over the counter medication?

If I was to import a species that is always going to be wild caught, and is known to carry mild parasites, what medication would be an affordable way to treat this?

If I buy a fifty dollar snake, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars making it sanitary. How much have you all paid to treat parasites through a veterinarian? I'm just getting costs figured out- it may very well turn out that I'm not willing to work with certain imported species due to the cost of dealing with a wild-caught specimen. I have never had to treat parasites, so I'm just curious. What do you suggest.

what species, and what parasites? cant tell what meds to use unless you know what your treating... cant get meds anyway without a script.
probabaly gonna be $100 at least... just a guess????
spooky

I'm honestly not sure what parasites. Everyone just says "parasites" so I assumed it was mainly intestinal worms. I'm thinking of ahaetulla, but that is just one of many. They are expensive enough to keep fed without killing off their bugs. It's starting to look like I may just have to suck it up and shell out some dough.

what ever the case may be,,,, even if its a 5 dollar animal, and the meds cost 100$ to keep it healthy, this should be no concern. im not preaching,, so please dont get me wrong,, but if your not willing to shell out for proper meds, maby you should reconcsider the purchase.\
spooky

You'll also need to know dosing amounts for a particular species AND which meds can or cannot be used on certain species.

This is why the vets get paid the big bucks.

And yes, you should be willing to spend a bit, especially if you're importing. It costs a decent amount for import permits and fees and shipping plus the animals. If you're talking about just buying a species commonly imported, then you only have the price of the animal.

If you're thinking of importing on a larger scale, you need to cultivate a exotics vet. If you have a decent volume of business you'll be doing with a vet, then you should be able to work out a deal that they are your "vet of call". But this only works if it's business scale, not "Oh I got myself a couple geckos... I want discounts".

Hope this helped.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mr.spooky

what ever the case may be,,,, even if its a 5 dollar animal, and the meds cost 100$ to keep it healthy, this should be no concern. im not preaching,, so please dont get me wrong,, but if your not willing to shell out for proper meds, maby you should reconcsider the purchase.\
spooky

---

That's pretty much what I was trying to say. I agree with you. I obviously don't want it enough :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FalconPunch

That's pretty much what I was trying to say. I agree with you. I obviously don't want it enough :)

---

then i salute you! youve made a educated decision with the thought of the animal in mind.
thank you
spooky

i think it's a very fair question. I also think that vets are OVERpaid, and ask a LOT because most people either need it or their animals will die, if it's bad enough, or pay it because they love their animals like children. It's truly unfair.

http://www.anapsid.org/resources/rxdose.html

You can see that a lot of the dewormers are dog dewormers or cat dewormers, that they sell at petsmart.

Most of this on the list you need a perscription for...however for instance i just went to the vet to get my dog's eye looked at, and recieved a perscription for liquid neomycin, which is an over the counter anti-bacterial. Oh, don't get me wrong, it also had an eye soother in it...the same ingredient as in Visine. Treated him for a simple case of conjunctivitus...pink eye...which i read later goes away on it's on. She was saying so many things and telling me how he could have an ulcer, and/or something behind his eyelid...talked faster than a used car salesman so of course i was like "save my dog!". I did fuss about cost and ask a lot of questions, not that it did me any good, though i felt like i was prepared to go in there...she was just a much faster talker than i expected. After my fussing she came back in and took a whole GRACIOUS 12 dollars off the 138 bill, because after all, she only WHIPED OUT one eye, not both!

I also didn't trust her information on my snake that i took in. Only a 42 exam fee there. She opened my snake's mouth, and listened for a heartbeat. THAT i an exam? Seriously.

I get so pissed off most of the time, but when i finally go in there i always feel swindled. I've treated two snakes from the pound, on my own, and have felt like i've done a hellava lot more good than if i had ever even brought them near a vet. They are thriving, and no vet fees. I've only been looking up each issue as it arises and have done just fine. Granted, obviously if i feel like its' over my head i'll take an animal in, but good lord...afterwards i just feel like an idiot.

Anyway, my point is, mr.spooky, it's a reasonable question by falconpunch, and there is not the simple answer of "oh if you want a pet, you should be prepared to take it to the vet and pay out the nose for any reason!!!"
It's perfectly fine to do home treatments for a lot of things. And successful. ANd yes, CHEAPER, but hey, you have to save money when you can for stupid things the vets want to charge.

I would make a terrible vet, considering i'd be more concerned with helping the animal, and making sure it's healthy than making double profit or more.

Another example...my dog needed some shots of adequan...$38 dollars a shot. Vet raised the price to $48 dollars a shot. I was able to find it from Drs Foster and Smith online (very reputable site) for $45 dollars a BOTTLE...which was almost FIVE shots each. ridiculous. When i asked the vet if he would match prices he flipped out and said no. Apparently it costs him more to order it...I do NOT see how considering the price i was able to order it for...with FREE shipping.

Greeeeeeedy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Missy King

Anyway, my point is, mr.spooky, it's a reasonable question by falconpunch, and there is not the simple answer of "oh if you want a pet, you should be prepared to take it to the vet and pay out the nose for any reason!!!"
It's perfectly fine to do home treatments for a lot of things. And successful. ANd yes, CHEAPER, but hey, you have to save money when you can for stupid things the vets want to charge.

I would make a terrible vet, considering i'd be more concerned with helping the animal, and making sure it's healthy than making double profit or more.

Another example...my dog needed some shots of adequan...$38 dollars a shot. Vet raised the price to $48 dollars a shot. I was able to find it from Drs Foster and Smith online (very reputable site) for $45 dollars a BOTTLE...which was almost FIVE shots each. ridiculous. When i asked the vet if he would match prices he flipped out and said no. Apparently it costs him more to order it...I do NOT see how considering the price i was able to order it for...with FREE shipping.

Greeeeeeedy.

---

its reasonable for the OP to ask if you can use benadryl for a rash his dog might have.... its not very reasonable for a person to state that they are bringing imported animals into the country, and wander if there is a cheaper way to treat them.
the reason that vets get paid what they do is simple.. they are doctors, they have earned it. saying that, there are some that i feel more comfortable with than others.
spooky

"How to give my dog dewormer" does not equal "What meds can I treat imported exotic reptiles with".

A vet charges more for each shot because they are a BUSINESS. They are not in business to break even or go broke. They pay rent, insurance, ongoing education, college education, employees, employee expenses, electric, water, sewer, biohazard disposal, equipment, training for the equipment.... etc.

How exactly do you expect a vet who went to school for years to pay his bills if he charges exactly what his costs are? Of course there's a mark up. Some vets mark services/items up a lot, some not as much. That's usually regarding how much expense they have, not how "greedy" they are.

There's a lot of things I do on my own for pets. I give my own shots except for rabies(by law, it's only regarded as "given" if a vet gives it)and I treat for heartworms myself, deworm myself. But I don't consider a vet fee to be greedy just because it cost more to get shots from the vet than it cost me to go get the shots and give myself. If the dog has a reaction to the vaccine(happens fairly often, actually) then I have to run the dog to a vet and get it treated for the allergic reaction, which usually runs 4-5 times as much as the vaccine would have been(and the vet would have had to treat for a reaction since he gave the medication).

