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

On one of my other post, I mentioned that two theophylline cost $12.50 for TWO pills. I went to Rite Aid yesterday to get the script filled, and was charged $8.46 for thirty pills.
This makes no sense to me at all!!!
Any thoughts??? Should I start looking for another vet????

Is Rite Aid giving you the generic?
The difference between one of my drugs is $86 a month ($4 generic and $90 name brand).

Did somebody enter into the vet's system wrong? Are they willing to keep writing you scripts? I'd say it depends. Are all of the other drugs a more realistic price?

IMO, it's all about the doctor, their ability to diagnose and treat disease, and their personality. As long as my vet was willing to write me scripts, I'd personally stay.

I agree. I really like my vet's office, however they rip me off on meds and any products ie: toothpaste, shampoo, food, etc. They jack the price up so high that it makes it ridiculous. I simply decline and tell them I'll purchase online or elsewhere.

I had something similar happen to me several years ago with my first Yorkie. He had cardiomyopathy and a severly enlarged heart with fluid in his lungs. He was on Lasix to keep his lungs cleared of the fluid. I went to get a refill from the vet one day, and they were out so the vet gave me a script to get filled at the drugstore. I was certain that it was going to cost more, but was shocked to find that it was a fraction of the price that the vet was charging.

I had a talk with my vet's assistant about this a few months ago. It costs them more to carry products because they don't get the volume discount the big retailers do. They also don't have the fast turn-around on products, and they often have to discard outdated items -- more cost to them. And with the economy going south, they have lost customers who either have given up their pets or who are not getting all the veterinary care their pets need. One of my concerns about getting a Yorkie since my last beloved dog died is that my vet won't be able to stay in business. I think I would pay just about any price to make sure he is there to take care of my future pet. (Just don't tell him I said this!)

I'd call them and tell them the same thing you said in your thread, about the cost difference and ask if they made a mistake.

If they say no, then going forward, you can tell them you want to check the cost of the meds at the drugstore before buying.

My vet doesn't seem to charge more, at least not enough that I've noticed. Both she and the internist are willing to write scipts, for no other reason than the pharmacy is closer :).

yes it's always much more expensive to get the same meds at the vet than the pharmacy. always ask for a prescription that you can fill at the pharmacy. they take advantage of such things.

ETA: Definitely charging way too much in this case, but there is something else to consider. When the price difference isn't that much, it is actually better to get it from the vet. Remember, this is a source of revenue. They have so many bills, salaries, and equipment to pay for and are by no means rich. So if everybody were to start getting scripts for every drug, regular fees will increase. There is no way around it for them.

0.28 cents per pill in the pharmacy or 6.25 at the vet? you do the math.
everytime i came to buy meds from the vet; i compared it at the pharmacy and it always turnes out to be much cheaper and you get more at the pharmacy. my friend is a pharmacist so everytime i need a refill on ava's medication i get a script and she fills it for me; and i can get the generic if available which is much cheaper too.

And I would not get this one from the vet. I'm saying generally the trend is to get everything online. The more people that do that, the more exam and procedure fees will raise.

No, the pills from Rite Aid are not generic, and apparently it was entered into the vet's system correctly. All of the meds that Prince has had to take were at least $3-4 or more per pill, except when I got the 100 count of aminophylline, that was thirty something...I had been paying about 4-5 dollars per pill before that.
I do think the vet will continue to write me scripts and to be honest, because of Prince's CT, I would hate to switch him from vet to vet. Our vet is pretty good, but I did have a problem with something he said to me, and left the office in tears!!!! I was probably just really worried about Prince, and sleep deprived.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

That makes sense. My husband and I would also pay any price to make sure Prince is happy and healthy, but I don't want to be taken advantage of. Getting the exact same meds for less is logical.
Thanks for the explanation!:) I wish they had explained it.

Yea...now I know!

The reason the vet's prices are so much higher is the same reason a tylenol in the hospital will run you twelve bucks. You are paying all the overhead. Chain drug stores are building the overhead in, too. It's just that they can make things up by sheer volume. I guarantee they made a healthy profit on the prescription, too.

If you have a vet that you are comfortable with, then I would just ask for written prescriptions from now on. The inconvience of having to go to the drug store to pick things up is far outweighed by the peace of mind of having a good vet.

Another thing you might want to consider is seeing if your vet will do price matching. Mine does for things like Advantix.

Well, that isn't cool. I hope it was just the stress of the moment and not something your vet said. :( That could definitely be a reason to move on.

