We call Molly, Molly Moo at times, when she's being a good girl. When she is digging in amongst the insulation in the attic, I can't repeat what dh calls her...LOL
Anyhow, we came to the end of another batch of pills on Sunday; and as Molly has started to chew and scratch as we started weaning her off the pills, I put a call into the vet to see what the next plan of action is. She called me back on the weekend, and as we can't afford the allergy test at the moment, she came up with another suggestion that she thought would be cheaper............
I agreed to pick up some paperwork on the medication and she told me there was a rebate on a pack of pills when I bought four packs. So Monday I go and pick up the info, and said to the receptionist I would get back to them. The pills are called Atopica, and for the first 30 days I would give Molly 1 x 100mg pill per day. Then I could cut it back to one every other day. Sounds good so far right?
I hope you're sitting down, and DON'T TAKE A DRINK!!! So the cost of this, $127.50 per pack of pills, and how many pills in the pack........15 So for the first month it would cost us $255, then $127.50 per month after than. Then I guess they will be charging me $65 for the cost of visiting the vet on top of that, as that is the only way we can get them. Now how this dear vet thinks this will be cheaper for us I do not know??? Just a reminder the allergy test was going to cost us $390.03.
So unless someone else has an idea I think we will watch Molly for the next week or two and then try and figure out another option. We truly cannot afford for her to be on those pills forever more. One thing we do know is that food wise she is fine on the vegetarian food, and we don't think its a food allergy.
In this post's comments Gaynor suggested using Pyriton, however we cannot get that over here. Also Janny suggested prednison, I haven't heard anything good about that drug, so don't want to use that if I don't have too. I'll keep you updated on what happens next.
On Tuesday I went Christmas shopping. I got the main shopping done, just made a list and got on with it. I still have a bit to do, but at least I have got the main stuff done. For the British readers, have any of you ordered from Marks and Sparks online? If so how fast do things arrive? I want to order a couple of things to be delivered in Britain, and I wasn't sure how soon to do it for Christmas. Also I had a look at the Tesco site, but couldn't see where I could order a gift card.........am I blind and just can't see it?
Due to me being out shopping for most of the day, I apologise if I didn't visit your blog on Tuesday, its a time issue thingy!!! When I did get back from shopping I had to hoover up all the cluster flies and ladybugs. We have had some super weather these past few days, but its brought out the cluster flies and ladybugs in droves. To the point I am fed up to the back teeth of being bitten by the ladybugs, they seem to love my neck; being dive bombed by the flies on a night while I am watching tv. I have also decided some of these cluster flies have suction cups on their feet, as even the hoover is struggling to suck them off the windows.
I wanted to thank you to Kim for this comment yesterday:
What a lovely blog. I just dropped in when googling for recipes for fabric softener, but I love your recipes, outlook, and sense of humor. Plan to come back and read blog in its entirety. You are now on my favorites list. Kim U. - USA
Oh and finally, google.ca has had Sesame Street characters amongst their Google logo this past week. Did they do the same worldwide to celebrate Sesame Street's 40th birthday?
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21 comments:
Oh, poor Molly and poor you with all these vet costs!! I'd research the meds they're suggesting and see if you can find if the same medication is available for humans. Often you can get pet medication at your pharmacy at much, much, much less than the vets' offices charge. That's what we've done with all of Lester's heart meds. The difference in price is absolutely staggering -- at the vets' office, one drug is close to 5 times what it costs us at the pharmacy. All the vet has to do is write you a prescription.
I don't know how much Molly weighs but I have gotten my pet prescriptions online a couple of times. Now you will have to figure out if it is any cheaper and if the cost is worth potentially putting your vets nose out of joint. If Molly is over 100lbs then it is no cheaper.
http://www.canadapharmacy.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product/name/atopica/product_id/9454.htm
Yep we have Sesame Street Google in Australia at the moment.
Hi Gill, Thanks for your lovely comment on my blog. At the moment I'm progressing slowly with the phone but at least it's in the right direction and I haven't thrown it out of the window - yet!! With regard to delivery times I find M & S good - mostly there within a couple of days - not sure about Tesco, haven't used them for a few years. The company I find the best for delivery is Amazon - always there when it says it will be and FREE if you are prepared to wait a few days. (Super-saver delivery)
Gill M & S is brilliant for gifts and their delivery time is excellent. You could basically go on now and order what you want and select the day you want it delivered. Sometimes if it is short notice there is a slight charge but this far ahead it should be no problem. good luck, I have been doing that for several years for Christmas and birthday gifts, their christmas hampers are nice - and everyone seems very pleased with the results. They do great flowers/planters for birthdays/anniversaries too. Can you tell I am a fan :) It has saved me a few times when I have left forgotten a date.
It is outrageous...the cost of those pills, I mean, and actually vet care period in my opinion! Molly is such a cutie, however, and it's not her fault....
Poor Molly...it's really awful how expensive vets and medication for pets are. But if I were you, I would go for the allergy test. It would be hideously expensive, but you'd only have to do it once and then you would know what she's allergic to and you'll be able to eliminate it from her environment and that'll be the end of that.
