Anyone buys their pets medications through 1800 pet meds???

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luvsterriers
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23 Jun 2010, 6:00 pm

Several years ago now Vectra 3 D has been on the market. It supposed to REPEL and KILL fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, mites, flies and lice. The thing is not every vet has it. I wonder why. Vectra 3 D is only used on dogs. But Vectra 3 D is the newest medication out there, so I just am confused as to why vets aren't carrying it. I have been a dog owner now for almost 5 years. My West Highland Terrier is my first ever dog. I talked with several people and they all use Frontline Plus on their dogs. Frontline Plus is also used on cats I think. Anyone uses Frontline Plus or Vectra 3 D? I just like the whole idea of repeling/killing mosquitoes since Frontline Plus can't do it. But you don't see commericals about Vectra 3 D. Also Frontline Plus and even K9 Advantix are sold at Petco or Petsmart, but Vectra 3 D isn't sold at any pet stores. I would have to buy Vectra 3 D at a vet that carries it instead of my own vet


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Last edited by luvsterriers on 30 Jun 2010, 7:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

CockneyRebel
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23 Jun 2010, 6:08 pm

I haven't tried that, yet.


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Cuterebra
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23 Jun 2010, 10:46 pm

The world of flea control products is far more political than you might guess. I'll spare you the boring details, but from what I've read the company that makes Vectra went after a veterinary clinic for violating an anti-diversion contract because the clinic swapped the Vectra for a competitor's product when it failed to sell as well as they'd hoped. And then Vectra made a Banfield specialty product with the same formulation or something like that. Parasiticide diversion is a touchy subject. To my knowledge, the problem is not with the product itself, more just the company that's marketing it. It usually isn't cost effective for a vet clinic to keep multiple different brands in stock, so many just stick with one or two of them that they're familiar and happy with anyway.

There are actually two other flea control products that are even newer than Vectra--Comfortis and Promeris. I've heard great things about the efficacy of both (some say one dose of Promeris gives effective flea control for 6 weeks or more), but to my knowledge both are only available from veterinarians.

Frontline and Advantage were fantastic when they first came out, but in recent years resistance has become an issue and they just don't work as well as they used to, especially in warmer places where the fleas are all on steroids. You're more likely to get a full month or more out of the newer products.



liloleme
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23 Jun 2010, 10:49 pm

Thanks for the info...we have been using Frontline and it doesnt seem to be very effective anymore.



luvsterriers
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24 Jun 2010, 7:01 am

But it's just strange though that SummitVet (the ones that make Vectra products) are not advertising on TV or in the magazines. I would think the newest product out there would want the attention from vets and pet owners. However Vectra products are sold sold at vets. They have a strict policy. I just wonder why though you can buy Frontline and K9 Advantix at Target, CVS, Petsmart, Walmart, or Petco or even on 1800 pet meds. Is that a bad thing when Frontline and K9 Advantix is being sold at other places? It's a medication that the vet prescribes, so why market it at other places?

My aunt is a dog breeder and has been for 20 years. She has used Frontline Plus. My uncle also has owned Westies and he too has used Frontline. A friend has had dogs since she was a kid and she uses Frontline Plus. When I mention Vectra to dog owners, they are like huh? But the vet I take my dog to is the best vet in the county. To get an appt with the head vet who also owns the clinic you have to be on waiting list! That's like trying to make an appt with your own doctor! So if a vet is on waiting list, that means he must be good.

Cuterebra,
Do you use Vectra?

Good news! You can purchase Vectra 3D through 1800petmeds! I did go to their website and search Vectra, but I didn't get any results. I did email them and an agent told me that they do carry it but they just got it in stock not too long ago. So I called them and just ordered a one year supply for $139.98. Is that cheaper than what vet clinics would charge? I'm sure 1800petmeds is just as good as getting meds through your vet.


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24 Jun 2010, 7:19 pm

I use Advantage Multi combined heart worm/flea product since fleas haven't been too bad.

The companies that make Frontline and Advantix told veterinarians they were going to be a prescription-only products that people couldn't buy outside of vet clinics, but then stuff mysteriously falls off trucks or something and people can buy it over the counter anywhere. That's the touchy and complicated product diversion issue I mentioned.

