any vets here?

[MANN]

I wanted to order some medicine for my pups online, and they require a prescription Anywho anyone capable of doing this?

On a side note is this even legal? And on another note when did they start giving animals prescriptions? Its not like I need heartworm medicine. Is this something that kids steal from their dogs medicine cabinet to snort/swallow/smoke?

[skife]

i know ketamine people use to get messed up

[senghing27]

Well if people use their own feces to get high, what haven't people tried for random stupid things?

Heck, I even got carded for white out the other day...

[govnamac]

I provided my vets info and they faxed a script for my dogs. That was for only routine stuff though.

[Ole Unka Phil]

Many of the Drugs used on Animals are the same drugs used in people. Most of the Drugs used on people were developed using Animals as part of the testing. And they started regulating drugs many many years back. The drugs are controlled and so not dispensed without a Prescription no matter what they are intended to be used on. Its a legal thing not a Species thing. And yes... you can use a lot of them on yourself. For instance, most antibiotics are exactly the same. Its the dosage and species that varies. You are, after all, simply another species of Animal.

And Vets are Veterans of Military Service

Veterinarians are Animal Doctors.

The use of Vet is not an acceptable alternate to Veterinarian.

[punkncat]

And Vets are Veterans of Military Service

Veterinarians are Animal Doctors.

The use of Vet is not an acceptable alternate to Veterinarian.

C'mon Phil...I think we have all used the word "vet" to describe the animal doctor.

Couldn't the same be said that a "vet" is an animal doctor and that a Veteran is of military service?
I know the holiday is called Veterans Day, not Vet Day......

Simple word play and I don't believe any disrespect was intended.

[domeplz]

C'mon Phil...I think we have all used the word "vet" to describe the animal doctor.

Couldn't the same be said that a "vet" is an animal doctor and that a Veteran is of military service?
I know the holiday is called Veterans Day, not Vet Day......

Simple word play and I don't believe any disrespect was intended.

i think that "Vet" should be a Veteran and a "vet" should be an animal doc

[Ole Unka Phil]

I don't care personally.

But most Vets care and many "vets" care.

Some of em can get right sore about it. So just keep it in mind is all.

[ThePixelGuru]

skife, ketamine is used to euthanize animals. I doubt that's his goal here...

MANN, what meds are you looking for specifically? Did you go to a vet already or are you diagnosing whatever problem yourself? Tried http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ yet?

Yes, I said "vet." I'm sure you can figure out that I'm not referring to a dog and cat veteran. God forbid someone use an abbreviation instead of a six-syllable word. And since apparently all medications are good for all animals, I guess you should go home and take a bunch of heartworm meds before smearing yourself with some Frontline. How about if we move away from mammals? Would you take meds meant for a frog?

[Ole Unka Phil]

No... Ketamine is a Anesthetic.

Its used to perform surgery. It is a Dissassociative Anesthetic so swallowing is retained so it is often used in older people where they are at higher risk. However it has some draw backs including halucinogenic side effects. It is often used as an Anesthetic in Cats. Works well on them.

You could "use" it in combination with some other things to "make" a Euthanasia solution, but there are better ones. Its primary purpose is an Anesthetic though.

[MANN]

And Vets are Veterans of Military Service

Veterinarians are Animal Doctors.

The use of Vet is not an acceptable alternate to Veterinarian.

I meant no disrespect to any veterans. I actually dont think I have ever used vet short term for veteran.

just fyi

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vet

[MANN]

The medicine I want for my pups is imo not something that needs to be prescribed.

Hot spot medicine

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Gentocin+Topical+Spray-prod10090.html

heartworm medicine

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Heartgard+Plus-prod10002.html

Ear mite medicine.
I would have to go to my "pet medicine cabinet" to see the real name for it.

My dogs are 100% healthy right now. While heartworm medicine is suggested by many vets I/my family has never had problems with the disease, but I like to give it to them for a precaution. My dogs are never in contact with another dog/cat.

The hot spot medicine is only something that I wanted to have on hand in case something were to happen. Great pyrenees are very acceptable to this, and max had it last year. I am one of those who like to solve a problem before it happens.

The ear mite medicine is something that sugar baby got 2 years ago. Again this is something that is common with Great Pyrenees. More of something that I would like to see expire.



Max and Sugar baby


Max and Bandit (this pic is a year old. Bandit is now living with my parents, and ~ 80lbs heavier.)

max and baby are both ~ 120lbs.

