My vet just charged me...

[swimmermom3]

$17 for 5 pills of prednisolone for my cat.

 

The cat has a tumor and severe asthma. When I called for a refill, they told me the vet needed to see him since it has been a year. That's fine. She can see us tomorrow night.

 

I asked if I could pick up two tablets to get us through until the appointment.

 

No problem.

 

I go in today for the two pills; they have dispensed five.

 

I want to know why they are charging me $17.50 for five pills when the normal prescription is $19 for 30 pills.:001_huh:

 

It turns out that there is a $14 "dispensation fee.":001_huh::001_huh:

 

Tomorrow, when the vet refills the prescription, they will charge me an additional $14 dispensation fee.

 

Does $36.50 for 35 tablets of prednisolone sound right?

 

Why does it cost $14 to count to 5?

 

I was polite, but my question carried itself all around that waiting room.:tongue_smilie:

 

Would it be appropriate to share my thoughts with the vet tomorrow?

Edited June 23, 2012 by swimmermom3

[Jean in Newcastle]

 

Would it be appropriate to share my thoughts with the vet tomorrow?

 

Yes. Esp. if he is the boss of the business. He should know how their policies are thought of by their clients.

[Dory]

I would share my thoughts with my vet if it was me. But I would make sure I worded it in a way that wasn't too personal. My vet has always been good with working with me over prices if something doesn't seem fair.

[jennynd]

I paid 2000 when my dog was sick. Well .. he passed away and the vet never figure out what happened. Consider yourself lucky

[RoughCollie]

Ask the vet to write a prescription you can take to a pharmacy, if it would be cheaper.

 

Our vet has done that for our dog in the past.

[kalanamak]

See what the price is at a regular pharmacy. Vets can write prescriptions for "Fluffy Swimmermom" and Walmart, etc will fill them. Just a thought.

[swimmermom3]

I don't mind the usual $19 for the 30 pills. What I objected to was that because they wanted to see the cat, but could not see him today, that I would have to pay $17 today for 5 pills and $19 tomorrow for 30 pills. They also did not tell me that before I got in there.

 

When a customer spends a couple thousand with you a year and will most likely have to spend several hundred dollars the following day, would you quibble over $0.40 worth of pills?

 

Really, I was raised to never make a fuss in public and I usually don't, but this really got to me.

 

I never thought about filling a veterinary prescription at the pharmacy. I will have to check into that.

[kroe1]

The $14 probably covers getting out the file for your pet, posting the prescription on the file, posting to the supply records, cost of printing out instructions, etc. In other words, there's more to filling a prescription than just opening a bottle and counting out 5 pills.

 

The lesson learned for all of us, is to get a vet appointment way in advance of running out of medication. If we call at the last moment, we may not be seen in time. (I think it works for people like that, too?)

 

Hope your pet feels better.

 

:)

[nono]

I don't mind the usual $19 for the 30 pills. What I objected to was that because they wanted to see the cat, but could not see him today, that I would have to pay $17 today for 5 pills and $19 tomorrow for 30 pills. They also did not tell me that before I got in there.

 

When a customer spends a couple thousand with you a year and will most likely have to spend several hundred dollars the following day, would you quibble over $0.40 worth of pills?

 

Really, I was raised to never make a fuss in public and I usually don't, but this really got to me.

 

I never thought about filling a veterinary prescription at the pharmacy. I will have to check into that.

 

I'd ask them to waive the fee today since you just paid it yesterday.

[mumto2]

I would complain. Obviously a good customer. Can't beleive they charge to dispense pills once much less twice. Is this common at vets now?

 

Many pills for animals can be ordered online--good friend does that. They should be glad for business and encourage it!

[elegantlion]

I've found a lot of vets adding on fees where none used to exist. For instance in my umpteen millions years of pet ownership I never paid an office call for vaccines, it was included in the cost of the vaccine. One vet charged 35.00 in addition to the vaccine. This same vet refused to let me hold my own pet while drawing blood. I worked for a vet for years, my dog is skittish and will attempt to bite in the office (she's great elsewhere). I'm trained to do this and I know my dog. I made sure they muzzled her though. Sure enough they didn't hold her properly and an assistant got scratched on the belly because she was being wimpy in how she approached my dog. I was incensed. The poor girl was upset, I even called the office back to ask how she was and beg to let me hold my own pet next time. They refused, I told them I wouldn't be back. I'm sure they were relieved.

