Trying to save money on vet care

[theshine]

Ok, just like the title says, I have four dogs and my husband isn't working right now...I work full time, so it's not a dire situation or anything, but I'd like to save money where I can. I went in today to get Interceptor from my vet, and they wouldn't give it to me without paying $40 per dog for a HW test. I know the reason behind it, but I think as the dogs owner I should be able to opt out. I know they don't have HW because they've been on Interceptor. I explained my situation and they were unwilling to work with me on this and offered no alternatives.

 

They also gave me a hard time about vaccines...the receptionist said "They were due back in March"...yeah, waaaay back in March, all of two weeks ago...but frankly, they are adult dogs, they've had puppy shots and one year boosters, and it's pretty widely accepted that these things are good for at the very least 3 years, so I have no intention of vaccinating them this year, except for rabies which is required by law and I already did that last week at a 4H low cost clinic.

 

Anyway...is $40 high for a HW test? What do you think of taking one dog for the test and splitting the pack of pills? Would another vet possibly be more helpful about helping me save money but still giving my dogs a basic minimum of care? I have to have them on HW prev in the south, so I'll cough up the money if I have to, but I'm thinking there has to be another way.

[Root Beer]

What do you think of taking one dog for the test and splitting the pack of pills?

 

Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. There is a risk involved with doing that, but you know that.

 

Ultimately it is your decision as to whether the calculated risk is worth taking. In a perfect world we would never run short of money, but that's not reality.

 

ETA: I am not saying that you should do that - just that there are times when reality is not ideal and sometimes we have to make these kinds of decisions.

 

Would another vet possibly be more helpful about helping me save money but still giving my dogs a basic minimum of care? I have to have them on HW prev in the south, so I'll cough up the money if I have to, but I'm thinking there has to be another way.

 

I would contact other vets. I have found that vets vary greatly from one to another in certain policies. Also, call around to see if any of your local vets are going to be holding a heartworm testing clinic. There is one in our area in the near future. I think they are doing heartworm testing for $20.00 per dog or something like that.

[Lenajo]

well....you could theoretically get one dog tested, and use the 12 pack of medicine for them all for 3 months. Then get another dog tested, and buy a 12 pack for 3 months for all. on so on... Then they all get tested at least once a year but not at the same time when you don't have much money.

 

Occassionally dog do get heartworm despite the medication, but the treatment is typcially just to put them on the medication.

 

Stick to your guns on the shots. It's proven that more are uneccessary risk as well as expense.

[Journey]

Anyway...is $40 high for a HW test? What do you think of taking one dog for the test and splitting the pack of pills? Would another vet possibly be more helpful about helping me save money but still giving my dogs a basic minimum of care? I have to have them on HW prev in the south, so I'll cough up the money if I have to, but I'm thinking there has to be another way.

 

In my area yes it's high. I'd be looking for a new vet too. Can you just tell them that "we don't do vaccines" and ask them to mark their charts. Also, what about taking them some info regarding the vaccines and the new (or not so new) protocol that's widely accepted. Just for the HW, you have to have the test to get the script, you are going to pay one or another, but I myself get the script and order on line, much cheaper! Spitting a 12 pack if they are all in the same weight range is what I do!

[Lizmo]

Not to take away from the original post, but why is HW test required? One of my dogs hasn't had her HW test in a couple years and the pups have never had one, and we just bought HW meds yesterday. Our vet or vet techs never mentioned anything to us about needing it!

[Journey]

I know the reason behind it, but I think as the dogs owner I should be able to opt out. I know they don't have HW because they've been on Interceptor. I explained my situation and they were unwilling to work with me on this and offered no alternatives.

 

One more thing...it's up to the vets. HW preventative is a prescription, you can only get it from the vet (OK, unless you use the liquid Ivermectin), it's their call as to refill w/wo checking. I just don't buy the product from them.

[Smokjbc]

Hi,

 

Have you only talked to receptionists/techs at this point or spoken to an office manager or vet about this issue? Sometimes our receptionists don't see the forest for the trees... it's hard to get a good front office person that has the ability to understand when an exception might be possible and at least refer your request to those who can make that judgement. If you have not spoken to the office manager, I would do so first and explain your concerns and also let them know that it is making you consider taking your business elsewhere. If you are not happy after that conversation, I'd shop around- but if you are in all other ways happy with your vet (i.e you think they can handle emergency/medical cases with skill), I'd give them a chance.

 

I am a practice manager and I have a few linear type thinkers up front that are great receptionists but have a hard time bending their minds around another answer to the question .