Vets are worth the cost if you don't have a lot of knowledge on what you're doing with your pets. I've worked with animals over my 40 year life, including livestock and dogs/cats. But when it comes to "Why is there a big sore on my monitor lizard" or a possible ulcer on my dog's eye... it's vet time.

And pink eye sometimes goes away on it's own, but also can end up becoming a massive ulcer, leading to losing the eye.. untreated or treated improperly. Seen it happen. A dog rubs at the eye, causing the ulcer, which makes them rub it more, causing a rupture, causing the eye to be surgically removed. And THIS is why the vet is sometimes worth the money, since if the dog had a ulcer instead of just pink eye, the easy treatment wouldn't have worked. This is the same idea for exotics, only exotics sometimes hide the illness better, have issues with regular treatment drugs or only respond to certain treatment drugs.

Of course, some vets are better than others.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FalconPunch

If I was to import a species that is always going to be wild caught, and is known to carry mild parasites, what medication would be an affordable way to treat this?

If I buy a fifty dollar snake, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars making it sanitary. How much have you all paid to treat parasites through a veterinarian? I'm just getting costs figured out- it may very well turn out that I'm not willing to work with certain imported species due to the cost of dealing with a wild-caught specimen. I have never had to treat parasites, so I'm just curious. What do you suggest.

---

It really depends on the animal and the vet. Some vets get special prices on dewormers. For example, Revolution for mammals (flea/tick/heartworm/ear mite) is retail for $60+ for 3 vials. My vet school treats patients for $3 a vial. I would never use over the counter brand dewormer to treat for parasites. Most are not effective and/or have a higher chance of the animal getting poisoned. There's a reason why over the counter meds are way cheaper than prescribed ones from a vet. What you pay is what you get.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

"How to give my dog dewormer" does not equal "What meds can I treat imported exotic reptiles with".

A vet charges more for each shot because they are a BUSINESS. They are not in business to break even or go broke. They pay rent, insurance, ongoing education, college education, employees, employee expenses, electric, water, sewer, biohazard disposal, equipment, training for the equipment.... etc.

How exactly do you expect a vet who went to school for years to pay his bills if he charges exactly what his costs are? Of course there's a mark up. Some vets mark services/items up a lot, some not as much. That's usually regarding how much expense they have, not how "greedy" they are.

There's a lot of things I do on my own for pets. I give my own shots except for rabies(by law, it's only regarded as "given" if a vet gives it)and I treat for heartworms myself, deworm myself. But I don't consider a vet fee to be greedy just because it cost more to get shots from the vet than it cost me to go get the shots and give myself. If the dog has a reaction to the vaccine(happens fairly often, actually) then I have to run the dog to a vet and get it treated for the allergic reaction, which usually runs 4-5 times as much as the vaccine would have been(and the vet would have had to treat for a reaction since he gave the medication).

Vets are worth the cost if you don't have a lot of knowledge on what you're doing with your pets. I've worked with animals over my 40 year life, including livestock and dogs/cats. But when it comes to "Why is there a big sore on my monitor lizard" or a possible ulcer on my dog's eye... it's vet time.

And pink eye sometimes goes away on it's own, but also can end up becoming a massive ulcer, leading to losing the eye.. untreated or treated improperly. Seen it happen. A dog rubs at the eye, causing the ulcer, which makes them rub it more, causing a rupture, causing the eye to be surgically removed. And THIS is why the vet is sometimes worth the money, since if the dog had a ulcer instead of just pink eye, the easy treatment wouldn't have worked. This is the same idea for exotics, only exotics sometimes hide the illness better, have issues with regular treatment drugs or only respond to certain treatment drugs.

Of course, some vets are better than others.

---

X2
Well said.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mr.spooky

its reasonable for the OP to ask if you can use benadryl for a rash his dog might have.... its not very reasonable for a person to state that they are bringing imported animals into the country, and wander if there is a cheaper way to treat them.
the reason that vets get paid what they do is simple.. they are doctors, they have earned it. saying that, there are some that i feel more comfortable with than others.
spooky

---

X2

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Missy King

i think it's a very fair question. I also think that vets are OVERpaid, and ask a LOT because most people either need it or their animals will die, if it's bad enough, or pay it because they love their animals like children. It's truly unfair.

http://www.anapsid.org/resources/rxdose.html

You can see that a lot of the dewormers are dog dewormers or cat dewormers, that they sell at petsmart.

Most of this on the list you need a perscription for...however for instance i just went to the vet to get my dog's eye looked at, and recieved a perscription for liquid neomycin, which is an over the counter anti-bacterial. Oh, don't get me wrong, it also had an eye soother in it...the same ingredient as in Visine. Treated him for a simple case of conjunctivitus...pink eye...which i read later goes away on it's on. She was saying so many things and telling me how he could have an ulcer, and/or something behind his eyelid...talked faster than a used car salesman so of course i was like "save my dog!". I did fuss about cost and ask a lot of questions, not that it did me any good, though i felt like i was prepared to go in there...she was just a much faster talker than i expected. After my fussing she came back in and took a whole GRACIOUS 12 dollars off the 138 bill, because after all, she only WHIPED OUT one eye, not both!

I also didn't trust her information on my snake that i took in. Only a 42 exam fee there. She opened my snake's mouth, and listened for a heartbeat. THAT i an exam? Seriously.

I get so pissed off most of the time, but when i finally go in there i always feel swindled. I've treated two snakes from the pound, on my own, and have felt like i've done a hellava lot more good than if i had ever even brought them near a vet. They are thriving, and no vet fees. I've only been looking up each issue as it arises and have done just fine. Granted, obviously if i feel like its' over my head i'll take an animal in, but good lord...afterwards i just feel like an idiot.

Anyway, my point is, mr.spooky, it's a reasonable question by falconpunch, and there is not the simple answer of "oh if you want a pet, you should be prepared to take it to the vet and pay out the nose for any reason!!!"
It's perfectly fine to do home treatments for a lot of things. And successful. ANd yes, CHEAPER, but hey, you have to save money when you can for stupid things the vets want to charge.

I would make a terrible vet, considering i'd be more concerned with helping the animal, and making sure it's healthy than making double profit or more.

Another example...my dog needed some shots of adequan...$38 dollars a shot. Vet raised the price to $48 dollars a shot. I was able to find it from Drs Foster and Smith online (very reputable site) for $45 dollars a BOTTLE...which was almost FIVE shots each. ridiculous. When i asked the vet if he would match prices he flipped out and said no. Apparently it costs him more to order it...I do NOT see how considering the price i was able to order it for...with FREE shipping.

Greeeeeeedy.

---

I'll admit that there are better qualified vets out there than others. But to say they're generally greedy is mildly offending. Many vets who have been out of school for 10, 20, 30, 40 years are still paying off their school loans. College, graduate school, and vet school are not cheap. How much do/did you pay for school? A lot right? Last year, the average tuition of a public 4 year college is $33,300 for in-state students. The average tuition of a private 4 year college is $119,400 for in-state students. Both Grad and Vet school is averaged on $40,000 for in state students and $42,000 for out of state. At the beginning of the year, the average veterinary student was graduating with around $107,000 in student loans.
Personally, for undergrad, my tuition was about $11,959/3 quarters. And my vet school tuition is $62,191.