 

Okay, enough of a tangent. I think many vets are attempting to "professionalize" their practices and I'm sure liability insurance has increased exponentially. which these fees may be part of a response to that.

 

I ended up at another vet's office. He let me hold my dog for the Heartworm check, didn't charge an office call, and basically ran his business in a stellar "old-fashioned" way.

[gingersmom]

I'm so happy I have pet insurance.

 

I would definitely say something to the vet. Paying a dispensation fee less than 24 hours later is ridiculous. I mean it took someone about 10 seconds to dispense those 5 pills.

[KungFuPanda]

Just get the prescription but don't fill it there. I have to do this with my eye doctor :-/

[sparrow]

Our dog has Addison's disease and periodically takes Prednisone. I was charged $13.55 for 30 20mg Prednisone tablets in January.

[melissad2]

The last time I had to get prednisone for my dog it was like $4 for 30 pills. This was only a couple of years ago. Prednisone is dirt cheap and the markup is ridiculous. However, my vet doesn't charge for things like clipping toenails, drawing blood, and office fees for vaccines. They also didn't charge me to put my dog down after a long battle with leukemia, she only charged me for his labwork. I also got a super sweet sympathy card in the mail a few days later.

[....]

I paid 2000 when my dog was sick. Well .. he passed away and the vet never figure out what happened. Consider yourself lucky

 

UGH! I spent $600 recently and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with our dog, either. :nopity:

[ktgrok]

First, you are lucky they sold you ANY meds. Legally, they can lose their license for prescribing it to a patient they haven't seen in over a year. Seriously. The law is that they have to have a "doctor patient relationship" which in most states is defined as having seen the patient within one calendar years. So they put their medical license on the line here. That said...

 

This is typical for all vets and most pharmacies. It isn't the counting to 5 that you are paying for. It is for someone to find your chart, look up previous medications and any possible contraindications, check the weight of the animal, then go find a doctor, interrupt them if they are with a patient, get permission to dispense the pills, then count out the pills, etc. It really is a process. Making 2 dollars off of that process wouldn't be right. AT the same time, if you were coming in the next day we wouldn't charge another dispensing fee, as a general rule.

[Parrothead]

Ask the vet to write a prescription you can take to a pharmacy, if it would be cheaper.

 

:iagree:

[ktgrok]

OH, forgot to say, prednisolone and prednisone are not exactly the same thing. Many cats cannot break prednisone down to prednisolone, so you have to give it to them already broken down. I honestly can't remember off the top of my head if that effects the price, or if prednisolone is available at human pharmacies.

[Mommyof4ks]

Ask the vet to write a prescription you can take to a pharmacy, if it would be cheaper.

 

Our vet has done that for our dog in the past.

 

This is what we do too. Pred. is cheap.

[Joker]

As other people have stated, our vet usually writes a Rx and we fill it at our own pharmacy.

 

, or if prednisolone is available at human pharmacies.

 

My dds have taken prednisolone several times, so all pharmacies should have it.

[2cents]

I'd ask them to waive the fee today since you just paid it yesterday.

 

:iagree: This especially! My vet doesn't bill for re-checks.

[nmoira]

Any time I've dealt with a human pharmacy in a similar situation, we have been advanced the pills 'free" of charge. The number of pills dispensed a day or two later is reduced by a like amount, and I pay for the entire prescription at that time. One dispensing fee.

[ktgrok]

As other people have stated, our vet usually writes a Rx and we fill it at our own pharmacy.

 

 

 

My dds have taken prednisolone several times, so all pharmacies should have it.

 

Dosage might be an issue though...a cat with cancer generally weighs less than 10lbs....not many kids do.

[ktgrok]

Any time I've dealt with a human pharmacy in a similar situation, we have been advanced the pills 'free" of charge. The number of pills dispensed a day or two later is reduced by a like amount, though I pay for the entire prescription. One dispensing fee.

 

I've done this many times at the clinics I worked at, but generally for clients that are in often. A cat with cancer that hasn't been seen in over a year might not fall into that category....although if the owner asked nicely we'd do it.

