Leukeran

geri1965_2

Does anyone else have pets on Leukeran? I took my cat in for a check up today and it cost me £97 which included £68 for 10 tablets, which were previously only about £16. It is apparently due to them being re-labelled or something.

£68 every 10 weeks is a lot of money to pay out at the moment.

I'm also a bit miffed at being charged for the check up, which they requested in order to carry on being able to give me the tablets. Last time they checked her I'm fairly sure they didn't charge me.

krlyr

You could look into having the vet issue a prescription which you can have filled by an online pharmacy, I'm not sure if the nature of the medication will mean its not available as freely as other prescription medications though. Vets are entitled to charge a "reasonable" prescription fee (no specified amount but the RCVS say it must not put customers off requesting a prescription) though so you'll have to weigh up the savings against the fee. There's quite a few online pharmacies online so shop around but try to find a place with a good reputation. Avoid like the plague anywhere that offers prescription-only medication without a prescription, they often work around the legalities of it by operating outside of the UK but there are lots of issues in importing POM, as well as the risk of outdated, generic or counterfeit products, and having no recourse (except through your credit card company, perhaps) as the company will be very difficult to track down (often the 0800 numbers on the website won't work, emails may bounce back, etc.). I use http://www.animeddirect.co.uk and have used http://www.vetuk.co.uk as well as http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk in the past.

Regarding the checkup, vets have to have seen a pet within a certain amount of time to ensure a pet is in good enough health to provide prescription medication so it will be something they have to do regardless. If you were using private healthcase yourself you'd probably expect to pay for a checkup for your progress during a treatment, it still requires the vet's time, attention and veterinary knowledge to see how your cat is doing, as well as considering the other costs involved - the rent of the practice so it's there in the first place, the utilities to provide light, heat and water to have the building warm and sanitary for your use, the staff to check you in at reception. And delving even deeper, the cleaning products used to sanitise the room after your visit, the cost of having the table in place, the computer system there to store your notes, the gloves, thermometer, stethoscope, etc. used in the checkup.

geri1965_2

I appreciate that, but the check up was no different to the one they do when they give me her flea treatment, which they do not usually charge me for.

Oh well, I guess I will just have to cut back on my handbag purchases!

~Chameleon~

Has your cat had cancer? I'm not sure you'd be able to buy Chlorambucil from an online pharmacy. You are aware of the strict guidelines for safety of use, I take it?

krlyr

geri1965 wrote: »

I appreciate that, but the check up was no different to the one they do when they give me her flea treatment, which they do not usually charge me for.

Oh well, I guess I will just have to cut back on my handbag purchases!

I would assume that the vet practice decides to make a loss on the consult time for flea treatment checkups as a bit of a strategy. Mine do the same, you can pop in for a checkup for flea or worming treatments and its free (haven't tested out if that still applies now I'm getting a prescription and ordering elsewhere though..) but obviously they get the revenue of you buying flea products monthly (and then you're more likely to stick with them for all other treatments etc. too). I would say it's a case of be grateful those appointments are free rather than be annoyed this one was not!

It does look like the medication isn't available very easily online, but there do seem to be mentioned of a generic version so that could be something to ask about. Sometimes vets feel generic versions aren't as good as branded products but it may be an option to consider. My dog is on the branded version of her thyroid medication as it's all covered by her insurance but I know many people have had just as much success with one of the alternative/generic type versions available.

geri1965_2

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Has your cat had cancer? I'm not sure you'd be able to buy Chlorambucil from an online pharmacy. You are aware of the strict guidelines for safety of use, I take it?

We haven't had a definitive diagnosis - they said it could be large or small cell lymphoma, or inflammatory bowel disease. This was in January. What guidelines do you mean? I keep it in the fridge and give her two tablets every fortnight as advised.

~Chameleon~

geri1965 wrote: »

We haven't had a definitive diagnosis - they said it could be large or small cell lymphoma, or inflammatory bowel disease. This was in January. What guidelines do you mean? I keep it in the fridge and give her two tablets every fortnight as advised.

Wearing gloves to handle the drug, avoiding contact with urine/faeces for 48hrs after giving the drug etc. Your vet should have advised you.

geri1965_2

Hmmmm, they never said any of that. They did give me some gloves when I got the tablets yesterday, but previously I was under the impression that I only had to wear gloves when handling her other medication (prednisolone).