What you and Ellie May said sheds light on this situation. The comparison with the hospital cost of tylenol to the vet's prices of meds is interesting. I guess, as Ellie May said, if everyone used scripts, the vet would probably rise prices somewhere else to make up for the loss.,
I had asked him a while ago about price matching, and he said no, but mentioned several websites that were "safe" and reasonable. I will def do scripts from now on, when possible.

Prince was having a really hard time breathing, so I rushed him to the vet, called my husband enroute, and he met us there. The vet said that he was happy my husband came because "Prince acts so much better with him than with me!!" He said that I get Prince "worked up!!!!" I thought that was pretty insensitive, and while Prince and my hubby were in the examination room, I guess I had a "melt down." When my husband came out of the room, he knew I was upset and was crying. He spoke to the vet who said he was "just kidding!!!!!!!!" Kidding...at a time like that! The next few times Prince had to go back, I didn't go. I did not want to make a bad situation worse. When I finally did go, the vet apologized but seem to make light of it.

I wouldn't like that at all. :( I mean, Ellie's vet and I say things like that alllll the time, but it's just kidding among friends. When it's a professional setting and you are there for a service, that doesn't seem right.

And on the other things, Ellie's vet was just saying this is the case. A huge pet pharmacy is slated to open, and because of its affiliation, a good portion of owners will ask for scripts and take them there. Other vet fees will have to go up because of it. So owners will be paying more for the healthy pet who don't need drugs...

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!

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. :thumbdown

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!

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!

Honestly, an emergency fund should be imho a minimum of $5,000/dog. It is very easy to go through that with one illness.

Been there a few times.

As for spays, they are not cheap unless you go to a low cost clinic. Usually those clinics receive funding...something a vet does not get. I don't use low cost clinics, because I am much more comfortable taking my pups to the vet I am used to. They have dentals yearly (unless I get lucky and they don't need one once in a while..hah!) and those are not cheap either. Having a pet is a huge responsibility and a costly venture!

Vets have overhead. I see people complain all of the time about the costs of vetting.....my suggestion is to call around and compare your vets charges to other vets in your area so that you know what the going rate is. That way, IF your vet really is overcharging, you will be aware. :)

The chain stores do that too. It's just that they aren't as up front about it.

I recently went to have a script filled for myself at one of them- because the doc was new to the group, his name wasn't on the list of approved providers yet. I needed the med right away and was going to pay for a few days of it out of pocket while the pharmacy waited for approval from the IC. The cost of 5 days of meds plus the "filling fee" was going to be more than a 1 month supply would have been with my copay. Needless to say, I ended up calling my provider and got the script called in by one of the docs who was on the list.

I have no idea how you are with Prince when he is ill and please don't take what I say personal. I just want to share with you.

My recent foster, Ozzy, who had CT was often very, very loud with his honking. People would be on the phone with me or be at my home and it scared them. They would often ask if perhaps he needed to go to the vet. I assured them that while it sounded awful, he was not in acute distress needing a vet and/or oxygen. I know that some of my friends would have been very nervous dealing with CT...and honestly it IS scary! We do have to remember that our feelings DO rub off on the pups...if we react, they do as well. Maybe you are a bit more nervous when dealing with Prince?? I could certainly understand if you are. Maybe your husband is calmer?? That does NOT mean you are not competent and loving .. Maybe the vet just said it because it was an observation. I am quite sure it was not meant to upset you! When we react to that condition, it can scare them and make their breathing worse. Is it possible this happens? I don't know. But if so, that should not be an insult at all. I know how much you love that little guy. I am sorry that you were so upset...it just tells me that you are very emotional right now...and boy do I get that! I have dealt with three pups with CT .. two were fosters and one was mine and it was a very depressing and stressful condition to deal with. You want SO much to make it better for them.

You have said before that you have a good vet. I really hope that you can maybe get past the feelings you are having because you both need to work together for Prince's health and well being.

Hugs to you. Prince is lucky to have you! :)

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 paid

of 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

So you are saying that Walmart pays the same price as everyone else?

Never mind...disregard my stupid question. No...you are saying there is an AVERAGE wholesale cost. So....the drug companies can sell to whoever they want for whatever they choose....high or low. My guess is that Walmart gets the cheapest because of the quantity.
I know that Canada has a cap on how much drug companies can charge and that is one of the reasons drugs are cheaper there.
Vets pay more because they use way less than any pharmacy does...that is my guess.

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.