 

OP, I'd go in and simply say, I know it was my fault for not calling to schedule my appointment sooner, but normally I don't do that and I was hoping you could waive the dispensing fee since I was just in yesterday picking up pills. If you ask nicely like that I'm sure they will do it for you.

 

Do not act angry though...or it could turn into the very valid case of "failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Again though, how often you are in would make a difference.

[TrixieB]

Ask the vet to write a prescription you can take to a pharmacy, if it would be cheaper.

 

Our vet has done that for our dog in the past.

Do you have a Costco membership? Their prices are the best I could find, and they gave my cat a pharmacy discount card which reduced the prices even more.

 

At the grocery store pharmacy, one month of his meds were $30+; at Costco, the same meds cost $6.

[Stacia]

For my cat, I paid $15.78 for 60 Prednisone pills (5mg) at the specialty (internist) vet. This was about 6 weeks ago.

 

The $15.78 is a bargain vs. the one of the other pills I have to buy her (a cancer medication @ $8 per pill, 2x per week). However, the vet told me that there is mark-up on the pills they dispense (esp. the $8 ones) & she gave me a prescription & told me I should call around to find the best price as she has heard varying reports on pricing. The best price I found was not much cheaper ($5.70 each through Costco), but slightly better than getting it through the vet's office. If you're calling around for any rx for your pet, be sure to mention that it is for a pet & see if there is any type of discount program. For instance, since I'm paying out of pocket for my cat's meds, the pharmacist at Costco told me we can sign the pet up for a discount (which resulted in the $5.70 price, vs. the slightly higher price you'd pay out of pocket otherwise).

 

All this is to say... if this is a continuing med for your cat, call around to some local pharmacies & see if they stock the mg dose you need & how much it costs for various amounts. (For example, for the expensive pills, if I go ahead & get two refills at once, there is a slight price drop vs. doing it one refill at a time.) Then, get your vet to give you a prescription. Also, if your pet ever needs compounded medications, I get those (for another cat of mine) through http://www.wedgewoodpetrx.com/ . (Our local compounding pharmacy couldn't compound the type of medicine I needed.) Our regular vet recommends the Wedgewood place & I've been happy w/ them so far. (You do have to pay shipping too, though, so that bumps the price up.) The vet just calls in the rx to them & I can call to order the initial amount, then just order online thereafter.

 

To address your original problem, I'd definitely say something to the vet & ask if they could waive the admin fee for the meds this time. I'd also ask for a prescription if you want to get it filled elsewhere. (The vet may or may not be cheaper/in line w/ local pharmacies. I don't know about that since I haven't price compared prednisone at this point.)

 

My sister has various pets that have been on meds throughout the years & has gotten many of her pet meds at regular pharmacies. She always uses the coupons that pharmacies put out too (for a $10 gift card for new prescriptions, etc...).

 

Unfortunately, I know way too much about all this (& I haven't even mentioned my diabetic cats w/ their insulin & needles). :tongue_smilie:

 

Also, another thing, that may or may not apply (but I'll put it out there for others reading the thread) -- if you have multiple pets (usually 3+), ask your vet office if they offer a multi-pet discount. Some do & that usually results in something like a 5 or 10% discount off everything you pay for at the vet office.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Stacia

[AngieW in Texas]

We spent $200 on the initial visit, bloodwork, and steroid&benadryl shots, then we spent $800 on the followup visit for more bloodwork, xrays, and sonogram. We still don't know what caused the low red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, but everything else was normal. We're supposed to go back in two weeks and have the bloodwork done again so we can see if the low blood counts were due to some unknown problem that has gone away (like the vomiting and diarrhea and food refusal did) or if it's an ongoing problem.

[hscherger]

I'd ask them to waive the fee today since you just paid it yesterday.

 

:iagree:

[momtoamiracle]

my vet doesn't charge fees for dispensing pills. If I needed something all I pay for is the medicine. I can't remember what I paid for prednisone tablets 7 years ago, it wasn't much. It was one reason the vet wanted to try it for my cat that was having seizures. He said it was cheap.

 

he also doesn't charge an office visit if it's just a vaccine, even tho he takes temperature and does a quick general check. I brought my puppies in with my mama dog last week and he looked them over and didn't charge me anything extra other than the vaccine for my mama dog. Gave me lots of tips and puppy advice as well.

 

We have been patients for 18 years.

