Pet prescription cost

clayderwoman

vets have to charge more for medicines than online pharmacies, they have higher overheads, they don't have the same bulk buying powers so they cost more for them to buy. Its your vet who has the knowledge of which drug is appropriate and what dose is safe. It takes time to fill out the prescription check the doses check the history etc so they do have to charge.
Most vets are happy to give prescriptions but for some things its not really appropriate for example a course of antibiotics that needs to be started straight away if you got a prescription you'd have to wait for it to be processed and posted then to be delivered. For long term meds than can be ordered before you run out its fine
Was the £30 including a consult fee? if so then thats about right if not I'd question your vets fees as the RCVS states “Our Guide to Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons advises vets only to make reasonable charges for prescriptions, which affords the public protection against excessive or inappropriate costs,”our practice charges £6 for the written prescription.

lisajane8482

Our vets are brilliant, if you can buy something cheaper somewhere else that isn't needed straight away (flea treatment etc) then they will tell you it could be cheaper to buy else where. For things like antibiotics I would buy them from the vets.

I must say though that I recently changed vets from a larger one to a smaller private one and the consultation fee is now half. I paid less to take my kitten to have his eye checked out and for antibiotics than I did for the consultation fee when my cat ate the elastic off his toy.

Welshwoofs

Sounds about right to me. I pay £25 per month for Previcox '1 a day' prescription only....but every 3 months they demand a check-up and then it's £25 for the drugs plus another £30 for literally a 2 minute check of his heart with a stephoscope and a "How's he doing?" to me.

Welshwoofs

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

This is one of my gripes. Total over-charging for meds that a pet needs long term.

For 7 painkiller tablets, I get charged over £14. There is no way I could afford this on a weekly basis. I now give my dog a painkiller when he needs it.

If it's for joints - have you tried Devil's Claw? It's enabled me to halve the amount of Previcox I use on my dog.

Wickwar

@clayderwoman
No the £29.99 did not included any consult fee he said he'd want to see him once every three months that's all.When i asked if the cost was for a script every three months I was told no £29.99 Per Month.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Welshwoofs wrote: »

If it's for joints - have you tried Devil's Claw? It's enabled me to halve the amount of Previcox I use on my dog.

My dog as an old fracture to his knee which happened before I got him. He was a rescue dog. He had slipped on the stairs & had caused his knee to flare up. At first the vet assumed it was his cruciate ligament, when they did an x-ray, it should up 3 small bone fragments floating about. The vet didn't want to operate as it could cause more complications.

Since then, my dog had a course of 10 hydrtherapy sessions & I give him a pedigree joint care stick everyday.

I do get a small amount of painkiller tablets just in case he needs them, but I do prefer not giving them to him on a long term basis.

sunflower_2

it is no wonder people abuse the PDSA vet practices (which annoys the hell out of me).

Wickwar

Well tablets arrived in the post today less than 4 days easy as don't think I'll be get robbed by my vet any more.

analyst_2

I think there is an ethical issue here, which could open it up for abuse. What's to stop an unscrupulous vet prescribing unnecessary drugs if they are raking in profit from sales too?
Can you imagine going to your Doctor, getting a prescription, then going to the Doctor's own sales counter for the medication? Would that be considered ethical?

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Problem is the vets never offer to give you the prescription so you can buy the drugs online. How many people have the courage to ask the vet for the prescription

No, they are not going to offer, are they? But you have a right to ask and I don't think it takes courage. I go there to consult a veterinarian, not a pharmacist.

I actually came up on here to ask what people think is a reasonable charge for a prescription.
Since my dog recently started on Previcox my vet has charged me £58.61 a pack of 30, which I now have found selling for £22.41. So, two days ago I presented a pro-forma prescription fully made out, all they had to do was sign and stamp it.
They charged a £12 flat fee for prescriptions, that one covers 3 months supply till her next check-up. They said they'd give it for 6 months after that.

Given that I have already paid their consultation fees and other not insubstantial ancillary charges . . . like X-Rays :eek:
What's your opinions of that price, given the minimal input they had?