A person who is 'greedy' and wants to make an easy buck, wouldn't go the veterinary route. It is hard work and very expensive. Veterinarians are doctors trained to aide animals. Animals can't speak like human patients do. Animals can't say what's wrong with them or how they feel so vets have to figure out a problem themselves.

Also, I've seen animals with ulcers in their eyes. It's horrible and unpleasant for the animal. A litter for 5 week old kittens contracted some when they were in foster care. It started out as nothing and developed into a huge deal where their eyes are no longer normal. Personally, I believe it was a safe move for your vet to want to treat your dog. Better safe than sorry. Safer to treat for a possible ailment then deal with it when it's coming at you in full force w/ the possibilities of other complications... That's just my opinion though....

However, I do agree that your snake exam did fall short. Is she really an exotic vet? An exotic exam should almost mirror that of a companion animal (cat/dog). Did she palpate your snake? Take measurements? Check eyes, scales, heat pits, reflex, ectoparasites, etc etc?

When I'm a vet, I don't plan on ripping people off. But like others have said, there are other fees to consider. Being in the medical field is not cheap in any shape or form.
Wolfy-hound pretty much summed it up, "A vet charges more for each shot because they are a BUSINESS. They are not in business to break even or go broke. They pay rent, insurance, ongoing education, college education, employees, employee expenses, electric, water, sewer, biohazard disposal, equipment, training for the equipment.... etc.

How exactly do you expect a vet who went to school for years to pay his bills if he charges exactly what his costs are? Of course there's a mark up. Some vets mark services/items up a lot, some not as much. That's usually regarding how much expense they have, not how "greedy" they are."

I didn't know I'd stir up such a debate. I apologize for flaring emotions on this friendly forum, just looking to see if there was a standard "magic pill" all vets have always prescribed to your imported snakes as a precaution.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Missy King

i think it's a very fair question. I also think that vets are OVERpaid, and ask a LOT because most people either need it or their animals will die, if it's bad enough, or pay it because they love their animals like children. It's truly unfair.

http://www.anapsid.org/resources/rxdose.html

You can see that a lot of the dewormers are dog dewormers or cat dewormers, that they sell at petsmart.

Most of this on the list you need a perscription for...however for instance i just went to the vet to get my dog's eye looked at, and recieved a perscription for liquid neomycin, which is an over the counter anti-bacterial. Oh, don't get me wrong, it also had an eye soother in it...the same ingredient as in Visine. Treated him for a simple case of conjunctivitus...pink eye...which i read later goes away on it's on. She was saying so many things and telling me how he could have an ulcer, and/or something behind his eyelid...talked faster than a used car salesman so of course i was like "save my dog!". I did fuss about cost and ask a lot of questions, not that it did me any good, though i felt like i was prepared to go in there...she was just a much faster talker than i expected. After my fussing she came back in and took a whole GRACIOUS 12 dollars off the 138 bill, because after all, she only WHIPED OUT one eye, not both!

I also didn't trust her information on my snake that i took in. Only a 42 exam fee there. She opened my snake's mouth, and listened for a heartbeat. THAT i an exam? Seriously.

I get so pissed off most of the time, but when i finally go in there i always feel swindled. I've treated two snakes from the pound, on my own, and have felt like i've done a hellava lot more good than if i had ever even brought them near a vet. They are thriving, and no vet fees. I've only been looking up each issue as it arises and have done just fine. Granted, obviously if i feel like its' over my head i'll take an animal in, but good lord...afterwards i just feel like an idiot.

Anyway, my point is, mr.spooky, it's a reasonable question by falconpunch, and there is not the simple answer of "oh if you want a pet, you should be prepared to take it to the vet and pay out the nose for any reason!!!"
It's perfectly fine to do home treatments for a lot of things. And successful. ANd yes, CHEAPER, but hey, you have to save money when you can for stupid things the vets want to charge.

I would make a terrible vet, considering i'd be more concerned with helping the animal, and making sure it's healthy than making double profit or more.

Another example...my dog needed some shots of adequan...$38 dollars a shot. Vet raised the price to $48 dollars a shot. I was able to find it from Drs Foster and Smith online (very reputable site) for $45 dollars a BOTTLE...which was almost FIVE shots each. ridiculous. When i asked the vet if he would match prices he flipped out and said no. Apparently it costs him more to order it...I do NOT see how considering the price i was able to order it for...with FREE shipping.

Greeeeeeedy.

---

Do you rant about the greed of your personal physician? I only ask because your vet likely has just as much weighing on her in school loans, and is making half as much at the end of the day.

If you distrust your vet's advice, either spend years training yourself to diagnose and treat, ask more questions until you're comfortable with the answer, or find a different vet. I recently switched herp vets because I felt I was overcharged by someone who generalized all snakes into one. My dog's vet, on the other hand, has proven time and again that they know their stuff and never nickel and dime me on unnecessary charges. It all comes down to finding the right vet for you and your animals - I drive an hour to mine because I trust them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FalconPunch

If I was to import a species that is always going to be wild caught, and is known to carry mild parasites, what medication would be an affordable way to treat this?

If I buy a fifty dollar snake, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars making it sanitary. How much have you all paid to treat parasites through a veterinarian? I'm just getting costs figured out- it may very well turn out that I'm not willing to work with certain imported species due to the cost of dealing with a wild-caught specimen. I have never had to treat parasites, so I'm just curious. What do you suggest.

---

My exotics vet charges $40-60 to have a full lab work done on stool samples [which is primarily what they use to look for parasites]. I don't know what the actual treatments go for, as I haven't needed them.

I suspect if you could find a lab that will do the testing yourself, and cut out the middleman [in this case the vet] you could save some of the lab costs and then you'd only need to see a vet for the treatments when you get a diagnosis. If you have 6 snakes imported and only 2 have their lab work show they have parasites now you're talking two vet visits for parasite treatments versus 6 visits to have the whole group examed first followed by 2 follow ups.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Missy King

i think it's a very fair question. I also think that vets are OVERpaid, and ask a LOT because most people either need it or their animals will die, if it's bad enough, or pay it because they love their animals like children. It's truly unfair.

http://www.anapsid.org/resources/rxdose.html

You can see that a lot of the dewormers are dog dewormers or cat dewormers, that they sell at petsmart.

Most of this on the list you need a perscription for...however for instance i just went to the vet to get my dog's eye looked at, and recieved a perscription for liquid neomycin, which is an over the counter anti-bacterial. Oh, don't get me wrong, it also had an eye soother in it...the same ingredient as in Visine. Treated him for a simple case of conjunctivitus...pink eye...which i read later goes away on it's on. She was saying so many things and telling me how he could have an ulcer, and/or something behind his eyelid...talked faster than a used car salesman so of course i was like "save my dog!". I did fuss about cost and ask a lot of questions, not that it did me any good, though i felt like i was prepared to go in there...she was just a much faster talker than i expected. After my fussing she came back in and took a whole GRACIOUS 12 dollars off the 138 bill, because after all, she only WHIPED OUT one eye, not both!