Edited June 23, 2012 by momtoamiracle

[swimmermom3]

I've found a lot of vets adding on fees where none used to exist. snip

 

Okay, enough of a tangent. I think many vets are attempting to "professionalize" their practices and I'm sure liability insurance has increased exponentially. which these fees may be part of a response to that.

 

 

 

Paula, I think you have touched on the source of some of my irritation. I grew up in this area. It is at the edge of what was farmland 30 years ago. For my parents, your vet wasn't just a professional, he was someone you went to church with and sat next to at cocktail parties. There was more than one vet because we had show horses as well. The vets all knew each other and when one retired, you were inherited. When my dh and I were first married, our vet was the husband of my former 4-H leader and the father of a childhood friend. It is an inbred group, kind of. Vets are capable, compassionate, and they don't waste your money. Clients are devoted, never wasteful of the vet's time, and pay on time or up front. We take good care of our pets and do what we are supposed to do.

 

Recently, I am seeing a whole different business model, heavy emphasis on "business" and not so much on the care of the animal. I am not adapting well.

[swimmermom3]

First, you are lucky they sold you ANY meds. Legally, they can lose their license for prescribing it to a patient they haven't seen in over a year. Seriously. The law is that they have to have a "doctor patient relationship" which in most states is defined as having seen the patient within one calendar years. So they put their medical license on the line here. That said...

 

This is typical for all vets and most pharmacies. It isn't the counting to 5 that you are paying for. It is for someone to find your chart, look up previous medications and any possible contraindications, check the weight of the animal, then go find a doctor, interrupt them if they are with a patient, get permission to dispense the pills, then count out the pills, etc. It really is a process. Making 2 dollars off of that process wouldn't be right. AT the same time, if you were coming in the next day we wouldn't charge another dispensing fee, as a general rule.

 

I've done this many times at the clinics I worked at, but generally for clients that are in often. A cat with cancer that hasn't been seen in over a year might not fall into that category....although if the owner asked nicely we'd do it.

 

OP, I'd go in and simply say, I know it was my fault for not calling to schedule my appointment sooner, but normally I don't do that and I was hoping you could waive the dispensing fee since I was just in yesterday picking up pills. If you ask nicely like that I'm sure they will do it for you.

 

Do not act angry though...or it could turn into the very valid case of "failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Again though, how often you are in would make a difference.

 

I suppose to you, we sound like the clients from he!!

 

Fourteen months ago, we took our 15 yo cat in because he had stopped eating, was vomiting, and was obviously dehydrated and it happened within less than 48 hours. He had passed his well-kitty check 2 months prior. We spent $800 that night for xrays, hydration, and anti-nausea meds. They could see a growth by his lungs, but to confirm what it was would require a visit to an outside specialty clinic and an additional $1600. At that point, if confirmed, we could start treatment which would be either surgery or chemotherapy.

 

This cat is a much-loved member of our family and it was a very hard decision for us, but we decided to try the predisolone to check the size of the tumor and the asthma that was discovered on the visit and forgo further treatment. I am embarrassed to admit it, but the well-kitty slipped my mind because he wasn't expected to be here. He also saw the vet for a follow up after the initial diagnosis. His companion in crime is on a different schedule for his vet visit, so that didn't ring any bells.

 

I go to the vet's office every other week to purchase specialty food.

 

I pay cash up front and I never make a fuss, until yesterday.

[Stacia]

Fourteen months ago, we took our 15 yo cat in because he had stopped eating, was vomiting, and was obviously dehydrated and it happened within less than 48 hours. He had passed his well-kitty check 2 months prior. We spent $800 that night for xrays, hydration, and anti-nausea meds. They could see a growth by his lungs, but to confirm what it was would require a visit to an outside specialty clinic and an additional $1600. At that point, if confirmed, we could start treatment which would be either surgery or chemotherapy.

 

This cat is a much-loved member of our family

 

Just sending :grouphug::grouphug: because I know it's hard to have a loved, elderly pet member of the family going through illness/disease.

