Buying equine drugs online??????

[merlinsquest]

Can you let me know how much you have to pay for the prescription please

 

[dieseldog]

It is illegal for a vet to charge you for wrting out a prescription - or at least that is what it says in all the websites. But a vet would obviously need to have seen your horse to give you a prescription which you would get charged for.

 

[merlinsquest]

I have been charged a 'drug decision fee'........ is this a way round it .... he has been on danilon for a while now but i have always bought it from the vet... decided to get a script as I thought i would save some money (30p per sachet)!! and now i have a hidden charge!!!

Is this fair????

 

[stranger1612]

It may not seem fair, but it is probably legal. The previous respondent is correct to say that charging for a prescription is illegal, however, charging for one's professional time and expertise in considering which drug is appropriate, the dose and route of administration,and spending time explaining to the client potential adverse reactions are all chargeable items. Prior to the CC inquiry the above costs would be absorbed in the larger drug mark up charged by veterinary practices. Post CC report the potential loss in revenue is made up by additional professional fees. In addition to a "drug decision fee" you may find that the vet involved wishes (quite legitimately) to visit you and examine your animal prior to writing you a prescription. This is because the law states the animal must be "under your care". "Under your care" is not tightly defined and rumours that the vet must see the horse every six months or every three months are just rumours. For some medications and some conditions it is perfectly legitimate to visit the horse every day, for others every six months is probably fine. The period of time between examinations is entirely down to individual professional judgement. If you feel that you are being overcharged by your vet, then you are in a fortunate position of having a wide choice. When I worked in Surrey we crossed areas with 33 other practices and competition was fierce. The fact that vets in Surrey charge some of the highest prices in the UK is reflective of the high price of living in Surrey!

 

[merlinsquest]

The thing is he has been on danilon for a while now so there was no decision to be made.... I had run out and needed more.... the only thing to be done was the script to be written out :-/ So I am assuming that the charge was for that!!

I would not mind but I had to ask for the script because the bloody vet didnt have enough danilon to tide me over till the next visit, so it wasnt even my fault.

I just begrudge being charged for something that i would have got had he of had it in his car at the time.

 

[openbluesea]

Vets have to live somehow too ...
You may want to save some money but he propably wants to pay his bills too!! Online websites selling Vet meds hurt seriously their pockets so it is fully understandable that are trying to find ways to protect their income.

Why on earth you need a prescription? There are lots of online merchants that sell Equine meds without asking for a prescription.

 

[kcgibson]

i presume danilon is a POM (prescription only medicine)? If so, then it is illegal to buy this drug without prescription and that is why she needs a prescription. As already suggested, vets need to pay their bills and make a living too. The way i look at it, veterinary care is like private health care. As most of us use the NHS, we do not appreciate the costs involved with medical care. Maybe if we lived in USA where they have to pay medical fees, we wouldn't feel so bad handing over the cash?!

 

[merlinsquest]

Mostly I wanted the script to save some of my seriously dwindling insurance money...... he has used most of it up and is actually worse than when we started :-( But also i was annoyed that the vet hadnt brought it with him when he knows he needs it, so asked for the script as its quicker than waiting for him to get it to me.

Anyway he is now coming tomorrow so will get some to tide me over and then use the prescription for the next couple of months.