I also didn't trust her information on my snake that i took in. Only a 42 exam fee there. She opened my snake's mouth, and listened for a heartbeat. THAT i an exam? Seriously.

I get so pissed off most of the time, but when i finally go in there i always feel swindled. I've treated two snakes from the pound, on my own, and have felt like i've done a hellava lot more good than if i had ever even brought them near a vet. They are thriving, and no vet fees. I've only been looking up each issue as it arises and have done just fine. Granted, obviously if i feel like its' over my head i'll take an animal in, but good lord...afterwards i just feel like an idiot.

Anyway, my point is, mr.spooky, it's a reasonable question by falconpunch, and there is not the simple answer of "oh if you want a pet, you should be prepared to take it to the vet and pay out the nose for any reason!!!"
It's perfectly fine to do home treatments for a lot of things. And successful. ANd yes, CHEAPER, but hey, you have to save money when you can for stupid things the vets want to charge.

I would make a terrible vet, considering i'd be more concerned with helping the animal, and making sure it's healthy than making double profit or more.

Another example...my dog needed some shots of adequan...$38 dollars a shot. Vet raised the price to $48 dollars a shot. I was able to find it from Drs Foster and Smith online (very reputable site) for $45 dollars a BOTTLE...which was almost FIVE shots each. ridiculous. When i asked the vet if he would match prices he flipped out and said no. Apparently it costs him more to order it...I do NOT see how considering the price i was able to order it for...with FREE shipping.

Greeeeeeedy.

---

Dog dewormers - oranges.

Dealing with parasite loads on imported reptiles - apples.

Quoting Anapsid for anything - worthless.

The lesson - do not compare apples and oranges and Anapsid (Melissa Kaplan) is far better known for spreading disinformation than actual useable facts.

Bottom line: the price of the snake should not dictate the level of veterinary care that the OP should invest in it.

There are no magic pills for dealing with internal and external parasites in reptiles. The parasites differ by both geographic area, other species in the area and target prey. They need to be proper identified and treated by a qualified reptile vet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Skiploder

Quoting Anapsid for anything - worthless.

The lesson - do not compare apples and oranges and Anapsid (Melissa Kaplan) is far better known for spreading disinformation than actual useable facts.

---

Beat me to it. I saw Anapsid as the quoted link and did a heavy sigh....

Just because it's on the internet doesn't make it factual. Especially when it comes from Melissa Kaplan.

Did I miss something about Melissa?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kittycatpenut

Did I miss something about Melissa?

---

Anapsid and the quality of the information posted therein has been discussed to death on many forums. The accuracy of the information has been picked apart.

Same with Kaplan. Instead of hashing it out here, I would recommend that you read the introduction to Kaplan 101:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ad.php?t=23063

Or you can just go to Anapsid and pick a random page and fact check it:

http://www.anapsid.org/savannah.html

Some nuggets from the savannah monitor page:

"Substrate
Brown butcher paper is the easiest and least expensive but rather uninteresting. Astroturf or indoor/outdoor carpeting is another possibility."

Really?

Juvenile/Subadults (up to three feet in length) should be fed one to four mice twice a week

Uh huh.......

"Hot rocks may be used only for smaller monitors, and only when guarded against getting too hot (see the article on hot rocks for well-known problems associated with them). If using a hot rock, it should be connected to a thermostat to keep the surface temperature down to 85-95 F (29-32 C), not the 105 F (40 C) that the hot rocks typically reach."

Yep. A whole page of about the worst information you could give on savannah monitors.

Oh. I missed a lot.:O

so wait, you guys are mad at this melissa person because she doesn't think that everyone should be able to keep exotic pets? not everyone should have kids either.

and i have had too many experience with greedy vets. Complain all you want about school bills, anyone who's gone to college has them...and everyone works to pay them off. It's not like vets don't make money. please. you also can't tell me that vets in one area, say...in L.A. Southern California, don't charge more than say, Eastern Oregon.

In my exact experience, this is true.

You guys are being pretty defensive of my opinion of vets and their charges. i really doubt any of you have seen the prices down here in southern cali.

Also, why on earth would it be okay to give your own shots to your dog, and treat most worms or parasites, but then you frown on someone who says you don't need to go to a vet for that? Contradiction.

Agreed, as someone bleated, there are no magic pills to cure all parasites...but there ARE pills that are sold over the counter, and they ARE the same ingredients as the vet sells you. If you are knowledgeable about giving them to your animals, as someone else suggested you should be to do it....then there is not a problem, and you do not need a $58 dollar vet fee to figure that out.

As for someone else saying "spend years learning about it yourself, or get another vet" yeah, buddy, that's my point. I do read about it, and i do what i can myself, and i have not had the same vet twice (except when i lived in eastern Oregon, actually).

So I will admit my post had a frustrated tone. yeah, i'm frustrated.

If you say the vet's office is a business...and they want my money for medcine, and they want to pay off their expensive and amazing educations, then why wouldn't they match prices for the internet, or at least offer a more realistic cost to someone who points out their price is high? It's just easier to not sell it at all? That's really stupid business. I mean, after all, some money is some money, and better than none...especially when their school is SO expensive and just regular work cannot cut it to cover bills!

I'm sorry...actually no, i'm not. Probably 90% of you are responding as a knee-jerk reaction. I don't think the vet treating about 1,000 chihuahuas and driving corvet needs my money. That is actually how it is in my area.
I chose the wrong vet when she said she treated reptiles *shrug* that was my point. You guys can get as snarky as you want, but you're just being annoying.

I mean, where do you guys have the gall to, on one hand, fuss at me for trying to do what I can for my pets and rescues at a reasonable price, and doing and learning on my own to treat them when i can...and then on the other hand get high and mighty and make fun of internet posts by someone who has gone to way more "expensive" schooling than you and say it's all wrong? Have YOU Studied as much as this melissa person or are you just mad that she doesn't think everyone should own exotics? lol

Jeez. The first link you put up is just another forum complaining about that chick. I don't know anything about monitors so i have no idea if the second one is right or wrong...but neither do you...do you? I mean you just automatically bring your pets straight to the vet, so why would you even pay attention to anything on the internet??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Missy King

so wait, you guys are mad at this melissa person because she doesn't think that everyone should be able to keep exotic pets? not everyone should have kids either.

and i have had too many experience with greedy vets. Complain all you want about school bills, anyone who's gone to college has them...and everyone works to pay them off. It's not like vets don't make money. please. you also can't tell me that vets in one area, say...in L.A. Southern California, don't charge more than say, Eastern Oregon.
. thats because of geographic location, the true answer to this is to choose a cheaper place to live.
In my exact experience, this is true.

You guys are being pretty defensive of my opinion of vets and their charges. i really doubt any of you have seen the prices down here in southern cali.

Also, why on earth would it be okay to give your own shots to your dog, and treat most worms or parasites, but then you frown on someone who says you don't need to go to a vet for that? Contradiction.
how are you going to know what your treating until you take any animal to the vet? after taking to the vet, if you decide to administer treatment,, well, thats up to you.
Agreed, as someone bleated, there are no magic pills to cure all parasites...but there ARE pills that are sold over the counter, and they ARE the same ingredients as the vet sells you. If you are knowledgeable about giving them to your animals, as someone else suggested you should be to do it....then there is not a problem, and you do not need a $58 dollar vet fee to figure that out.
so now your saying that your as knowledgeable as a chemest or a pharmacist? most people know just enough to be dangerous.

