Vet won't write script for Fortaz but sells it at 10x the price. Is this legal?

[leocrespo]

Took snakes to a vet clinic for RI symptoms (Nevada). Vet wanted to start antibiotics without a culture/sensitivity; I said no. We did the tests and results came back for light growth of gram negative that are sensitive to Ceftazidime. Vet wanted to sell me the treatment per animal for about $120 for 6 syringes (over $350 for 3 snakes). Ceftazidime costs $9 for a 1g vial at my local pet pharmacy that I've bought from before, and I can get all snakes treated for $30. Vet refused to write me a script for it and will only sell me the medication for 10x the price.

The actual vet was ok writing the script at first, but the clinic manager said No. Imagine if you went to your doctor and instead of writing the script for the medication you need he would only sell it at 10x the price.

1. Is it even legal? Imagine if you went to your doctor and instead of writing the script for the medication he would only sell it at 10x the price. I assume this is in violation of consumer laws.

2. I'm considering writing a complaint for malpractice. I don't have a problem with the clinic selling the medication, but I do have a problem with them forcing me to buy from them. Any other places I could complain about this practice?

3. Any law, code, or text I could cite to the next vet I see that will encourage him to write the script instead of forcing me to pay exorbitant prices?

Thanks for your replies.

[Bogertophis]

I've had the same problem (I'm in another state entirely) where a local vet did the same thing to me: refused to write a prescription for medication my dog needed...
they actually claimed they were unable to even write a prescription (!?!?) and could ONLY supply the needed medication, forcing me to buy it from them. Another
claim they like to make is the uncertain purity of prescription drugs from online sources, but basically it's all about them lining their own pockets. BTW, I changed vets
& told them why in a letter after that incident. Really ticked me off too...apart from that, they seem to be good vets, but !!!

I agree, it's exactly the same thing as if your own physician was essentially "pushing" drugs to you to line their own pockets! WT....? Seems very unethical to me too,
& I hope you do file a complaint for malpractice (to the board of veterinary medicine, I'd guess). Please let me know how it goes? I don't have that problem currently,
but this is a small town where I live & I've heard complaints from others about "price fixing" etc. (Some vet practices are all owned by one, so presumably managed
the same way too.) It's very frustrating, & in your case, that amount of "mark-up" is frankly obscene.

The ethical (& hopefully legal) issue is- how can you trust that a doctor has your best medical interests when they are clearly profit-motivated as the only
source of the treatment medication? I call b.s. too...good luck! I don't know where the law stands on this, but clearly some doctors/vets are taking advantage
of people & their pets. Now that you've brought it up (it's been some years since this happened to me) it makes me want to research it more also.

[bcr229]

It is not illegal, immoral, unethical, malpractice, or fattening for them to run their business that way. If you don't like it then you go to a different vet.

[Bogertophis]

It is not illegal, immoral, unethical, malpractice, or fattening for them to run their business that way. If you don't like it then you go to a different vet.

That only works when they aren't all in cahoots on the price-fixing though...personally, I think it's taking unfair advantage.

It just doesn't pass the "smell test".

[wnateg]

It is not illegal, immoral, unethical, malpractice, or fattening for them to run their business that way. If you don't like it then you go to a different vet.

Immoral and unethical is pretty subjective, regardless of the power of choice.

[leocrespo]

I've had the same problem (I'm in another state entirely) where a local vet did the same thing to me: refused to write a prescription for medication my dog needed...
they actually claimed they were unable to even write a prescription (!?!?) and could ONLY supply the needed medication, forcing me to buy it from them. Another
claim they like to make is the uncertain purity of prescription drugs from online sources, but basically it's all about them lining their own pockets. BTW, I changed vets
& told them why in a letter after that incident. Really ticked me off too...apart from that, they seem to be good vets, but !!!

I agree, it's exactly the same thing as if your own physician was essentially "pushing" drugs to you to line their own pockets! WT....? Seems very unethical to me too,
& I hope you do file a complaint for malpractice (to the board of veterinary medicine, I'd guess). Please let me know how it goes? I don't have that problem currently,
but this is a small town where I live & I've heard complaints from others about "price fixing" etc. (Some vet practices are all owned by one, so presumably managed
the same way too.) It's very frustrating, & in your case, that amount of "mark-up" is frankly obscene.

The ethical (& hopefully legal) issue is- how can you trust that a doctor has your best medical interests when they are clearly profit-motivated as the only
source of the treatment medication? I call b.s. too...good luck! I don't know where the law stands on this, but clearly some doctors/vets are taking advantage
of people & their pets. Now that you've brought it up (it's been some years since this happened to me) it makes me want to research it more also.

I'm glad we agree! I will file the complaint with the vet boards and local consumer laws centers too. I'll update this post with new info. If you do more research please update this topic too.

[Craiga 01453]

It is not illegal, immoral, unethical, malpractice, or fattening for them to run their business that way. If you don't like it then you go to a different vet.

I almost always agree with you bcr229. But I have to disagree here. Illegal, no...but unethical, yes. Shouldn't it be about the animal first? Shouldn't that be why somebody becomes a vet? I understand, it's a business, designed to make money. But refusing to write a prescription for a sick animal with the sole purpose being financial gain is wrong to me.

