Medication Dispensing

[giraffez]

Hi,

My dog needs to take life long prescribed medication from the vet. The medication is very expensive and I found out today the that vet charges me $18 everytime medication is dispensed. I don't understand what this cost is but they said it was dispensing fee. I still don't understand why I need to pay $18 for someone to take medicine out from a bottle and put it in a plastic bag.

Is this common in vets that they charge dispensing fee?

Do I have any other way of buying medication for my dog?

Thanks

[stormie]

I'd say most vets charge a dispensing fee. Covers the costs of the labels, printing, packaging, time etc. Sounds like a rort, i know, but it is someones time to make them up so I think it's valid. But, $18 is insane to me - ours is $7!

You can shop around and maybe find a vet who's dispensing fee is less and ask for a script be sent to them, or maybe even ask if there's a human equivalent you can buy from a chemist, though i'm sure the pharmacist has a dispensing fee on their prices also.

Also, maybe buy in bulk? Not sure about your vet, but most will only charge one dispensing fee per type of medication, so if you bought 1 or 5 packets of the same thing, there'd only be the one dispensing fee.

Edited September 22, 2008 by stormie

[springdog]

Maybe asking the vet if the medication was avaliable on prescription.

I get 2 of my dogs meds this way and it is a lot cheaper.

[Bully]

Click on this topic that was posted recently and it might answer your question Buying Medication Online

[Nekhbet]

dispensing fee usually covers things like stocking, handling, extra containers, free syringes given etc. Yeah my clinic had minimum $15 dispensing fee AND the boss charged that to staff too. It really is stupid considering a cat worm tablet ended up being about $19

[stormie]

dispensing fee usually covers things like stocking, handling, extra containers, free syringes given etc. Yeah my clinic had minimum $15 dispensing fee AND the boss charged that to staff too. It really is stupid considering a cat worm tablet ended up being about $19

We only charge dispensing fees for prescription only medicines. That's insane for a worming pill!

[Staff'n'Toller]

Yep once the preventatives came off Schedule 4 we stopped charging dispensing.

[giraffez]

Maybe asking the vet if the medication was avaliable on prescription.

I get 2 of my dogs meds this way and it is a lot cheaper.

The medication is fludix and vetmedin.

If its available on prescription, what does that mean, I can get it from the chemist?

If another vet has the medication for cheaper, can I ask the other vet to dispense?

All I get is a resealable plastic bag with a printed label. Surely that doesn't cost more than $1?

Edited September 22, 2008 by giraffez

[OhMarley]

I work at a vet clinic and our dispensing fee is $18

edit: the dispensing fee is only for prescription drugs never for worming tablests

Edited September 22, 2008 by OhMarley

[giraffez]

Reading this forum seems to indicate frudix and vetmedin are common medication but very costly. I understand that the vet needs to make a living but charging $18 is unreasonable.

Edited September 22, 2008 by giraffez

[Miss B]

Buy in bulk where you can, that way you only pay a single dispensing fee. If your vet has put your dog on the drugs long term then there shouldn't really be any problem with you buying them in larger amounts. Our dispensing fee is nowhere near $18, and it's charged on prescription medications only.

And yes Frudix and Vetmedin are pretty expensive drugs.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Frudix is actually one of the cheapest drugs around, it comes in 100 or 1000 bottles, so buy it in a 100 bottle, should save you some money.

Unfortunately Vetmedin is very expensive but works exceptionally well and there is no generic equivalent on the market, if you have a CHF dog you'll greatly extend their lifespan by having them on it. I guess it's a matter of how long you want your dog around for. The chewies come in a 50 bottle, and the capsules in 100 bottles so do the same as with buying Frudix.

Bear in mind that people with large dogs on Rimadyl, Zubrin, Deramaxx, Previcox et al are also paying a fair amount -the drugs are expensive even at cost and we are paying a Veterinary wholesaler to supply these for us, it's not just 'freight' it's all the permits and regs that go with it.

I think the more people that try to obtain scripts will find that Vet's will start charging script writing fees and so they should!! It costs me $70 for my doctor to write out 2 scripts for me each time. If you're going to use your Vet Clinic and expect to get in when you want, get the best diagnostics and phone support, then not buy the drugs from the clinic you'll find the goodwill will go out the window.

Mel.

[Ruftybear]

Maybe asking the vet if the medication was avaliable on prescription.