[sparrow]

Paula, I think you have touched on the source of some of my irritation. I grew up in this area. It is at the edge of what was farmland 30 years ago. For my parents, your vet wasn't just a professional, he was someone you went to church with and sat next to at cocktail parties. There was more than one vet because we had show horses as well. The vets all knew each other and when one retired, you were inherited. When my dh and I were first married, our vet was the husband of my former 4-H leader and the father of a childhood friend. It is an inbred group, kind of. Vets are capable, compassionate, and they don't waste your money. Clients are devoted, never wasteful of the vet's time, and pay on time or up front. We take good care of our pets and do what we are supposed to do.

 

Recently, I am seeing a whole different business model, heavy emphasis on "business" and not so much on the care of the animal. I am not adapting well.

 

I'm curious if your current vet has a large animal practice, too? I've found that vets that see livestock, as well as small animals, are much more reasonable and easier to deal with. We left the local practice with the fancy lobby and rooms, that only sees small animals, and went to our current vet, with his small, no-nonsense lobby, surgery, exam rooms, and farm visit truck. We receive better care and more it's reasonably priced. I know the farmers around here wouldn't tolerate a ridiculous fee tacked on.

[Robin M]

We pay $38 for a bottle of liquid prednisone dispensed by a regular pharmacy who does compounding. They mix it up with chicken broth so cat will take it voluntarily. It generally lasts about a month and a half. Ask your doctor about this. It will be cheaper in the long run and less stressful for everyone including your cat rather than shoving pills down cat's throat.

[lea1]

I took my 14 year old cat in today to have that microchip put in because he escapes all. the. time. and I am tired of fighting him. I called before and found out the microchip thing would cost around $37. He needed to get three shots also to bring him up to date and then I bought some flea medicine from them. The vet also listened to his heart, felt his tummy and looked at his teeth.

 

The final tab? Over $200.

[FaithManor]

I'm curious if your current vet has a large animal practice, too? I've found that vets that see livestock, as well as small animals, are much more reasonable and easier to deal with. We left the local practice with the fancy lobby and rooms, that only sees small animals, and went to our current vet, with his small, no-nonsense lobby, surgery, exam rooms, and farm visit truck. We receive better care and more it's reasonably priced. I know the farmers around here wouldn't tolerate a ridiculous fee tacked on.

 

 

I can tell you that our dog has received far better care with our large animal vet practice seven livestock vets plus two small animal vets to man their no nonsense office. There isn't any fanfare, but these are "can do, make it happen" people...very down easy going. They'll refer people to the MSU vet school for really elaborate care if that is what the owner wants. But, these two small animal vets are MSU trained and more expert than any of the small animal clinic vets we have seen at other offices. Something about dealing with the farm community, 4-H, FFA, etc. has given them a very earthy approach to everything - they also deal with several organic dairies and have to practice a lot of natural medicine and I like the fact that they know more about that then other vets.

 

I want good quality vet care and I do not need really expensive facilities, gleaming lobbies, coffee and cookies while I wait, specialty treats for Lewis for being a good boy - standard milk bone dog biscuit will do, landscaping, etc. That really adds up because that kind of facility has to be paid for some how.

 

We drive 19 miles to our vet and they are very accomodating. If we need a prescription and they can't get us in right away, they'll call the other 7 vets (all large livestock) and see which one is going to be near us...they'll usually swing by and drop it off at no extra charge. I'm spoiled and I know it.

 

The OP's situation is more difficult because the animal was really not supposed to live that long and so she didn't expect to have more appointments.

 

Faith

[ktgrok]

my vet doesn't charge fees for dispensing pills. If I needed something all I pay for is the medicine. I can't remember what I paid for prednisone tablets 7 years ago, it wasn't much. It was one reason the vet wanted to try it for my cat that was having seizures. He said it was cheap.

 

he also doesn't charge an office visit if it's just a vaccine, even tho he takes temperature and does a quick general check. I brought my puppies in with my mama dog last week and he looked them over and didn't charge me anything extra other than the vaccine for my mama dog. Gave me lots of tips and puppy advice as well.

 

We have been patients for 18 years.

 

Although that is great for you, it means that the vet probably doesn't make enough money to pay a living wage to his employees, or pay for ongoing training for them. Licensed, Certified Veterinary Technicians with 3 years of schooling, that have passed a national and state licensing exam make way way way less than an unlicensed physicians assistant with 6 months of schooling in the human world. I loved my job, but it is long hours, LOTS of continuing eduacation, physically demanding, often leads to significant injury, and you cannot make enough to support yourself, let alone a family. The reason is that everyone expects the vet to give away their time for free. But, they also want an educated staff that is totally dedicated to their animal.