I see it with pharmaceutical companies too. People are sick and dying, yet the drug is available, they just can't afford it. It's so wrong.
Here's a perfect example: my fiance has an auto immune disorder that requires her to take medication the rest of her life. The medication she needs costs $1,800 per dose!!! Yet she qualified to get it for only a $5 copay. Just goes to show how ridiculous their profit margin is when charging $1,800.

Obviously I'm comparing apples to oranges, but the principal is the same.

To me, the vet won't take a financial loss by writing the script. It just dips into profits. So to refuse to write a script is unethical in my eyes.

[Bogertophis]

In a town the size of mine, there are quite a few vets versus the population size, & an even bigger disparity when you factor in the low-income families who just do
not take their pets to the vet at all, or very rarely. I totally "get" that the vets are trying hard to stay in business, & some mark-up is to be expected of course...but
when they had the nerve to tell me they didn't even have a prescription pad & could NOT write a prescription for my pet so I could fill it elsewhere with better prices,
& that they could only sell me the heartworm prevention medicine she needed, that's where I call "foul".

Not only did I find another vet after that, but I found one who told me about a very inexpensive OTC prevention medication for canine heartworms that I've used with
100% success for both my dogs ever since, at a tiny fraction of the cost of the various name brand products being sold. I use Ivermectin, as sold for cattle dosing in
local feedstores. The brand Ivomec has now given way to Noromectin, but it's identical, & available online from Jeffers at Jefferspet.com. A 50 ml. bottle will hold you
for several years, easily to expiration date & you'll have a lot left over, for a cost of roughly $30. (I donate 2/3 of my bottle to the local Humane Society shelter.) You'll
need an insulin syringe to dose* it very carefully though, I can't emphasize that enough, & they don't recommend using it for collies** & certain breeds** such as Italian
greyhounds+. This is given orally, monthly: I drip the dose onto a small bite of bread & dab a little peanut butter or something on top...my dogs love it, to say the least.
You would NOT want to add it to a bowl of food, in case they didn't finish it for some reason, or in case another pet gets into that bowl. Sorry, this may be a little off-
topic, but for anyone it helps, you're welcome. (*The exact dosage is 0.034 cc per 10 pounds of body weight, or approximately 0.1 cc per 30
pounds of body weight-) <This was taken from google search, there are various sources you can also verify showing similar info.

**CAUTION:​ using Ivermectin, please read: https://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvet...ermectin-29671

As I said, this may be a little off-topic, but my point is that some vets are there to help, more than for their own profits, but they're just harder to find it seems.

[leocrespo]

In a town the size of mine, there are quite a few vets versus the population size, & an even bigger disparity when you factor in the low-income families who just do
not take their pets to the vet at all, or very rarely. I totally "get" that the vets are trying hard to stay in business, & some mark-up is to be expected of course...but
when they had the nerve to tell me they didn't even have a prescription pad & could NOT write a prescription for my pet so I could fill it elsewhere with better prices,
& that they could only sell me the heartworm prevention medicine she needed, that's where I call "foul".

Not only did I find another vet after that, but I found one who told me about a very inexpensive OTC prevention medication for canine heartworms that I've used with
100% success for both my dogs ever since, at a tiny fraction of the cost of the various name brand products being sold. I use Ivermectin, as sold for cattle dosing in
local feedstores. The brand Ivomec has now given way to Noromectin, but it's identical, & available online from Jeffers at Jefferspet.com. A 50 ml. bottle will hold you
for several years, easily to expiration date & you'll have a lot left over, for a cost of roughly $30. (I donate 2/3 of my bottle to the local Humane Society shelter.) You'll
need an insulin syringe to dose* it very carefully though, I can't emphasize that enough, & they don't recommend using it for collies** & certain breeds** such as Italian
greyhounds+. This is given orally, monthly: I drip the dose onto a small bite of bread & dab a little peanut butter or something on top...my dogs love it, to say the least.
You would NOT want to add it to a bowl of food, in case they didn't finish it for some reason, or in case another pet gets into that bowl. Sorry, this may be a little off-
topic, but for anyone it helps, you're welcome. (*The exact dosage is 0.034 cc per 10 pounds of body weight, or approximately 0.1 cc per 30
pounds of body weight-) <This was taken from google search, there are various sources you can also verify showing similar info.

**CAUTION:​ using Ivermectin, please read: https://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvet...ermectin-29671

As I said, this may be a little off-topic, but my point is that some vets are there to help, more than for their own profits, but they're just harder to find it seems.

Thanks for sharing. I think this practice is unethical and possibly illegal, so I am looking for ways to punish this place so it will give up this practice in the future. Let me know if you can think of something other than reporting to amva.org.

[Bogertophis]

Thanks for sharing. I think this practice is unethical and possibly illegal, so I am looking for ways to punish this place so it will give up this practice in the future. Let me know if you can think of something other than reporting to amva.org.

I sure will. (are you sure about that link? Maybe you meant avma.org? LOL)