Last year when the vets were trying to figure out what was the matter with Kroni one of the things they prescribed was Doxycycline, thinking it might be a tick-borne disease. I had ordered the 500 pill bottle for him and marveled over how little it cost. Often when I buy it for my son (who takes it for his acne) I’ve paid much more, probably as I usually buy only enough for 30 days.
Now, I guess you have to be an equestrian or an animal owner to take the next step. When my son needed more Doxy I looked at the huge bottle of pills that were unused (Kroni didn’t have a tick borne disease), called my vet and asked if it was okay for my son to take them. After getting the thumbs up, I never thought about it again. My son’s doctor had explained that he could stay on the Doxy indefinitely through his adolescence and it seemed crazy to buy another bottle.
Until I recounted this story at my book group. “You asked your vet?” they asked me, obviously appalled that I hadn’t consulted my son’s doctor. Not about the fact that he was taking the medication, which had been prescribed for him, but because the pills had been bought from a veterinary pharmacy. I thought about it and realized that compared to my children’s pediatrician, I have a much stronger relationship with both my large animal and small animal vets. I see them more frequently, they spend more time with me, and they treat me more like a person than a patient. I know about their lives and their interests. Rarely do I have more than a cursory discussion with any of the human doctors that treat me or my children.
In that context, I can understand why I would ask a vet my question about the Doxy, even if it seems inexplicable to my friends.
When my son went in for his yearly check up, I did mention the source of the Doxy to his doctor, who was unconcerned provided it had not reached its expiration date.
As for the Doxy? It’s currently being used to treat one of my dogs which was recently diagnosed with Lyme. Now that’s an efficient use of medication!
LOL I ask my vet about random stuff ALL the time.
We don’t have a family doctor but we have TWO family vets.
As for Doxy, with EIGHT dogs. SIX of which have tested positive for TBD, we always have a bottle on the shelf.
Great post! I am in total agreement with you – I trust my dog/horse vets SO much more than I trust my doctor! Like you said, just a totally different relationship.
I had the same relationship. I knew my horse and dog’s vet for 12 years and I could call him for a phone consult anytime. Since I’ve moved I’m in the process of building a similar relationship with the new vets.
I’ve always marveled at how reasonable vet bills are compared to my medical bills. I recently paid a little over $200 for my horse to be seen at the farm, sedated for teeth floating, examined for why dramatic weight-loss, and blood work. We also had a conversation about the vet’s race horse and generally got to know each other a little.
Compare all of that to a slightly higher bill (than my horse’s above) for me to spend less than two minutes with a nurse practitioner who confirmed what I already knew I had and wrote a prescription for the zpack I knew I needed. I wish human health care could be more like animal health care.