[ktgrok]

I suppose to you, we sound like the clients from he!!

 

Fourteen months ago, we took our 15 yo cat in because he had stopped eating, was vomiting, and was obviously dehydrated and it happened within less than 48 hours. He had passed his well-kitty check 2 months prior. We spent $800 that night for xrays, hydration, and anti-nausea meds. They could see a growth by his lungs, but to confirm what it was would require a visit to an outside specialty clinic and an additional $1600. At that point, if confirmed, we could start treatment which would be either surgery or chemotherapy.

 

This cat is a much-loved member of our family and it was a very hard decision for us, but we decided to try the predisolone to check the size of the tumor and the asthma that was discovered on the visit and forgo further treatment. I am embarrassed to admit it, but the well-kitty slipped my mind because he wasn't expected to be here. He also saw the vet for a follow up after the initial diagnosis. His companion in crime is on a different schedule for his vet visit, so that didn't ring any bells.

 

I go to the vet's office every other week to purchase specialty food.

 

I pay cash up front and I never make a fuss, until yesterday.

 

And with that history, of being in the office regularly, we would have just given you the pills, then charged you the next day when you came in, and put a note on the chart. But if you hadn't been in the office in 15 months, and neglected to schedule an appointment in time for more meds, we wouldn't. But, as I said above, we would wave the dispensing fee the next day, if you did come in.

 

Please realize that vets lose money hand over fist, every single day. When an animal comes in dying we try to save it, or at least make it comfortable, knowing that there is a chance the client will never pay us for that. The file box of "owes money" clients is huge, and most never ever pay. Most recently I think of the little pit bull puppy that was near death, dehydrated, bloody diarrhea, had parvo, was almost comatose, and while we were stabilizing it the owners just walked out and never came back. We stabilized it, nursed it back to health in a separate area, paid workers overtime to take care of it nights and weekends, and eventually found it a home a month later. That is not an isolated case, it happens EVERY week almost, at least every month. There are always animals there recuperating that will need homes, plus the clients that take the pet home but never pay, etc. Trust me, other than the big mega business places like Banfield, vets are NOT in it for the money. They just aren't. And the poor techs and support staff certainly aren't. They could make more money working at the Gap in the mall probably, and save their backs from almost certain injury, prevent the exposure to scabies/ringworm/leoptospirosis/etc. They are there for the animals. But.....the only way to continue to stay open, and be there for the animals, is to try to run it like a business. Otherwise you go bankrupt and can't help anyone.

 

When overhead was lower this was easier. Back in the day you didn't have to pay for expensive drugs to keep on the shelves, you only had a few drug options. You didn't pay (for years and years and years) on digital xray machines, as they didn't exist. Anesthesia was cheap, because gas anesthesia wasn't an option. Certainly you didn't have leases on ultrasound equipment, laser scalpels (best tool ever, but never pay for themselves), etc. The overhead in a veterinary clinic is tremendous, plus the insurance, etc. Then, if you really want to provide good care you want certified technicians, you want to provide continuing ed, etc. I don't know of almost any clinics that can afford to provide health benefits,or any benefits other than some free pet care.

 

Sorry I'm venting here, but the overhead/training/etc are SOOOOOO much higher than people realize (it isn't like a doctor's office, it is like a doctor's office, pharmacy, labratory, diagnostic center, and surgical hospital all in one).

 

But yes, I hope they waived the dispensing fee when you went back. It is automatically put in by computer, but can be taken out by hand.

 

And I don't think you are the client from hell, by any means.

[ktgrok]

I took my 14 year old cat in today to have that microchip put in because he escapes all. the. time. and I am tired of fighting him. I called before and found out the microchip thing would cost around $37. He needed to get three shots also to bring him up to date and then I bought some flea medicine from them. The vet also listened to his heart, felt his tummy and looked at his teeth.

 

The final tab? Over $200.

 

The price for the flea medicine and the microchip were probably the most expensive part. I don't know why people think vet's shouldn't charge to feel for tumors, listen for murmurs, (common), check for periodontal issues or stomatitis, etc. What you described is more than my human doctor does at most of my visits, and yet no one expects that to be free.