As for someone else saying "spend years learning about it yourself, or get another vet" yeah, buddy, that's my point. I do read about it, and i do what i can myself, and i have not had the same vet twice (except when i lived in eastern Oregon, actually).

So I will admit my post had a frustrated tone. yeah, i'm frustrated.

If you say the vet's office is a business...and they want my money for medcine, and they want to pay off their expensive and amazing educations, then why wouldn't they match prices for the internet, or at least offer a more realistic cost to someone who points out their price is high? It's just easier to not sell it at all? That's really stupid business. I mean, after all, some money is some money, and better than none...especially when their school is SO expensive and just regular work cannot cut it to cover bills!
LOL their in the medical field,,, .. if you want to argue matching prices, go to a car lot, or the flea market.

I'm sorry...actually no, i'm not. Probably 90% of you are responding as a knee-jerk reaction. I don't think the vet treating about 1,000 chihuahuas and driving corvet needs my money. That is actually how it is in my area.
I chose the wrong vet when she said she treated reptiles *shrug* that was my point. You guys can get as snarky as you want, but you're just being annoying.

I mean, where do you guys have the gall to, on one hand, fuss at me for trying to do what I can for my pets and rescues at a reasonable price, and doing and learning on my own to treat them when i can...and then on the other hand get high and mighty and make fun of internet posts by someone who has gone to way more "expensive" schooling than you and say it's all wrong? Have YOU Studied as much as this melissa person or are you just mad that she doesn't think everyone should own exotics? lol
im sorry, corect me if im wrong,, but i dont remember seeing any DVM titles, PHD's or anything like that behind her name?? like i said i might be wrong... if not, then shees just another person with an opinion.

Jeez. The first link you put up is just another forum complaining about that chick. I don't know anything about monitors so i have no idea if the second one is right or wrong...but neither do you...do you? I mean you just automatically bring your pets straight to the vet, so why would you even pay attention to anything on the internet??

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on the internet, you can also find people that think a portal is going to open in 2012 and if they dont jump through it in just the right time, the world will perish. we should be careful what we believe.
in the end, yes, i would rub some benadryl on a rash on my dog. thats about it.

spooky

To the OP - As spooky pointed out in his first response, it will really all depend on the animal and what problems they end up having - anything from "bugs" under the skin to intestinal worms to ticks to respiratory infections from the stress of transport.

Although a vet visit doesn't always have to be the answer, in this case it should be. I applaud you for asking the question before getting an animal and finding that the potential expense is more than you're likely willing to spend. :gj:

As the old quote by Thomas Henry Huxley roughly states, if you left a hundred monkeys in front of a hundred typewriters for a hundred years eventually you’d manage to get a Shakespearean sonnet.

Well, ladies and gentlemen of BP.net, I am happy to report that while no Shakespearean sonnets have been written, it appears that one of those apes has taken time from smearing turds on the wall and picking insects of his neighbors to repsond to my post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Missy King

so wait, you guys are mad at this melissa person because she doesn't think that everyone should be able to keep exotic pets? not everyone should have kids either.

and i have had too many experience with greedy vets. Complain all you want about school bills, anyone who's gone to college has them...and everyone works to pay them off. It's not like vets don't make money. please. you also can't tell me that vets in one area, say...in L.A. Southern California, don't charge more than say, Eastern Oregon.

In my exact experience, this is true.

You guys are being pretty defensive of my opinion of vets and their charges. i really doubt any of you have seen the prices down here in southern cali.

Also, why on earth would it be okay to give your own shots to your dog, and treat most worms or parasites, but then you frown on someone who says you don't need to go to a vet for that? Contradiction.

Agreed, as someone bleated, there are no magic pills to cure all parasites...but there ARE pills that are sold over the counter, and they ARE the same ingredients as the vet sells you. If you are knowledgeable about giving them to your animals, as someone else suggested you should be to do it....then there is not a problem, and you do not need a $58 dollar vet fee to figure that out.

As for someone else saying "spend years learning about it yourself, or get another vet" yeah, buddy, that's my point. I do read about it, and i do what i can myself, and i have not had the same vet twice (except when i lived in eastern Oregon, actually).

So I will admit my post had a frustrated tone. yeah, i'm frustrated.

If you say the vet's office is a business...and they want my money for medcine, and they want to pay off their expensive and amazing educations, then why wouldn't they match prices for the internet, or at least offer a more realistic cost to someone who points out their price is high? It's just easier to not sell it at all? That's really stupid business. I mean, after all, some money is some money, and better than none...especially when their school is SO expensive and just regular work cannot cut it to cover bills!

I'm sorry...actually no, i'm not. Probably 90% of you are responding as a knee-jerk reaction. I don't think the vet treating about 1,000 chihuahuas and driving corvet needs my money. That is actually how it is in my area.
I chose the wrong vet when she said she treated reptiles *shrug* that was my point. You guys can get as snarky as you want, but you're just being annoying.

I mean, where do you guys have the gall to, on one hand, fuss at me for trying to do what I can for my pets and rescues at a reasonable price, and doing and learning on my own to treat them when i can...and then on the other hand get high and mighty and make fun of internet posts by someone who has gone to way more "expensive" schooling than you and say it's all wrong? Have YOU Studied as much as this melissa person or are you just mad that she doesn't think everyone should own exotics? lol

Jeez. The first link you put up is just another forum complaining about that chick. I don't know anything about monitors so i have no idea if the second one is right or wrong...but neither do you...do you? I mean you just automatically bring your pets straight to the vet, so why would you even pay attention to anything on the internet??

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Let's take things, er, point by point:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Missy King

so wait, you guys are mad at this melissa person because she doesn't think that everyone should be able to keep exotic pets? not everyone should have kids either

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While mastering a typewriter and logging into an internet forum are admirable feats, understanding a post before you respond to it is considered de rigueur on the interwebs.

Here, I'll help you a bit - no one is mad at Melissa Kraplan. We all are just tired of her pro HSUS stance and the oodles and oodles of bad information she pollutes the web with.

As for your comparison with her advocating a ban on exotic pets and people not having kids - again, you seem to not be able to discern the difference between an orange globe of fruit and a red globe of fruit. Learn that difference and your life outside of the typewriter lab will be oh so much easier.

Quote:

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Also, why on earth would it be okay to give your own shots to your dog, and treat most worms or parasites, but then you frown on someone who says you don't need to go to a vet for that? Contradiction.

Agreed, as someone bleated, there are no magic pills to cure all parasites...but there ARE pills that are sold over the counter, and they ARE the same ingredients as the vet sells you. If you are knowledgeable about giving them to your animals, as someone else suggested you should be to do it....then there is not a problem, and you do not need a $58 dollar vet fee to figure that out.

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This part of your post left me wondering if some Kaopectate might actually work on diarrhea spewing from the mouth. This is not Beagle.net or Labradoodle.net, it's Ball-Pythons.net. No one is arguing about treating that puppy they stuck in the lab with you and your troop to see if you would adopt it or eat it, we are discussing treating a colubrid for internal parasites.

