Vets
Posted by: Jen
28th Feb 2009 11:47pm
My dog has allergies. He has had them since he was little. When I went to the vets initially he was prescribed cortisone ointment and anti histamine tablets. This is a treatment however, not a cure. When I went back to the vet for more medication, I was told they are not allowed to dispense this medication after a certain time period without a consultation...! I am on a pension so I can't afford anything but an emergency visit to the vet. I went to the chemist and bought cortisone ointment and anti histamine tablets over the counter without any problem. Is this a blatant attempt by vets to make money or what? There is nothing wrong with the dog that hasn't been wrong with him all his life! What makes them think we are all made of money?
Help Caféstudy members by responding to their questions, or ask your own in Café Chat, and you will get the chance of earning extra rewards. Caféstudy will match these and donate equally to our two chosen Australian charities.
Comments 40
heatherann
The RSPCA have a medical cover (insurance) for pets now - not sure about costs etc but may be worth checking out, you can do it online - try this web address -
http://www.rspcapetinsurance.org.au
simla
hi Jen, a lot of useful suggestions so far, I agree that some vets are on the expensive side. It is often due to the extent of their speciality requiring large and costly overheads, their expertise also has a price. Sometimes it is possible to source a vet with lower overheads who is just as capable to deal with day to day problems such as skin troubles. In this case i'd be looking for one with an interest in alternative / herbal treatments. Cortisone, is ok for short bursts of treatment, but as already said, is a stopgap treatment, with eventual drawbacks. Try a diet of cooked brown rice and raw chicken necks, parsley, carrot, celery,cabbage, grated,(low allergy diet). use a spot -on type flea/tick/heartworm/worm treatment to eliminate possible mites, flea allergies. Do not wash dog with shampoo, but use only a dog conditioner rinse(like used for show dogs) leave a diluted amount in the coat/on skin, lightly towel dry. Check that there is none of that creeping weed called 'wandering dew',around the dogs living space. It is a common cause of itch, as is some grasses and pollen. A process of elimination is the way to go. I had a little dog that had a thyroid problem that was her cause. A simple blood test showed this cause, it was thought to be genetic in her case. The above treatment helped control it through most of the year, with prednisalone tablets in the hottest part of the summer. Costs were minimal, as medication only needed once a year, and vaccination at the same time. After initial consultation/ tests, no consultation was charged. Also, it's a good idea to ask if there is a pensioner discount or such. Let them know about your financial situation. Often it makes a difference. I hope your dog gets some relief, it's a trying problem. The first thing i'd do is eliminate beef and wheat and preservatives.Pal puppy biscuits, i found ok as a commercial dog food for general use, as they have a content of chicken and rice, and a mild preservative, not too hard on a puppies system.Best wishes for an answer for you.
spray on) coat conditioner for show dogs will sooth the skin.
musicmum
You need to find out what he is allergic too,is it food? grasses? carpets? chemicals in the home? etc,once you get rid of what is causing it he will be fine. Bathe him in warm water with a few drops of teatree oil and lavender oil these will kill fleas too. Feed him garlic(hide it in his food or place in a bit of chees) this is antibiotic and will help build up his immune system. Google on the internet for natural home remedies and feed him raw meat especially bones,dogs need this.
careful
fungus ointment will cure things, buy at chemist used to be about $8, I to am a pensioner and try this befoe anything else
goanna
Here is the link for pet insurance which may be of assistance to you. http://www.medibank.com.au/pet-insurance.aspx
Have you ever thought of contacting Dr Chris Brown at Bondi Vet for information. He's a lovely guy and surely he would be able to advise you either by phone or email. Good luck!
Maz
If your dog has allergies then I would look at changing his/ her diet to one that consists of natural/ raw foods. It'll be cheaper too. There is information about this on the internet. About your gripe with vets I agree that the costs seem to be very expensive. I don't know the reaason why. Maybe it's because animal health doesn't get the same support and rebates our our human health system. I think that it comes down to finding a vet you trust and educating yourself about your options. My dog has a torn cruciate and the standard recommendation is expensive and painful surgery. I've found a vet who supports alternatives and I've been educating myself via the internet about non-surgical options for my beloved pooch.