I get 2 of my dogs meds this way and it is a lot cheaper.

The medication is fludix and vetmedin.

If its available on prescription, what does that mean, I can get it from the chemist?

If another vet has the medication for cheaper, can I ask the other vet to dispense?

All I get is a resealable plastic bag with a printed label. Surely that doesn't cost more than $1?

I have a mini foxie who has glaucoma (she has been blind since she was 5 and she's almost 9 now). She only has one eye left, and the remaining one which has had sugery needs two different eye drops every day. The vet said they could get them but it was cheaper for me to get them from the chemist so I pay $5 and they write me a script with about 6 repeats. I would definitely be finding out if you can get them from the chemist because there are some great discount chemists out there.

[puggy_puggy]

If the drugs are human drugs, used for dogs as well, you can get your vet or specalist to write you out a script and then get you chemist to fill that script. Doing it this way always works out cheaper.

If the drug is not a human drug then maybe you could ask your vet to find the human equvalant and again write out a script that you can take to your chemist.

If thier is no human equivalant then buy in bulk from your vets or do a bit of googling and you may find an online store that you can buy from if you provide them with a prescription your vet has written up.

I am almost certain that my vet doesn't charge a dispensing fee. If they do it would be something like $2 or less.

[4 Paws]

I recently had to get some anti inflamatories for one of my dogs.A bit over a week later after the tablets were finished she reinjured her shoulder so I called into the vets to see if I could get some more.They asked if I still had the container with the label on it.I did have the container but unfortunately I'd removed the label so she had to charge me the dispensing fee again.If I'd still had the label she apparently could have given them to me without the fee again

[Guest june.andnovas]

Hi,

My dog needs to take life long prescribed medication from the vet. The medication is very expensive and I found out today the that vet charges me $18 everytime medication is dispensed. I don't understand what this cost is but they said it was dispensing fee. I still don't understand why I need to pay $18 for someone to take medicine out from a bottle and put it in a plastic bag.

Is this common in vets that they charge dispensing fee?

Do I have any other way of buying medication for my dog?

Thanks

what are your dogs health issues? if you don't mind me asking =)

[giraffez]

what are your dogs health issues? if you don't mind me asking =)

heart murmur. Recent episode of seizing and energy levels are down - breathing heavily.

Using Vetmedin and Frudix

[Staffyluv]

Maybe asking the vet if the medication was avaliable on prescription.

I get 2 of my dogs meds this way and it is a lot cheaper.

The medication is fludix and vetmedin.

If its available on prescription, what does that mean, I can get it from the chemist?

If another vet has the medication for cheaper, can I ask the other vet to dispense?

All I get is a resealable plastic bag with a printed label. Surely that doesn't cost more than $1?

Yes if it is available you can get if from the chemist - you will pay the full price (no PBS for our puppies unfortunately).

I get Ollies Carafate, thyroxine, maxalon and omprezole from the chemist as well as all his vitamins, fish oil and a couple of over the counter things like polaramine.

Ask the vet, most are happy to write you a script.

[carrie]

It costs me $70 for my doctor to write out 2 scripts for me each time. If you're going to use your Vet Clinic and expect to get in when you want, get the best diagnostics and phone support, then not buy the drugs from the clinic you'll find the goodwill will go out the window.

Mel.

Wow! I don't think the vets I work at charge for the prescriptions we do up... obviously you pay for the original consult and diagnosis but we just do them up as repeats, obviously as long as the animal is still in the valid prescription timespan...

We also have about an $18 dispensing fee but we have the ability to waiver or change it for our long termers... maybe this could be requested in the case we're discussing here?

[stormie]

It costs me $70 for my doctor to write out 2 scripts for me each time. If you're going to use your Vet Clinic and expect to get in when you want, get the best diagnostics and phone support, then not buy the drugs from the clinic you'll find the goodwill will go out the window.

Mel.

Wow! I don't think the vets I work at charge for the prescriptions we do up... obviously you pay for the original consult and diagnosis but we just do them up as repeats, obviously as long as the animal is still in the valid prescription timespan...

We also have about an $18 dispensing fee but we have the ability to waiver or change it for our long termers... maybe this could be requested in the case we're discussing here?

I think SnT was referring to her GP. Totally agree, too SnT! My vets are constantly on the phone talking to clients and discussing their pets health problems, giving advice over the phone with what essentially is almost another consult. And they do this for free. You wouldn't get free advice from most lawyers.