Where To Buy Medications

[Guest lavendergirl]

The other thing to keep in mind is that vet clinics do not pay the same amount of money to buy a drug that your chemist do. Vet clinics may buy and keep in stock maybe 2 or 3 packets of a certain drug, whereas a chemist probably buys 100 or more at a time. Like with most things, buying in bulk results in a cheaper price for the purchaser.

Some chemists (especially online ones) can sell you a drug for cheaper than what the vet can buy it in the first place.

There is nothing stopping the vet from buying online also I would have thought.

Look in the real world the "general public" are going to make savings where they can - they are not willing to pay extra because the business (whatever it is) has high "overheads". Thats just reality. Would you use bulk billing doctors and discount chemists where you can? I pay a higher price for professional services provided by my vet compared to some others in the area. I don't try and negotiate a lower fee. But I see no need for a markup of 50 - 100% on medications I really don't.

[Staff'n'Toller]

I personally pay to see my GP, the same GP, who is not on a 15 minute time limit and trying to push me out the door.

I also use the local non-franchised, non-discount chemist because it keeps local people in local jobs.

Someone who has never run a business would not understand how what you make in some areas (medications) help to subsidise other areas (pathology machines) in the clinic. Vet Clinics are private businesses not public hospitals. We don't receive government funding. Vets don't walk out of Uni with a 50k hecs debt expecting to be paid crap wages or doing it for the love of animals.

This is the real world. If you don't want to pay for the convenience of taking the drugs home with you at your visit (and most people do). Then you'll eventually end up paying a report writing fee for the time and materials it takes the Vet to print out your script and you'll be no better off.

[Jumabaar]

The other thing to keep in mind is that vet clinics do not pay the same amount of money to buy a drug that your chemist do. Vet clinics may buy and keep in stock maybe 2 or 3 packets of a certain drug, whereas a chemist probably buys 100 or more at a time. Like with most things, buying in bulk results in a cheaper price for the purchaser.

Some chemists (especially online ones) can sell you a drug for cheaper than what the vet can buy it in the first place.

There is nothing stopping the vet from buying online also I would have thought.

Look in the real world the "general public" are going to make savings where they can - they are not willing to pay extra because the business (whatever it is) has high "overheads". Thats just reality. Would you use bulk billing doctors and discount chemists where you can? I pay a higher price for professional services provided by my vet compared to some others in the area. I don't try and negotiate a lower fee. But I see no need for a markup of 50 - 100% on medications I really don't.

I am willing to pay extra for high quality service. The dispensation of medication is part of that service- I personally am often time poor when it comes to needing medication for my dogs so I am more than happy to pay for the vet to keep it in stock for me instead of having to send in scripts etc. Part of that means they pay a higher initial price for ordering in the small quantity they use, and then I pay a mark up. I am more than happy too because my dog usually has significant benefits from the quick and timely use of the medication. Sure it means I pay more but I certainly dont want veterinary clinics to start ditching their inhouse pharmacy so I will continue to support them.

I dont even want to know about the 300% + mark up I pay for my non veterinary products- how much do you really think it takes to make a cup of coffee??

[Guest lavendergirl]

Gawd - sorry I asked.

[Guest lavendergirl]

I personally pay to see my GP, the same GP, who is not on a 15 minute time limit and trying to push me out the door.

I also use the local non-franchised, non-discount chemist because it keeps local people in local jobs.

Someone who has never run a business would not understand how what you make in some areas (medications) help to subsidise other areas (pathology machines) in the clinic. Vet Clinics are private businesses not public hospitals. We don't receive government funding. Vets don't walk out of Uni with a 50k hecs debt expecting to be paid crap wages or doing it for the love of animals.

This is the real world. If you don't want to pay for the convenience of taking the drugs home with you at your visit (and most people do). Then you'll eventually end up paying a report writing fee for the time and materials it takes the Vet to print out your script and you'll be no better off.

Not worth it really.

Edited August 2, 2012 by lavendergirl

[Crisovar]

The other thing to keep in mind is that vet clinics do not pay the same amount of money to buy a drug that your chemist do. Vet clinics may buy and keep in stock maybe 2 or 3 packets of a certain drug, whereas a chemist probably buys 100 or more at a time. Like with most things, buying in bulk results in a cheaper price for the purchaser.

Some chemists (especially online ones) can sell you a drug for cheaper than what the vet can buy it in the first place.

There is nothing stopping the vet from buying online also I would have thought.

Look in the real world the "general public" are going to make savings where they can - they are not willing to pay extra because the business (whatever it is) has high "overheads". Thats just reality. Would you use bulk billing doctors and discount chemists where you can? I pay a higher price for professional services provided by my vet compared to some others in the area. I don't try and negotiate a lower fee. But I see no need for a markup of 50 - 100% on medications I really don't.

You see no need because you do not understand the costs involved in running a Veterinary service. For each Vet a practice employs the monthly drug bill escalates at a frightening rate, but drugs have to kept in stock and many will sit on the shelves but still have to be there, you don't understand but without the markups we wouldn't have Vets in private practice. The Government doesn't have a health care system for pets we do not have bulk billing clinics. Rarely do Vets get fully paid for their time and knowledge, if phonecalls and over the counter chats were billed like legal practices do people would be even more shocked.

[Sheridan]

I think if you believe your vet is overcharging you on anything then challenge them on it. My dogs' vet gives me a discount on Grumpy's medication and ensures I understand the cost of it all. For example, Grumpy is on Vetoryl (trilostane) for his recently diagnosed Cushing's disease. Hamish said the medication is expensive (I shrugged, indifferent to the cost) and said that once the medication amount stabilised, we could go to a cheaper, compounded medication that is made up by a lab.

I have no objection to putting the vet's kids through university but I can understand people wanting to look for cheaper alternatives. However, I don't understand why people just whinge about potentially being overcharged when you could just ask the vet about why medications cost what they do.

Edited August 3, 2012 by Sheridan