I’m petsitting right now and it turns out that at least one of the guest kitties has terrible worms. I go ‘ew’, then call my own vet to buy dewormer for them. Turns out in NS as of a year ago you can no longer get these products over the counter, because of a law passed(not by the province, but some fucking vet association). If I hadn’t found somewhere else to buy the stuff I’dve driven to fucking Sackville NB earlier, because that would have been cheaper.
To get those products in NS, each cat would have to be brought in for an exam. Working out the math on it, it’d run about $500 bucks for three exams, a pack of spot treatment, and a dewormer, plus the associated tax for each one. Half a thousand dollars just for getting rid of some worms. —Grumpy Cat-sitter
This article appears in Sep 12-18, 2013.
Things like this happen because generic companies create products without the proper development and input from veterinarians.
For example, a lot of products for flea control in cats and dogs that you can buy over the counter at most grocery store or drug store chains is actually toxic to pets. Vets advise people not to buy these products. Not because they’re losing sales but because the companies manufacturing these products are doing so to make money, not to make pets healthier.
I imagine de-worming medications aren’t sold over the counter because the veterinarians got together and said “Okay this shit isn’t helping any pets so let’s do everyone a favor and get rid of it”. Yeah it costs more, but you pay more for a Cadillac than a Geo Metro…. And you KNOW which one of those cars is going to get you to work safely and on time.
I think what OP is referring to is worming medicine that you used to be able to buy at the clinic. with no appointment/checkup. you could just walk in and buy it. not a grocery store. now it has to be given by the vet after checking the animal in an appt.
non-vet stores I believe still sell those poison flea collars. might still sell worming stuff too.
those flea collars are terrible and they do fuck all
Wrong, fool. They did it for the money
I’m the OP and what Molly said is what I’m referring to. If the animal hasn’t been in in the last 12 months you have to pay for a full exam to get it, which is bullshit for a product that is OTC(at a vet’s) pretty much everywhere else.
That’s not true.. I bought de-worming pills for my cousins new puppy as a ‘stocking stuffer’ in november for a christmas gift to her dog, along with other puppy things. So if that law passed.. it isn’t followed. at all . Bought it at a ‘chain’ petstore 🙂
I know from having cats you can get Strongit T and Droncit from most vet places, (1 liquid and other deworming pills), although it’s been a few years now but I was able to get them
yes, that’s the way it was up to about a year ago. then the vet assoc changed the policy to not sell over the counter *from the clinic*. you must get a vet check and then they will sell the worming meds.
any store that sells pet stuff follows its own rules.
I bought worm medicine for one of my dogs from the vet without bringing her in for an appointment. Maybe this vet isn’t up on that new rule.
coastreviewer: They don’t sell them for tapeworms, even if I wanted to buy products notorious for killing pets.
Klyde, the law past last year or something. Reg: which one? I called four different vets around the city and all of them refused to sell to me.
Thanks for update SD, wasn’t sure.
I’ve found that the Vets I take Blue to, to be very reasonably priced.
2 surgeries (1 of them emergency), antibiotics. pain medication,etc and a follow up for less than $1,000 ($700ish I think). Which turned out to be less than if I had of kept paying into his medical insurance.
Blue also needed his glands cleared once, cost $23 taxes in. No way would I stick my finger up a dogs ass for $25.
Imo, Vets are billing fairly.
The way I read the title of this bitch makes me think that vets are doing the community a service by poking assholes in the eyes. However, I went on to read about your misfortunes and then realized that it is the vets, themselves, who are the bastards and that they are gouging decent, hard-working, animal loving folks. The whole experience has been very M. Night Shamalama and now I’m ready for a nap because my phone rang this morning while I was having a very nice sleep and it was just a fucking telemarketing fuck head machine. Does anybody have any clue how to get these dick faces to stop calling? Is there a way to block numbers from ringing your phone? I don’t even get a representative to say ‘stop calling’ to, half the time it’s some voice automated bullshit. fuck sakes. Anyway, yeah, screw vets.
Saint Mary Animal Hospital In Windsor (the town not the street) SwamDonkey. Mind you I have given them over $700.00 in business this past year for a dog that eventually passed away. Anyway, I asked the vet if I could get worm medicine for another dog in the house. She asked the weight of the dog and gave me the medicine without asking to bring in the dog..
Like I said, some vets are great, some not-so-much. Like any specific group of people.
there are natural, safe, and effective alternatives to get rid of worms, like diatomaceous earth (crushed up fossils) that you can put in their food. I use it for fleas, and eat it daily myself!
Yeah or I can feed them one pill once and be fine for three months, instead of having to make them eat dirt for 30 freaking days whilst hoping each cat gets the correct amount needed for efficacy, since I need to treat all three to make sure I eliminate the parasites completely. I’ll stick with the Drontal, thanks.
I think you could get the right amount into each cat quite easily if you put it in a tablespoon of yummy wet food, and being kittens, it’s so much safer than that worming stuff, even if you use the vet stuff.
but the DE is not the yard/garden type. it’s the food-safe type. Maureen, do you get yours locally? or online?