But the pharmaceutical companies charge different prices. The average tells a person nothing. Who buys at the low end and who at the high end? I realize they (stores) add money to it which is understandable...they are in the business to make a profit.
I seriously doubt a vet jacks a price up 6 or 8 dollars more per pill than what they pay. If I thought that, I would switch vets. A vet is not in the business to sell drugs...they have them as a convenience. Their larger profit is from their professional expertise...and sure they need to make a profit on everything; but it sounds outlandish to say they charge that much more/pill. I don't believe that at all. People are free to buy elsewhere.

When I was UT, I think I paid around $25 for 25ml of Lactulose for Ginger... I now go to Rite Aid and get 236ml (8oz) for $4!

i know; that won't be fair.
i believe that's what the OP posted at first; the vet was charging $12 something for 2 pills.
the ER hospital charged me $35 for 10 pills of reglan which is 3.5 per pill. and last time i got it from the pharmacy i got 30 pills for $10 which is 0.33 cents per pill. that's 10 times more; go figure. and that was the ER hospital :)

Hospitals are notorious. Of course their overhead is also quite ridiculous.

I just do not believe most vets do that. Could be wrong, but who knows?

I know I have the utmost respect for my vet and she is not cheap. I pay and am happy to do so. I never feel ripped off when I go there. She is a professional and I could not have done without her expertise many times.

Prince's vet does that as well...I don't even want them to cut the pills...just put the whole pill in the container!:thumbdown


I understand!!!!!!!!!!

Whenever I see these threads with people constantly complaining about their vets and what they charge, I cannot help but wonder why. I totally do not understand.
I don't know where any of you think you would be without your vets...seriously.
Have any of you stopped to think about how much their educations cost? How much
time they spent getting their degree? Do you not think that their expertise is worth
paying for? Do you feel the same way about all professionals? Or is it just vets? . and
why? I mean we think our pets are like children, so why are we not willing to pay for
the best that they can have? Why do people always feel so taken advantage of by
vets? Have you all discussed this with your vets? If I thought my vet was ripping me
off I would surely question the charges rather than complain on the internet where
it will get me nowhere.
It really confuses me.
Maybe it is me. I just don't know; but I have never felt that my doctors or my vets
were ripping me off. But then, I worked in the medical field, so maybe it is simply
that I understand...or who knows...maybe I am the one out of touch with reality.
Maybe they are supposed to just give us everything? *confused, just totally confused*
I guess you all could just rely on the good ole internet to diagnose and treat your
pets....I am sure you could find a way to get your prescriptions without paying
a vet.

I'm on my 4th general vet in 10 years....I wish I could have dropped them over something as silly as the charges but unfortunately I had to drop them for more serious things like misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, poor customer service, and incompetent front desk staff. I'd love to argue about a
bill.

Yes, you're right...Ellie May did make several good points. Like you, I would never leave a vet nor accused him/her of taking advantage without solid proof. That's why I posted the thread...to get the "other" side. Unfortunately, my vet has never offered me nor told me about ways to purchase Prince's med cheaper...thank goodness for yt. I have asked them, and the rates that I was told were still more than 3x that of Rite Aid.
Again, I don't mind paying any amount to take care of Prince, I do understand now about vets not buying in bulk, so the prices would tend to be higher, but $6.25 per pill versus $.28 per pill is hard to digest, for the exact same pill.
I plan to stay with our vet, but I always keep my eyes and ears open for options.

My vet called that a stocking fee?!? They charge you to cut the pills and put them in the container. I always tell them to NOT cut the pills for Prince, so all they have to do is to count them and put them in the container, and stick on the charge.

Wow, I think you missed my point!!

I certainly do not want something for nothing, and never implied that!!!!!
wow......:confused:

So if you were to get like 3 Cerenia pills or something, they would charge you $8 more???:confused: Not sure why they don't just mark up the meds accordingly. What about like a tube of Frontline? They walk over to the cabinet, grab one, go click click click in the computer and hand it to you. Or if he is there for an exam already?

Very interesting...thank you.

Yes, they would.
The price on the heartworm preventative meds is hand-written on the box, so you just pay what they wrote.

I would not pay that either. There again, it was good that you asked for an explanation.