over the counter medication?

[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.

[mr.spooky]

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

[FalconPunch]

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.

[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

[wolfy-hound]

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.

[FalconPunch]

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

[mr.spooky]

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

[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.

[mr.spooky]

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

[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.