Avoiding excessive vet charges

[hightail]

Used to be you walked into a vet's waiting room and there was nothing but a few chairs. Now they look like a retail establishment and that's exactly what they are. Don't be fooled into buying products at highly inflated prices.

 

I've divided 'veterinary' products into three categories.

 

1. POM-V Prescription only

No choice here. If your vet prescribes something in this category then he obviously believes there is a medical need and you can't go off and buy it elsewhere. There are online suppliers but you will need a prescription from your vet and he'll charge you so much for it that any savings are wiped out.

 

2. Retail Sales

Broadly speaking, this is stuff that the average pet owner knows can be bought anywhere. It tends to be well displayed in the waiting room and anyone can pick it off the shelf and pay. Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin, all the ordinary foods plus pet toys etc.

 

3. Non Prescription but they don't tell you.

This is where you might just save a fortune. Are you sure all those products you've just paid for can only be bought from the vet? This is the really sneaky stuff which looks medical, you think is 'prescribed' and can be bought over the counter. Just because a manufacturer calls a food 'prescription diet' don't be fooled. Many wormers, flea treatments, special toothpastes - hundreds of products which not on general display are not prescription only and will be half the price elsewhere. Vets are a business. Every consultation is a 'sales opportunity'.

 

Always ask what you're being given and ask if it is POM-V. Tell them to remove anything which isn't from the bill. There's no harm in taking say a couple of tins of special food to see you through but don't be pressured into buying large amounts. If you're at the vet with your animal then you're probably worried and grateful to have a diagnosis and treatment to start straight away. If it's not POM-V then it probably isn't an essential, life-saving product and a couple of days won't matter. Come home and check online, the difference in price will probably shock you.

 

One very useful site is the Noah Compendium. Not sure if I'm allowed to post a link so just Google it. Here's where you can check the legal category of all licensed animal medicines and confirm uses and dosages.

[Minkiesmum]

I've still always made a saving even buying a prescription from the vet then getting the meds online. Just goes to show the horrific mark-ups they have there in their offices !!! I queried it one time and they told me that THEY are limited to the suppliers they are permitted to use.

 

Cheers, Lynda~

[Bookworm]

What's POM-V? (V = 5, presumably?)

[Minkiesmum]

That was mentioned in another post-the V is for vets' prescriptions, I think it said. POM is for prescription only medicine.

 

Cheers, Lynda~

[hightail]

I've still always made a saving even buying a prescription from the vet then getting the meds online

 

For long term treatment this is still the best option as the vet can give you a prescription for three months worth of whatever you need. For a one off course of antibiotics it won't be worth it for most. Many vets are now charging the equivalent of a consultation fee just to write up the script.

[Minkiesmum]

Mine was charging £12 each prescription and NEVER made it a repeat one even though I've bought the same medicine for years now.....I recently changed vets and the new one charges £7, I think it is......will be interested to see if he writes up one for more than one purchase.

 

Cheers,

Lynda~

[hightail]

Ask him to prescribe 3 months worth at a time. They can do this for ongoing conditions. They can also write it up for x amount per month for up to 5 times.

[Minkiesmum]

Aha !! That may be my problem. Every dosage of this particular medicine I get lasts me around 6 months so maybe that's why they're not repeating it ?

 

Cheers,

Lynda~

[janmal2000]

by law, the vet should have on display a notice stating that you DO NOT HAVE TO purchase their medication and they will issue a prescription to you on request. If they charge a fee then this should also be advertised.

our elderly lady and gent are both on long term POM meds. the local vet will issue a repeat prescription for 3 or 6 months depending on what we ask for (which we pay £17 for - sometimes free depending on which vet serves us!!). we need the dog to have a re-examination every 6mths to ensure they are all good etc. each time we also always do a search through the online vets who supply the POM meds as they often change their prices, have deals etc to ensure we get the best price so again, dont feel you have to buy from the same supplier at each repeat. if you have a 6mth prescription you can leave that with the supplier and have 3mth tablets at a time but its usually cheaper to buy in greater volume.

you will ALWAYS save money for all medication required if needed for longer than just a few weeks, if short-term/emergency medication then your vet will be the best option.

Drontal wormers we always get online (no prescription needed), same to for horse wormers. A lot of medication is also available for humans (but not regulated) ie - Cod liver oil, fish oil, tramadol, amoxycillen, ibuprofen, asprin, to name just a few. yes you need to be very careful with measurements using especially with very small dogs, and never a puppy. when one dog had cancer, my vet advised using paramax. for horse fly spray i use cattle fly repellent as it lasts 6 wks with one dose!

[Minkiesmum]

My gripe there is when your dog has been on the same medicine in my case now over 5 years it seems a money-spinner that a vet insists on seeing her before re-prescribing. That cancels out any saving you're making by purchasing meds cheaper online when you're forced to pay a consultation fee.

Luckily my new vet knows the folly of this and is well aware I know my own dog now as I've managed to get her to 16 and the other was 16 and 11 months when she died so he's rightfully pointed out I'm doing something right !! So he doesn't insist on a consultation every time he writes me a prescription out !!

 

Lynda ~

[janmal2000]

a lot of long-term medications cause problems with heart, liver, kidneys etc so they MUST be monitored throughout the year incase these organs start to fail and cause even more problems. i have no issue with this as i would rather my dog have a quarterly or 6mth yearly check-up (this, inc the prescription still works out cheaper than getting the meds from the original vet) to ensure the meds are not causing thses probs. £20 twice a year for peace of mind is invaluable.

 

and since joining this link, i really have totally jinxed myself and my animals!!!!

one dog went in for a tumour operation on friday (thanfully not a tumour but a very rare type of hernia she had prob been born with but had somehow moved this last month so we could feel it!!, being about the size of an orange and wasnt there 8wks ago was a great worry), the horse went to the vet yesterday for an infection in his leg and now i suspect another of the dogs may have broken her leg during the night (playing with our standard Schnauzer of all things) and am waiting to get an apt with the vet today!

JINXED = most def! lol

[Minkiesmum]

Oh my-at least it comes in 3's so that's your round for now-sorry to hear that.

You mention £20 twice a year-it costs WAY more than that here-you're looking at £35 just to walk through the door. I DO take my dog(s) in twice a year for a doggy MOT these days but that's my choice. I resent being forced to go in just so I could get a prescription. When I have been forced to attend they've never taken bloods to determine the things you mention above so it was just an excuse to regain the money they were losing out on by me purchasing meds online.

 

Lynda~

[pistachio]

Couldn't agree more with the 'looks like it is prescription not told otherwise' scenario - I only found that out by chance. Ear cleaner that's £15 on line is £30 at the vets! That's not supplier-led it's just a massive mark-up. Shouldn't there be a law - in the same way foods have to be clearly labeled - that says what's prescription and what's not?

[Minkiesmum]

Usually the best way to find out is to look online and at a site that sells petmeds as they specify whether they're POM or not.

 

Lynda~