[WeeBeaks]

Dosage might be an issue though...a cat with cancer generally weighs less than 10lbs....not many kids do.

 

Prednisone would come in doses small enough at a regular pharmacy. My son has unfortunately had to take his periodically his whole life. It is readily available down to 1 mg tabs, 3 mg, etc.

 

35 tabs of 5 mg cost us less than $5 at Target last week for prednisone.

[ktgrok]

Good to know! When a client wants a drug from the human pharmacy we do look it up for them, in the PDR, but I just didn't know off the top of my head for that one. I know where I work we do encourage people to get their antibiotics (certain ones) at the grocery store near us, that does 7 different types of antibiotics for free.

[KungFuPanda]

OH, forgot to say, prednisolone and prednisone are not exactly the same thing. Many cats cannot break prednisone down to prednisolone, so you have to give it to them already broken down. I honestly can't remember off the top of my head if that effects the price, or if prednisolone is available at human pharmacies.

 

IME Predisilone is 4x as expensive as prednisone in a human pharmacy.

[ktgrok]

IME Predisilone is 4x as expensive as prednisone in a human pharmacy.

 

I thought so, but wasn't sure. I know regular prednisone is cheap, but prednisolone is different.

[KungFuPanda]

I thought so, but wasn't sure. I know regular prednisone is cheap, but prednisolone is different.

 

 

We ended up saving $60 a month by teaching my son to swallow a pill, so we were aware of the price difference and motivated back when we were between insurance carriers. :D

[swimmermom3]

Katie, thanks for taking the time to explain the perspective from the other side of the counter. I can't even begin to imagine what our vet's overhead is at his main clinic. It is ten minutes from our house, has the state of the art equipment, at least 7 vets on staff, and a latte machine in the waiting area. His other clinic is further out, specializes in large animal practice and is far more down to earth.

 

Probably the only reason we were able to get him as our vet when our other one retired is because he has known my folks for years. He is a Rock Star. He is the guy that Fish and Wildlife (or whatever that is) call when they get a cougar or something else exotic. He teaches ornithology up at the CC and the Audubon calls him to fix owl wings. My youngest who is seldom impressed by anyone, is fairly sure that our vet is the "smartest man he has ever met so far."

 

I had to think hard about why I was so irked. Sparrow, FaithManor and you have helped me put my finger on it.

 

It is this transition from a more practical side of animal care to the high tech side.

 

Our well-kitty visits are $120 without vaccinations. It was recommended that since the cats are older and have always been indoor cats that they not get vaccinated. I am still not sure how I feel about this as we have always had our pets neutered and vaccinated. Since the cats are older, they never leave without bloodwork at $250 a pop. Twice I have walked out to the front office to find that my bill was $500 for a well-kitty visit with bloodwork/no vaccination. It seems that it is routine to add the $250 flea treatment on as part of the visit. We don't have any fleas, we have never had any fleas with these cats. There are no health indicators that show they have fleas or worms. That is $1000 in a year just for a routine appointment for two cats. That does not cover their routine dental work.

 

Katie, I think you may have hit a raw nerve with me as I did with you. Sometimes, I feel like I am on the "upsell" program to pay for all that technology and I wonder if the end result is better care for far fewer pets.

 

I am more than happy to pay for needed services. But lately my confidence in what I am paying for and why has been shaken. Maybe that is why I was irked about an extra $14 charge.

 

Thanks for letting me vent and I will be calling my prescriptions in with at least a week's notice from now on.

[ktgrok]

Katie, thanks for taking the time to explain the perspective from the other side of the counter. I can't even begin to imagine what our vet's overhead is at his main clinic. It is ten minutes from our house, has the state of the art equipment, at least 7 vets on staff, and a latte machine in the waiting area. His other clinic is further out, specializes in large animal practice and is far more down to earth.

 

Probably the only reason we were able to get him as our vet when our other one retired is because he has known my folks for years. He is a Rock Star. He is the guy that Fish and Wildlife (or whatever that is) call when they get a cougar or something else exotic. He teaches ornithology up at the CC and the Audubon calls him to fix owl wings. My youngest who is seldom impressed by anyone, is fairly sure that our vet is the "smartest man he has ever met so far."

