[nagdu] searching for a new vet.

Danielle Sykora dsykora29 at gmail.com
Fri Nov 13 01:31:55 UTC 2015


Prescription foods really are no better for allergy prone dogs than
most other brands. In fact, chicken, corn, and soy are some of the
most common allergens for dogs. As others have said, it is completely
feasible to find a higher quality food for a lower price. Do you know
exactly what your dog is allergic to? If so, it should be no problem
to read ingredient lists and pick a food that is of a higher quality
but will not trigger his allergies. I find Chewy to be an excellent
resource because their website is easy to navigate, ingredient lists
are given for every food, almost all products are offered at a lower
price than can be found in stores, and the items ship in 1-2 days if
you do decide to order from them. For example, a 30 pound bag of
grain-free, limited ingredient Great Life from Chewy costs $60-$65.
Feel free to email me offlist if you would like some help finding an
adequate food for your pup.

Buying flea and tick preventatives from a vet can be very expensive.
You can often find the same product online for a reduced price, just
as you can for food. Using a more natural version of flea and tick
preventative such as essential oils is another option you might want
to consider. The traditional pesticide based preventatives can be
particularly harsh on a dog with skin allergies.

The first vet I took my dog to gave me a 10% discount. I have taken my
dog to the new vet twice. The first time they gave me 15% off the
entire visit and the second time they gave me 15% off the medicine and
50% off the office visit.

Good luck to you and your pup,
Danielle and Thai
dsykora29 at gmail.com


On 11/12/15, Julie J. via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> A few ideas in no particular order...
>
> I agree with raven and Tracy on the food.  There are better choices for far
> less than what you are paying.  Check out Chewy or Petflo.  They have the
> ingredient list right there and you can sort by protein type or no grains
> and a bunch of other criteria.  You can even call their customer service for
> help with finding a food that will work for you.  Both companies have
> excellent customer service. I've ordered from both and had excellent
> experiences.  You wouldn't have to order from them though, just use the
> sites to do research on the ingredient lists.
>
> I love Mountain Rose herbs.  That is where I purchase all my herbs.  They
> have quite a bit in capsules already for you.  If you don't have a picky
> eater, you can sprinkle the herbs right onto the food, skip the capsule.  I
> think turmeric  is awesome for inflammation of any variety.
>
> I have not personally used this idea, but if I needed to purchase expensive
> prescriptions on a regular basis, I'd check out an on-line option.  This
> means your vet has to provide you with a prescription for you to use
> elsewhere and I've heard some vets don't like to do this.  It could save you
> a lot of money though.
>
> Have you had an honest talk with your vet?  Perhaps there are cheaper
> options available, but he/she hasn't suggested them because you were willing
> to pay for the current protocol.  I don't ask for discounts, personally, but
> I absolutely will always ask about all my options or generic equivalents.
>
> Julie
> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now
> available! Get the book here:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lori Dent via nagdu
> Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2015 11:21 AM
> To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Lori Dent
> Subject: [nagdu] searching for a new vet.
>
> Hi all,
>
> I’m thinking seriously about  searching for a new veterinarian for my guide
> dog Gipp and my 2 other pets. I like my current veterinarian and he and his
> staff are  great with my animals. But frankly  their expensive and I’m
> getting to the point I can’t aford taking my animals here anymore. I’m been
> using my current veterinarian since about 2005 and I do get a multiple 20%
> discount but that isn’t enough of a discount. When I do go to the vet I
> never come out spending under $100 and in fact it’s always $100 and more.
> For example, I get my guide dog Gipp’s food through my vet because Gipp is
> on a prescription dog food for food allergies and he’s allergic to the
> protein in the leading dog foods. Also he’s on allergy medication.
>
> Gipp’s food is called Ultra Allergeon ZD and I get him a 25 pound bag
> through my vet that cost $90and some change and his allergy medication that
> I get for him for a30 day supply costs me around $97 and some change. But
> that doesn’t count the flea proventitive and frontline meds that I get for
> both dogs and I usually get a six month supply of both flea proventitive and
> frontline getting one extra frontline tube for both dog for purchasing six
> months supply of frontline. Also for Gipp he can’t have the normal hart gard
> beef chews because he’s allergic to beef. So he get a nontasteless pill that
> is  specially formulated for Gipp  to prevent heartworms and any other
> parasite.
>
> Anyhow, with all the medications for the dogs and the cost of the vet visits
> and any testing if needed or bloodwork ect it’s costing me a fortune.
>
> I was wondering what kinds of discounts do you all get for your guides? Do
> your vets charge you for the meds but not the office vist ect?
>
> Like I’ve said I like my vet but I can’t afford them anymore. I do have care
> credit but I’m on a limited income.
>
> I want to find a new vetinarian that will   take good care of my animals and
> listen to what I need to tell them about my animals  and  listen to my
> concerns and answer any and all my questions  but not charge me a arm and a
> leg for medications, testing and exams ect.  I need more of a discount then
> just 20% and I need the vet  who cares about the dogs and not so much about
> the money side of things. I know I will spend some money on my animals which
> is not a problem but I don’t want to be always spending over $100 and more
> everytime I need to take my animals to the vet.
>
> I’m going to do some researching of vets in and around my area and call them
> and see what type of services they provide and go in and get a tour of their
> ficilities.
>
> Any thoughts and suggestions on where to start? I want to continue to give
> all my animals the best of care when going to the vet but be affordable and
> reasonable where I’m not paying  a arm and a leg for everything because it’s
> so exspensive and I can’t keep addording this like this.
>
> Lori and the Gipper
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