Vet prescriptions... what a rip off!!!

buckster

I didn't realise until today that I could buy my vets prescription online instead of being ripped off at the vets. My dog has an eye irritation and one of the items was eye drops for my dog called acular which is also used for humans. I was charged £25 for a 5ml bottle, so a teaspoon full of eye drop medicine. I googled the medicine and you can buy it for just over £4 online. I spoke to a pharmacist and they confirmed that this is the same product used for humans and in animals. I will be phoning the vets tomorrow to ask them why I have been charged so much. :mad:

Gareth_Lazelle

You need to get a prescription out of your vets though - and many will try to charge for it, even though I believe it is against the law,

We had the same problem when our cat went onto long-term metacam use.

Glad

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DogsBody

Gareth_Lazelle wrote: »

You need to get a prescription out of your vets though - and many will try to charge for it, even though I believe it is against the law,
...

Not any more, vets have been able to charge a 'reasonable fee' for a few years now (2008?)

Westvleteren

I used to get my dogs thyroid medication from our vet, about £15 a time for a months supply. Decided to check out the price online - roughly £36 for 240 tablets, I was gobsmacked. I still have to pay £12 to the vet to write a presciption, but I am still making a massive saving.

Shoshannah

It is not illegal for veterinary practices to charge a prescription fee. The fee will vary depending on the practice. We charge about £8 - but some charge a lot more and some charge less.

Veterinary practices generally have to charge more for medications than online pharmacies because of the overheads - they are not just a warehouse that can buy in bulk, they have many more costs to cover and pay more for the product from their wholesaler in the first place.

If your dog is on Acular long-term I would suggest speaking to your vet to see if they can write you a prescription for more than one bottle, thus only charging one prescription fee. Your dog will still need to be seen regularly by your vet for them to legally write prescriptions or dispense any medications, though.

snowman2_2

buckster wrote: »

I googled the medicine and you can buy it for just over £4 online.

Where have you seen Acular for £4? That is less than 1/3 of the cost price. I would be doubtful if it is genuine at that price, it is so cheap. £25 is a bit expensive but £4 seems to be wrong

LittleLauz

Hi, I work in a pharmacy.
If you take your vet script into a regular pharmacy, it will be much cheaper than getting the drug from the vets plus you have the assurance that the drug is 100% genuine.
We dispensed a vetinary script for this just the other day and it was £6 for 5ml (minimum script cost is £6), though it does vary in price from time to time as often medicine suppliers vary in price, but it'll always be cheaper than getting it from the vets itself, even with the cost of getting the prescription written by the vet.
I'd be very wary of buying any medicines online after hearing about the majority of online suppliers being fake.

withabix

buckster wrote: »

I didn't realise until today that I could buy my vets prescription online instead of being ripped off at the vets. My dog has an eye irritation and one of the items was eye drops for my dog called acular which is also used for humans. I was charged £25 for a 5ml bottle, so a teaspoon full of eye drop medicine. I googled the medicine and you can buy it for just over £4 online. I spoke to a pharmacist and they confirmed that this is the same product used for humans and in animals. I will be phoning the vets tomorrow to ask them why I have been charged so much. :mad:

Are you confusing the prescription cost with the total bill?

How much were you charged on top of the £25 for the consultation and examination?

Our vets will tell you to buy from the chemists if it is cheaper and an over-the-counter product.

golucky76

i was charged £60 for flea treatments for my cats yesterday at the vets as they told me quite firmly that shop bought stuff such as Frontline and Bob Martin is completely useless and doesn't work.

well, when you care about your animals welfare, you listen and take their advice as absolute.

today i googled the meds that i bought from the vets yesterday and found the same stuff half the price, i am a quite cross about this!

but i also found out that prescription meds will need a prescription written out by your vets that you then have to post the the online vets site you are purchasing from,
I have just phoned my local vets and they charge £10 for this.

so even paying for a £10 prescription, i would still save a huge amount by purchasing online.

i will not make the mistake of doing this again. I hope this is saves others from spending the extra money at their vets.

Ask for the product name at your vets, get a prescription and get online!

rising_from_the_ashes

My vets charge £9.30 for a prescription.

Mr B's medication is £26 online & £68 from the vet (bottle does 2 months).

I can get 3 bottles (6 months) on one prescription so works out hugely cheaper.

I do not begrudge the vet charging (a reasonable amount) for the prescription as it ensures Mr B is always getting what he needs.