I'm not sure what the going price for these products would be00depends a lot on geographic region.



luvsterriers
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30 Jun 2010, 6:58 am

Ok a Vet (she breeds West Highland Terriers as well) told me that anything from 1800 pet meds can be counterfeit from Europe. WTH??! So then how come so many people both dog and cat owners buy their pets meds through 1800 pet meds? It is way cheaper than getting it from the vet. I actually called up Vectra 3D company and the agent gave me just TWO vets that sale Vectra 3D in my county. Just TWO! That's insane. Frontline Plus just isn't as good as before. My West Highland Terrier got ticks from Frontline Plus. He has been on Vectra 3 D and no ticks. He has been on Vectra 3 D for a year now. So I emailed 1800 pet meds and told them what this vet told me if they sale counterfeit products. That's scary. Does anyone buy their pets meds through 1800 pet meds??


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Twolf
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30 Jun 2010, 6:56 pm

I purchase Advantage from Amazon. The price is reasonable. The important thing is to make sure that you buy direct from Amazon, and not a third party shop there. The low cost Advantage coming from a third party shop on Amazon could be counterfeit. US Advantage doesn't have an expiration date and has an EPA number.



luvsterriers
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01 Jul 2010, 7:22 am

This is scary.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 428AAP8AOa


So IF 1800 pet meds, Dr Foster and Smith, and other online pet pharmacies are fake, counterfeit, etc, they would be sued! I know it's way cheaper to get your pets medications through these online pharmacies. My dad's family have owned dogs since the late 1980s so they know much more about dog health than I do and none of them purchased their pets medications online. But of course a vet is going to tell a pet owner to NOT buy online, that way the vet gets the money. I never owned dogs growing up and don't know much about pet health. I am a new dog owner. I may just try this "fake" Vectra 3D that I got from 1800 pet meds for few months and see how my dog does. The thing is the box looks different than the one his prior vet gave me earlier this year! Well I checked on Vectra 3D website and they had a JPG image of the box on their website, and it is the same one that I got through 1800 pet meds. The one that his prior vet gave me is an older box so they probably updated the box. Anyways his prior vet was overpriced too. I went to the prior vet because it was walking distance from where my parents and I live. His prior vet charged me $50 every time for a simple exam! Only TWO vets in Fairfax County VA carry Vectra 3D. I asked my dog's current vet why that is, and he told me because Vectra 3D is very harsh. As long as my dog isn't itching, then Vectra 3D is ok. But I'm kinda scared of 1800 pet meds. I didn't keep the box, but I can print out a return label on their website I don't like Frontline Plus because my dog got ticks from it. He has been on Vectra 3D since May 2009 and no ticks.


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Cuterebra
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04 Jul 2010, 11:11 am

Yeah, the 1800Petmeds thing is part of the product diversion drama I mentioned.

But as for the price of a veterinary exam--

Though the quality of vets varies just as much as in any other profession, a proper physical exam is one of the most important parts of preventative care that you can give your pet, and if you compare that price to what you would pay an MD for an exam it's actually very low despite the fact that vets complete the same number of years in college. It might seem like a waste of time if you are just trying to get flea meds, but consider how much value it is worth if your vet finds a tiny tumor that you wouldn't have otherwise noticed until it was bigger and impossible to remove completely or, even worse, already metastasized.

I don't know exactly what percentage of animals come in for regular exams have problems like that revealed, but it is actually quite high. So don't underestimate what that $50 gets you. But most vets will continue to sell you flea products for at least 6 months or a year after they've seen your pet.

Also, legally a vet can't sell you prescription products without having seen your pet recently (how recent usually depends on the drug).



luvsterriers
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06 Jul 2010, 7:17 am

I think I can just try out the Vectra 3D that I got through 1800 pet meds for a month and if I see something wrong, then I will return it. I do hope that my previous vet will allow me to purchase Vectra 3D from them. I honestly do not know why many vets in Northern VA carry the product. It is new and has more protection compared to Frontline.


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