Pet Deworming Question

Most of us keep our Dogs/Cats safe from 'worms' so the topic of de-worming isn't something that comes up often.

However my daughter called to ask if I could get her some dewormer out here because she couldn't find it in the stores in the city.

So after a few stops locally, I too found that NO...you can't get dewormers over the counter anymore.

Does anyone know when this was implemented ? I couldn't find anything doing a quick search on goggle.

Luckily I was heading to the US and picked up some there so she has the treatment for her cat.

Now I'm curious of how this is handled at the vets...do they expect you to pay a 'vet visit' charge to get dewormer, or will they allow you to buy it there based on a visual sample of your pets poop at the counter.

A $5 bottle of piperazine could end up costing $80+

My vet will sell wormer as long as the dog in question has been in, in the last year. Or if I have a litter of puppies I will be brining in.
deb

Pups I've bought have always been dewormed before purchase. Using a flea/tick meds = no worms ,so I've NEVER needed a dewormer.

I would think the vet visit would tell you what kind of worm it is , equalling meds needed. You need the right one. Perhaps why it is is not sold from the store shelf.

Same as in humans; one antibiotic does not cure all bacteria.

I don't know Sharon...how many years I've lived on a farm that had a bottle of a 'Strongid T ' in the fridge. If we saw pieces of worm in the feces we treated the animal with it and problem solved. Since it took care of most common worm problems (roundworms and hookworms) there was no need to see a vet to tell us ..." it has worms"...that will be $80+.

What changed in the past decade or so that the most common parasite problem in yard pets (roundworms) requires a vet visit when it used be (and still is south of the border) treated successfully with an off the shelf treatment of piperzine ?

I sense over regulation, with vets benefiting by instilling fear in pet owners.

Lot of truth to that!
I have such a great vet. Always charges less than I expect, and handles most drug needs just over the counter.

The control of medicine by the CVA is kind of amazing. A complete health exam, or a very expensive cost per pill. The Vet's are experts at both medicine and charging. They are powerful and a monopoly. Most or all have clinics that their medical doctors would die to own. Our medical doctor works out of a cubicle. Some livestock medicines are still available over the counter.
You can treat a 1000 pound horse but not a 50 pound hound.

It would be interesting to hear from a forum member who is a vet on this topic. For the first time in many years I have a Canadian vet rather than a U.S vet that charges very fair rates on worming , vaccinations and examination fee's. Because I have a very good relationship with my vet based on my many years of experience and he knows my dogs health background he will sell deworming medication upon my request. Most vets will want a fecal sample brought into the clinic for examination to determine if the animal has parasites and charge an examination fee as well as the fecal test.. Especially if you are not a regular customer/client.

Is it veterinarians who determine the cost of medication or is it the pharmaceutical companies?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Noseyarentcha

Is it veterinarians who determine the cost of medication or is it the pharmaceutical companies?

---

Generally from my experience purchasing a variety of animal medications from my previous U.S vet it is much cheaper so they must be purchasing from med representative at a low cost. For some reason Canadian vets charge in many cases much more $ for the same meds. Not sure why.

I think we get charged more because we have to go through the Vets to get meds, you can walk into any farm store/TSC in the USA and pick up meds, from worming to puppy shots, if we could do that here I think the Vets would charge less to get us in there and not buy our own else where.....

dogs eat all sort of things, so I believe periodic worming is needed, fecal exam can miss things, so it's not needed.
I usually use goat's Safeguard, I posted the dosage before.

Very true, but fortunately I've never had any worms in my dogs. At their yearly checkup, ( which I get for no good reason imo), I take in a fecal sample but never any worms. Probably a waste of $$ imo .
I'm old school, so normally we would wait till we saw a worm in the feces then get the meds. Yearly checkup was not done . This is not to say that my dogs don't get all needed care from the vet as soon as it is needed.

We switched to a US vet purely due to inflated costs here on things that should not be different...Neutering a dog..basic procedure..Quote here was $600 the Vet down there all in was $300. Why ??

