[QUOTE=Ghazzu;7395480]
[QUOTE=Coyoteco;7385340]Can anyone explain to me why Dontral is by prescription only?
The short answer would be that that is the way the drug company brought it to market.
Great. So the general public should have open access to drugs so that they can overuse/misuse them based on whatever information they read on the 'net, be it accurate or not.
We have enough problems with antibiotic resistance, for instance, now, even though most are Rx. I shudder at the thought of putting those OTC.
Bullhockey. While a prescription charge leaves a bad taste in the client’s mouth, if the charge doesn’t show up there, it’s going to end up somewhere else–office visit or procedure fee, etc. If the practice has to make a given income to stay afloat, it is going to come from somewhere.
I’ve been told directly by the board of registration in my state that it is against regulations to dispense prescription drugs for an owner to simply “have on hand”. Unlss the Rx is for a particular animal for a particular issue for which I have examined it, it is agin’ the rulz.[/QUOTE]
Prescriptions:
Absolutely. I think that people have a right to medications without that medication’s being filtered through a physician. Am I less likely to fail to take my course of antibiotics because a physician’s assistant tells me that it is important than if a pharmacist tells me it’s important? No. On the basis of the last year or so, I’ll take a pharmacist’s recommendation over that of a physician. My point, however, was not that all medicines should be available without a prescription, but that a prescription requirement should be the exception rather than the rule. I do not think that Dontral should be a prescription. I do think that narcotic pain relievers should be by prescription. It is not clear to me that there is any benefit for antibiotics being prescription only, though I know that argument and could hear more on it. I do not understand why I had to go 50 miles to my pediatrician for a simple, preliminary strep test for my kids when that test - the preliminary one - could have been purchased at a local pharmacy. That kind of thing.
Vet prescription charge:
Ypu misread my post, I think. I have no objection to a prescription fee and, in fact, think that is a very good way to provide prescriptions for animal patients. It requires a discussion with the vet who is the animals’ regular vet, but not a specific examination for each prescription. An excellent solution. Even at my favorite vet’s office, there is some kind of prescription fee charge when the pills come in the official bottle as opposed to when the bottle is refilled. So, it’s there, too, as you said, even when it’s not separated out in the billing.
Energency meds on hand:
I don’t keep emergency meds on hand for my horses,as my horse vet didn’t like to do that. But, everyone I know does, so even vets will send me to other patients whom I know to get a shot in an emergency. It’s pretty irresponsible as a horse owner to not have some method of emergency treatment for horses, and the vet association must recognize that as there are so many vets who do enable their clients to have such meds on hand. Had I not liked my vet so much, I would have dropped him over the issue - as it was, I never said anything as I know how to get the meds from friends or neighbors. Also, I’ve never had many horse issues, so didn’t need many prescription meds. Now, when I had the very old cats, I always kept antibiotics on hand for them per my small animal vet. Her position was that as soon as I perceived an infection, I should start the meds immediately and call her. It was a fantastic system the kept the infections from getting bad before treatment started. That added years to the lives of those cats who were all in their 20’s.
The rules need to change and it is incumbent upon the vets to change the rules that govern their profession.
A couple of “asides”:
I think my 30 pound dog’s pre surgery blood work was $250. The vet left that as optional - but I felt it was necessary. (surgery for mammary tumor biopsy and teeth cleaning). My estimate for the surgery was about $700 with the idea that it could go higher. By the time it did, and I obtained certain add on’s that I though necessary it was just about double that. The thing is that I was given a choice - I added everything except the toenail clipping. Since I was given a choice, and made an informed decision, I am happy with the bill. Did the additional services cost more than I expected? Yes. Do I have any complaints? No. My decision and a good result.
I think there is pressure on vets who are trying to build a business and sometimes they succumb to those pressures at the expense of their patients. Veterinary medicine is unique in that it is both mandatory, sometimes life-saving, while being volitional on the part of the owner. The patient has no say and the value judgments are made by the owner who can always rationalize his decision. There is a fine balance that vets face and the profession has to take that into account in its rules and regulations.
