Evalee, Ghazzu was agreeing with me and I knew that. 
If you are dissatisfied, why not call a different vet? Or why not use a different vet when you might need a prescription?
[QUOTE=Guin;2253289]
My vets lowered their prices on heartworm and frontline, but it is STILL cheaper to order them from Australia (PetsMegaStore.com). I am baffled by the whole thing, that it is significantly less expensive to buy the EXACT SAME medication (NOT generic) and have it shipped all the way from Australia, and still have it cost less than it does in this country. ???[/QUOTE]
I have been using PetsMegaStore for years without problem to order meds that my small animal vet asks exorbitant prices for. Everything I have received has been very clearly labeled and within date. I have 6 horses; 2 ponies; 3 dogs and 36 cats. Yes, I said 36 cats. All but two are former strays that I have vaccinated and had spayed or neutered out of my own pocket; and provided vet care for as needed. We have a little property so fortunately have enough space for that many. It’s VERY expensive to care for so many animals and I am always looking for ways to keep veterinary and maintenance costs down while preserving quality of life and care for my animals. Thank goodness for the internet making other options available for the consumer.
I would think that everyone here appreciates their vets both small and large. We just don’t appreciate being taken advantage of over the sometimes ridiculous mark-up of medications. No one likes to be gouged. I realize, not everyone practices this way.
[QUOTE=CuriosoJorge;2256777]
Evalee, Ghazzu was agreeing with me and I knew that. :)[/QUOTE]
Good. I didn’t read it that way, but I’m glad to know you understood & I misunderstood.
CJ and I are copacetic 
[QUOTE=Guin;2253289]
My vets lowered their prices on heartworm and frontline, but it is STILL cheaper to order them from Australia (PetsMegaStore.com). I am baffled by the whole thing, that it is significantly less expensive to buy the EXACT SAME medication (NOT generic) and have it shipped all the way from Australia, and still have it cost less than it does in this country. ???[/QUOTE]
I missed this post. What you don’t know about pharmeceuticals and the regulations in America is amazing. The US has stringent laws and tests that must be followed before a drug can be released, usually much more rigorous than other countries. That’s why medications are more costly here than elsewhere. It may the same medication, but the companies have to offset those costs.
There’s no way in hell I’d buy grey market medications, no matter how cheap they were. They’re cheap for a reason! And if you’re getting heartworm prevention from another country without an Rx, that’s illegal.
I’m not sure which company it was, but we had a customer who had a dog who was on a year round HW preventative test positive for HW. The dog was sent for another test, positive again. The manufacturer covered the treatment for that dog, especially because the owners could prove that they had the dog tested and bought a years worth supply of HW preventative(Part time NY/part time FL residents).
I wonder how buying it from those “larger” companies or from out of the country would do with that sort of stuff…
[QUOTE=A. P.;2252932]
Ask your vet if she will sell you the Adequan from her supplier [B]at cost.
“[/B] My small animal vet had the same policy - no prescriptions. They stated concerns about how the medications had been handled and not knowing if any detrimental effects had come of it. We’re talking heartguard and frontline here, nothing complicated”
God, that is such BS.[/QUOTE]
No kidding. I’d TOTALLY call the vet out on that crock o’ bull. He/she isn’t responsible for meds that are purchased or dispensed by the owner. If the owner wants to buy the meds from some guy on the corner out of a trunk it should be no business of the vet.
Oh, I dunno.
While I’d have no problems with a client using a licsensed pharmacy (walk in or mail order) to fill an Rx that I wrote, I’d happily “fire” a client who was getting “the meds from some guy on the corner out of a trunk”.
[QUOTE=Ghazzu;2259103]
I’d happily “fire” a client who was getting “the meds from some guy on the corner out of a trunk”.[/QUOTE]
I would, too. I wouldn’t dictate where a patient could LEGALLY fill a prescription but out of a trunk?
On the other hand, if a patient is buying out a trunk then they probably don’t need my script! :winkgrin:
[QUOTE=equusrocks;2258899]
I’m not sure which company it was, but we had a customer who had a dog who was on a year round HW preventative test positive for HW. The dog was sent for another test, positive again. The manufacturer covered the treatment for that dog, especially because the owners could prove that they had the dog tested and bought a years worth supply of HW preventative(Part time NY/part time FL residents).
I wonder how buying it from those “larger” companies or from out of the country would do with that sort of stuff…[/QUOTE]
I get my heartworm medications thru a larger vet supply company. My vet writes me the prescriptions with no problem (has been doing it for years).
