I have a good friend who’s a wire-haired pointer and have known her since she was a pup. That particular breed is definitely crackers. She’s the only dog that’s made me wince in pain due to her affection and enthusiasm when she was a (large) pup - saw me from across a field and went bullet from a gun; full force on my left thigh.
We had a German wirehaired pointer. She was a lovely dog although she was scared of loud noises, which I thought was something of an anomaly keeping in mind what they were initially bred for!
Following yesterday's news about an enquiry into vets fees I had a quick look online at the cost of a bottle of Metacam. 100ml bottles which we pay our vet £68 for, are less than £20 online. It's prescription only, and the vet does ask to see Flossie every six months or so (she weighs her and checks for lumps and bumps but no blood tests or anything) but £50 extra each time seems a bit much. I think I'll see if I can just have a prescription this time.
Our vets are very good and AFAIK are not part of a big multi practice chain but £50 does seem a heck of a mark up. Does anyone else just get the prescription and not the medication from their vets?
That’s interesting. Stevie is currently under doggy house arrest. The vet suspects a trapped nerve in his back or a problem with one of his hind legs. He’s confined to his cage, has to be carried up and down stairs (loves that - not!) and has a 10ml bottle of metacam, but that cost £73.
I’ve always bought medication directly from the vet. Die to Charlie’s problems over the last year, he was eventually prescribed Atopica by the vet specialist who we saw in Bristol. She advised using the prescription to buy online as it would be almost £200 from the vet compared to £76 from Animed or similar online pharmacy. We’ve had a repeat prescription since which cost £25, but still a lot cheaper than getting it from the vet. We use the Healthy Pet Club which covers annual vaccinations and parasite treatment. Until now, it’s also included anal gland emptying but the annual renewal shows that they will no longer cover that. The parasite treatments have all changed to the company’s “own brand equivalent” (vets was taken over by CVS a few months ago) and they no longer provide a Seresto collar. The price has increased by £2 per month from April. I’m seriously considering cancelling membership and sourcing all his treatments off the internet.
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Dog walking
May 2013
