Dog pain relief

[Lab trainer]

Exactly it’s the consultation fees you have to pay just to prescribe what they have already given the same dog previously.
and yes through this thread it seems there are sites out there you can order these pain reliefs without seeing the vet !!! But Im not obviously against seeing the vet to get valued treatment I’m only buying what has previously been prescribed... many thanks for all your information/ comments..

 

[deerstalker.308]

No one would mind paying £39 to stop you dog suffering, but paying £39 over and over again for the same treatment is a different story, I'm on medication and will be for the rest of my life, I havn't seen a doctor in 3 years but have had the odd telephone call to see hows things are and keep getting a repeat prescriptions. What is the difference.
You say vets are not trying to rip you off but at the end of the day they are a business and that business is trying to make as much money as possible, They are still some good old vets out there but there is also some out there who will get as much money out of you as possible and good luck to them but it does get expensive people who can't afford it.

One is (presumably) NHS, the other is effectively private health care...... the true cost of health care...... we forget how lucky we are in this country at times!

 

[OJL1991]

One is (presumably) NHS, the other is effectively private health care...... the true cost of health care...... we forget how lucky we are in this country at times!

The true cost of healthcare when they know or think insurance is involved.

 

[deerstalker.308]

The true cost of healthcare when they know or think insurance is involved.

Hardly. It’s a paid for service, and no insurance would cover a fee such as that mentioned, that would always be below any excess.
If you get advice from your solicitor, you pay, if you get financial advice, you pay, if you get your boiler looked at once a year you pay, it’s business, even nhs dentistry costs a check up fee and set prices for procedures.....

 

[Dazb1967]

One is (presumably) NHS, the other is effectively private health care...... the true cost of health care...... we forget how lucky we are in this country at times!

My point being I can be prescribed drugs on a monthly basis without seeing a doctor but a dog cant be given them without seeing a vet on a monthly basis.
We are all paying for health care even on the NHS in one way or another, there's nothing free in this country.

 

[deerstalker.308]

My point being I can be prescribed drugs on a monthly basis without seeing a doctor but a dog cant be given them without seeing a vet on a monthly basis.
We are all paying for health care even on the NHS in one way or another, there's nothing free in this country.

Ok, but you have the ability to speak out if you feel side effects, or deterioration of symptoms. A dog can’t, and they are very good at telling you “I’m fine” when really they may be hiding a lot of pain or underlying issues. Which would you rather???

 

[Coddy]

Another Dog health post that goes onto slagging vet prices.
It’s little wonder when they start reading the thread, they decide whats the point and don’t reply.

 

[Buchan]

As srvet says, they are all the same medicine and I understand there are some supply problems.
As to charging for medication, we are partly bound by law, partly by professional ethic, partly by business needs.
Law - before we prescribe, an animal has to be "under our care". That isn't defined, but most vets will need to perform an examination, using intervals of a year for parasite control and three months for most prescription medicines. A long-standing relationship with your vet, a recurring, known problem, that may be six months.
Ethics - some medication can have some nasty side-effects, some animals develop changing disease patterns. I'd feel pretty bad if the dog that I don't examine dies because of some thing I could have found IF I had examined it.
Business - my income is what I charge you, either fees or drugs. Buy online, it's cheaper, sometimes cheaper than we can buy, but expect your fee for the prescription to go up. And if your practice does it's own out-of-hours cover, that needs paying for too.

 

[AndrewS]

One is (presumably) NHS, the other is effectively private health care...... the true cost of health care...... we forget how lucky we are in this country at times!

Also, on the NHS we don't pay the actual cost of medicines, just the "prescription charge". I think many would be horrified to see the price of some drugs...

 

[mark2853118]

It may be worth asking the vet for a private prescription and asking for it to be marked for repeats if the vet is agreeable. It is possible to find reasonably priced and legitimate sources of veterinary medicines on the web or in some high street pharmacies, depending on the medicine prescribed.

The clinical assessment and care is retained with the vet, but the supply of the medicines can be separated and doesn't always need to remain with the vet.

Guidance on Veterinary Prescribing

Clearly vets have to make living and for some clients maintaining that complete package of care is important.

From personal experience the markup on medicines supplied by a veterinary practice can be quite high, depending on the medicine.

I'm not trying to upset any vets on the forum, just suggesting that for chronic conditions it can be worth shopping around.

 

[Shabz]

My wife has a pug on its last legs which gets children’s Calpol (not the sugar free version) and metacam every day on the vets advice.

 

[Dickie]

Our spaniel was on metacam for his arthritis pain relief but we changed to Galiprant and he’s better for it.

 

[Automan]

I pay vet fees because they know what they are doing and I don't bit like in my job where I get paid for the skills I have learnt over the years when you watch the skills that Noel the tv vet has it makes you appreciate things who wouldn't do everything that they could for there dog.

 

[Foxyboy43]

My old girl (the dog!) has been on it for about a year and every 3 months the vet checks her out which I am perfectly happy to pay for. On asking last week if they had any larger bottles I was sold a double bottle box for £64 - the normal single bottle is now up from £47 to £54? Mystifying!