Buying online meds for pets

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Patchouli

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First, if you have a dog or dogs, do you treat them regularly as preventative for heartworm?
Second, in a nutshell, how is heartworm acquired?
Third, if you do treat your dog(s), do you buy heartworm meds online or buy it through your vet or clinic?
Our dog was coughing a bit last night and that's a worry. It has quieted down. She's about 6, otherwise healthy.
Thanks for helpful answers.
 
We use advantix II for flea tick mosquitoes.

Our dog is 5. He's not had heartworm meds. Or ever been to the vet. He's a total spaz. I'm sure we'd probably have to muzzle him.

I wouldn't give him heartworm meds offline. I've heard they should be tested for it first, because treatment is different than the preventing.

I regret I haven't taken our pup in. He has had his puppy shots. We bought them at the feed store. But he's not been vaccinated for rabies.

There are these mobile vaccine clinics around here and a rabies shot is like $9. So I really don't have an excuse except my dog doesn't like humans that aren't his.
 
My dog uses Apoquel itch relief pills because my dog seems to be allergic to lots of things. My vet charges $4 a pill. (a pill lasts me for 4 days, which is a $1 a day). I found it on line through 1800petmed.com for $2.90 a pill, but they are offering a 20% discount this month. I called my vet and asked them to price match, which they have always done, but when I called last Wednesday, they advised they no longer accept any type of price match, however they would have no problem authorizing this prescription and told me they do this all the time to allow their customers to get needed medicine at a cheaper rate.

After the prescription was ordered, they advised they would fax my vet with the request, and I should receive the meds in 4-5 days. Yesterday, I received an email from the "petmed" company saying nobody has yet authorized this prescription, so now I am getting a bit ticked off at my vet, and need to call them in about 10 minutes to find out what is going on.

Also, my dog usually gets a one pill chew every 3 months for fleas, and my vet charges $69 for this little chew tablet. I found 1800petmed has a comparable flea chew for $90 for 6 chews, which is a 2 year supply, so hopefully I will be saving money if the vet ever signs this request.
 
Our dog is on currently Nexgard Spectra, but he's not a real fan of the chews, so we will move to Revolution when the Spectra is gone. They both cover Heartworm, fleas, ticks, and other kinds of worms.
I always restock from online places, I like Petshed.
 
Our dog is on currently Nexgard Spectra, but he's not a real fan of the chews, so we will move to Revolution when the Spectra is gone. They both cover Heartworm, fleas, ticks, and other kinds of worms.
I always restock from online places, I like Petshed.


We used revolution for years when we lived in S TX. It took care of a bad case of mange my dog picked up from a stray and kept the neighbors flea infestation at bay.
 
One vet we had used did not accept any pet for overnight stays unless they'd been vaccinated for the usual by a vet. No clinics, no mail order stuff vaccines accepted.
Yes, I wanted to find out best experience/cost before taking her in if she continued to cough. I know they say arsenic-based cure is used if they already have heartworm. It is hard on dog if they already have heartworm and you're giving them preventative.
She has stopped coughing so i think next best thing to do is get her going on a preventative again.
Isn't it mandatory to have rabies shot for all dogs and cats? Believe so.
@ Terry9630, One vet told us that they get heartworm from eating poo that has heartworm in it. Was she an idiot?
 
One vet we had used did not accept any pet for overnight stays unless they'd been vaccinated for the usual by a vet. No clinics, no mail order stuff vaccines accepted.
Yes, I wanted to find out best experience/cost before taking her in if she continued to cough. I know they say arsenic-based cure is used if they already have heartworm. It is hard on dog if they already have heartworm and you're giving them preventative.
She has stopped coughing so i think next best thing to do is get her going on a preventative again.
Isn't it mandatory to have rabies shot for all dogs and cats? Believe so.
@ Terry9630, One vet told us that they get heartworm from eating poo that has heartworm in it. Was she an idiot?


https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/heartworms-in-dogs-facts-and-myths
 
I don't give my dogs any preventative meds. I've never had a dog die of a parasite, but many of them have died of cancer. I don't know if there is a correlation or not, but I just prefer all natural. Have you read some of the warning labels on that stuff? For the Revolution drops they say to wear gloves and don't touch the pet for a period of time. Well, if it's not good for me then it's not good for them. They are vaccinated. I check them frequently for tics and fleas. We remove the tics and have only had one instance of fleas in over 10 years. They are inside most of the time.

