Save money on your Pet Meds.

[Stonepounder]

Last edited Mon Jul 9, 2018, 01:46 AM - Edit history (1)

We have discovered a way to save significant amounts of money on some Pet Meds. It doesn't work on meds that are unique to animals, but often the meds that the vet prescribes for you Cat or Dog are the same as those for humans. If your pet is going to be in the meds for more than a month do the following:

Check out the web page goodrx.com. You can plug in your medication and dosage and your location and it will pop up a page with pharmacies in your area and how much they charge for the meds. Usually at prices MUCH less than buying them from the Vet.

We have an old dog with CHF. The vet prescribed Hydralizine. The first 30-day supply from the vet cost $50. I checked GoodRX and found that Kroger sold it for about $20. I had my Vet call in a prescription for Kroger. He called in a prescription with 2 refills available. Kroger just batched it all together in a 90-day supply and charged us about $40 with our GoodRX coupon. (They will mail you a card and a thingy to go on your keychain.)

Worth checking out.

[JayhawkSD]

1. Also check medication prices at Costco.

We get much of our cat's medication there. Nice costing, and the people are excellent.

[videohead5]

4. And you don't have to be a Costco club member

To use the pharmacy.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Good suggestion, thanks!

I usually get my pets' meds from the vet, but when my dog was prescribed a med that I had to get from a regular pharmacy, I wished that she was on my insurance.

[Tess49]

9. My cat was prescribed an expensive drug that cost $300/mo from Wal-greens. I called

a compounding pharmacy, and they filled the rx for $100. Fortunately, he wasn't on it for long, so I didn't need a second mortgage on my house.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Yikes! And I do remember my vet recommending a compounding pharmacy to me

My current dog is on "the plan" at Banfield, the vet clinic at PetsMart. I adopted him from a vet tech who worked there and was helping to foster him, so they already knew the dog. Depending on the coverage you choose, there's a monthly fee, their version of pet health insurance. Office visits are covered as are "comprehensive exams" and regular inoculations. Other meds are discounted, depending on "the plan" you have. It's been worth it to me since I like his vet and she's known him since he was a puppy.

[Tess49]

12. Yikes was right! I did not know about the Banfield plan. Thanks for the info. n/t

[BigmanPigman]

3. Thank you for the info.

When my other dog got sick I wished I had purchased pet insur. When I got my current little girl I DID get it and it helped with dental but I was temporarily laid off (a teacher) and couldn't afford it. Since then I still haven't been able to since now I am sick and my ACA coverage is "questionable under the current Third Reich" and I may be in the same boat as my little girl soon, very soon from the news reports.

[C Moon]

5. I had a wonderful dog that had glaucoma late in life. 1 eye was lost and we had a glass eye put in.

A few years later (as predicted) the other eye was affected, so we had to put my pup's other eye on drops (to keep the pressure down). But we had to visit the "corporate eye vet" every time we needed a new order for the drops. Each visit was over $100.

And over time, we were no longer seeing the vet; they began having interns see our dog. One time an intern turned off all the lights and took photos of my dog's bad eye and good eye. The intern wasn't more than 20 years old.

I finally decided to buy the drops online—instead of going to the corporate vet and paying over $100 for someone's education, so they could take pictures for their portfolio.

But shortly after buying the drops online, my dog's other eye began to get worse. The drops weren't working. I don't know if it was because the drops were not legit, or because they were sent in the mail which caused the summer heat to affect them; but I will never order dog meds online again. Just the same, I would NEVER go back to that pet eye doctor corporation. It's a disgusting rip-off outfit.

RIP Milo.

[Stonepounder]

7. Sometimes good vets are hard to find.

We've been lucky. We have a vet practice that we have been going to them for almost 20 years. They aren't perfect, but the listen, they explain, and they take good care of our furkids. The one really big mistake they made is they gave us the wrong hypodermics for diabetic dog. (Long story made short the ones they gave us measure their 'units' in a size 2.5x larger than the 'units' we normally used. We didn't know the difference.) Damn near killed out dog. Only time in my life I have seen a medical professional lose his temper - not at us, but at the staff who had given us the wrong sized needles. All of the treatment, about 3 months worth, to get our dog healthy again was free and they decided from then out to ONLY stock one size needle.

If you aren't satisfied with a vet, find another one. Ask friends for recommendations, look for online groups and ask around. If you are retired ask for a senior discount (we're old that how we know about it). But do not stay with a vet you aren't comfortable with or who doesn't meet your needs.

[pansypoo53219]

6. unlikely humans need ear meds.

can't do pills, even the vet could not open baby bitch's mouth. 200lb man vs 10 lbs cat. YOU SHALL NOT!!!

[Tess49]

8. Been there! My arm looked like someone had slashed my arm with a sharp knife after

I tried to dose one of my cats. I had to wear long sleeves for days! It was a liquid medicine. The cat bit down so hard on the syringe that the plunger flew out and the medicine went all over the wall. Good times. Not.

[get the red out]

11. Or Rymadil

Dog with hip dysplasia, will have to have some around his whole life. But thankGod for an online ped med site where I can get their flea and heartworm combo for less than half what the Vet sells it for.