Sammbo
You said: "I was told they are not allowed to dispense this medication after a certain time period without a consultation.."
Basically that is correct. Use of cortizone in lotion and cream form and also by injection needs to be controlled. Cortizone should be used sparingly as it can have serious side effects.
bull
I am a vet nurse. Vets are required to abide by government legislation on prescription medication. If you were to request prescription medication at a chemist without a prescription they would send you to the doctor. The rules are the same. To ask your vet to sell prescription medication over the counter is asking him/her to break the law. We are generally very understanding and give repeats as medicare will not subsidize your pet but if we do not regularly check your pets progress when taking these medications and he was to suffer side affects such as organ shutdown or damage, your vet would be ultimately responsible. Owning a pet is expensive and that's if they stay healthy. My suggestion to you Jen is to look into pet health insurance as they certainly provide better value for money than their human equivalent. Oh, and go easy on your vet because he/she is only trying to help.
wendel
My dog, since a year old has suffered from a bad dermititus, only regular washing with Malaseb wash helps, but she remains a little 'bald' under her neck mostly. Her ears also cause her problems, so have to be cleaned regularly. My husband wanted to put her down, once she nearly lost all her hair, but I kept on washing her and she came pretty good and has been ever since. I didn't visit a vet, I tried my own ideas and found one that worked. We are on a pension also, the shampoo still costs a bit, but it's worth it.
woodie
We have a dog with an Allergy and we wash him in Oatmeal Soap Free Shampoo and Conditioner. We also use Advantage on him and it has cleared it up. Dermaveen Oatmeal Products are the best.
bull
great job Woodie! This probably costs you $15-20 a month and a bit of effort to maintain!! Prevention better than cure. Well done
bindieblue
I totally agree with u,Vets charges are rediculous.We are on a low income and cannot even really afford a consultation at a Vets let alone any medication.We have a little Maltese x Silky she is 14 now but has some sort of skin disease where all her fur on her backside and half way up her back has fallen out,I have looked on the net for some information but it always leads to medication for the vets.Does anyone have any home remedies that might help if your dog has been through the same thing.???
bull
your dog could have a condition called Cushings. There are no herbal remedies for such a condition. Do your dog a favour and go to the vet. If you cant afford a pet dont buy one and if you have a pet get pet insurance and stop treating vets like they are the scum of the earth! This frustrates me to no end and ignorant people should stop the slander of kind, intelligent, sympathetic people we know as vets.
Bellxchat
My dog too used to suffer terribly from allergies: itching and scratching day and night! I've changed her diet to an all-raw food one, with flax oil and a few other things mixed in. Where she'd been scratching herself I put aloe vera gel (got a plant growing in the garden) for instant relief. I also use witchhazel on those spots, too. She hardly gets the itches anymore, and that's a great relief to her...and me. I changed from a vet to a naturopath (she's trained to heal people, but swapped to animals over 25 years ago).
Wen
There are natural remedies you can use also for allergies. My little man has them as well. Bathing them in QV wash helps. Also put a little QV oil in the bath water when bathing your dog. Make sure you get right down to the skin. Rinse in clear water then sit it in QV oil and water dousing it. You can get QV at the chemist. Fish oil in the dinner is good as well. There is a tablet you can get for them called Canine Omegaderm. Cheapest place is on line at vetshopAustralia
volcanogirl
Hi Jen, Volcanogirl here, I also have a female dog who also has allergies and has had all her life and she is 4 years old now. I believe the vets do things like this to take your money and not really tell you how to cure the allergies. If you look up Herbal remedies for animals you should find some natural remedies to not only stop the allergies but to prevent it from returning. Hope this information is somewhat helpful to you. Kind regards volcanogirl. PS let me know what you found
bull
you are obviously ignorant to the fact that allergies cannot be cured just managed. Vets are not out to rip you off, they genuinely care about you and your pet and more often than not bend over backwards to help make a frustrating condition more manageable. If you want to get serious, pay for allergy testing and then eliminate the offending allergens and you will have your cure. Hope for your sake it's not dust mites as this is impossible to fix.
