Last night I was watching a show called MarketPlace, which is a Canadian investigative journalism show that covers things that concern the consumer. They cover topics that affect the everyday consumer. For example they will tell you what to look for when buying a used car or renting a van for moving etc.
Last night they talked about the cost of veterinary medicine. They went undercover with a cat that had diabetes and needed daily medication. They went to 5 different clinics. Each clinic had a different price for the medication. That in itself is not too surprising but the price differences were quite extreme. One place charged $12.00 for the medication and another place charged $64.00 for the same medication.
Why such a difference? Apparently there are no guidelines as to what a veterinarian can charge for the cost of the medication. Some places had a mark-up of 450%.
Medications for our pets is a booming industry. But, is it right to mark-up the price as much as 450%? Owners who can not afford the price of medication are often left with no alternative other than to have their beloved pet euthanized. This is not an alternative that we want to face or should have to face.
So what are the alternatives? Well many of the medications that our pets need are also medications that we use. Did you know that instead of buying the medication from the vet you can ask for a prescription and have it filled at a pharmacy?
Prices at the pharmacy do follow guidelines so you will not find a significant difference from one pharmacy to the next. Most vets do not volunteer this information so you must ask them to write the prescription for you. Tread carefully though, some vets may not like this.
When our male doberman was undergoing Chemo treatment at Guelph Veterinary Hospital his medication was filled at the pharmacy. We didn’t asked them to do that, that is just they way they did it and it was the first time I had heard about it.
In England all vet’s must post their prices so there are no surprises when you get your bill. This came about because people started complaining about the differences in prices between vets. There are no such rules in place, here in Canada.
There are some pharmacies in Canada that cater to our pets and have a special section just for them. Even if a pharmacy does not have a special section they will fill the prescription.
When our pets get sick we do all we can for them. So if your pet is taking medication daily for some type of illness remember you do have some choices.
Until next time
Maureen Brownell