Spring 'Health Check" ..with shots and Heart worm prevention etc....$400 here $175 there. Why...

There is a reason on any given day more than 50% of the vehicles in the parking lot there are from Ontario...

Now this, simple deworming..NOT available over the counter here...still available from any pet supply store there. Why ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by vom Dufenshmirtz

I usually use goat's Safeguard, I posted the dosage before.

---

I had forgot about that, we used to use what was left after we dewormed the Horses and sheep...a little tab for each of the dogs. Kept the parasites at bay all those years before they had prevention drugs...and we could afford them.

I may have to go back to doing just that if need be.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MikePal

We switched to a US vet purely due to inflated costs here on things that should not be different...Neutering a dog..basic procedure..Quote here was $600 the Vet down there all in was $300. Why ?? Spring 'Health Check" ..with shots and Heart worm prevention etc....$400 here $175 there. Why... There is a reason on any given day more than 50% of the vehicles in the parking lot there are from Ontario... Now this, simple deworming..NOT available over the counter here...still available from any pet supply store there. Why ?

---

Pretty simple Mike. Because they have a monopoly and control the system. Bottom line is that we get ripped off here in Canada. Cheers

Unlike your Doctor, if you don't like your Vet or think they charge too much you can vote with your feet and go somewhere else. Price becomes an issue in the absence of perceived value.
With Government guaranteed Health Care in Canada people really don't know what their own health care costs. The downside is long wait times for diagnostics and surgery for people and seemingly declining conditions in hospitals and Emerg rooms. By contrast you can get your dog an MRI and surgery within a day or 2 if needed.
This level of service exists because there are people who are willing to pay for it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by be2man

Unlike your Doctor, if you don't like your Vet or think they charge too much you can vote with your feet and go somewhere else. Price becomes an issue in the absence of perceived value.
With Government guaranteed Health Care in Canada people really don't know what their own health care costs. The downside is long wait times for diagnostics and surgery for people and seemingly declining conditions in hospitals and Emerg rooms. By contrast you can get your dog an MRI and surgery within a day or 2 if needed.
This level of service exists because there are people who are willing to pay for it.

---

Yes that was the attitude I received from many vet clinics when I was living in the Ottawa region for many years. So I did just that i went to the U.S for much better care/technology for my working dogs as well as a huge savings.

Many of the vet clinics in the Ottawa area agreed on set prices so shopping around made it very difficult/impossible to find a fair priced vet . Eventually I brought at least a dozen pet owners and large kennel owner/breeders with me to the U.S. The U.S vet clinic experienced a huge amount of new Canadian customers and were very appreciative. I even received big discounts on already fair priced meds and services provided to my kennel.

Same in the U.S

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yellow dog

Yes that was the attitude I received from many vet clinics when I was living in the Ottawa region for many years. So I did just that i went to the U.S for much better care/technology for my working dogs as well as a huge savings.

Many of the vet clinics in the Ottawa area agreed on set prices so shopping around made it very difficult/impossible to find a fair priced vet . Eventually I brought at least a dozen pet owners and large kennel owner/breeders with me to the U.S. The U.S vet clinic experienced a huge amount of new Canadian customers and were very appreciative. I even received big discounts on already fair priced meds and services provided to my kennel.

---

I guess things vary depending on where you are in the Province or Country. I find our area which varies from urban to rural to have a wide range of prices and services from discount and low cost to the highest prices tending to be at the Vets the richest neighbourhoods. The fact that 60% of people in Ottawa work for the Government in some form or another and have guaranteed good jobs and salaries and benefits and pensions may affect what the Vets think they can charge.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MikePal

We switched to a US vet purely due to inflated costs here on things that should not be different...Neutering a dog..basic procedure..Quote here was $600 the Vet down there all in was $300. Why ??

Spring 'Health Check" ..with shots and Heart worm prevention etc....$400 here $175 there. Why...

There is a reason on any given day more than 50% of the vehicles in the parking lot there are from Ontario...