As far as buying online, I have and saved lots of money. I had to buy special dog food for one of my dogs that cost $70 for a 25 pound bag. I found the best deals online. I could have it delivered to my door for about $10-15 less than what the vet sold it for. I didn't even call them first for a prescription. I just ordered online and they notify the vet for verification. I never had any issues. As far a meds, I would tell the vet that I had some at home already but I couldn't remember how much I had. So, I'd ask them how much it was and then go home and compare prices. If I found it cheaper online I would just order it online. Also, you can check with your local pharmacies. Many of them are much cheaper than what you can get at the vet if you need the Rx immediately.
 
Our last dog died of cancer.
We have mostly not used flea/tick products either. Last summer the fleas were getting bad, our first experience with these two pets and they are 7 (dog) and 8 (cat) yrs. old. We ended up using a product on them until it got cold outside. We'd dealt with fleas before long ago. Ticks we haven't seen much at all.
We have mosquitoes here too.
 
One vet we had used did not accept any pet for overnight stays unless they'd been vaccinated for the usual by a vet. No clinics, no mail order stuff vaccines accepted.
Yes, I wanted to find out best experience/cost before taking her in if she continued to cough. I know they say arsenic-based cure is used if they already have heartworm. It is hard on dog if they already have heartworm and you're giving them preventative.
She has stopped coughing so i think next best thing to do is get her going on a preventative again.
Isn't it mandatory to have rabies shot for all dogs and cats? Believe so.
@ Terry9630, One vet told us that they get heartworm from eating poo that has heartworm in it. Was she an idiot?

We don't buy online meds because we have no idea where they come from, bu these days don't really trust vets are buying the cheapest products from no telling where either,but still rather pay a little extra and hope the stuff is not poison.

Our old dog had heart worms at 14 and we gave her heart worm meds from vet and it slowed down the progression a lot,she lived 4 more years with heart worms to age 18.
Even Chinese dog food is poisoning our animals now so we try to do best we can.
Our oldest dog is a large one and she is almost 18 so we buy chuck roast and chicken and half cook it for them old one gets the most of it.
We have an alergic dog who has to be on antibiotics and steroids a several times a year. I hate it but we have tried everything and she is 10 other dog her sister is fine.

We have given out dogs heartworm meds a few months a year and that has worked for us for past 25 years. Usually in mid summer we give them a does 2 months in a row.
I wish we could get them off all corp dog food but can't afford the price of meat only diet.
 
Our last dog died of cancer.
We have mostly not used flea/tick products either. Last summer the fleas were getting bad, our first experience with these two pets and they are 7 (dog) and 8 (cat) yrs. old. We ended up using a product on them until it got cold outside. We'd dealt with fleas before long ago. Ticks we haven't seen much at all.
We have mosquitoes here too.

So far Dawn Dish Liquid with the duck on the label has worked great for us for fleas. Lather them up and let it stay on for 5 minutes. Tics we check them then just pull them off.

After 7 years vaccines are not nessasary but we have to have them to travel. Our old dog doesn't get them at all we just take her shot records and they can see she is very old. She has skin caners all over her and probably inside too she is barely able to walk now but has her good days.
She will not be put down. She will die like we do I put one down and I thought i had a heart attack never again.
My mother suffered pains of hell and I didn't put her down she died in my den and I took her last pulse. Hubby helped undertaker carry her out so that is life and death in the human and animal kingdom.
 
I agree about the vaccines. I told hubs to get just the rabies last time but he got distemper vax for both too. Kennel cough for dog.
I appreciate your extra words of wisdom/experience. We put our other two down. One was only 8, the other 15.
 
I agree about the vaccines. I told hubs to get just the rabies last time but he got distemper vax for both too. Kennel cough for dog.
I appreciate your extra words of wisdom/experience. We put our other two down. One was only 8, the other 15.

I can understand putting them down I just chose not to. We give her an aspirin on her bad days and it perks her walk up. Always with food of course, never on empty stomach. Same for me I take aspirin several times a month and always eat at least a couple saltines first or fold over bread with mayo.
 
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