cheap pet drugs

singlehouseholder

Hello, my little baba, 15years old is a doggy druggy now, she has to have drugs for brain tumour/stroke- to find out would involve lengthy and expensive tests running into the thousands and they could prove inconclusive. I just get the script from my vet and order online at animalmedicines.co.uk- they tablets cost half what they charge at the vets, and the delivery is super quick too. The receptionist at the vets was a bit funny with me, she told me that there'd been an expose on tv the week prior, about online drug companys supplying substandard medication. It was people drugs though. I kindly pointed out that the drugs supplied by the online company came in exactly the same packaging, and had the same effect on my dog. I was so humiliated, the waiting room was full. I'll be having words with her next time I go, implying that I'd give my dog dodgy drugs to save a few bob, well at least 50% actually. Vets should wear stripy jumpers not white coats!!

Eels100

mountainofdebt wrote:

if vets are generally like mine then they will be as awkward about giving you the prescription as they possible can be.

This is my point - if your vet takes that attitude, leave!

Fair vets charge reasonably. But people have to understand that the ultrasound scanners, x-ray machines and developers, ECG equipment and hospital care their pets have access to if necessary cost thousands of pounds apiece just to buy, let alone maintain and upgrade. It doesn't take a genius to work out what pays for these items.

Vets do earn a lot - but then they don't earn as much as other healthcare professions, when they start out they don't even earn as much as some tradesmen. But they still have to put in the long hours and carry the huge responsibility of people's trust.

I totally agree that anyone who feels their vet is profiteering or won't give a prescription should go elsewhere, but I also think it's worth broaching these issues with the practice manager before jumping ship. Of course, if you budget insurance into the costs of having a pet then at least you don't have to worry about treatment costs in the first place ...

Fleago

I agree Eels and this is the primary reason we get our prescriptions from our vets. If everyone bought the medications online then the costs of other care from our vet would go up as they have to cover their running costs and make a living! But, as I said in my earlier posts, we are very fortunate in that our vets have a very fair pricing policy - but if they didn't I would leave them! At one point I did consider being a bit of a "traitor" and priced up wormers online - only to discover that our vets' price was practically identical

Our vets have also suffered due to people not paying their accounts :mad: They used to be very amenable to allowing their regulars to pay up over an agreed time for treatment that was not an emergency situation but for which the costs had totted up. Unfortunately, they now have to absolutely insist on payment at the time of treatment for all but absolute emergencies.

Fleago

overbudget

I think I would rather pay more for the unexpected or even for the consultations and have them make less profit on regular drugs. My vets are generally great but my old dog is on Metacam and Soloxine - she is well out of insurance and the cost from the vet monthly is about £60. Online the same drugs exactly would cost half that. You can't choose whether to give these drugs - and if you have an animal with long term problems insurance may not help - even the best policies have a ceiling on individual conditions which with expensive drugs and tests doesn't take long to reach. Insurance does however cover the accidents, the unexpected and the new conditions...

Fleago

Hi Overbudget,

One of my dogs has just been prescribed medication that may turn out to be long term (and which would be a fairly regular type to be prescribed by the practice) and my vet charges 35p per tablet. As a matter of interest, I've just checked the price online at the link in this thread and they are 36p each there! Maybe I'm just very fortunate in my vets

I don't know that increasing the costs of consultations or ops, for example, to allow the reduction of the price of regular/longterm medication would be particularly fair to all the users of the practice as people who didn't have to have longterm medication for their pets would effectively be subsidising those who did

It is possible to get insurance that covers all the costs without a ceiling or time limit, but it is expensive.

Fleago

overbudget

Fleago wrote:

One of my dogs has just been prescribed medication that may turn out to be long term (and which would be a fairly regular type to be prescribed by the practice) and my vet charges 35p per tablet. As a matter of interest, I've just checked the price online at the link in this thread and they are 36p each there! Maybe I'm just very fortunate in my vets

I think you are!

Fleago wrote:

I don't know that increasing the costs of consultations or ops, for example, to allow the reduction of the price of regular/longterm medication would be particularly fair to all the users of the practice as people who didn't have to have longterm medication for their pets would effectively be subsidising those who did

But at the moment those who need medication are subsidising those who need scanners etc. - doesn't seem fair either!
I wasn't suggesting that drugs should be subsidised - rather that their prices shouldn't be inflated to cover other services offered by a practice. Clearly if the same drugs are available at 50% of the cost or less elsewhere then the profits being made are huge. I wouldn't object to paying a reasonable markup to cover costs of dispensing - but 50% or more is taking the proverbial - and will only drive people to look elsewhere!

Fleago wrote:

It is possible to get insurance that covers all the costs without a ceiling or time limit, but it is expensive.

Fleago

Sadly not available at any price for a 12 year old, already sick, dog....

Fleago

overbudget wrote:

Sadly not available at any price for a 12 year old, already sick, dog....

Poor overbudget dog :sad: A couple of the Fleago pack have insurance cover but one turns 8 next year and I'm dreading the premium hike then. I don't want to give it up though as he's more likely to need it as he gets older. I wouldn't mind, but you don't even get a no claims bonus as you do with car insurance!

Fleago

overbudget

Fleago wrote:

Poor overbudget dog :sad: A couple of the Fleago pack have insurance cover but one turns 8 next year and I'm dreading the premium hike then. I don't want to give it up though as he's more likely to need it as he gets older. I wouldn't mind, but you don't even get a no claims bonus as you do with car insurance!

Fleago

Don't worry too much about her - she has the life of riley actually - just my bank balance that suffers! :rotfl: Both of her conditions are permanent but thankfully not life threatening as long as she gets her medication. So we carry on and just enjoy life while we can!

Re. your boy who is approaching 8 - now is definitely the time to make sure you have the best policy - changing after 8 is really difficult. I made the mistake of having a policy that had a time limit - didn't realise the implications until it was too late (she ws too old to switch) - and the time limit ran out for her a couple of years ago!

I'm with you on the no claims - especially since probably far more people do claim vet insurance than any other form - rewarding not claiming would be a great idea! (Though I doubt I'd ever benefit! :rolleyes: )

Fleago

Thanks overbudget The Senior Fleagohound (and Middling Fleagohound too for that matter) is on an all singing, all dancing policy that would cover him for unlimited costs for life - expensive and probably not really money saving as many people recommend taking the chance and saving the equivalent of the premiums in an account. I'm taking that approach for the Baby Fleagohound and Fleagocat (fingers crossed!) but can't bear to drop the policies on Senior and Middling!

I'm sure overbudgetdog DOES have the life of riley

Fleago

tigs78

Another good site is https://www.vetuk.co.uk I have used both this and https://www.bestpetpharmacy.co.uk and found them both to have an extremely quick turnaround - normally 24 hours after they receive the prescription. Vetuk works out slighty cheaper for the tablets my cat has. I have ordered my cats medication online for the last 9 months or so, my vet charges £60 per month and I get the identical medication for £33 from vetuk.co.uk

As an aside, when I got my last prescription I asked my vet if they had lost much business due to the online pharmacies (he is the senior partner so is interested in finances too!). He said that the majority of clients on long term medication are insured and so couldn't claim on their insurance if they got the meds from the online pharmacy so it was in the interest of the client to get it from the vets still. Those on short term meds normally swallow the more expensive vets prices as a one off.