Guest FireHorse Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 (edited) I just got off the phone with our vet, after her consultation with the vet ophthalmologist. As I suspected, she wants to put him on 30-day course of doxy. She also wants to do a blood draw for a full tick panel, so he will be going in with us tomorrow when I take our senior purry in for his well-kitty check. She also said the tick panel will be $292. Is that typical? We'll have to repeat it,or at least those parts of it that Jet shows positive to, at the end of the doxy cycle, too. Obviously I'm willing to pay it, if that's what it takes to get this sorted out, but ouch. (I also realize that I have no idea what it *should* be, it just seems like that's pretty steep.) The good news is that he seems like he's feeling a bit better with the eye drops-he's still squinty, but not as much. Edited February 27, 2008 by FireHorse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Find out what that covers and where it is being sent. Unless that price covers all the normal TBDs (lyme, RMSF, babesia, erlichia canis and VF) and a PCR for one or two of the others, it's too much. I assume you mean a 3 week course of doxy instead of 3 day. 3 weeks is not long enough. If you have results go 8 weeks and make sure at the dose of 5mg per # of body weight twice a day. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FireHorse Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Find out what that covers and where it is being sent. Unless that price covers all the normal TBDs (lyme, RMSF, babesia, erlichia canis and VF) and a PCR for one or two of the others, it's too much. I assume you mean a 3 week course of doxy instead of 3 day. 3 weeks is not long enough. If you have results go 8 weeks and make sure at the dose of 5mg per # of body weight twice a day. Actually, I meant *30* days-I desperately need a new keyboard. And that 30 days was an estimate/starting point, depending on the results of the panel. What's a PCR? And yes, Dr C said this would be an 'everything under the sun' panel, and mentioned lyme, ehrlichia, babesia and something else I can't now remember specifically. I asked what lab it would be going to; she said (sp?) Idex, if that makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 What's a PCR? And yes, Dr C said this would be an 'everything under the sun' panel, and mentioned lyme, ehrlichia, babesia and something else I can't now remember specifically. I asked what lab it would be going to; she said (sp?) Idex, if that makes a difference. PCR is polymerase chain reaction, which involves an extremely sensitive test that will actively seek the DNA of the disease-causing organisms. I believe there are other tests out there that are just antibody reactions, which are kind of flaky. PCR is the gold standard. IDEXX is a commercial testing lab- one of two big movers in the veterinary industry. I think there are some preferred labs when it comes to tick testing (North Carolina State U? and ProtaTek Labs). It is possible IDEXX will simply take the sample and pass it on to a specialty lab; I'm not sure. Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbotaina Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 NC State (considered the gold standard in TBD testing by many) charges $90 for a full panel. That does not, however, include the fees your vet charges for the draw and the fees FedEx charges for shipping. The shipping is very specific, involves dry ice, etc, and I think that's the expensive bit. Protatek charges $54 (I think) for a greyhound TBD test, however if you get a positive on babesia from them, it's advisable to test again for that one - they've had a high incidence of false postives for babesia. NC State runs single serologies for $20 a pop (again, not including shipping, etc.) and PCRs for $125 a pop. Good luck! Quote Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi."Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 IDEXX is a commercial testing lab- one of two big movers in the veterinary industry. I think there are some preferred labs when it comes to tick testing (North Carolina State U? and ProtaTek Labs). It is possible IDEXX will simply take the sample and pass it on to a specialty lab; I'm not sure. We just had a babesia test done through IDEXX. They sent it to Protatek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mandm Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I had a tick panel (Ehrlichia, Babesia, Lyme RMSF) done at Protatek last year. My vet does not have an acct w/ Protatek, so I did the shipping. Protatek charges around $60 for the tick panel, vet charge for blood draw & prep was around $15, and overnight shipping to AZ was around $50. I'm in the midwest, your shipping would be a little higher. The blood did not have to packed in ice. If Protatek is going to do the panel anyway, you could save considerable $ by shipping it yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Now it all makes sense. The lab charges $60, so IDEXX doubles that to make their money. Then the vet takes the IDEXX cost and doubles that to keep their doors open. That's $240, and then the $52 is in shipping and packaging. (Seriously- that's probably pretty close to what's happening.) Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 If it is going to Idexx, send it to Protatek yourself and save the money Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mandm Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Some additional info in case you want to DIY shipping to Protatek: -Your vet should call Protatek to get prep instructions. Protatek will fax your vet their form. -Your vet will draw & prep the blood. You will be given a vial. Just put it in a small box with plenty of padding to prevent breakage and take to whichever O/N carrier that is convenient. When I did it, Protatek didn't care which co. you used. They just wanted it day after draw. -Protatek will have the results the day they get the sample or the next. They will notify your vet, by fax if I remember correctly. -Protatek will keep the blood sample in case you decide to order additonal tests. -You pay Protatek directly. Send them a check. They do not need to have the check prior to doing the panel. They trust you. Protatek's procedures may have changed some, but this is how I did it in late 2006. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredracers Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 If it is going to Idexx, send it to Protatek yourself and save the money Yep. That's what I'd do. When we send next day to Protatek from Virginia, it usually only costs about $20. Some additional info in case you want to DIY shipping to Protatek: -Your vet should call Protatek to get prep instructions. Protatek will fax your vet their form. -Your vet will draw & prep the blood. You will be given a vial. Just put it in a small box with plenty of padding to prevent breakage and take to whichever O/N carrier that is convenient. When I did it, Protatek didn't care which co. you used. They just wanted it day after draw. -Protatek will have the results the day they get the sample or the next. They will notify your vet, by fax if I remember correctly. -Protatek will keep the blood sample in case you decide to order additonal tests. -You pay Protatek directly. Send them a check. They do not need to have the check prior to doing the panel. They trust you. Protatek's procedures may have changed some, but this is how I did it in late 2006. I always just enclose the check in the box with the blood. Quote Elphie, Kulee, Amanda, Harmony, Alex (hound mix), Phantom, Norbet, Willis (dsh), Autumn (Siamese) & Max (OSH) & mama rat, LaLa & baby Poppy! My bridge kids: Crooke & Mouse (always in my heart), Flake, Buzz, Snake, Prince (GSD), Justin & Gentry (Siamese), Belle (Aussie/Dalmatian mix), Rupert (amstaff) and Fred, Sirius, Severus, Albus, George, Hagrid, Hermione, Minerva, Marilyn, Wren, Molly, Luna, Tonks, Fleur, Ginny, Neville, Bill, Percy, Rose & Charlie (rats) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I can tell you mine was $225 and a good chunk of that was the shipping. And we are about to do it again. Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I would send it to NCSU so they can do the PCRs if needed. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FireHorse Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Thanks, all, for the explanations. I'll call our vet tomorrow and ask her for a specific cost breakdown, with an eye to shipping it myself. If it seems reasonable, I'll just do it myself. Interesting that one lab just passes it on to the other. Other than making money, you kinda have to wonder what the point is-why not just send it straight to Protatek?. ...And I think I just answered my own question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyvettech Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I work for a veterinarian and we charge $116.00 for a full tick panel ie: lymes/erlichia/rmsf/ap We send the samples off to Antech....We also use the inhouse idexx 4dx hw tests that test for 3 tick bornes/erlichia/lymes/ap.... but ofcourse, this just gives you a positive or negative result and does not measure the titer number if positive..this test is $37 That price seems a little much but every practice and state are different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemandvm Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 If your vet sends the sample to IDEXX and they use IDEXX for their regular lab... they are not charged shipping. The cost of the test is more than if it was run directly by the other lab... but the cost is rarely as much as the shipping + the cost of the lab. For example, Protatek charges $60 for TBD panel Shipping for Protatek: $50 IDEXX charges #=$90 for TBD panel Shipping= no charge b/c a courier already comes ot the clinic and the lab absorbs the cost of shipping as part of their mark-up. The vet will then mark-up appropriately on either test to make up for their fees and to generate a profit. Quote Bill Lady Bella and Sky at the bridge "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anabele France Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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