Worming pill & the vet follow up

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T. Early - 13 Jan 2004 17:27 GMT

First, thanks to those who responded with thoughts and advice
regarding our vet who insisted that our cats ' Drontal had to be
administered at the office by a "tech" ($38 for both cats).

As a result of the feedback, I strongly suggested to the vet that the
policy made no sense, especially in view of our cats' aversion to
riding in cars and that we were not happy about it. While the same
rationalization about people not administering the pills "properly"
was given, the result is that we were allowed to take the medication
home. We were given one and one half tablets of Drontal (not sure of
the dosage) per cat. That's the good news. However, the fee remained
the same---$19 -each- for the two doses (isn't that a lot?). But at
least our cats didn't get taken for a ride. Only the humans did.

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PawsForThought - 13 Jan 2004 18:01 GMT

>From: "T. Early" fenwick_island@yahoo.com

>We were given one and one half tablets of Drontal (not sure of
>the dosage) per cat. That's the good news. However, the fee remained
>the same---$19 -each- for the two doses (isn't that a lot?).

So there was no office visit? You were charged a total of $38 for 2 pills? I
suppose you could call the company to see what these pills sell for. Here's an
exerpt from the patient insert sheet:

For customer service or to obtain product information, including Material
Safety Data sheet, call 1-800-633-3796. For medical emergencies or to report
adverse reactions, call 1-800-422-9874.
HOW SUPPLIED: Drontal® Tablets are available in 50 tablet bottles.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

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Yngver - 13 Jan 2004 18:40 GMT

>We were given one and one half tablets of Drontal (not sure of
>the dosage) per cat. That's the good news. However, the fee remained
>the same---$19 -each- for the two doses (isn't that a lot?). But at
>least our cats didn't get taken for a ride. Only the humans did.

Well, I would expect a vet to charge some amount of mark-up on a prescription
medication, but whether that's comparable to what other vets would charge, I
don't know. If you bought Drontal online (you would still need a prescription)
it would be a few bucks per pill. But then some vets may charge to release the
prescription--ours doesn't, but I've heard of some doing so.

So yes, if your vet were willing to give you the prescription so you could buy
online (and wait for it to be shipped to you) you could have gotten it cheaper.
I wouldn't expect a vet to sell medication for the same amount he pays for
it--you are paying in part for the convenience.

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MaryL - 13 Jan 2004 18:42 GMT

> First, thanks to those who responded with thoughts and advice
> regarding our vet who insisted that our cats ' Drontal had to be
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> the same---$19 -each- for the two doses (isn't that a lot?). But at
> least our cats didn't get taken for a ride. Only the humans did.

Drontal is available from www.petmeds.com for $4.59 per pill. Your vet
should be able to obtain them at a cheaper price, yet he charged you the
same as if you had used one of their office techs to administer the pills.

To repeat what I said in an earlier message: I suggest that you look around
your area and see if there are other reputable vets available. I would not
continue to this vet, but you also don't want to wait until you have an
emergency before you make a decision.

Imagine what you might have to pay if you have a "real" emergency
sometime???

MaryL

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