Cost of Dog Dewormer

[Another_Poster]

Ok, I need to vent for a few minutes.

Why is dog dewormer so expensive? It cost me $100 to deworm 3 dogs with praziquantel for tapeworms. Everyone has Seresto collars and Heartgard and I have no issues with fleas but they managed to kill and eat a wild rabbit last week so I’m thinking the tapeworms came from that.

The price literally made me gasp. I bought it from their vet but it was going to be just as expensive through TSC or a local feed store. I keep hearing vets recommend that dogs need deworming every 3 months regardless but who can afford that? Not to mention, I don’t deworm without pulling a fecal first.

I’ve had animals for years and I’m in my 30’s so I should be used to the cost of things by now. But it still makes my eyes bug out occasionally. But seriously, who can afford $100 for 3 dogs JUST for dewormer? It’s insane to me that horse dewormer is so much cheaper.

[GoodTimes]

I’ve heard that it’s due to regulations ie the FDA in the US and the CFIA in Canada
They keep the costs down for livestock so that’s still affordable for farmers as that’s in everyone’s best interest. We’re lucky that horses are considered livestock. Unfortunately the CFIA is looking into changes in Canada which is starting rumours that our prices may jump significantly.
Pets like dogs and cats don’t fall under those same rules so drug companies can charge more. This is my understanding anyway.

I only have one dog and haven’t gotten any sticker shocks lately. I’ve never had a small animal vet push fecals or deworming though. When I first got her she was just over 1yo and was having soft stools so I had a fecal done which came back normal. I switched her food and her poop has stayed normal ever since. We don’t go to dog parks and she only interacts with a few dogs that belong to friends and family so we haven’t ever done another fecal.

[S1969]

I was just thinking about this because my dogs often have tapeworms - they hunt moles and if they catch them they will usually eat them (and will catch/kill other animals although they don’t usually eat them). But even if the animal doesn’t have tapeworms they usually have fleas and fleas host tapeworms in another part of their life cycle.

My vet will give me meds without a fecal because he knows that I wouldn’t ask unless I know for sure they were positive for tapes…but damn, I hate the price.

I know some people dose dogs with horse dewormers, I’ll have to ask my friends. I went to a field first aid training once and it did include deworming - and how to calculate the weight for a dog v. a horse - it’s something unusual like 2x the per pound dosage needed or something because of muscle mass differences…but I forget. I like the little pills, but wish I could just get a year’s worth and at a lower price.

[maybedog]

Having frequent rescue situations, we do our own Heartworm and worming for all of our dogs and cats. I use injectable Ivermectin 1% for cattle and give 0.1ml/lb orally ( 75 lb dog gets .75ml) Do not use this in collie breeds! Pyrantel Pamoate 50mg/ml Suspension orally. Dose is 2.27mg x weight = Dosage mg/ 50= Dosage ml. (50lb dog would get 113.50mg which would be 2.27ml). I get it from Amazon or EBay in 16 oz bottle. That combination is the same as Heartgard Plus. Every 3-4 months I substitute the Pyrantel with Safe-guard Dewormer for Goats 10% Suspension(Fenbendazole) (100mg/ml ). Dose is .25ml/lb (25lb dog would get 6.25ml) For dogs 50 lbs and over I use the Horse safe-guard and carefully squeeze out a 100lb dose, measure the strip to dose it per weight of dog. Once again given orally but for 3 consecutive days. This will get Hookworm along with the usual suspects. All of the wormers have a 3+ year shelf life and usually expire before I use all of it. Even throwing some away it is still much cheaper than getting “Canine” doses from the vet.

[Marshfield]

@maybedog

Having frequent rescue situations, we do our own Heartworm and worming for all of our dogs and cats. I use injectable Ivermectin 1% for cattle and give 0.1ml/lb orally ( 75 lb dog gets .75ml) .

That’s pretty dangerous. 1 mL of the OTC ivermectin is 10,000 mcg. Heartworm prevention dose is 272 mcg for a 75 pound dog. This is why veterinarians are scared of having people do heartworm prevention with OTC ivermectin. The dosing is often all over the place

As for the tapeworm issue, Interceptor plus does have praziquantel in it and is a good option for dogs likely to undergo repeated exposure.

[Tjkobol]

Wow I’ve never heard of it being so expensive! Where are you guys located??

Even for a giant dog, one dose to take care of tapeworms at the clinic I work at wouldn’t be more than like $18/dog. And I doubt it’d even be that high. That’s with a $10 fill fee.

[hoopoe]

I would not routinely deworm a dog unless you live in an area where hook and whip worm are persistent.

20 years of vet clinical and positive fecals are rare outside of puppyhood.

For the average owner treat tapeworm when you see it,.

Tjkobol, your clinic prices are exceptionally low.