 

That is awesome that he is so knowledgeable. And that kind of continuing education (trust me, it is CONSTANT at that level...meetings once a month or so for presentations, conferences, journals, etc), is expensive unfortunately.

 

I had to think hard about why I was so irked. Sparrow, FaithManor and you have helped me put my finger on it.

 

It is this transition from a more practical side of animal care to the high tech side.

 

Our well-kitty visits are $120 without vaccinations. It was recommended that since the cats are older and have always been indoor cats that they not get vaccinated. I am still not sure how I feel about this as we have always had our pets neutered and vaccinated. Since the cats are older, they never leave without bloodwork at $250 a pop. Twice I have walked out to the front office to find that my bill was $500 for a well-kitty visit with bloodwork/no vaccination. It seems that it is routine to add the $250 flea treatment on as part of the visit. We don't have any fleas, we have never had any fleas with these cats. There are no health indicators that show they have fleas or worms. That is $1000 in a year just for a routine appointment for two cats. That does not cover their routine dental work.

 

This is such a hard thing to navigate. On the one hand, it is BEST practice to do annual bloodwork on any animal. Things change fast and I have personally seen many problems, from thyroid issues to anemia to autoimmune disease to kidney failure, caught on routine bloodwork when there were no symptoms. ON the other hand, that doesn't mean that financially that is the best choice, or even a feasible choice, for every owner. What basically it comes down to is it would be bad medicine not to offer those tests and services. If the vet didn't suggest it and tell you why, and you pet later died of something that could have been caught by one of those tests, you would (or some would) think he was negligent, and could even sue. On the other hand, if they do suggest the tests and nothing is wrong people start to wonder why they are spending all that money. Or maybe they end up unable to afford other, needed care, because they spent it on the tests. Or oftne, then just stop coming for well visits (which are under 50 dollars most places) because they don't realize or feel comfortable declinging the tests, flea treatments, etc. It really is a very fine line to walk, and I'm not sure how to fix that problem, other than with lots of time spent on discussing the reasons for each test/pros and cons/etc. And still making the client feel comfortable declining if they have too. If I were you i'd do the bloodwork yearly if I could, but would skip the flea treatments...although some protect against heartworm too, which is becoming recognized as a fairly common problem in cats. But if your cats are not at high risk for parasites I'd comfortabley skip that. However, as your technician I'd certainly feel obligated to tell you of the option, and explain the risks of declining.

 

Katie, I think you may have hit a raw nerve with me as I did with you. Sometimes, I feel like I am on the "upsell" program to pay for all that technology and I wonder if the end result is better care for far fewer pets.

 

I wonder this as well sometimes.

 

I am more than happy to pay for needed services. But lately my confidence in what I am paying for and why has been shaken. Maybe that is why I was irked about an extra $14 charge.

 

Thanks for letting me vent and I will be calling my prescriptions in with at least a week's notice from now on.

 

I think the only possible answer is better education, and a good relationship between vet and client. Oh, and that espresso machine is easily the cheapest thing in the office, trust me. He probably got it for free from some company or other.

Edited June 24, 2012 by ktgrok

[StephanieZ]

It does not count to $20 to count to five.

 

It costs $250,000 for four years of vet school.

 

It costs $2000+ a day to keep the lights on, the staff paid, and the other bills paid.

 

If costs $700/2 years to renew the DEA license.

 

Losing the DEA, vet med, or any other license costs the DR a lifetime of earnings and bankrupts his family and puts his whole staff out of work.

 

So, in order to prescribe anything, they have to review your pet's medical record, and make meticulous records and whatnot. A current exam is also required to legally write a prescription, so your vet is stretching his comfort level and legal rules by even dispensing the few days. Your other option would be to get an emergency exam at an ER clinic . . .

 

My DH is a vet, and a practice owner, and he needs to produce $5 every minute of the day to keep the bills paid, as his billings pay for everything bill, salary, etc, including the average seven other professionals who work to support him when he is seeing patients. So, $18 would pay for three mintues of his time, which is not even enough to cover the time it takes to pull up a pet's year old record and review it to approve a prescription.

 

Frankly, your vet lost money today filling that for you, and did you a favor. Many vets would not have dispensed anything without an emergency exam that day.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

Yes. Esp. if he is the boss of the business. He should know how their policies are thought of by their clients.

 

:iagree: