Tablets and prescriptions.. advice please

proudmum_3

Hi there,

I have posted before about my poor aging Lab with bad legs. He has been taking Rimadyl over the past 10 months (yes, i have heard about the side affects of this drug and he's had regular blood tests and that side of things is OK) Sorry, but i know some people are against this drug.
Anyway, after putting a claim into my insurance company for the last lot of tablets, have just received a letter to say that the 12 months that i can claim for this condition are now expired so i wont get my money back.
I have now looked on the internet to see if the tablets are any cheaper and have discovered that i can actually get them for half the current price i am paying through the vet.
However, some sites state that i would need a prescription first, some don't. Has anyone ever bought medication for their pet from the internet before? He's already been taking them so i don't really see a problem, but would welcome any advice you good people have to offer.
I have now cancelled my pet insurance. It was £36 per month. Tried to change and get it cheaper, but because he's an OAP and has a condition, it was cheaper to stay with the original company. The thing is, we know that sadly he won't be with us for much longer and wouldn't need any further claims on any other illnesses or conditions.
Thanks. x

clairemck12

Hi proudmum

I really feel for you must be difficult seeing your lab in such discomfort. I haven't purchased any medication using the internet so cant be any help there sorry, but what about speaking to the vet? If you explain the situation with the insurance then surely any decent vet would give you an honest opinion on what you should do in the dogs best interest and help your pocket even if it means your not buying from them.

janeys

Hi proudmum,


Sorry to hear about your poor Lab, My dog is diabetic and I have had to buy a lot of medication on the internet. If the tablets you need are on a prescription you can get one from your vets, there may be a charge for this as the law changed in october of this year(they used to be free) some times it still works out cheaper by paying your vet for a prescription and buying on line. When you get a prescription make sure it is repeatable, you can have 1 prescription with 4 doses on it soit works out cheaper. If you look at the 1st sticky it gives some great sites that you can compare prices on pay attention to the post & packing costs as these can add quite a bit when comparing price.

There a about 3 sites I use and I have had no trouble with any of them, very good service. hth janeys

mjburton

I use petdrugsonline for my dogs PLT's and Fortekor tablets - less than half the price of the vets,P+P is free over a certain spend and was the cheapest for both drugs on all the sites I searched. Service has been superb - I fax the prescription and it is delivered unbelievably promptly (just make sure you prder exactly what your prescription says.

Sit with a pen and paper, google for pet prescription or pet medication etc and list all the sites you look at, the drug cost per tablet and the P+P. Tablet costs may vary slightly depending upon numbers required so multipacks may be cheaper than single tablet prices but work it all out.

Once you have found the cheapest (total cost) order with plenty of time to allow for long delivery times so you don't run out before it arrives and see if you are happy with the service provided. If you're not, look at the next cheapest provider. I'm sure someone else will also give recommendations of other providers (not all will accept faxed prescriptions or may require at least the first one to be posted - send recorded as I have had one disappear in the post which I didn't know had gone astray until I phoned to find out where the meds where).

I beleive that vets may now charge a £15 charge for provision of a prescription (check with your vet first) and don't forget to factor in this cost too!

Rosie_Bud

Hi proudmum,

I really feel for your situation, I have a 13 year old staffy b1itch who suffers with osteoarthiritis and degenerative joint disease (firstly in her back legs but it seems her fronts are now starting to be affected) so can sympathise. She also has problems with her spine. Mine is on Meloxidyl and Cosequin DS. The Cosequin is non-prescription but the Meloxidyl does need a prescription. I get a script from the vets (now £7.50) and order from Vet UK. They are great and you can order from them with no postage charges which is great. I find they are roughly about a third of the vets price so even with the script charge they are still cheaper. This way I don't bother to claim from the insurance (Sainsburys - no time limit but max £7500 per condition) and I kind of leave the insurance until I really need it. She may have to have an MRI scan soon (>£1000) so that is why I only claim for the larger vet bills. Obviously that last bit is not much help to you but I can definitely recommend Vet UK.

HTH

Rosie xx

pboae

Proudmum, as has been said, there are alternatives to buying drugs through your vet, and there are other drugs that may be suitable for your dog, but please don't be tempted to buy from a site that doesn't require a prescription. It's illegal for them to sell it without a prescription, and I wouldn't trust them, fake vet meds do exist, as do imports with different strengths and ingredients. There are enough reputable vet med suppliers available, you don't need to bother with the dodgy ones.

Your first step now needs to be to speak to your vet. Explain your situation and ask for advice, a good vet will understand your position, and you will still need to see your vet regularly for blood tests, check ups and repeat prescriptions anyway. (My dog is on massive doses of Rimadyl, so I know what you are going through with this).

You maybe be able to use Metacam, which can work out cheaper, or one of the other lesser known brands, but they can be contraindicated in some dogs (my dog can't have Metacam). So you really do need to speak to your vet about it. If you do need to buy Rimadyl, you maybe able to buy the larger tablets (100mg) which are scored and can easily be split in half to give a 50mg dose. Again speak to your vet about it.

Good luck!

simontheiceman

Just a point for all of you - It is not Oct 31st Yet so you should not be paying even 1p for a script until 1st November, by my reckoning thats still at least 2 weeks and a bit away.

proudmum_3

Thanks everyone for your advice.
I have spoken to my vet who has given me a prescription - free of charge.
I will now look on your recommended sites.
wish i had thought of this months ago!
Thanks again people.
Proudmum. x

hmc

hi there
when i had my old collie my vet swapped him to norocarp,he said it was the same as rimadyil ut cheaper.
we were on this for 5 yrs
i bought from vetuk with a prescription from the vet
toby had a yrly check at vet when he had his booster. so do ask your vet about norocarp