Guest UESBrindle Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 As a new pet owner, I had a few questions about pet perscriptions... When we went to the ASPCA Hospital for William's well-dog exam, the vet naturally recommended Frontline Topspot for when the weather warms up. I'd read somewhere on GT that 1-800 Pet Meds doesn't always carry medicine that is FDA (or whatever the agency is that monitors animal medicine) approved-- but passable by other countries standards. Because of this, we bought the Frontline straight from the hospital. A 6 month supply cost $116. When a vet came to visit William to confirm conjunctivitis, the vet prescribed Vetropolycin Bacitracin-Neomycin-Polymyxin, 3.5g for $25/tube - I know we'll be able to use it again in the future, but online I found it for $4.39/tube We're also going to be giving him antibiotics before and after his non-anesthetic dental cleaning on Sunday. I'm not sure what the vet is mailing us, but it cost $84 - not sure how much he's sending, or how long it will last.. So I guess my questions are: Is what I've been paying typical for Rx costs? (This being said, I know I live in NYC where the cost of living is high, so I'm trying to gauge accordingly) Do you buy your medicine straight from your vet? Do you buy it online and ask them to call/fax it in? If so, what site do you use? Does the site you use only use medicine that is regulated by US standards? How long does it take for you to get the medicine? Does pet insurance cover medicine? (We have PetFirst Basic coverage) While I have no problem paying for anything William may need, I'm just trying to keep everything as economical as possible. Any advice from experienced owners would be greatly appreciated by a newbie!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flysmom Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I am not an expert either but I bought Frontline and Heartguard for my dogs thru 1800-Petmeds before. The carry namebrand meds and somtimes the Generic brands also. You can alos check out Drs. Foster and Smith and Discountdrugs for Pets, they all carry the namebrand and the generics. Do your research because even there the prices vary and shipping is most of the time free if you order a certain $. My vet faxed the RX to Petmeds and Discountdrugs or called them to the Pharmacists there. We live in the middle of nowhere here in Louisiana and the vets here charge crazy prices, I think I saw them selling the Frontline for $90 for 6 month... When Fly needed Deramaxx painmeds they charged me $10 a Tablet vs. $1.12 online... You choose how fast or slow you want the shipping, free shipping for normal mail and the rest you would have to pay extra. If you can go to a Military vet for your Heartguard or Frontline I would do that, they are even cheaper sometimes than the online stores. We don't have Pet insurance, cannot help you with that... Hope I was able to help you a little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FosterFlunker Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 When my old guy Angus needed heart meds my vet called the scrip into Walmart & I got 2 months supply for $8 used to cost 45 for a months supply at the vet. Quote Make a fast friend adopt a greyhound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ullaluv Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 If it's strictly a veterinary med, I get it at my vet's. If it's something that is also prescribed for people, I fill a prescription at Sam's or Walmart. I give my vet enough business that she doesn't mind writing the prescriptions. I can get most generics at a fraction of what my vet can get them for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UESBrindle Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 We don't live by a Walmart If you can believe it, it's a bit of a big deal for us to get out of the city and find a nearby Target to buy basics cheaper! But that only happend about once in a few months... If we can't get it in the city, it's just easiest to have it mailed in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicocat Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 My vet will price match online prices if you take a copy of the webpage. Cutie is on tetracycline and the vet wrote a prescription so I could get it at WalMart for $4. I believe Walgreens also has a prescription program if they are in your area. I don't know if the pricing is as good as WalMart. Quote Ann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I buy my flea/tick and heartworm stuff from Omaha Vaccine which is a registered pharmacy and not some fly by night joint. My vet marks these things up by 100%, and I'm sorry--I don't mind paying the $56 exam fee, but paying DOUBLE for routine things like Heartgard Plus? No thanks. If I need a medication right away, I get it from the vet and just accept that I'm getting hosed. But when George was put on long-term antibiotics, I insisted my vet fax a prescription in for me--and she did. The pills were $500 at Omaha Vaccine, and would have been about $1,200 from my vet. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 If it's a people drug like my Lulu's prozac, I get it at the local Safeway or Walmart, you can get a 90 supply of prozac there for the 9.99 so that works well. I have bought many drugs for myself and my dogs from India and Australia. Both countries have their own drug standards that are very high and I have had no problem at all with these drugs. Even with shipping added, the drugs are so much less expensive that it's worth it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carronstar Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Sadly, those of us in NYC don't have good access to Walmart, Target, Costco, etc. without a car and/or a way out of the city. I use PetMeds, HealthyPets and the vet depending on urgency of filling the scrip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Most of my medications come from online. Some from Walmart, some from Costco and some from a specialty pharmacy in Arizona for compounding. Always 1/2 the cost of the vets. My vet even called various places to find one cheaper for me and called it in there. Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gert Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I haven't ordered from them before, but, I found this site when looking for Comfortis (my vet recommended it, since Frontline Plus and Advantage don't seem to be working on FL fleas!)