Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Dog Advice

Little Miss, the youngest of my two dachschunds is allergic to grass pollen most likely, my vet says.
She has uncontrollable itching from around April, maybe May until August or Sept..
In the past I gave her benedryl, various anti-itch sprays and herbal supplements, and various shampoos.

The benedryl helps a bit, but all that other stuff doesn't.
However, last year they came out with a new drug, Apoquel. On the very first day it worked, and she is itch free. :)

Since it is relatively new, it is expensive. About three bucks per pill. But I don't hafta take her to the vet for infections and antibiotics anymore.
So if your dog has this problem I highly recommend Apoquel.

There has been no side effects whatsoever.

Incidently, if any of you guys know where I can buy it cheaper, please let me know.
I tried 1800Petmeds, where I order the doggie's flea and tick medicine, but they have been out for awhile. Apparently, this drug works so well on all allergies, that there is a high demand for it.


8 comments:

mushroom said...

That's good news. I'll see what I can find out. I have an acquaintance who has a dog-grooming business. She's actually trained as a vet but not licensed here. She might know of a source.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Thanks, Mush.
Apparently, the company that makes the drug severely underestimated how popular it would be and has been trying to gear up production to meet demand. However, that may take a few more months since it can't be dome at the drop of a hat.
They obviously wanna make a profit, so it's in their best interest to do so.

Based on the success of the trials and the popularity of the drug I'm a bit surprised that whoever decided the original base output could be so far off estimates.
They are literally losing a lot of profit right now because of it, even though they are making a profit (just not as much as they could've been making).

John Lien said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John Lien said...

I tell ya, the vet bills at this household are killin' me! Used to be the vet was reasonable. Now, a $100 visit is pretty common. Of course, it could have something to do with all the pets.

The other day I heard that the NRA is providing vet insurance. And, of course, when everyone starts getting vet insurance then the prices will just get worse.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Hi john,
Yes, it can get expensive, although some things seem to be relatively inexpensive, such as shots and basic procedures. Stuff like surgeries, extensive testing or cancer treatments will no doibt always be expensive. Particularly since more folks are using them.

I had no idea the NRA was doing that. I have heard of pet insurance before, but the plans I saw were pretty expensive, and you're probably right that it will increase costs.
I half expect it wil probably be mandatory someday, then the costs will really skyrocket. At any rate, it doesn't seem to be worth it, in most cases.

My vet does accept monthly payments for really expensive procedures, which is nice. I only had to use that option once when Skully had to have some teeth removed a few years ago.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Wow, I picked up a refill of the doggie's prescripton today and the price dropped 33% to only 2 bucks per pill. So it looks like the drug manufacturer has ramped up production. :)

-blessed b9, Catalyst4Christ said...

I dont have none, Paw...

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