[Ole Unka Phil]

I meant no disrespect to any veterans. I actually dont think I have ever used vet short term for veteran.

just fyi
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vet

Of course you didn't. And thats the reverse of what I was meaning to get across.

I just brought it up because when I read the title I was expecting to see all our Veterans checking in.

And it reminded me of that fact is all.

What I was trying to get across was that some Veterinarians I used to work with were very indignant about it. A good number of them are. Just sharing that with you. Don't think Veterans care but it seems some Veterinarians do.

Now, let me a address a few of your medical questions...

Heart Worms are not spread from animal to animal. They spread by Mosquito. The Larvae is ingested by the Mosquito and then later injected into another dog. The passage through the Mosquito is a necessary stage to progress the Larvae. Then that larvae, in its new host, matures and makes its way to the Heart. It attaches in the wall of the Heart and (there are Male and Female ones) it reproduces while attached. Then these larvae mature and wait on another Mosquito to bite and transfer them. Weird but thats how it goes down.

What the preventative dose is a small amount of a pesticide that will kill these circulating Larvae before they can attach and mature. This all takes about 6 months for the life cycle to go from injected Larvae to Adult.

However, if you give the preventative to the Dog while it has mature Worms attached in the heart these large worms might detatch and come lose and form an embolism. This can hurt or even Kill the Dog. So, in order to be sure you don't do this you must first test the Dog free of these Heart Worms and that is done by taking some Blood and passing it through a filter and then looking for these Larvae a sure sign Adults are there if you find them). If you do find them you must first treat for the Adults. A process by which you kill them suddenly so as to keep them in place and then let the body and its cells absorb them and remove them slowly. This takes a few months. And then all the Larvae slowly die out as no more are being produced. And then, and only then, can you start the Dog on a Preventative.

So you see why it would be important, Particularly on a Dog that is over 6 months old, to not just allow someone to buy the preventative without knowing this? Plus the preventative is a pesticide. So you must first test and find out. Then you can start a preventative. The symptoms are impossible to see until the dog is old enough to have a large enough load in the heart to show Heart symptoms. Which is often a couple years after initial infestation. Or longer.

So you first need to have them checked.

Now, there are also cases where the blood test for the Larvae is not enough. Rare cases of only Female infested and no males and the Heart Worms are there but hard to detect. This happens too. Not often but it does. Cats rarely get them. We do not know why. But a few do... but very rare.

As to Ear Mites they can actually be treated with simple Mineral Oil. The Mite will suffocate. Of course you have to keep treating until all the Eggs have hatched and the mite smothered from that but it doesn't take a lot of Pesticide to do this. It takes repetition.


Hot spot medicines vary quite a bit. We used to mix up a noxious concoction of Salicilic Acid, Tannic Acid and Pure grain Alcohol that burned like heck but it sure would dry those up. However, many have good luck with Hydrogen Peroxide and 2% Triple Antibiotic cream and Cortizone creams mixed. Clean and dry them with the HP and smear the cream after that. All over the counter Human stuff and is safe on Dogs.

[questionful]

And since apparently all medications are good for all animals, I guess you should go home and take a bunch of heartworm meds before smearing yourself with some Frontline. How about if we move away from mammals? Would you take meds meant for a frog?

Biologically speaking, humans can be very similar in certain respects to other animals. "Medicines" are not like a computer program that says "if species=human, then cure X disease." Drugs are just a molecule that interacts with other molecules in certain ways. It's actually very complicated. And don't think drugs made for humans work all that well on humans. My mom translates blurbs for drugs. The kind that ends up on the back of the medicine bottle. A lot of what she has to translate is a variety of nasty side-effects. Which actually brings me to another point; MANN, I don't know anything about whatever drugs you're planning on giving your dogs, but I recommend you use as few drugs as you can to keep your dogs healthy.

[MANN]

Now, let me a address a few of your medical questions...

Heart Worms are not spread from animal to animal. They spread by Mosquito.
So you first need to have them checked.

Yes. you are correct. Sugar baby was checked when she was 1 (when we aquired her), and has been taking heartguard since then. Max started when he was able and has done so for the past 2 years

All of the medicines I use have previously been prescribed to my pets.

Maybe I am just odd, but I have always kept old medicines/got the same new medicine to use for when the same problem reoccurs. some house remedy may work, but why solve a problem that is already solved.

After having our last two Pyrenees Mountain (live to be 14), and Pee Wee (live to be 12 being well above average in size and weigh ~ 170lbs) I feel that as long as I do what I am doing we should be good. I was only tring to save the trouble of having the vet come to the house.