macoduck

Has he been straining when he poops? Like Busderpuddle, I wonder about an anal gland blowout too. It's not in the traditional place, but a fistula may have formed at a weaker section near the rectum. Please dispense some kisses on the other end of Aiden for me.

I will add Hook's name to the list of Bridge Angels for September. He'll meet lots of new friends there.

Thinking of you, King and Dazie today.........

I have added Lulu's name to the list of Bridge Angels for August.

Andy Jan and your campers

Saying goodbye to the beautiful greyhounds and their friends who left us in September 2015. As you run with the wind send a caress to wipe our tears. Gone but never forgotten. Loved forever. Run free with those who have gone before you. Greet all those that will follow. Duke Tigger Andy Mickey Milo Hook Mercy Nikko Mango Cara Hobbes, the terrier Mirage Peace Kipper Reny Princess Berry Lou Tori They'll always be with us, just slightly beyond the point that we can see with our eyes. In our heart, though, they'll be bright and clear, as they always were.

Compounded to liquid, the Tranexamic acid cost $35. I also purchased the Amicar that CVS had ordered last week at a cost of $503.

Welcome from the North Carolina side of the US.

I'm in NC so I just rechecked but entered a zip code for Virginia. It's available there for over $600. So varying availability across the country but at outrageous prices.

That spot does look like a corn coming in. Is her walk different on grass vs wooden floors and concrete?

Percy will be losing most if not all of his remaining 8 teeth. If opiates (morphine) should be avoided in greyhounds, what else could be used for a few days presuming in this situation his need would be temporary? What are your opinions on tramadol, rimadyl, gabapentin or other meds? Any contraindications with those if Tranexamic acid is used in lieu of Amicar?

Three stretches, hmm. She's trying to align her back herself? Thinking of you tomorrow Sweep.

I just checked the GoodRx site for my area and it currently states that there is NO Amicar available at all.

I have added Buddy's name to the list of Bridge Angels in May.

JJNg, yes, it was a typed, now corrected. Thanks for pointing that out.

Please see the update with full information in my new thread: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/314761-amicar-shortage-availablility-alternative/

The information here in post#1 is for those trying to find Amicar. Dr Couto has recommended Amicar (Aminocaproic acid) to prevent and control excessive bleeding in greyhounds post surgically and especially for amputations. Generally, the dose is 1000mg every 8 hours for 5 days. Editing to add: per Dr Jen in post #3, "for greyhounds under 75 lbs the recommended dose is 500 mg instead of 1000 mg." As of the end of July 2015 the manufacturer of Amicar, Akorn, sold out to Versapharm. At that time they stopped making Amicar in the 1000mg dose AND they stopped making it as a generic. It appears they have also stopped making it in a liquid as well. http://www.ashp.org/menu/DrugShortages/CurrentShortages/Bulletin.aspx?Source=Current&Type=Rss&Id=1190 Greyhound owners had been able to utilize coupons from www.GoodRx.com to purchase Amicar at a discounted price. With the discontinuance of the 1000mg (15 tablets), the 500mg (30 tablets) may still be available in some areas of the country. Current price in my local chain pharmacies for 30 tablets of Amicar 500mg starts at $636.32 because Amicar is no longer available as a generic. Per Dr Couto a substitution of Tranexamic acid 500mg every 8 hours for 5 days is acceptable. Note that this medication only comes in a 650mg tablet. The current GoodRx price in my town is $65.27 with coupon and $149 cash price. It is also not an item kept in stock at local pharmacies. Tranexamic acid should be ordered by a compounding pharmacy that will grind the 650mg into 500mg gelatin capsules Editing to add: or a liquid, making sure non xylotol is used in the suspension. I paid $35. My compounding pharmacy is local and small and does not accept GoodRx coupons. Editing to add: per Dr Jen in post #3, Also, I believe Dr. Shelley Lake has recommended getting compounded aminocaproic acid from a mail order veterinary compounding pharmacy called Meds 4 Vets. http://www.medsforvets.com/ I have been emailing with Dr Couto over the past few days and he too was unaware of the very recent price hikes and shortages of Amicar. I will update Post #1 if I learn of additional information. If you think I may have posted incorrect information please let me know and I will check on it. Disclaimer: I am not a vet nor vet tech. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My search for Amicar started in another thread with great suggestions from our fellow members. http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/314722-amicar-questions-important-update-post-32/ My frustration in dealing with CVS, the only chain who actually had Amicar in their warehouse, grew when they refused my GoodRx coupon. After emailing GoodRx I got a speedy response and explanation of the mystery. Here's their response to my email. (Bolding is mine) Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention, and I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. In this case, the coupon you printed on GoodRx displayed an incorrect price. While the pharmacy is under contract to provide a discount and the coupon is legitimate, the price shown on the coupon was simply wrong – we were provided an incorrect price, and we did not know it was incorrect at the time you printed the coupon. It looks like the rights to Amicar were recently purchased by a new company, and the generic was discontinued within the last few weeks. This medication is now brand name only, which means the prices have increased substantially. It also looks like the 1000mg is coming out, but it hasn’t been launched yet. (Note I was trying to get the 500mg since 1000mg wasn't available.) This issue is rare, and we sincerely apologize for the error. We have taken measures to make sure this does not happen in the future, and we understand that pricing errors on our website are unacceptable. We have updated the prices for your prescription on our site, and they should be listed correctly within the next 24-48 hours. We are removing pricing for the generic, since it is no longer available, and prices for the brand name should be available once the site updates. Because your experience using GoodRX means so much to us, we would like to show our apologies by offering you a $20 Amazon gift card. Would this be a good email address to send the gift card to? We are doing everything in our power to ensure you receive the lowest prices available and that those prices are listed correctly on our website. You can have faith in the prices and coupons that we list, and we hope that you will enjoy using our site in the future to save on your prescriptions. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you, or if you have any other questions or concerns. This is a second email from GoodRx: Thank you so much for your understanding, and I am so sorry for the difficult time you had with the discounts. I’m so glad to hear that you were able to find an alternative medication for Percy, and I do apologize that we were not able to be more helpful in this case. We are always here to help if you run into any other issues in the future. We truly appreciate your continued support, and we look forward to helping you and other greyhound owners save! Finally, I am amazed that Dr Couto responded to my questions multiple times while he was out of the country. I needed assures for my vet that Tranexamic acid could be substituted. Thank you Dr Couto! Please support the Greyhound Health Initiative! http://greyhoundhealthinitiative.org/ Aminocaproic Acid