You can buy dog and cat tape, round and hook worm medication over the counter and without a prescription. The vast majority of doggy and kitty intestinal parasites comprise these main types of worms and are treating by one or two medications that are easy to dose and carry no side effects.

With reptiles, there are many, many, many more types of intestinal parasites they can be afflicted by, and many of the medications require a prescription to obtain. These meds can also kill your reptile if you dose them wrong. So (bear with me here), you need a vet - not Melissa Kraplan - to diagnose your snakes poo (yes diagnose, not smear on walls or fling said poo) to determine the one , or in some cases two or three naughty bugs afflicting your reptile. Then that vet needs to give you a prescription so that you can make your snake all better. Is that clear enough? Or are you going to start confusing your fruits again?

Quote:

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Jeez. The first link you put up is just another forum complaining about that chick. I don't know anything about monitors so i have no idea if the second one is right or wrong...but neither do you...do you? I mean you just automatically bring your pets straight to the vet, so why would you even pay attention to anything on the internet??

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The first link I put up is a discussion where people outlined the errors in Anapsid and the duplicity of the author.

As you yourself stated, you know diddly over crap about monitors, so you should have kept your banana hole shut and not typed any more of your stream of un-medicated consciousness.

I, on the other hand, do. That sheet I linked to is a prescription for a sick or dead monitor. It has nothing to do with vets. Monitors like dirt, they like it hot and savannah monitors need an invertebrate diet. It's that simple. On almost every point she was wrong. Get it - wrong?

Once more with feeling - WRONG. Your grand finish, which was an apparent attempt to throw the forum's stance on vets back in our collective faces is pathetic.

That disgusting care sheet on savannah monitors has nothing to do with the forum's advocacy of seeking a qualified reptile vet to deal with internal parasites and administer prescription drugs. Are you that thick that you cannot grasp the simple concept of a rotten care sheet? Or are you intent on turning this thread into a rant against all the vets that you feel are ripping you off?

Back to the typewriter with you for another 100 years. You are nowhere close to even being able to cogently respond to an internet post - let alone write that Shakespearean sonnet you have been tasked with.

Toodles!

Skip

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Originally Posted by Kittycatpenut

Oh. I missed a lot.:O

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No sweat.:)

ummm.... wow.. I do want to say something, ABS don't rip me apart. Some vets are in it for the money, an some.in it for the love. The Vet I am going to.on the 31st IA cocky.. but he loves animals, the vet I am currently with has charges me almost 1,500 for 4 visits, refuses to do a cultural, lied to me, given dosages that were not only under, but none of them were the same..

Yes, some vets Love there animals and don't charge you 100 just to hear there heart beat and see if they have gas.... ;/

It's sad really, but this is our world. Everyone has there opinion, and everyone lives in different parts of it. Am I saying I should were a careaheet on BP's? Of course not I'm still learning myself. But what I don't get IA why this escalated to such a fight. I know my vet brags that she paid off almost 150,000 in school loans in just three years being at her clinic.

I also have this point.. this vet charges nearly $400 to fix your cat.... $400!?! I can stay in my town and pay $65 to get my cat fized, get his rabies shot, and flea medication.

Also to school loans.. I owe nearly 75,000 for two years of culinary school. That's counting what I have to pay in private loans for rent to be able to go to school.

Yes life's hard, I'm not going to say it's not. But some arguments people make nowadays are sad.

My point to all this? Some vets will want your soul to treat your animals. Other just get enough to make it through the year.

Try not to tear me apart now. :(

I'm a noob ( got all my herps this year) so I don't know much of what happened before I joined this forum. Oh well, I guess that means I have a lot of 10+ page threads to read :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zeion97

My point to all this? Some vets will want your soul to treat your animals. Other just get enough to make it through the year.

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Agree wholeheartedly. However, this is the case when dealing with any human being with a service or product to offer, so it's the resposibility of the client (owner) to ask questions and choose the right supplier, which can be easier said than done. Personally, I'd laugh in anyone's face that tried to charge me $400 for a neuter, but as I said before, I drive three times the distance needed to a vet I know is skilled and reasonable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

Agree wholeheartedly. However, this is the case when dealing with any human being with a service or product to offer, so it's the resposibility of the client (owner) to ask questions and choose the right supplier, which can be easier said than done. Personally, I'd laugh in anyone's face that tried to charge me $400 for a neuter, but as I said before, I drive three times the distance needed to a vet I know is skilled and reasonable.

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I'd Love to do that, but the truth is I can't. I only knew two exotic vets around here until about a week ago. Maybe a week And a half. The next nearest exotic vet is a 2 to 2 1/2 drive. I personally can't do that. I'm hoping with my new vet though I wont have to worry any more. I heard from the Guy who I got my Burmese from he's skilled in herps And knows what he us doing.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good vets out there, just nob close to where I live. But I'm also in the middle of nowhere. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Missy King

so wait, you guys are mad at this melissa person because she doesn't think that everyone should be able to keep exotic pets? not everyone should have kids either.

and i have had too many experience with greedy vets. Complain all you want about school bills, anyone who's gone to college has them...and everyone works to pay them off. It's not like vets don't make money. please. you also can't tell me that vets in one area, say...in L.A. Southern California, don't charge more than say, Eastern Oregon.
In my exact experience, this is true.

You guys are being pretty defensive of my opinion of vets and their charges. i really doubt any of you have seen the prices down here in southern cali.

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Yes, many people have loans to pay off. But many people out of college start working with no worries of starting a new practice. An engineer can work at an established company and not worry about start up costs. Many vets start up their own practices from the ground up on top of the loans... And like somebody else stated, at the end of the day, some are probably making half or less of what they're billing people.

I live in California. Personally, I find that a lot of things in California are more expensive than other states. California has the highest state tax in the country... And take housing or building rent for example. A 1 story house can go for a million dollars easily in California. You can buy a newer house 3 times the size out of state for $200,000. Some apartments are as expensive as full sized houses elsewhere.... It's a matter of location that determines stuff like this. Office rent and tax is more, thus they probably charge more for services. Though don't quote me on that.

Quote:

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Also, why on earth would it be okay to give your own shots to your dog, and treat most worms or parasites, but then you frown on someone who says you don't need to go to a vet for that? Contradiction.

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You don't need to go to a vet to give your dog its own shots. Many people who own livestock and horses do their own deworming treatment. Vets aren't around to only give shots. They have other purposes too, you know? But giving a reptile a parasite treatment is a little different than a companion animal as their bodies are totally different from mammals.....So it's safer for the animal to see a vet.

Quote:

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If you say the vet's office is a business...and they want my money for medcine, and they want to pay off their expensive and amazing educations, then why wouldn't they match prices for the internet, or at least offer a more realistic cost to someone who points out their price is high? It's just easier to not sell it at all?

---

Well, it sounds unreasonable for your vet to refuse to match prices on the same product since you could just go w/ the online order...

But there are a lot of other things only a vet can do and an owner cannot.
And many meds are prescription only. And I don't mean general dewormer or topical flea solution....Some also have to special order from the pharmaceutical manufacturer.

