heartworm meds

**craftypam** · 06-01-2011, 10:32 PM

I adopted a dog that I first saw on Petango on Friday. I went to their website and they have 30% off any order and free shipping for orders over $35. Heartworm medication is expensive and with 30% off and free shipping its the best price I've seen. You do have to have a prescription from your Vet to buy it.

**frugalwarrior2** · 06-01-2011, 11:15 PM

Yeah alot of vets won't participate in that. Ours definatley won't. We use sentinel. If you buy 12 you get a rebate.

**craftypam** · 06-02-2011, 02:43 AM

Do you mean that they won't give you the prescription? My vet did and (haven't used him in awhile) and when I tried to change vets they wouldn't so I just stayed with the vet I had.

**frugalwarrior2** · 06-02-2011, 07:18 AM

Yeah. I have heard complaints about exp. dates and pkg. too.
Just so your aware. I saw Costco had pet meds for fleas too but I doubt it was HW. Do you jst get the test w. him and then he writes it? Nice if so.

**stinkbug** · 06-02-2011, 09:01 AM

If you just adopted a dog...he needs to be tested first, before you just start giving him the meds.

**Wendy99** · 06-02-2011, 09:23 AM

You don't want to play around - be sure to get your new dog tested for the HW. I've heard stories about the meds online too, I always get them from my vet. Maybe you pay a little more for the meds, but if the online meds are faulty / expired and your dog does get heart worm - the treatment to get rid of the heartworm will put a huge dent in your pocket book and it's not easy on the dog either.

**craftypam** · 06-02-2011, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2

Yeah. I have heard complaints about exp. dates and pkg. too.
Just so your aware. I saw Costco had pet meds for fleas too but I doubt it was HW. Do you jst get the test w. him and then he writes it? Nice if so.

I do. This time though the place I adopted the dog from did the heartworm test. I have bought from Dr Foster and Smith several times and never had a problem with exp dates. I even ordered for 2 dogs 2 12 month and used some of it the following year with no problem with dates.

**khaski** · 06-02-2011, 06:58 PM

Many vets won't give you a script or deal with places like petmeds.com over the phone because they want you to buy the meds from them...you go elsewhere, they lose the $. But if you wish to buy the meds elsewhere (I wouldn't buy heartworm meds off eBay, but reputable places like Foster and Smith etc. are fine) you have every right to INSIST on getting the prescription- they cannot force you to purchase through them! My friend had this issue, the vet wouldn't 'deal with those companies' but suddenly would match their price, so she was happy.

**craftypam** · 06-02-2011, 07:15 PM

Khaski,
In the beginning my vet gave me the script and then did start matching the price. That happened awhile ago becauae I haven't had a dog in 2-1/2 years and will find out tomorrow when I go to the Vet with my new baby LOL

**frugalwarrior2** · 06-02-2011, 08:44 PM

LOL. you can insist all you want but the vet has no obligation to write the prescription. Petmeds is the company everyone complains about. I know my vet was genuinely wanting my pets to get the best care as well as not support companies that could potentially endanger your pet. He was a good guy and offered care for us by waiving the exam fee when DH had his near fatal accident. Unfortunatley,his DR. told him he had to retire.
We buy the sentinal because it covers HW,fleas and ticks. We pay $44. for 3 dogs (2 XL and 1 L dog) per month for 10 months a year (cold climate-discount). I always try to get rebates but I sure wish it were cheaper but not at the cost of the health of my buddies.
What my vet did was switch to generics which were cheaper and additionally offer the name brand stuff to us at the generic price. I was satisfied w/ that solution.

**pollypurebred39** · 06-02-2011, 09:18 PM

Pam, I don't know what brand of medication you are considering, but this was on my FB today and I'd share this with you just in case.

Heartguard Whistleblower Says She Was Fired For Protecting Dogs | Life With Dogs

**craftypam** · 06-02-2011, 10:29 PM

Polly that is the medication my dogs were on. In cases such as this how do you really know the reason it didn't work? I will be curious to see what medication the vet puts my dog on. Maybe I should take that article and ask the vet about it.

And speaking of dogs when I went to that site I clicked on something else and found this video. My golden retriever that I had did this exact same thing and I thought I would die laughing. And by the time I found her she wasn't even trying to get the lid off.

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2011/06/h...nto-the-trash/

**frugalwarrior2** · 06-02-2011, 10:42 PM

You know CP I forgot to congratulate you on the new dog-duh. So glad you chose rescue.

**2_at_the_farm** · 06-03-2011, 07:46 AM

I have ordered from Petshed dot com for years now. They are in Australia, but it only costs $6-7 shipping. They're the cheapest I have found. I have 2 dogs and 5 cats, so flea/tick/heartworm medications were pretty expensive. The markup at the vets office is ridiculous. (My cousin's husband is a vet.)
I did some research a few years ago and found that Ivermectin is the main ingredient for heartworm medicine. Since I had that, I have used it a few times.

**khaski** · 06-03-2011, 09:29 AM

Frugal warrier, in my book , a vet who will not write a script is a vet who no longer has my business! For flea meds ,if you have more than 1 dog, it is cheaper to buy the bigger tubes and split it up between the multiple dogs.