[timberviewfarm]

I think you said you talked to the actual vet, if so maybe in the future. Speak directly to the vet if the office manager can't help you. I know they hound me at the front desk year after year about shots when I have discussed with my vet and she understand that I do the shots myself and I only do them every other year.....the receptionist don't seem to be able to either comprehend that or just simply dont' read it in the chart....

[sluj]

Anyway...is $40 high for a HW test?

 

Not a whole lot of experience here, but for reference:

-$46.75 at one highly overpriced CA clinic, got a script for heartguard and ordered it online (kvvet, I think)

-vet at a different clinic took my word that my dog was already on preventative, and just sold me a box of interceptor

-on flyer for low cost mobile clinc: $21/ test, or free with 12 month order of heartguard.

[powerfulgazelle]

Oof..I feel your pain!

 

(DH just came off a 19 month stint of unemployed/very underemployed in March, only doing occasional contract work...we were prepared for a year, but the last 7 mos was frosting on that cupcake we did not need!)

 

But, I only have a small pack--2 dogs and a cat--to vet.

 

While we do maintain a relationship with our "old" vet, we started taking the dogs to the vet clinic at Petsmart for basics---b/c they offer the HMO thing where you pay the flat rate (about $16/mo per dog) and all your vaccines are covered (which, is EVERYTHING under the sun---honestly, more than probably needed), 2 physicals a yr, routine labs at physicals (stool checks and heartworm test) and all the "free" (I know nothing is really free) office calls you need as the occasion comes up--which we have used plenty of for paw injuries, GI distress, the odd ear infection Sol gets. That has been good for the "hmmm should the vet look at this" sort of thing---much easier call to make when I know that at least the consult is already paid for. It turned out that we really, really liked the vets...they actually had better bedside manner r/t certain things than my "regular" vet---esp frank conversations about the cost of care. (Reg vet tends a bit to the "all possible care at any cost" school of thinking.) Petmsart gives members of the wellness plans (dog HMO) a discount on heartworm pills and Advantix, etc. They do see pets as "walk-ins"/urgently when needed during ofc hrs, incl on Sundays at some locations, but do not do any emergency care---they refer all e-vet stuff to our local e-vet, but have a system in place with that vet to pre-register your animal, so that if you need the e-vet, the animal is already in the system with med hx., etc.

 

That being said, our Petsmart clinic is relocating the vets to another clinic that is a far piece of road from me, so now less convenient, but I really like the vets.

[MaggieDog]

Hey you can always drive up to Spartanburg, SC - we're having a heartworm clinic on the 28th and it's $10 per dog and includes a brief physical. I know around here it's state law that dogs must have an annual heartworm test before prescribing prevention even if they've been on it continuously.

[SoloRiver]

You have to remember that it is generally not responsible to prescribe heartworm preventive if you do not know or have a good indication (i.e., continuous medication) that the dog is in fact HW-. If the dog is HW+, the meds can injure or kill him. If I were a vet, I do not think I would feel comfortable in prescribing for a dog who had not been tested, and I don't medicate my own dogs in the absence of a negative HW test.

 

As for the price, that will vary so much by area that it's hard to say.

[Lenajo]

If the dog is HW+, the meds can injure or kill him.

 

For a dog that was preventative at any point in the last year the treatment for hw+ standard even in this area is to give the preventative. Complications appear to be far rarer to that than the heartworm treatment. And its a lot cheaper. $30/box as opposed $300/treatment.

[Debbie Meier]

First I would go a little further to see if the vet could work with you, if not then I would shop around for a sponsored low cost clinic. I know that some people feel that you need to stay loyal to the vet but if when push comes to shove if you don't have the money what's the point of loyality?

 

I guess you gotta decide just how much your willing to risk along with weighing out the risks. We have way too many dogs to dream of having them tested each year and our vet doesn't even suggest that we test. He happily marks on our record that we treat our own and administer our own vaccinations with exception of rabies which he does update when he is here annually for our vet inspection or to have a health certificate issued for the sheep. We also do as much as possible to rid our place of insects, our vet pointed out that premiss insect control is the next best line of defense in hand with being aware of where we are going with our dogs and who/what they come in contact with. If you don't want to have to worry about where your dogs go or what other dogs may have that it comes in contact with then I would be sure to have everything up to date. I think it's a matter of weighing expense with peace of mind, if you want to save on expense, typically you have to be willing to sacrafice a little peace of mind. JMO.

 

Deb

[theshine]

I called around this afternoon to a few vets in the area and the price other vets were charging was $35-40 also...I was hoping this would be simple and I'd find a vet that tested for significantly cheaper. I went ahead and made an appointment for two dogs, and I plan to split that pack, and then take the other one in a month or two and split that pack...the fourth dog is smaller and on a different schedule, not due until November. I am still going to check for a clinic that may do it cheaper. I gave them the last pill today, so I have a month to look around regardless. I'll also look into buying the HW prev online.

