I think our vet is taking advantage of us...

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by ally173

no each chain has different prices; the percentage is set by their headquarters. but most big chains have close prices. they won't add 6 or 8 dollars more to the price per pill.

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.

[Robin Lodal]

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!

[ally173]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

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 add money to it.
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.

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

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by ally173

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.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by beachdog

My vet also adds a $8.62 pharmacy fee to fill the rx. I wasn't told that but found out when I need 1 pill and they told me how much and I asked why. Now I get a prescription and fill it myself online. That's crazy to charge to put the pills in the bottle!

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!

Originally Posted by jenn1381

Luckily, my vet doesn't seem to overcharge for meds.. just for everything else! It's an awful feeling to know you got completely ripped off when all you were trying to do was care for your beloved pet. Mya's spay was CRAZY expensive. I know that they need to make a profit, but I need to be able to care for my dogs without taking out a loan! I have an emergency fund/ emergency credit card, but at their prices just one major emergency will clear them both out.

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

[ladyjane]

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.

[107barney]

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.

[lisaly]

I think I am very lucky because I have never felt that I was overcharged by my vet. I have always felt that he was more than fair with whatever he charged me. I really feel he just is very dedicated to animals. It may be that when he bought the practice for another vet fifteen years ago that I was one of his original clients. I had three Yorkies then. I always took them once or twice a year for dentals and checkups whenever necessary. When any of my dogs had anything that needed more regular check ups, a lot of the times I was not charged for rechecks, even if it had been two months since I had been there. I never minded paying more for medication because I feel that he was always so generous with me. His practice is on the eastern portion of Long Island in the Hamptons, which is a costly area for medical care. When Ashley needed to take Anipryl for Canine Cognitive Disorder, I read that the medication was costly. I was very puzzled because it was inexpensive when I received it from my vet. Anipryl is the same medication that they give people for Parkinson's Disease, and there became a national shortage on the generic medication. My vet was unable to get the small dose tablets, so he wrote me a script. The medication ended up costing me five times more at my supermarket pharmacy. They were unable to get it in time, so I had to search online for the brand since the generic was unavailable, and it was very costly. Ashley needed the medication, so I paid what I needed to. I can understand being upset if I felt that I was being ripped off. I wouldn't have wanted to fill Ashley's prescriptions anywhere but my vet because I felt he was so fair with me, and I wanted to support him out of loyalty. I don't think his medication normally was very expensive, but I'm sure I could have found it cheaper (other than the Anipryl). I might want to fill my prescriptions on the outside if I felt like I was being being nickeled and dimed. I do think the cost of care would go up if everyone started filling their prescriptions elsewhere. I really think you need to do what you feel is right.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Ellie May made some good points. The more that large chains sell things cheaply the more things cost! Some people think Walmart is the best...but honestly, Walmart has put many businesses out of business! They come in and undercut everyone.....fabric was a perfect example. They used to sell fabric and many small businesses went out of business because they could not compete. NOW Walmart does not carry fabric any more. Think about that!

No way can a vet compete with online pharmacies...or even the chains. They do not buy in bulk!

Speak with your vet about writing a prescription if that is what you choose to do. I would NEVER leave a good vet OR accuse him/her of taking advantage of me without good solid proof. I see a lot of comments about vets jacking up prices and honestly most are probably unwarranted. Sure there is always a bad egg in any crowd, but to say that vets are making a killing off of prescriptions ?? That's like the people who accuse the vets of giving vaccines so they can pay their bills. Patently unfair and in most cases untrue. My vet makes a lot of money off of me....but for exams, dentals, and illnesses that are always sure to crop up. I have never felt she has taken advantage of me. Her front office help is very friendly and if I am going to have a dog on a long term medication, they have offered me the larger amounts cheaply and even called pharmacies FOR me. Instead of walking out of vet's office disgruntled and wondering...ASK them if there is a way to save money on a prescription. Most of them have pets and totally understand that sometimes we need to find cheaper ways to medicate our pets!

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.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

It is their right to do that, but I would not pay it either! If my vet charged something like that, I would most likely be out the door and finding another vet.
I wonder if they are doing that to discourage people from buying meds there? I would certainly ask why the charge!

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.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

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.

Wow, I think you missed my point!!

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

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Princes mom

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.

So if you were to get like 3 Cerenia pills or something, they would charge you $8 more??? 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?

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by ally173

actually it's not the pharmacy that comes up with the pricing; this price is set by the pharmaceutical company and sent to first data bank; where pharmacies get this info from.
if you are a cash patient you will pay the AWP (average whole sale price) plus a percentage to profit the pharmacy; usually retail pharmacies have a set % of 10 or so; independent pharmacies more; however vet is way up and not sure why.
i have access to first data bank and i can see all the AWP prices for all drugs. also i worked as a pharm tech and i can tell u pharmacies have nothing to do with the prices.
i attached an example of AWP of theophyline ER 400mg which cost $1.47 per pill; now multiply that by the number of pills received plus a % that a pharmacy will charge. see attached
the theophyline 100mg is 0.21 cents per pill; the 200mg 0.26 cents; for 30 pills is 7.8 +10% = 8.58 close to what u paidof course if you have an insurance then this price is set by them. so if the doctor is not on file that has nothing to do with the pharmacy; same goes for the drug; if the drug is not on formulary that means it won't be covered by insurance.
let me know if anyone wants to know a price; give me the name and strength

Very interesting...thank you.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

So if you were to get like 3 Cerenia pills or something, they would charge you $8 more??? 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?

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

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Princes mom

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.

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