...... Allivet.com. Their prices seem really reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phall Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I get most of my prescriptions from Foster and Smith - they've been great and the prices are very good. www.drsfosterandsmith.com Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nichole Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 www.deadfleaz.com Quote Flying Racine 7/25/08 and Twelve Pack 12/1/2004At the Bridge- Abenacki Icebox (Kiaba) 4/21/2002-4/1/10 and Wumps Niece (Tehya) 4/21/2002-11/26/2010www.greyhoundwelfare.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinM Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Front line you can get online rather cheap at various places. There are a few places in AU that are greyt. Deadfleaz.com is excellent. Try ebay., etc. Other Meds we buy from 1800 pet med. Quote ROBIN ~ Mom to: Beau Think It Aint, Chloe JC Allthewayhome, Teddy ICU Drunk Sailor, Elsie N Fracine , Ollie RG's Travertine, Ponch A's Jupiter~ Yoshi, Zoobie & Belle, the kitties. Waiting at the bridge Angel Polli Bohemian Ocean , Rocky, Blue,Sasha & Zoobie & Bobbi Greyhound Angels Adoption (GAA) The Lexus Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rycezmom Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Yup! www.deadfleaz.com for my flea/tick/heartworm. Most things that are strictly for animals have a human equivalent and my vet writes me the Rx. Then its off to Walmart/Target/Walgreens etc. Quote The more I see of man, the more I like dogs. ~Mme. de Staël Missing my Bridge Angels Ryce, Bo, Jim, Miss Millie, Miss Rose, Gustopher P Jones (Pimpmaster G), Miss Isabella and Miss Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest goodtimekid Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 We ordered our last batch of heartgard plus and advantix plus from dead fleaz. It is out of Australia and we didn't need to have a script. The vet said it was the same without the US's FDA approval... We had 4 dogs at the time and we bought enough for 6 months for each and it was around $200.00.. Big savings.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MnMDogs Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We don't use Frontline unless we see a flea or tick. But I was able to get Heartgard Plus for 55 dollars for a 12 month supply at EntirelyPets.com. That's the best price I've seen on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytfulhounds Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I use Omaha Vaccine for our heartworm and they carry just about everything else too. I buy a year supply at one shot for all 7 dogs and it is a significant savings over the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracegirl Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I have used 1-800-PET-MEDS before for Frontline. This last exam for Grace, the vet actually suggested we skip the Frontline and switch to Sentinel instead. That alone has saved me money. I also asked if they would price match or if they would fax in prescriptions, they price match anything I find on the internet. I like that since I know where the meds come from, and I get a good price. Quote Poppy the lurcher 11/24/23 Gabby the Airedale 7/1/18 Forever missing Grace (RT's Grace), Fenway (not registered, def a greyhound), Jackson (airedale terrier, honorary greyhound), and Tessie (PK's Cat Island) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandimom Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I do not continue to buy the meds from my vet, only initially. My vet endorses 1800PetMeds and I have had no problem with them. They always get an OK from the vet then process my order very quickly. I only have them on Soloxine. It is a few dollars savings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmona Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I am glad to see several of you have ordered from deadfleaz. I had checked their prices the other day and was concerned that they were so much less than other websites and that they might not be the same stuff. I compared them to several others. I have used PetCareRx previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sheila Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I don't use flea/tick stuff unless I A ) see one of the critters or B ) I am planning a trip to anywhere where such things are prevalent. In 16 yrs of having dogs I have only had to treat for fleas once and have never seen a tick on anyone. I buy my meds only from my vet. My vet will write prescriptions for any place I want to use w/o a qualm. However he will only GUARANTEE the ones that I buy through him. For most things such as HW and stuff I pay his retail cost. When it has been a maintenance type drug (like my Kiowas heart meds) my vet will sell them to me at his cost. My vet is very good to me and his fees are very reasonable for most things. He is available 24/7 for any emergency (and there have been several at all hrs) and I don't mind paying him retail for the meds. He has to make some $$ is my thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest suzye Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We ordered our last batch of heartgard plus and advantix plus from dead fleaz. It is out of Australia and we didn't need to have a script. The vet said it was the same without the US's FDA approval... We had 4 dogs at the time and we bought enough for 6 months for each and it was around $200.00.. Big savings.... I used to order Sentinel from an Australian site but after a few years they stopped shipping to the U.S. The Feds or someone got after them for it. I've been buying from entirelypets.com since then but next time am going to buy from the vet. If it's a med that human pharmacies dispense, I go there instead, especially for long term. You can find generic of many drugs on the cheapy list if you shop around enough ( like Wal-Mart's $4 list, and HEB has a list, too with other stuff on it). Also, you don't have to be a member of Costco to use their pharmacy. I would call around for pricing on the antibiotic if it could be found somewhere else. That's a lot $$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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