 

I only talked to a receptionist and a tech today, my title says vet but I meant vet's office...I assumed their views would be representative of the vet's views, but I'll talk to the vet too. I really like her, I don't want to have to switch.

[Journey]

Hey you can always drive up to Spartanburg, SC - we're having a heartworm clinic on the 28th and it's $10 per dog and includes a brief physical. I know around here it's state law that dogs must have an annual heartworm test before prescribing prevention even if they've been on it continuously.

 

Hey Erin that's a great offer hopefully TS can take you up on it!

 

OK, I have to ask about the State law comment though. Can you tell me the statute? I ask because many people start young puppies (4/6 mo) w/o testing as it's impossible for them to have HW at that time.

[theshine]

Hey Erin that's a great offer hopefully TS can take you up on it!

 

It would be a 6 hour round trip for me...but...I just found a clinic that is being held on May 2 at Petco and they do the test for $26, so that's the current plan.

[diane allen]

Erin and Melanie touched on this, and your original post made me think you had too....

 

So, if the dog has been on preventative year-round, a vet STILL must test before re-issuing a prescription for more preventative?? Somehow that just doesn't make sense to me....

 

I know there could be heartworm even while on preventative.

I know there can be dire results if a dog is given preventative with heartworm present.

 

But....isn't the point of year-round preventative PREVENTION!? If so....why would a vet need to test?

 

(Thankfully, my dogs get winter off from the preventative, but I do test each spring....)

 

diane

[Alaska]

Terrierman has a lengthy and quite informative post on this very subject: The Billion Dollar Heartworm Scam . Whether or not one accepts all his suggestions, I think most people will find therein some useful information that may well save them some money.

[mbc1963]

Thanks for that link, Alaska. I live in Massachusetts, and they used to tell us to dose only during months when mosquitoes were present. For the last ten years or so, they tell us to dose year round, just in case. I have declined to dose my dog year round, because I literally don't see mosquitoes from late October to March at the earliest.

 

However, my childhood dog did develop heartworm, and died at 7. He may have had cancer as well - but since there was no surgery conducted, I wonder about that. (I used to think the wormy heart on the counter might be his!)

 

This particular fact from Terrierman's website has me puzzled, though:

 

"The lifecycle of the nematode involves six stages, and a dog can get infected with heartworm only if two of these stages are fully completed inside the body of the mosquito, and those stages can only be completed inside the body of the mosquito if the temperature stays above 57 degrees for at least 45 days straight, both day and night. If the temperature drops below 57 degrees even once during that 45-day period, the lifecycle of the nematode is broken, and heartworm cannot be transmited to your dog. "

 

I would guess that there is rarely a year when it stays above 57 degrees for 45 days straight in this part of the country. And dogs do get heartworm here. I wonder if maybe the speed of development isn't temperature dependent: going faster when it's very hot, and slower when it approaches the 57 mark. (So, if we had 3 very hot weeks, maybe hearworm could develop in that short time?) I'd be leery of accepting the temperature and time rule completely, since it doesn't seem to match the nationwide range of heartworm infection.

 

 

Mary

[Tommy Coyote]

We have a serious heartworm problem here in Kansas City - and on into the south. But I think you are right about the temperature. That is what my vet told me. The temerperature has to be consistantly about (she said 52 degrees) before the microfilae can survive. So people living in areas where the nights are always cold would not have the serious problem that we do.

 

During the summer our nights are hot. And we are on a river and we get a lot of rain so there is always standing water.

[flrpwr52]

Is Ivermectin safe for Border Collies?

[bcnewe2]

Is Ivermectin safe for Border Collies

 

yes.

[juliepoudrier]

Linda,

I know a number of folks with working dogs who use ivermectin as their HW preventive, me included. If you're worried, you can have a DNA test done to see if your dog has the mdr1-1delta mutation, but so far no border collies have been found to carry it. Still the test is pretty cheap, so is an option for peace of mind. It's important to note that at HW prophylaxis levels of treatment, even affected dogs (dogs with the mdr1-1delta mutation) can generally be given ivermectin. A good informative site on ivermectin toxicity in collies is the American Working Collie Association's website. From there you can get the link to DNA testing, see what other drugs are also risky for dogs with the mutation, etc.

 

The "Which HW preventive is safe for my border collie" thread pinned at the top of the Health section probably has all the information you'd need as well.

 

J.

[flrpwr52]

Thanks Julie.