Anonymous
******Chilaa said: If your animal has an ongoing health problem and needs a medication for the rest of it's life, one would wonder why vets can't do repeat prescriptions as doctors do with us humans******
My mother’s dog is diabetic and she dose get the medication for her dog (has to go down every month to pay for it and collect it but only needs to take him to the vet every 3-6 months for a check up) so It might be worth talking to your vet and If they are nit willing call around and ask other vets their policy on the matter.
Anonymous
Just be careful some human medications are used for animals but can be dangerous to their health
Sydchick
I must say after reading all these posts I am really disheartened. I don't think it seems anyone understands the real cost of opening up such a business. The prices that vets charge do cover their costs, but not by the massive amounts everyone seems to think.
The reason being in Australia - we have the Medicare scheme to cover us humans, however there is no such government rebate for animals. If you are concerned about the cost of pet ownership, then pet insurance may be an option.
Vets have to train at University for about 5-6 years and when they first graduate they only have a starting salary of approx $30,000 per year. You could easily earn that salary working in retail without all the years at university!!
Overall vets are compassionate, caring people and often they do alot of work that goes unnoticed- like looking after wildlife for free.
Please consider this information before you criticise the cost of the vet next time!
woodie
We have often used cortisone from the chemist on our dog. It works well and they don't seem to get any bad effects from it. I agree that it wouldn't hurt the vets to prescribe ongoing medication but just do what you need to do. I find Aloe Vera and Amolin also give relief when our dog gets allergies.
elle
the rspca pays for vaccanations, microchips and desexing for pensioners but it is on a certain day and not very often. im not sure if they do it for medications, ect.
ninna
You need to find out what causes the allergies and how to prevent it happening. I too have a dog that has allergies and needs medication sometimes, expensive yes and I am on a pension as well. Some allergies are particular to a certain breed, in my dog's case it was fresh meat and every time I gave it to him he got a nasty hot & red rash. In my previous same breed dog it was insect allergies, namely grass mites. If yr dog is purebred it will be easier to find out what allergy they have in common, but yr very should have been advising what it was likely to be. If you have a crossbreed then look at all the breeds involved to eliminate any known issues.
Chip
This frustrates me no end when people always complain about how much vets cost.
Sure some charge a little more than others but in the general scheme of things its all relevant.
They are not making a money grab when they need to reissue drugs after a certain time period -
THINK unlike people who can tell if the medication isn't working for them or is having some side effects that we can actually pick up on and tell the doctor once we start experiencing other symptoms, an animal can not.
The vet needs to check whether the medication is actually helping or doing harm to the animal over time.
A visit to the doctors does cost more, its just the government helps with the bill. They do not with the animals.
People who own pets should realise they are not a cheap accessory that is never going to cost them more than food and the occasional vet visit, they are living creatures that are entrusted into your care.
bull
hooray for Chip! Wish we had more clients like you.
blondie72
Well said Chip! I totally agree with what you have said here.
I think the government needs to do a campaign to make people aware of the costs and responsibilities involved in owning a pet. Maybe visit schools and teach the kids? I'm amazed at the amount of people who whinge about having to pay a vet bill? If it was a child you wouldn't question it.
I have a friend who believes 'everybody' who owns an animal should have to get a license to do so - I have always believed this should be true as far as breeders go but, but now I'm beginning to agree with my friend.
shazza
My little 8month old boy shitzu/Maltese has wonky front legs - the radial bone hasnt grown at same speed as ulna so he is bit of clutz at times. When my vet told me he needed cortisone, antiimflamatory for his joints I asked if Glucosamine was ok. I give him two crushed Replenex (glucosamine which has ginger & green tea in it) plus a fish oil capsule in his evening meal. I rang it by her first & no problems
Kimberley
Did you enquire further? Sometimes vets need reminding - they're very busy people!
kikik
I agree it does cost a lot to study to become a vet, but I still findthe costs a little too much. One night my cat threw up and we saw that her right eye was all red so we called the vet to make an appointment and rushed over there. The vet had no idea what was wrong, and just said to watch over her for the night and if she keeps throwing up to come back for another consultation. We paid $80 for that visit. We didn't find out what was wrong, she didn't need any medication so we were shocked at how much it was. It cost the same as when we go for her yearly jabs!
bull
I work in a vet clinic and to keep a fully stocked pharmacy, xray and imaging equipment, anaesthesia equipment x 2, a fully equipped laboratory that will give results in half an hour (not 2 days like human labs), dental equipment and not to mention the usual business costs of staff and building / equipment maintenance, costs a lot of money. If you had to pay for a knee reconstruction you would be looking at $20,000. Your vet will do the same procedure for $2000 with no waiting period. Human doctors learn 1 species. Vets have to learn many and endure the dangers associated with treating them. Next time you're at your vet, spare a thought for his finances.