However, my vet did mention this very thing to me many years ago. She said that if there was ever a problem like the one you mentioned, I probably wouldn’t be covered by the large supply company that I purchase the pills from. If I got them from her however, I’d be covered. I opted to “take my chances” (and still do) because with multiple dogs I can’t see the justification in spending a ton more for the medication just because “maybe” something might happen and I’d have to pay for treatment myself. The way I figure it, in all these years I’ve already saved more than enough on the price of the drugs to be able to cover any off chance problem.
As far as the OP’s vet refusing to write her a prescription – I’d for sure be looking for another vet! :yes:
I get prescriptions from my vets (both small and equine) for almost all of my medications. I’ve never once had any problem whatsoever doing so. In fact, it was my small animal vet who suggested that she give me a prescription for some medication that one of my dogs was going to be on long-term (human heart drug). She said that the “human" pharmacy could sell the stuff cheaper than she could even buy it (because pharmacies get quantity discounts that the little guys don’t get). This was many years ago and I still get prescriptions for medications, heartworm preventive, etc. When you have many animals it is almost a necessity to do this! :winkgrin:
Same with my wonderful horse vet. Any time I’ve wanted a prescription I’ve gotten it – no problem. I usually only do this for the “big ticket” drugs like GastroGuard, etc. Regular, everyday drugs I just buy from him. :yes:
Why not just call a different vet if you don’t like the policy? Wasn’t it demonstrated to be a legal policy? Every vet I know charges a bit differently for things. Some are a bit more for road calls (or emergencies) than others, some charge for prescriptions (some don’t). Would you complain if one vet charged $10 more per x-ray? I would be willing to bet the money would even out in the long run.
If you want to nickle and dime a professional it is certainly your right as a client, but in my experience that doesn’t always prove to be a good solution in the long term.
[QUOTE=Liver Yang Rising;2254404]
But don’t forget, it is not as simple as just “writing a script”. Someone else has to file that information, log the script and put it in the records. Time = money. Also, I was told that my vet is wary about just giving out scripts, that he’d rather fax the info into the supplier for you. Too many things have happened, scripts are copies, signatures altered or forged, and it all comes back to the vet. They have to protect themselves. That script carries a lot of information.
For example, one script got copied and altered, for a substance that tested on the racetrack. Several horses pulled a positive test, the trainer was investigated and they found several bottles of medication in the trainer’s tack room. Was kinda against the guidelines to have that much at one time (like boxes of it). They traced it back to the vet that wrote the original script. He scripted ONE (1) bottle and they altered it to read ONE HUNDRED (100).
He spent a lot of time and $ defending himself, just over a piece of paper.[/QUOTE]
I"m sorry, but I had to address this one - even though it’s from 2 pages ago.
For every one vet who’s had a client tamper with a script there are probably 2000 MD’s who’ve experienced the same. I write scripts for benzos, ritalin, narcotics and other drugs of abuse every day and hand them directly into my patients’ hand whereupon my patient can fill that script wherever he or she chooses.
IMO, the “you’re paying for the increased liablity” argument is bunk.
[QUOTE=clivers;2259396]
For every one vet who’s had a client tamper with a script there are probably 2000 MD’s who’ve experienced the same. I write scripts for benzos, ritalin, narcotics and other drugs of abuse every day and hand them directly into my patients’ hand whereupon my patient can fill that script wherever he or she chooses.
IMO, the “you’re paying for the increased liablity” argument is bunk.[/QUOTE]
Thank You!
Doctors write prescriptions for their patients every day. They don’t charge you extra to record the info., put it in their files, etc. So why does anyone think a vet should tack on any extra charges for “all of his trouble”. That just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. :no:
[QUOTE=reillyshoe;2259353]
If you want to nickle and dime a professional it is certainly your right as a client, but in my experience that doesn’t always prove to be a good solution in the long term.[/QUOTE]
Well, in my case it is close to $100, which is a lot of nickels and dimes. Maybe that’s loose change to you, but to me it’s a lot of money.
I could turn that argument back on the professional…it’s worth a $10 script fee to make a loyal client angry and risk losing my business permanently? There are lots of equine vets around here…
I like my vet, and I am hopeful she will help me out. My first reaction isn’t just to dump her. I would like to work it out.
1 Like
[QUOTE=Ghazzu;2259103]
Oh, I dunno.
While I’d have no problems with a client using a licsensed pharmacy (walk in or mail order) to fill an Rx that I wrote, I’d happily “fire” a client who was getting “the meds from some guy on the corner out of a trunk”.[/QUOTE]
I hope you know I am exagerating. My point is - that if someone does by a bad Rx, the vet isn’t held responsible any more than if the pharmacist mixed something up. The claim that they need to control where the meds come from is BS. As the physisians have stated above.