As for my cell phone, it's important I have it because while I do have a land line, I have no voice mail on it, so if ever anything is going on, people call my cell phone. I had to leave a message on my Facebook profile yesterday telling people to e-mail me if they needed to reach me or if it was dire, to look up the number at work and call me there. Fortunately, no one had to.
So hard to decide what to do--we had rather high bills with our poor Oscar towards the end, very hard to draw the line without feeling like Mengele. Good luck.
i've used marksy's online many times at christmas and their delivery etc. is great.
let me know about the tesco card if you find out as i could use that as a gift idea.
vets are a bloody rip off. i bet molly will sort herself out.
:-)
Gill - I would really look into a raw food diet for Molly. I know the diet that the vet who started this is called BARF (Bones and Raw Food) and there are certain suppliers. I know there are suppliers in Canada as I had a foster who needed the raw food diet. You can DIY the raw food diet, too. Take a look at this information and do a little research on the topic...I think your nurturing instinct might nudge you in this direction http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
Awwww, I'm sorry to hear of the trouble Miss Molly has been having. Our little Abigail (Toy Fox Terrier) was having some allergy problems last year. We pinpointed it to the grass here at the Farmstead.
The Vet tried putting Abby on some pills (I can't remember the name of them), but Abby experienced some bad side effects like tremors and such, so we took her off of the pills. Then, the Vet said we should bathe Abby with some medicated shampoo ~ we got Hexadene ~ and it seemed to help quite a lot!
We used it regularly this summer and Abby was a much happier, more comfortable fur baby than last year. She still itched a little, but nothing like last year ~ and no nasty side effects from pills!
I would go with the allergy tests at this point, sounds like the vet works for a drug company! hope you find a solution soon!
Hello Gill,
I have been reading your older stuff from 2008 today, but also jumped around here and there. I love bargain hunting, gardens, water, dogs, quilting, so we have much in common. Took me a little while to figure out about trolls, FOF, had never heard of these things before. I did copy the detergent recipe. Very curious to try that. About Molly, could she be allergic to some construction element like the insulation that she was digging in, or perhaps a poisonous plant or weed outside? I googled a little and saw that some people were giving their dogs Benadryl for allergic reactions to quiet the itching. Dogs can be so sensitive. I tried frontline on my 2 collies last summer and within a week they were shedding like they were put on chemotherapy. I will never make that mistake again. Good luck getting to the bottom of it.
Kim U. USA
Poor Molly! Yes google around the world was Sesame Street!
Poor Milly and what horresndous costs. I've heard too that you can get pet medications at pharmacies for less. Have never tried it though. I sure hope you can get this resolved soon.
Great job on the Christmas shopping.
As to the clusterflies and bugs...have you thought at all about getting rid of them by going the exterminator route. I'm wondering if there might be other bugs that might be after Molly. Just a thought!!
Poor Molly, but ouch! on the cost of the pills.
If it's something outside that's she allergic to (like something in your grass), you should be able to find that out over winter when she won't be exposed to it.
Did I hear you say Molly (Moo how sweet!) was digging in the insulation in the attic????? Insulation is like spun glass and causes awful itching! Try keeping her away from the attic from now on, and Doctor Lawhon says oatmeal baths will help with skin discomfort...its the same as you would buy for yourself at the druggists...You know my Vet is used to me asking for advice about animals he will never see...I don't know what we shall do without him if he takes it into his head to retire! He's in his 70's now...he's like my Dad...just won't go sit down! At 94 its worked for Daddy quite well!! Anyhoo...keep Molly away from the attic COMPLETELY and try the oatmeal bath...I hope and pray that this may be the answer...
hugs to you both
Sandi
Yes, poor Molly and poor you. Vet bills are out of sight. I don't know if pet insurance is an option up there? Many veterinarians here now offer pet insurance. Don't really know much about it because we no longer have a dog. I read on one blog a while ago - and I wish I could remember where - one lady who makes her pets food from scratch. She won't use any pet products because of of the dreadful pet allergy her own dog had from bought products but she said her own foods worked. But then again you said Molly doesn't have a food allergy, so even if you had the time to devote to producing the amount of dog food it would take, I don't know if it would help her.
One of the reasons we don't have a dog at the moment is knowing we can't afford the vet bills, I swear it costs more to keep a dog than a child!
Hi Gill! THANKS for the nice comments you left on my blog! I love yours and have enjoyed reading about your life too! :-))Onto business...I've been involved with a Golden Retriever Rescue here in Virginia for more than 10 years now. I've had several dogs that have had allergies. I'm not sure what they do in your neck of the woods, but here in the US I've done the allergy test for my dogs, and while they do help, and can be informative, I've found that other times they don't always provide all the answers. I will apologize because I know this is a dumb question, but do they sell "Benedryl" in Canada? Here in the US you can buy it at any pharmacy (people take it for allergies) and it works quite well for my dogs that have had allergies too. I give a 25 mg pill in the morning, and depending on the size of your girl, she may be able to take 2 at a time, up to 4 per day (2 AM, 2 PM). It may make her little sleepy, but it works. I hope this helps. Let us know how it goes! Good luck!!
-Kim-
Can you give her over the counter claratin or some other allergy med? That seems awfully expensive to me. Good luck with this! And I agree with the above = call the pharmacy and see if you can get it cheaper there
Kris
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