Now this, simple deworming..NOT available over the counter here...still available from any pet supply store there. Why ?

---

I think it is the pharmaceutical companies or government safety nets making it difficult for the average Joe to just walk in to TSC and get such and such. As far as a spay/neuter/vaccines being less expensive in USA....isn't most everything cheaper there than here? I do believe that the majority of the cost for spay/neuter is the anaesthetic. The bigger the dog, the more anaesthetic required. I have no idea what the vets make on anaesthetic.
As an aside on dewormer...I use diatomaceous earth in my dogs outside kennel and in my henhouse. Diatomaceous Earth (not the Human Grade white stuff, its brown stuff that I get) kills anything with an exoskeleton....fleas, ticks, lice, ants, flies.... All creepy crawly gross things. Have never had lice or scaley leg mites on my birds who free range all spring, summer and fall. Its cheap too...a 50lb bag costs around $20
I shake some all over my dog if she has been in the hay to help keep ticks off her....and I dip my hunt clothes in it, give 'em a good shake and wear 'em hunting. Never had a tick on me. Fingers crossed.

Well said Be2Man.
I've always thought that bills for health care services should be sent out to patients so they know what things cost.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Noseyarentcha

She would not have made the drive, besides, I like my vet and I trust him. We have developed a friendship over the last few years. He is my vet and my friend. Cannot put a price on that besides, I like supporting a fellow Canadian....when I can.

---

I have liked and developed a very good relationship with my last 2 vets one being an American and the most recent a Canadian. We all like to support Canadian if possible but affordability rules depending on ones income and unknown cost of an emergency situation. In an emergency type of situation the cost from a Canadian vet versus an American vet could set you back thousands of dollars versus hundreds of dollars when using an American vet. I have had this happen a few times and the Canadian vet would of put me in the poor house. That's great you were able to find a good Canadian vet Noseyarentcha and suited to your income bracket.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by be2man

I guess things vary depending on where you are in the Province or Country. I find our area which varies from urban to rural to have a wide range of prices and services from discount and low cost to the highest prices tending to be at the Vets the richest neighbourhoods. The fact that 60% of people in Ottawa work for the Government in some form or another and have guaranteed good jobs and salaries and benefits and pensions may affect what the Vets think they can charge.

---

I lived 30 minutes south of Ottawa in very small town of 2,500 people. The locals were not high income earners but slowly the area was becoming a bedroom community to Ottawa. The large club I was affiliated with had close to 100 members all having working dogs. We found it very difficult to find a vet that charged a fair price on all vaccinations, health check examination, meds, dewormers and surgeries. We basically searched all small town vets in the area to provide our club with a service that we were willing to pay a fair price. We couldn't find one which led to many of us going just over the border for a short 40 minute drive. Very few of our club members were Government workers and most were from rural areas and had a minimum of six working huskies.
I currently live just outside a City that has a population of almost 75,000 people and my current Canadian vet charges almost exactly the same price range on my previous vet in the U.S. My vet and I have had some really interesting conversations on what he charges on a variety of his services. In fact I get the impression he is a lone wolf while other clinics charge much more in the area. I am very thankful I have him. He is very well respected in the community.

I am very thankful I have him. He is very well respected in the community.

That is a very nice comment YD.
I am happy you have a good vet. :)

The foxhound clubs also met the same fate. The monopoly , collusion caught up to us. They all charge the same fee, no exceptions or they are outside the provincial protocol. Fortunately two health unit still provides rabies, once a year $20.00 cash no questions asked.

Most owners know our dogs better than anyone, we spend hours per day with them. I pick up stools as a minimum twice per day. Who is off their feed , etc. There are many , many exceptional vets, I will gladly pay them for their expertise when required . I prefer a vet with large animal experience, they know when you have livestock , you also end up with dead stock. I travelled one day with a vet who worked with the vets and Agriculture Canada on just this policy. The OVA currently have a group looking at this issue. I believe one of the vets from the clinic I use is on the committee. People will pay when it comes to pets, I know some friends ,had their guinea pig on anti-depressants. LOL We live in a great country, enjoy everyday.

