the hospital. He checked her and said he could give her a shot of Vit. K to stop the bleeding and give her a transfusion, but that she was at the point of suffering. I held her and cried as he put her to sleep with an injection. I got a sympathy card the next week. Oh, and that night was his wedding anniversary and he and his wife had just started celebrating when he had to call me. What a guy!

[mplsconservative]

Thanks elli!

Somehow I missed your reply before I read Blam's.

As I wrote, I'm a bit distracted by a couple of wild little boys - LOL

I can see how it would be more cost effective to keep a small dog on Heartworm meds year round, especially after my money-blowing experience.

I know now that I need to be a more money-conscious and health-conscious consumer when it comes to my dogs.

I'd still be too squeamish to give them their own vaccinations, though. (:

[elli1]

I'd still be too squeamish to give them their own vaccinations, though.

I was at first. But, in those days, our budget was tight & the vaccines are inexpensive. Just gritted my teeth & did it. The dog didn't seem to mind & I decided it was better than putting him thru the stress of a visit to the vet's...something he did not like. He was a second owner dog and had been hit by a car before we owned him so he had a definite 'tude about going to the vet. He would plant his front feet outside the vet's door & we had to literally drag him inside the building. After I got past the first time or two, I saw that the dogs hardly even notice the injection.

[lysie]

Freepmail me if you would like some of the 6 month research that I have done on this topic.

[blam]

"Do you get a three-year prescription for the meds, or is no prescription required? "

A prescription for Heartguard is required. I have my dogs on this all year long.

Now, I've decided to try Canadapharmacy.com (see post #2), no prescription is required and they are about 40% cheaper.

I will probably try to get my Program and Heartgard there in the future.

[kstewskis]

My vet in Chandler gives me my dog's meds at the 1800PetMeds price. He is still taking in a slight profit, and I have the convenience of still picking it up and having it "right now".

He asks of his other clients, to bring him in a copy of the page/price.

I think your vet is blowing smoke, and trying to further increase his profit margin on the meds they are selling.

[Bellflower]

Tell the vet how much you can get it for on the net plus shipping. Let him know that you would rather support and buy it from him at the same price. My vet sells it for the price on the net now.

[kstewskis]

Perhaps it would be wiser for me to keep them on Heartgard year-round, thus no need for a test.

Interesting, my vet tests my dog every year...she's on year round Heart-Gard. Not sure if it's because of our heavy skeeter problem here.

But the meds protect that, ya?

I think I'm going to bring this up next spring at her check up. And save a buck.

[mplsconservative]

Great info. Thanks once again.

I'm definately bookmarking this thread for future reference!

[Behind Liberal Lines]

I've lost a lot of respect for vets over the last 10 years.(It's only about the money these days, period.)

Based on my personal experience, I would respectfully disagree. Like the vets in the original post, my vet discourages Petmeds. Same reasons, etc. At the same time, however, my vet is more than willing to tell people to buy the same pet food, vitamins, etc., that she sells at discount places like PetSmart, PetCo, etc. If she only cared about profit, she wouldnt tell people they could buy "Purina One" cheaper at PetSmart than they can from her. So when she says there are legitimate reasons to avoid petmeds, I believe her.

[mplsconservative]

But the meds protect that, ya? I think I'm going to bring this up next spring at her check up. And save a buck.

Please note that I was posting the same question.

From the replies I've received, Freeper experience points in that direction.

It will be interesting to hear what your vet has to say. Hopefully we'll all be saving a few bucks when we know the right questions to ask.

[The Other Harry]

Good thread!

I was just discussing this subject with a friend. Her opinion is that it is better to get the med's from the vet.

I don't know.