[Dailydrool] Pet Meds and Vets

[Laura Tancredi]

I was just skimming through and pick up when vets are mentioned.  My, and many 
vets', concerns are that if people start buying medications elsewhere that it 
will significantly cut out income to the hospital.  Although many people seem to 
think that veterinary hospitals make alot of money they generally work on a very 
close budget with a small margin of profit.  To defray the costs of the 
electricity, equipment, people cost etc medications are more expensive then they 
are from a large pharamacy.  A human pharmacy or PetMeds type place can buy a 
larger quantity of medications and therefore pay less themselves to stock the 
meds.  So the price you pay is less.  

The problem I have with PetMeds is they seem to send 10 faxes for each Rx, using 
paper, fax ink(which is actually quite expensive), not to mention employee time 
sending and resending faxes as well as calling these pharamcies.  I perfer to 
work with human pharamcies when we can actually use human meds as they are 
trustworthy, safe places to get meds.  Having said that they have sent home the 
wrong insulin before and the dog almost died.  PetMeds and those places scare me 
more as they are not held to the same standards.  There have been issues with 
medications that weren't brand name (Iverhart) being recalled for problems.  
They have sold the wrong or expired medications before as well.  I think for 
rescues or people who are fostering patients I'm all for filling rx's.  I know 
things are expensive.  I personally would go to the least expensive locations 
for medications as well.  I write Rx's for clients when asked but will not write 
them if there is some reason not to (due for exam, due for bloodwork, etc).  I 
let owners know that any medication that is filled at my hospital is backed by 
my hospital.  If medications are given from PetMeds and there is a problem they 
will not be there for you.  

Veterinary hospitals don't do alot of things that human doctor's offices do:  We 
don't charge to send faxes, we don't charge to fill out paperwork, we don't 
charge when the owner keeps talking and the appointment goes longer, we don't 
turn clients away when they are late or walk in or charge them more.  Well at 
least my practice doesn't! ;)  So although I don't charge for writing rx's I can 
appreciate why someone would.  AHHHH!  Don't attack me with nasty emails!  
$10-20 to write an Rx is a little expensive.  But I guess that is their choice 
and it's your choice to not go there.  I would hope that more hospitals are 
supporting their locations on more important things like a proper workup of each 
case, but I know the reality of running a veterinary hospital and how they can 
cut cost too much and go out of business.  Thus why I will never own one!  

So just trying to give a glimpse of the other side of the coin.  Hope this 
helps!  

Laura 
Flash 
and Ryu


      
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/attachments/20110308/94421406/attachment.htm>