Vet cost rant

[silkiechicken]

I was thinking about going to vet school but tuition was about 30k a year for 4 years, then mandatory 2 year residency. Add that to how you have to break into the field/area, and deal with people, I decided to just go get a PhD.

My rant on pharmaceuticals is that if it weren't for so many regulations due to a drugs that helped 100,000 but killed 10 resulting in big lawsuits, they wouldn't have to cost so much! Add that to advertising which is 1/3-2/3 of the price of drugs and how ironic it is that it's illegal to give public ad's on drugs outside of the US? If drugs like Advil were just discovered, they would never be able to pass the drug regulations of today and would be discarded.

Best of luck. Healthcare is big $$$.

 

[warcard]

I don't buy flea medicine from the vet (can get Frontline, Advantage, etc. cheaper online www.petedge.com , www.dog.com so many other sites, just shop around). I swear I saw a tapeworm med at TSC one time, and the roundworm and other wormer was the same stuff I once bought from the vet. I haven't gotten around to buying my heartworm med online, but my vet isn't too bad and I like giving them some business.

Actually, I really like my new vet. I finally found one that trusts people to bring their dog in for yearly checkups without insisting on pumping them full of unnecessary vaccinations. The staff actual knew what a titer was when I asked

and it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg (just the arm

)

You do need to shop around and educate yourself. Like silkiechicken said its not cheap to become a vet these days (my sister is in vet school, man the list of stuff she had to buy was HUGE), but you can find vets who aren't looking to pay off the whole experience in two years while pushing unnecessary items off on their customers.

 

[English Chick]

Quote:
Crikey sounds like my Vet!!! now I buy the "drugs" from my local Farmers Store and it is so much cheaper and easier as the worming "stuff" is in paste form called Panacur, it has measured does in the syringe that you put in their mouth, the cats have it as well, dont know if you have that in the USA though.

 

[chickenzoo]

Jeffers Pet : Safeguard wormer for dog tapeworms, most expensive is 3, 4gram pkts for $12.99
Tapeworm Tabes 34mg, 5 tabs -$16.95
Worm X Plus, large dogs - $44.97 12 tabs
plus more types .........

 

[seismic wonder2]

Go to the health food store and buy pill casings, and brewers yeast, then go and get FOOD grade Diotamatious Earth (DE). Fill the casings 1/2 full of the DE (less for a small dog) and the other half with Brewers Yeast.
Dosage: One pill every two days to get rid of worms.

To the worms, DE is like microscopic shards of glass, Brewers Yeast is just good for the dog and fills the pill.

Here is a list of herbal tinctures that help expell worms.
WORMWOOD HERB (Artemisia absinthium)
expels round worms, pinworms, tapeworms, and parasites from the intestinal tract
MALEFERN RHIZOME (Dryopteris felix-mas)
relieves pain and controls bleeding associated with killing worms
a soothing herb that coats inflamed areas of the large and small intestine
paralyzes worms (tape, round, seat, pin and liver flukes)
WORMSEED HERB, AMERICAN (Chenopodium anthelminticum)
kills and expels round worms, hookworms, small tapeworms, and amoebas
SAGE LEAF (Salvia officinalis)
aids in digestion and expels worms
helps soothe stomach and intestinal tract
FENNEL SEED (Foeniculum vulgare)
relaxes and soothes the smooth lining of the digestive tract
excellent for gas caused by this formulae
PAPAYA LEAF (Carica Papaya)
helps break down proteins and mucus surrounding parasites and expels them
a digestive aid
Dosage:
3 times per day. 1 drop per 2 pounds of body weight up to 50 pounds, thereafter 1 drop per 4 pounds. May be mixed with food, applied with dropper or syringe directly into mouth, or mixed with 1/2 cup of warm water. Use for 10 days. May be repeated every two months, depending on the environment.

 

[spatcher]

Try www.upco.com - they have a good selection of wormers at a reasonabe cost.

 

[Redfeathers]

Thank you everyone for the tips and advice. This is why this forum works, People jump in with excellent knowledge and helpful ideas. I appreciate it.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I order my Virbac cat wormer for tapeworms from Pets Megastore in Australia. Its about half the price of buying a pill from my vet. 1 pill is for 22 pounds, the are indented, so I snap them in half and that is 2 pills each for 11 pounds. They last for 3 months.

 

[apbgv]

I am sitting here at work, Yes I work in a vet clinic oh no. Yes some clinics do rip off their clients. We try to be fair, we hold checks for people and we allow our real good clients to make payments if needed. But we can't allow every one to charge half the time they don't pay. Yes the clinic does need to get paid lets see what is involved with running a vet clinic
Vet-needs a salary to pay off loans and make a living
Vet Tech-needed to pay off student loans and make a living too
Vet assistant-they need a paycheck too
Receptionist
Kennelers
Ok here come the other stuff
Maint of vet clinic
Cost of lab machines
Medicines yes they don't come cheap
General hosp supplies
anesthetic machine
dental machine
etc
Oh yeah
the vet needs a DEA lic
Vet lic-need continuing education to continue practicing
Vet tech should get some CE also
There is alot of other stuff
like electricity, gas,
Yes we love animals but that doesn't pay our living expenses.

 

[SterlingAcres]

I get raped every time I take an animal to my vet. Turns out that 'animal hospital' she told everyone she was opening is now a DAY SPA for pets...

I'm totally glad I paid for that. Zoey's yearly checkup ALWAYS costs me over $100. And our vet won't even consider farm animals because DH asked on Zo's last appointment.

So, if anyone knows a GOOD vet in the Poconos that does farm animals (such as goats and sheep), let me know! I'm going to have to switch because this lady is nuts. LOL