Danois

Have you considered this - chemists are in the business of dispensing drugs and has hundreds of drugs on their shelves so can spread their mark out across more drugs. If your vet does not disclose cost of drugs during consult then what is stopping you asking about it? Why shouldn't a vet charge for writing a script if you're going to get it elsewhere? I think the comparison between GPs and chemists is artificial. As stormie said (or along the lines of) - a GP is your doctor (and your chemist is a chemist). Your vet is your GP, dentist, chemist, radiographer, surgeon, behaviourist, dietician and more all in one.

Could not agree more Rappie. I have lost track of the ad hoc advice, services etc I have had from my vets. To use Nicestman77 (a bit of a misnomer...) example, if I get anal glands expressed ($10), vet looks over the dog as a whole (ears, mouth etc) , I can ask any question - get them to look at a spot or something all for no additional cost.

Thanks for the tip but I can assure you that I read the thread. I doubt that many vets would model a business plan on the sale of drugs given it is too much of a variable to account for. I do not recall anyone saying they would go out of business if they did not dispense drugs - I believe that the common theme was that it was reasonable for them to mark up drugs to cover the incidental time and handling. Can't say I have ever had a vet propose unnecessary medication. Any vet which over medicates to simply bring in money should consider their ethics (much like your friends really).

The responses to this thread are understandable and predictable. The main point of the discussion from my point of view is that vets by all means charge an appropriate fee that reflects the work performed and the services provided, but not to load the bill with excessive marking up of drugs which distorts the true cost of the service. You don't get it do you? The cost of drugs is not the cost of the service. The service is the consultation. The cost is easily ascertainable by speaking to the vet first. The drugs are the recommended treatment. They are not part of the service offered. A client can choose to take or leave the recommended treatment. Ergo - the cost of them does not distort the cost of the service.

Gross profit is a far cry from net profit. Go back to the example I gave about the cost of a cup of coffee. Given you have several close friends who are vets then I am surprised that you are so determined to run them down in this thread and essentially accuse vets of price gouging to plump their own pockets up when surely their opinions would not be too dissimilar to those in this thread from the vet industry.

Did you know that the average cup of coffee in a cafe costs about 20 cents to make (excluding overheads) - and people get charged around $3.50 for it.

And vets just love diagnosis by google....

4 days ago your puppy was to be 7 weeks next week. Am assuming you returned the second puppy? Your 6-7 week old puppy should not be out in a shed by itself - it needs to have contact given it is not with its litter. Your puppy is un-co as it is still learning about how to walk properly etc. You should probably say what you're feeding the puppy.

That pretty much sums it up stormie. There is no way a comparison can be made of a GP to a Vet - if nothing else GPs have an easier job surely - their patients talk! My vet is also a heck of a lot more accessible than my GP Chemists get the benefit of being about to buy in bulk say 100 packets of Drug X but the vets only need to buy 5 packets of Drug X so do not get the same dispensations for bulk orders.

Ruthless - I cannot recommend stormie and Ian (vet) highly enough - they were amazing with Angs.

I would not be too worried Elfin. I have a giant breed puppy too and brain has not quite caught up to physical size yet. A romp in the park is good exercise - the time is about what I would do too - it also gets the dog using different muscles than in a usual walk. It is not 'forced' exercise. You should be the one who calls a stop to it (you control the play) as they will just keep going. If they are getting too excited/ wound up then there is nothing wrong with putting them on lead for a short time out to calm down again before resuming play. Zoomies are zoomies. Boo will frequently do them after exercising when we get back into the house. I rearranged my lounge as he was leaping over the couch. They are going to happen so just have their circuit clear! If you are doing on lead walks - use them as a training session - heels, stop/sits, stop/stays etc - practice what you learn in obedience class if you go. It is extended 'forced' exercise such as running a giant breed pup for kms on a road every day which will cause the long term issues.

I see from the thread you started re Frontline that the puppies are actually only 7 weeks old. I would say that a lot of the issue is that the pups will be missing their mother (and should still be with her) and are trying to adjust to the new environment without their litter. The mother teaches a lot to puppies in 6-8 weeks and they would have missed out on this. Based on age I am guessing that you did not get them from a registered breeder so suspect you will not get a lot of help by trying to speak with them.

Food depends on breed - my food bill is around $150 a month. Vet bills - $200 is a very conservative estimate. Desexing will be around $150+ A vet visit is around $60 for consult plus drugs etc. Don't forget initial and then annual vaccinations. You'll need these if you ever intend to place the dog in kennels or go to an obedience club. Monthly worming and flea treatment. Heartworming. Thats $120 a year (based on 2 packets of Sentinel Spectrum). Maybe more for tick preventative if in risk area.

I would recommend getting pet insurance if you have a limited income. About $35 a month for peace of mind. When I got Angs I never dreamt that in less than 2 years I would have had around $6,500 in vet bills.

You'll find that if you put all the relevant information in your first post then you might get more useful advice. Breed/ age (you've done this) Issue (passing blood but apparently its now stopped) Taken to the vet (now advised have done this) When did you see the vet? What did the vet say was causing it? What did the vet say to feed? Is the dog on any medications? What are you feeding already - everything including treats? What have you tried but has not worked? How long has this been going on for?

Be responsible and take the dog to the vet and determine the cause of the bleeding.

We had a course of oral ABs and a topical cream and it worked well.

Oh no - they are a lot bigger and more frequent on Bonnie!

Another one of the dane-ites here. With Bonnie - look forward to large stools! Did you get the working dog one? This has the best protein/fat ratios out of the Bonnie range which is needed especially for such a large pup. Protein should be around 23/24% (no more than 26%) and fat around the 12%. Anything too outside of this (which fresh mince might be throwing out) can be problematic for growth.

Yep - works perfectly. Check ebay for the refills - frequently you can get them for a cheaper from the states (even with exchange rate etc)

You have to be careful about reprimanding the dog for peeing in the wrong spot - hard to do but remember - a dog will think you are telling it off for going to the toilet - it does not know necessarily where is an allowable spot. If it is an issue then take puppy out to toilet on a lead and go to the grass and use the toilet command. Praise and reward etc.

OT - I got a tub of that new Beneful 'fresh' food the other day in a show bag - simmered chicken with rice, green beans and wild rice - for dogs but the cat went nuts for it.

Every vet also says feed them dry food. (why can't I find that poking stick emoticon?) We're talking about a dog with an upset stomach - I've never had a vet say to feed dry to a dog with an upset stomach. (And for the record - my vet does not say feed dry).

You have not said how is he today. My approach with upset stomachs is fast for 24 hours (you will not starve him!) and then feed a mix of boiled rice, chicken and pumpkin (I throw it all in the pot together at the same time) for the next day and then back to usual diet if stools are firm. Rice and chicken is essentially the same as feeding Hills i/d which a vet would give you anyway - pumpkin is good for upset stomachs. I disagree with puggy about not feeding the rice - yes it is not needed in a normal diet but is best for an invalid dog as chicken alone is too much protein otherwise and the rice is good for lining the stomach and as a binder. Every vet I have ever seen says rice and chicken.