Dysplasia

ROS123

Our rescue dog has just been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. It has been prescribed seraquin and metacam. She will be on the seraquin which contains glucosamine and chondroitin, long term. It is quite expensive and we will pay it if we have to. However I have seen it on a UK vet supplies site for less than 1/5 of what our vet is charging. Is it possible to order this with a prescription over the internet. Is the vet obliged to give you the prescription ? Is there an alternative. We have looked at the R Canin mobility special but at €90 a bag is expensive as well. Our dog is over 30kg and would use quite a lot of food. We will do the right thing by her but am just wondering what are the options.

ODD-JOB

Welcome to rip-off Ireland !

I had the same problem , being prescribed metacam . I think the vets have it all sown up. The metacam is really dear on its own , and i was on the social welfare at the time , the little money i got was split between me and the dog covering our rent food and medication.

Also aside from that , I was looking for a flea-dropper for a stray cat in the area that has entrusted me to a small degree . Couldnt get it in the pet-shop , and was told that I could only legally buy it in a vets although i didnt need a prescription.
the guy from the pet shop had enough to say about the greed and manipulation of exhorbitant vet prices....... dont know how true it all was.

Hope all works out ok for you mate, and your fella can get the best treatment possible without being priced out of it.

spiderdog

hmm, not sure if you`ll need a prescription for this or if your vet would write you one
i recently got a "bioflow" collar for one of my dogs, if you google it you`ll get all the info......just an extra thing which might help your dog:)
be interested to know what you find out about the on-line thing though!!

ms. pitstop

My dog also has dysplasia.

As far as I know, glucosamine and chondroitin are food supplements and should be available without prescription. Another supplement that can be helpful is omega 3. There is a prescription diet dog food (Hill's jd) that contains this, so it might be worth asking your vet about it. I didn't find that glucosamine helped my dog, but his hips are quite badly affected.

Luckily I have pet insurance which has been a big help with the costs of medicine etc.

Hope your dog feels better soon, and good luck with sourcing cheaper medication over the internet.

Munster Gal

If it's prescription only in Ireland and is available in the country then it's against the law to source it from outside the state (including Northern Ireland) even if you have a valid prescription for it.
Even vets aren't allowed to source cheaper meds from abroad if they're available here. A ridiculous situation exists where a very commonly prescribed medication is available from drug wholesalers in Northern Ireland for a fraction of the cost that wholesalers in the South sell it for. Metacam is also way cheaper from Northern Ireland wholesalers. Vets are barred by law from buying it from the North 'cos it's available here and have to pay the higher price which is naturally passed on to the client.

Lauragoesmad

Munster Gal wrote: »

Vets are barred by law from buying it from the North 'cos it's available here and have to pay the higher price which is naturally passed on to the client.

Is that because of taxes or because the companies who make the drug have these rules?

Munster Gal

The difference in VAT & taxes wouldn't explain the vast difference in price. The drug companies/suppliers can charge a higher price down here because they can legally get away with it. It's so stupid because you have different branches of the same company selling the same drug north and south of the border for 2 different prices.
The rule governing the purchase of prescription medicines from abroad is set in government legislation but it seems to me that drugs companies/wholesalers have exploited it.

Munster Gal

ROS123, I'm just wondering what type of dog you have and also if weight is a problem for her? If she's overweight then getting down to her correct weight will ease the discomfort and also reduce the amount of meds she'll need.
Hydrotherapy is helpful in managing hip dysplasia and will also help with the weight loss.
As regards the prescription your vet has to provide you with a written prescription if you ask for it. The only conditions are that the animal must be under his/her care and have been seen by him/her in the past 6 months. Some vets will charge a prescription fee.

lightening

Guys, you can get the glucosamine tablets in Lidl for half the price of chemists and other supermarkets.

Vas_Guy

check out

http://www.petvetcare.co.uk/acatalog/Other_Ranges.html?gclid=CPuY55uuuZoCFRz_kgod9z4ecA

ROS123

Munster Gal, she is a cross, maybe some lab, beardie, who knows. she is bigger than a lab. She is approx 34kg needs to be brought down below 30. She is on lower rations, the difficulty is in the amount of exercise. Too much makers her stiff. We are also unsure of her age, we were led to believe that she is about 4 1/2 about now (she is a rescue) we now wonder if she is older.

ROS123

lightening is the glucosamine in Lidl for humans, can it be used for dogs ?

Vas_Guy

ROS123 wrote: »

lightening is the glucosamine in Lidl for humans, can it be used for dogs ?

Yes, you can. It's the same medication, you just want to make sure you are giving your dog the same dosage that's in the dog version. Make sure you check the label to see how much glucosamine is in EACH PILL, not each dose.

check out http://www.arthritis-cats-dogs.com/glucosamine-for-pets/

Irish-Lass

My dog has hip dysplasia - she is on cosequin ds and for me to get 120 tablets from my vets it costs me 99.00 - if I get 250 of them from the states with delivery it costs 61.00e some saving - considering she has to get one a day.

Just be careful with the glucosamine that you don't overload the system - this was something we were told to be careful about - our dog got a course of cartefen injections and also a course of accupunture that really helped. She also attends hydrotheraphy twice a week.

We have our dog on Hill's J/d food which is for dogs with joint problems but is also a diet food and it has been great - our dog is a little on the light side for her breed and size but its been great for her.