(I'm more comfortable with ferret medicine, so I like using them in examples.) So for example, ferret adrenal disease implants(almost like a giant microchip that releases drugs/hormone into the body) can only be ordered from Australia and are going for ~$150-200 for one implant that will last a year. Adrenal disease is the most commonly diagnosed clinical conditions among domestic ferrets in the US. Almost all ferrets will get adrenal in their life. The implants 'cure' and prevent clinical signs. So many ferrets get an implant yearly... So you see, not all things can be done on your own w/o a vet.

So much to respond to, so I quoted, and BOLDED my responses to clarify.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Missy King

so wait, you guys are mad at this melissa person because she doesn't think that everyone should be able to keep exotic pets? not everyone should have kids either.
People are "mad" at this irresponsible idiot for putting up caresheets and sounding professional while giving advice that will lead to the DEATH of the animal in the caresheet. She advocates feeding crickets to snakes for instance. All stuff you'd know if you read the link instead of assuming you know everything.

and i have had too many experience with greedy vets. Complain all you want about school bills, anyone who's gone to college has them...and everyone works to pay them off. It's not like vets don't make money. please. you also can't tell me that vets in one area, say...in L.A. Southern California, don't charge more than say, Eastern Oregon.
No one said that all vets charge the same thing. Are you really trying to say that the rent, electric and other costs are EXACTLY the same in L.A. as in rural Oregon?

In my exact experience, this is true.

You guys are being pretty defensive of my opinion of vets and their charges. i really doubt any of you have seen the prices down here in southern cali.

Also, why on earth would it be okay to give your own shots to your dog, and treat most worms or parasites, but then you frown on someone who says you don't need to go to a vet for that? Contradiction.
No contradiction at all. I don't remember anyone saying that you have to take a DOG to a vet for SHOTS. Most folks were pointing out that exotic reptiles have various needs and can have issues with many medications. Once you kill a few of your pets using advice from idiots like Kaplan, perhaps you'll understand. I'm not holding my breath, since you don't seem to understand even the simplest concept.

Agreed, as someone bleated, there are no magic pills to cure all parasites...but there ARE pills that are sold over the counter, and they ARE the same ingredients as the vet sells you. If you are knowledgeable about giving them to your animals, as someone else suggested you should be to do it....then there is not a problem, and you do not need a $58 dollar vet fee to figure that out.
When you quote an idiot like Kaplan as your "knowledge", then yes you need a vet who knows what they're doing. When you DO have knowledge, then yes, you can dose your own animals. The OP admitted to NOT having the knowledge, and thus was advised to trust a herp vet, NOT some random moron on the internet who can't get even basic caresheets right.

As for someone else saying "spend years learning about it yourself, or get another vet" yeah, buddy, that's my point. I do read about it, and i do what i can myself, and i have not had the same vet twice (except when i lived in eastern Oregon, actually).
So you've never built a relationship with a good vet, you prefer to bounce from place to place, because you know so much. Got it.

So I will admit my post had a frustrated tone. yeah, i'm frustrated.

If you say the vet's office is a business...and they want my money for medcine, and they want to pay off their expensive and amazing educations, then why wouldn't they match prices for the internet, or at least offer a more realistic cost to someone who points out their price is high? It's just easier to not sell it at all? That's really stupid business. I mean, after all, some money is some money, and better than none...especially when their school is SO expensive and just regular work cannot cut it to cover bills!
Again, the INTERNET shop doesn't have to pay BILLS!!! A internet store doesn't pay rent, electric, employees, school bills. Maybe you live in never-never land where you just poop money. The rest of us have to work to get money to pay bills. So does your vet. Some are cheaper, some are more expensive, some are lousy, some are knowledgable. But they all have to pay their BILLS.

I'm sorry...actually no, i'm not. Probably 90% of you are responding as a knee-jerk reaction. I don't think the vet treating about 1,000 chihuahuas and driving corvet needs my money. That is actually how it is in my area.
I chose the wrong vet when she said she treated reptiles *shrug* that was my point. You guys can get as snarky as you want, but you're just being annoying.
Sorry our imparting information to assist someone posting with questions annoys you. Actually, I'm not sorry. You admit you chose the wrong vet but decide to present all vets as "greedy" and think no one should actually make a living off their business.

I mean, where do you guys have the gall to, on one hand, fuss at me for trying to do what I can for my pets and rescues at a reasonable price, and doing and learning on my own to treat them when i can...and then on the other hand get high and mighty and make fun of internet posts by someone who has gone to way more "expensive" schooling than you and say it's all wrong? Have YOU Studied as much as this melissa person or are you just mad that she doesn't think everyone should own exotics? lol
Kaplan has NO SCHOOLING. She actually has nearly NO EXPERIANCE and instead has copy/pasted(aka plagerized) other articles, adding her own errors and also doesn't think ANYONE should own exotics, not just "everyone". Again, Kaplan is NOT A VET OR ANY EXCUSE FOR A VET! Which you would understand if you actually read anything instead of knowing it all already.

Jeez. The first link you put up is just another forum complaining about that chick. I don't know anything about monitors so i have no idea if the second one is right or wrong...but neither do you...do you? I mean you just automatically bring your pets straight to the vet, so why would you even pay attention to anything on the internet??

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Several people with a great deal of experiance with monitors do KNOW and not one person advocating "automatically bringing your pets to the vet" but again, if you READ, you'd UNDERSTAND, but it's very difficult when you already know it all.

Basically, you've presented yourself as knowing everything about every animal, are you sure you're not actually Kaplan under a new alias? You told a new person that they should just randomly treat exotic imported reptiles with whatever over-the-counter meds they saw pasted on a website... were you going to pay when the animals died because he didn't know that antibiotic gel with pain relief can kill many reptiles? Were you going to suck it up and hold their hand when they get upset over the pet dying of liver failure? Somehow I think not.

BP.net isn't here to annoy you. It's here to impart information to people with questions and to share experiance and the love of reptiles. If you ever take the chip off your shoulder and hop off your pedestal, come around and meet some of us sometime.

And you have my full permission to be annoyed at my post as well. It won't bug me much. I'm just happy the OP seems like a great potential pet owner well on his way to a happy reptile experiance. Especially since he didn't meet you before BP.net.

Once you start importing and get in good with your Vet, He/She should have a list of meds dosings for you to have on had, Thus saving you time and money.

I know my Vet which i havent used for reptiles yet, but he will write me any script i need and he will give me the dosage over the phone.

You will need to take your first batch of Imports in t know what you will be dealing with. Then stock up on the Meds depending on the number you import.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Once you start importing and get in good with your Vet, He/She should have a list of meds dosings for you to have on had, Thus saving you time and money.

I know my Vet which i havent used for reptiles yet, but he will write me any script i need and he will give me the dosage over the phone.

You will need to take your first batch of Imports in t know what you will be dealing with. Then stock up on the Meds depending on the number you import.

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Rich, obviously your vet isn't one of those fancy southern california rip off artists we've all been hearing so much about.;)

im also had experience with few bad vet before..but it doesnt stop me to find a good one and finally found it..after so many years dealing with him,now he trust me to do it on my own..sometimes he just give me antibiotic which i need to inject it to my sick animal..i knew exactly the meds he use with the concentration, but when new people ask me about their sick snake,i suggest them to bring it to the vet..the only thing i can help them is to introduce them to a good vet.that is the only shortcut in treating sick reptile..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

Rich, obviously your vet isn't one of those fancy southern california rip off artists we've all been hearing so much about.;)

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I guess, Hes just a cool down to earth Guy I been going to for years for my Cats checkups and so on.