[QUOTE=Claddagh;2259428]
Doctors write prescriptions for their patients every day. They don’t charge you extra to record the info., put it in their files, etc. So why does anyone think a vet should tack on any extra charges for “all of his trouble”. That just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. :no:[/QUOTE]
Grrrrr.
BECAUSE HUMAN DOCTORS DON’T CARRY THOSE MEDICATIONS!!!
It’s totally different, folks. How many people have to tell you this before it sinks in? That’s how it’s been done for decades by vets and they’re being forced to change; no one likes that. And, those on line pet med sites, guess what? They’re all rude jerks to the veterinary staff, and they repeatedly break the law and get fined on the state and federal level. That’s another reason vets get irritated when you ask for that written Rx for what they have in stock. And when you’re getting those meds on line from another state, you’re sending money away from the local community and that vet staff who probably have taken home many pets from abusive/negligent owners and don’t have a lot of money either. They’re the ones who care for animals and are working for a lot less than other medical professions. You think PetMed etc. cares about your pet? No freakin’ way. That’s why they break the law to sell those meds and make that dollar. :mad:
And no, the hw meds are not guaranteed by the manufacturer unless they are bought from a vet that has a client-patient relationship with you. They want to work directly with vets, not wholesalers.
How much do you think you’d pay for a total physical exam in a practice that has same day apppointments for new clients, an xray machine, an ultrasound machine, an xray processor, a surgical suite, a dental lab, in house blood lab, stocked pharmacy, licensed techs and can do surgery on you right away? Could you even find a place like that for yourself? I doubt it.
[QUOTE=chaltagor;2259705]
Grrrrr. How much do you think you’d pay for a total physical exam in a practice that has same day apppointments for new clients, an xray machine, an ultrasound machine, an xray processor, a surgical suite, a dental lab, in house blood lab, stocked pharmacy, licensed techs and can do surgery on you right away? Could you even find a place like that for yourself? I doubt it.[/QUOTE]
I might pay a lot except that wait…I DO work in that kind of place and it is specifically for the uninsured and underinsured and our services are free of out of pocket expenses and we DID provide medication for patients OR they could go to the pharmacy of their choice. Well, maybe not the surgery…but then, my vet doesn’t provide that either.
Look, I am not sure why the hard work, long hours, good hearts scenario makes it okay for a vet to withhold a prescription?
It’s simple…a medical provider OF ANY TYPE shouldn’t be able to force you to buy medication from them. Its a conflict of interest, it violates the concept of free market, it isn’t legal or ethical in at least 25 states…
Yes, vets work hard and in bad conditions. So do lots of people. Yes, vets are generally good people who probably aren’t trying to scam their patients…but you know what? I also work hard for my money. I also treat me vet with respect for her time and knowledge…and if I can save money on medication then I can spend it on something else my horse needs…my money is finite. My vet is not a charity case. She has more money than I do.
[QUOTE=chaltagor;2259705]
Grrrrr.
BECAUSE HUMAN DOCTORS DON’T CARRY THOSE MEDICATIONS!!!
It’s totally different, folks. How many people have to tell you this before it sinks in? That’s how it’s been done for decades by vets and they’re being forced to change; no one likes that.
How much do you think you’d pay for a total physical exam in a practice that has same day apppointments for new clients, an xray machine, an ultrasound machine, an xray processor, a surgical suite, a dental lab, in house blood lab, stocked pharmacy, licensed techs and can do surgery on you right away? Could you even find a place like that for yourself? I doubt it.[/QUOTE]
Grrrrr yourself - when I was a family doctor, I billed under $56 for a complete annual health exam including head to toe physical, pap smear, nutrition and lifestyle counselling etc. etc. etc. And yes, that was BEFORE taxes, paying for overhead, staff, supplies…
Oh, and it was in a HOSPITAL. With x-ray. ultrasound. dental surgery. labs. Oh, and a lovely pharmacy that my clients could CHOOSE to use or not!!!
Just because you know underpaid vet techs who take pity on abandoned animals doesn’t make the ethical issue of vets insisting clients purchase their PRODUCTS any less questionable.
I think your best point was “That’s how it’s been done for decades by vets and their[sic] being forced to change; no one likes that.” Yes, that’s how it was traditionally done, but it’s a conflict of interest. I would think that this, combined with the terrible hardships of stocking meds described in other posts, that more vets would be keen to download that job on veterinary or regular pharmacies, no? If this is not happening to a great degree then other forces are probably compelling vets to continue their medical slash retail sales careers. You can guess what those are, I think.