Some of the mystery has now been explained by GoodRx. Here's their response to my email. (Bolding is mine) Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention, and I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. In this case, the coupon you printed on GoodRx displayed an incorrect price. While the pharmacy is under contract to provide a discount and the coupon is legitimate, the price shown on the coupon was simply wrong – we were provided an incorrect price, and we did not know it was incorrect at the time you printed the coupon. It looks like the rights to Amicar were recently purchased by a new company, and the generic was discontinued within the last few weeks. This medication is now brand name only, which means the prices have increased substantially. It also looks like the 1000mg is coming out, but it hasn’t been launched yet. (Note I was trying to get the 500mg since 1000mg wasn't available.) This issue is rare, and we sincerely apologize for the error. We have taken measures to make sure this does not happen in the future, and we understand that pricing errors on our website are unacceptable. We have updated the prices for your prescription on our site, and they should be listed correctly within the next 24-48 hours. We are removing pricing for the generic, since it is no longer available, and prices for the brand name should be available once the site updates. Because your experience using GoodRX means so much to us, we would like to show our apologies by offering you a $20 Amazon gift card. Would this be a good email address to send the gift card to? We are doing everything in our power to ensure you receive the lowest prices available and that those prices are listed correctly on our website. You can have faith in the prices and coupons that we list, and we hope that you will enjoy using our site in the future to save on your prescriptions. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you, or if you have any other questions or concerns.

Nooooo!

Thanks. That's OK Tracy - Stan comes first.

Dr Couto and I have been emailing. He says that Tranexamic Acid 500mg, given 3 times a day for 5 days beginning the day of the surgery, can bed used as a substitute for Amicar. This is also not a medicine stocked routinely at pharmacies. It only comes in 650mg but my local compounding pharmacy will grind and put it in gel caps to the specified dose. It will be available for me to pick p on Monday morning. I didn't get a price on it but at this point I don't care. Regarding Amicar, I also checked today's at Sam's Club - no Costco here. The pharmacist said she wouldn't know if she could get it until she ordered it. Wasn't sure of the price, GoodRx or not, and it woulnd't be in until Tuesday. Once this is all settled I will start another thread with a heading of "Amicar, availability, shortages, & a substitute".

For Mouse's sake and your peace of mind I would certainly seek another opinion.

I've emailed GoodRx. The coupon I had had a different phone number than the one I just reprinted this morning. The battle continues......

Tried calling the number on the coupon. Got a recording, no human and no way to leave a message.

No luck with CVS. They got the Amicar in today but will not honor the GoodRx coupon. Their price makes it nearly $600. That was the most uncomfortable pair of pharmacists I'd every been around. Lots of whispering and eyerolling directed at me. A local compounding pharmacy could not locate Amicar from any of their suppliers. They can get Tranexamic acid, which Dr Couto says could be substituted. I am waiting on confirmation from Dr Couto on the dose before getting my vet to write an Rx. The pharmacy can get it here by Monday. I do tend to micromanage my pets healthcare. Of our previous 11 greyhounds none have been bleeders. This time my spidey-sense is tingling and telling me to be prepared.