Quite the hot topic! A good vet is worth what they charge. I have a vet in the family (horses and cows mostly :-( ) She just set up her own practice and that means a 2 million dollar loan to do that. Add the cost of education and loss of income while in school it is quite a debt will she pay it back yes absolutely does she over charge I have to say no, I have 2 years less schooling than she does and my business was set up much far cheaper and I still charge more an hour.

I saw my vet today a check up on one of the rescues (I don't own her and am not likely going to be her 'forever' home once she is well and healthy she will find someone whom will care for her and look after her properly. I agreed when I took her in I would look after her that mean a trip (or 4) to the vet. My vet saw her today spend 40 min with us and we decided that everything seemed to be on the mend. I was charged a reasonable 60$ for that. I trust my vet and lean on her experience to keep my animals and animals I am responsible safe and healthy. I do the same for my mechanic for my car I pay him 70$ an hour why should I not pay my vet 100$ especially when she is right more often!

There is no web site that should be taken at face value all information should be cross referenced and compared before taking it as truth. The problem with web sites is often bad information and worse that information being quoted to and from other sites.

The fact is drugs change frequently, what was used commonly 10 years ago is not used at all today. Taking ANY information on drugs from a web site is sketchy as it is likely out dated. There are so many types of internal parasites that are possible with WC animals that no one drug will work anyway it is a handful and there could be cross reactions and complications with using more than one. A vet will know this and understand the complexities of drugs. Web pages are far too simple to be complete. look at ASA dogs can be given it but cats it is a poison. Every vet knows this but my vet sees 5-10 cases of salicylate toxicity in cats every year. There are a handful of web sites that talk about ASA to cats... wrongly. You are trusting your animal to some person whom bought page mill? seriously???

Step one: Find a good reptile vet.
If you do this, you will not be overcharged, and you will get quality care for the reptile. If you settle for less than a good reptile vet, your reptile may not get good care. ARAV.org can help.

Step two: Educate yourself, so that you know in the first visit whether or not the vet you chose is a good reptile vet. (Sadly, this is still necessary).

If you're getting a wild caught animal, it may have a whole host of exotic parasites, bacteria, and even viruses, dwelling within it. That really requires a professional to identify everything and treat it appropriately. Expect wild caught animals to cost MORE, not LESS, than captive bred animals, for this reason. If you don't like that, just buy a captive bred ahaetulla. I've seen them around, though not commonly.

All that having been said, it has been a source of low grade annoyance for me for years now that metronidazole and fenbendazole can all be purchased freely at feed stores in concentrations appropriate for the treatment of livestock, but CANNOT be purchased in concentrations appropriate for the treatment of small animals (such as reptiles).
I own a microscrope, and having once worked for a vet, I know how to prepare fecal float, and learning to identify pinworm eggs is not rocket science, nor does it require a veterinary license. There's a nice book available, with photos. Vets use it. We should be able to regularly screen our own collections, and treat them simply for anything we identify, saving vet visits for more serious issues than a minor case of worms brought in by a rodent meal.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

A good vet is worth what they charge.

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I wholeheartedly agree!:gj:

My vet charges a lot, but I don't mind. She's not ripping people off and its not out of greed, I assure you. She is one of the most awesome, kind, and knowledgeable person I know. She treats my animals as if they were her own. She coos at my ferrets as well as the snakes. Haha. Most meds and vaccines are generally the same price everywhere, but it's the office visit fee that really kills me. An exotic exam is $60 per animal, which is average I suppose. I usually bring my animals in groups. So the multiple animal office fee does get up there. I've also been to other not as great vets, who charge less and/or offer a 1 office visit for all fee. Even though they're cheaper, I'd rather just pay more for my vet, who I know I could trust to keep my animals healthy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

Step one: Find a good reptile vet.
If you do this, you will not be overcharged, and you will get quality care for the reptile. If you settle for less than a good reptile vet, your reptile may not get good care. ARAV.org can help.

Step two: Educate yourself, so that you know in the first visit whether or not the vet you chose is a good reptile vet. (Sadly, this is still necessary).

If you're getting a wild caught animal, it may have a whole host of exotic parasites, bacteria, and even viruses, dwelling within it. That really requires a professional to identify everything and treat it appropriately. Expect wild caught animals to cost MORE, not LESS, than captive bred animals, for this reason. If you don't like that, just buy a captive bred ahaetulla. I've seen them around, though not commonly.

All that having been said, it has been a source of low grade annoyance for me for years now that metronidazole and fenbendazole can all be purchased freely at feed stores in concentrations appropriate for the treatment of livestock, but CANNOT be purchased in concentrations appropriate for the treatment of small animals (such as reptiles).
I own a microscrope, and having once worked for a vet, I know how to prepare fecal float, and learning to identify pinworm eggs is not rocket science, nor does it require a veterinary license. There's a nice book available, with photos. Vets use it. We should be able to regularly screen our own collections, and treat them simply for anything we identify, saving vet visits for more serious issues than a minor case of worms brought in by a rodent meal.

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you make a good point. if you feel confident enough to learn how to do fecal floats, and to identify common parasites and such, it would be a first line of defence. it would also be benificial for monthly fecal checkups. you truly cant go wrong by doing this..
but saying that, one must also know that just because they have a scope, there not a doctor.
i am fortunate that most of my working life, i have been in the animal field. my wife is a board certified DVM in pathology,,,so most of our lab work is done in house, and what cant be done in house is taken to the vet diagnostic lab we both work at. BUT, if one of our dogs has been limping for a few days, or the cat has the snots or something,,,,, we still take the animals to the local vet
does anyone really think that they can gain the same knowlage from a few weeks on the internet that the doctors gain from a 5-6+ years of education, and a career to further their education?
spooky

I agree entirely--but there's a line between trying to learn to be a vet at home, and learning some very basic first aid and treatment of very simple ailments at home.

You don't take the dog to the vet if it gets a little cut on its pad--you put a safe antibiotic ointment on it, and keep an eye on it.
If a snake gets an RI, we know that's serious--it should go to a vet (I don't agree with the folks who try treating that at home by nebulizing, personally). But, a minor case of worms isn't exactly serious if you catch it early, and the drugs used to treat pinworm or most protozoa aren't incredibly dangerous--panacur and flagyl have a wide safety margin.
We're considered competent to dose our horse, but not our snake. The procedure is the same--you weigh the animal, and follow the directions. :P

It's the division between livestock and 'pets' that I object to.

we are on the same page here... we should all just be responsible to know when to say when...
maby in 20 years or so, it will be common practice to treat our reptiles for common problems, but as of now, reptile medicine is still in its beginnings, and for the most part, should be left to the pro's.
spooky

Three things that invalidate arguments for me

I. Any mention of Melissa.
II. Anapsid as a reputable source.
III. Devaluing herp vets.

Already overstated I know.

Bruce