Helcat
My poor dog has been diagnosed with inflamatory bowel disease which also set off a secondary condition where she developed scarring on her oesophagus causing strictures which inhibited her ability to swallow anything other than mush. 2 surgical procedures later and more than $5000 in vet bills, we have a dog well on her way to recovery, but a very sorry state of affairs financially. The worst part of it is we looked at getting animal medical insurance, but by the time we made a decision, it was too late. Her condition is for life and has to be managed with special ultra allergy free food which is costing us a fortune, but what else can we do? She is so full of life, all you can do is say goodbye to your $!!! VETS are very expensive!!!
Anonymous
I have used the same vet for years and think he is a wonderful guy. As I have two horses , a dog and had a lovely free range rabbit one would have thought it would have been the horses that cost the most.. It appears not - it's been the dog and rabbit even with call out fees to the horse paddock. I realise it's the cost of the medication - $$$$ per pill they shove down your animals throat, is where they really slugg you and make massive profits. My Kelpie has just had an emergency operation and it's cost me $2200 in the past week alone.
sassygirl
It's an unfortunate fact that vets charge too much for their services- much more than a human visit to the doctor, and if we can get over the counter remedies it helps financially. Where i live a vet is only available one day a week and for any emergencies i have to travel for 2 hours.My animals have all been de***ed, and they get vacinated every year but, being also on a pension, it's not easy forking out 60+ dollars each time
bull
yes, you are incorrect.
sassygirl
I have now found a vet that really knows what he's doing. One of my cats was savaged by a dog and she was so badly hurt we did'nt think she would survive but she's really OK now so I did'nt mind paying whatever he charged. It was very reasonable anyway
shimama
I agree that vets are way too expensive. I recently had my beautiful girl attacked by another dog, she would have died without the vet and I now have a $3,500 debt. I would not have opted for putting her down but as I am also a pensioner, it is a little hard to justify the expense. My dog is 8 years old, so I will be paying off this debt until after she is, quite possibly, gone, god forbide.
Jo
My 11 year old malamute has incontinece problems and is on a hormone replacement for it she also has a bit of arthritis and has some anti-inflamatory tablets for that, My vet does give me a certain number of repeat prescriptions for both so that I don't have to go back for a consultation all the time. I only need a consult when the scripts run out and if I am getting close and she is there for vacinations then I ask them for another script and they are very happy to oblige. I do concur that vets are very expensive though and the main reson I think is that they don't have medicare.
Berna
Vets do appear to charge a lot for their services. However, when you look at the study they do to become qualified, I feel they deserve it. After a period of time on any medication, I pay my doctor for an update etc. I do not see why this should not occur with Vets. I don't think they should charge whenever they dispense the same medication, however are you aware that some medications are require to be monitored, to ensure the animal's continued health? Going to the chemist, obviously worked this time, however in the future, may not. I think that vets COULD be more giving overall however, as people who have animals should be encouraged to keep on doing so. The RSPCA offers a cheeper alternative to vet costs.
sammie
ues i agree they cost to much i went to get my female cat spaded and they botched the job. They didn't call me to tell me she was on heat and get my permission to go ahead with the surgury after i gave them my contact details originaly it was suppose to cost me $170 in the end it cost me $265 cause she was coming off heat and now she has a massive ball on her tummy where they have sowed up the extra skin she was in so much pain i ended up takin her to another vet for them to fic her that cost me another $200
Chilaa
If your animal has an ongoing health problem and needs a medication for the rest of it's life, one would wonder why vets can't do repeat prescriptions as doctors do with us humans. I don't know of any vet service that provides this service for animals - correct me if I am wrong here.