If you are really wondering why? Draft proposal of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association. The other side of the equation lots of people like to sue professionals over anything.
https://www.ovma.org/assets/1/6/Disp...sultation1.pdf

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuart22

The foxhound clubs also met the same fate. The monopoly , collusion caught up to us. They all charge the same fee, no exceptions or they are outside the provincial protocol. Fortunately two health unit still provides rabies, once a year $20.00 cash no questions asked.

Most owners know our dogs better than anyone, we spend hours per day with them. I pick up stools as a minimum twice per day. Who is off their feed , etc. There are many , many exceptional vets, I will gladly pay them for their expertise when required . I prefer a vet with large animal experience, they know when you have livestock , you also end up with dead stock. I travelled one day with a vet who worked with the vets and Agriculture Canada on just this policy. The OVA currently have a group looking at this issue. I believe one of the vets from the clinic I use is on the committee. People will pay when it comes to pets, I know some friends ,had their guinea pig on anti-depressants. LOL We live in a great country, enjoy everyday.

---

Well said.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuart22

Most owners know our dogs better than anyone, we spend hours per day with them. I pick up stools as a minimum twice per day. Who is off their feed , etc. There are many , many exceptional vets, I will gladly pay them for their expertise when required . I prefer a vet with large animal experience, they know when you have livestock , you also end up with dead stock.

---

That's the rub....most of the drugs used in Livestock deworming are the same or interchangeable for deworming pets. They are readily available at feeds store and places like TSC.... walk two rows over to the pet care isle and the same drugs are no longer available for your dog and require a vets permission to use them. There doesn't appear to be any viable logic to this.

A side note...I noticed that last time I picked up drugs in the states for my dog they required blood work....when I paid the bill I noticed that I only paid $18 for the the lab tech to draw the blood. There was no 'vet' charge. I have never seen this on a bill here, it's always the minimum office 'visit' charge .

And the drug Rimadyl was less than 50% the cost up here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sharon

Well said Be2Man.
I've always thought that bills for health care services should be sent out to patients so they know what things cost.

---

This is of course OT, but OHIP posts everything online. You'd be amazed how little Drs are paid for their services sometimes.

I am very please with my country vet, the founder only works 2 days a week now, the rest of the team is pretty good and they don't charge arm and a leg. They even do things for free sometimes, imagine that!
Remember, city vets have higher running costs too, everything is more expensive from office to techs.... However, the work ethics is entirely different issue and is not location specific. I am talking about unnecessary treatments and things like that...

and here's the link to the previous thread om the same subj
https://www.oodmag.com/community/sho...deworming-dogs

Weird. My son gets it no problem for his horses.
HD

an update....was in TSC in NY state to pick up some Liberty 50 Tick/flea for a neighbour and noticed they have stocked up on the drugs they carry for Deworming.

As mentioned earlier in the thread we used to use SafeGuard livestock paste dewormer for the dogs. I see the company makes a powdered/granular form for Canines and it covers ALL worms...

Quote:

---

For the treatment and control of Roundworms (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina), Hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala), Whipworms (Trichuris vulpis), and Tapeworms (Taenia pisiformis).

---

http://www.safe-guard-for-dogs.com/

I see it's available on Amazon.ca..so you can buy it thru them, but I don't think you'll find this one the shelves in any Ontario stores. Heck of a good price and saves the cost of having to see a vet for a prescription dewormer.


https://www.amazon.ca/Guard-Canine-D...guard+dewormer

This process is an essential part of pet care. Honestly, taking care of a dog is much more complicated. It requires more attention, respect, and love. When we got a dog, we decided to invest as much as possible in it materially and spiritually. Every month we check the health of our pet at the vet. I buy top-grade food and different treats. After a month of acquiring a doggie, we chose a specialist who trains it and teaches it various commands. I believe that training is an essential step in raising a dog. If you are interested in this topic, read more about training and taking care of our pets, I found this blog helpful.

Rarely do I have this situation.