How about a different perspective? I'm the vet. As far as PetMeds, they are NOT a reputable company. They routinely ignore refusals by doctors to not renew medications, they routinely give Rx without seeing a pet without even having an Rx from a doctor, they routinely are in trouble with the law on these issues. And the hospital where I work is cheaper anyway. Plus, with Walmart offering generic Rx for $4/month if there is a way your pet can benefit from one on the list, ask the vet for the written Rx. We don't charge an Rx fee for any pet seen and diagnosed by our hospital. And since you can get many antibiotics and chronic meds for less there, why not? Fosters and Smith is reputable- they have never been in legal trouble and we have been very happy with them. A lot of veterinary practices rely way too heavily on diagnostics, but I don't think it is the vets' fault. In this age of litigation, we are all guilty of practicing CYA medicine somewhat. Yes, I can see petechia on the patient so I know her platelets are way too low, and she's pale and her heart rate is up so I know she is anemic, but if I don't run a CBC to prove it and patient dies and owner sues for malpractice, I'm pretty much stuck with lawyer bills, missed work, paying expert consultants, and in danger of losing my ability to practice which means I have $100,000 in school loans and no way to pay them off. So guess what? I run the CBC, even though I won't learn anything or do anything different based on the results. You have a right to refuse anything your vet recommends. You have a right to know what the vet is hoping to learn from the results of any test, and what will change in the treatment of the patient based on those tests. If your vet can't explain the answers to those questions satisfactorily, then refuse the tests. I will say that even in my healthy dogs, I run CBC, chem, and UA once a year; twice a year when they get older (above 7 since my dogs are large breeds). I'd add a T4 in a cat above 10 years. Pets can't say my liver doesn't feel quite right, or I'm always a little dehydrated because my kidneys don't work that well anymore, etc. And they hide symptoms until something outright FAILS, at which point it's a losing battle. Caught early, there are many things one can do for a cat with renal disease, or a dog with liver disease, but once they start showing symptoms, the disease is so advanced you are unlikely to provide any increase in quality or quantity of life. However you still have a right to refuse to do that testing if you don't want to and understand the value of annual or semi-annual testing. We can do a lot more for our pets now than ever before. Used the be unusual for a cat to live past 10 years, now I consider them young if they die at 14. I expect cats to live to 20 for the most part. I work at the cheapest vet in town, in a very cheap town. We haven't lost any business and in fact it is growing. We are however treating many more preventable diseases such as parvo, heartworms, GI parasites, tick-borne illnesses than ever. And we've been seeing people delay treatment for sick pets to the point of it becoming MUCH more expensive to treat, but they feel guilty and go ahead anyway. It's not the way I like to see the bottom line increase. I will be more than happy to discuss vaccines in another thread. Or I can refer you to this website. Take special note of the duration of immunity and realize why annual vaccines for FVRCP, distemper, and parvo are stupid. Here is a link that might be useful: Vaccine guidelines

Thank you everyone for your sympathy. My mom's dog is who made me fall in love with the breed. I got my first Bulldog shortly after she got hers. I was away at college and leaving the dog was the hardest part about going away. I'll never forget we got her over the summer, and I had to leave in about a month to go back to school. I came back home for Thanksgiving and the puppy I had left turned into a big fat whale of a dog. She was the sweetest, wiggly dog I had ever met. Well as soon as I got my own place, I also got an english bully. She stayed with me for 10 great years. After we had to put her to sleep, I had to get another dog immediately as the house was too empty without one.

Well, I am writing here to help me deal with this, because I'm lost and don't know what else to do. Meeko seemed to take a turn for the worse early this morning - luckily I was still up and therefore was able to sleep nearby to keep an eye on her. ALthough the symptoms weren't strong, I thought she seemed "off". I called the vet the minute they opened and brought her right in. She apparently threw a blood clot overnight. Xrays showed the surgury sight was okay, no internal bleeding, but her kidneys were inflamed, big time. (The surgury had removed the large mass in her intestine, but there were those two little ones on each kidney that couldn't be removed. The surgeon advised me that taking a biopsy of these tumors could kickstart some killer cancer activity, and apparently this happened.) There was obviously some neurological damage -probably a result of a blood clot that reached her brain; we weren't even sure she could see. So about two hours ago I held her while they relieved her of her fear and confusion and suffering. You can apparently pay to have your pet cremated privately and the ashes returned to you. I've decided not to do that (I am currently wrapped up in the blanket in which she was carried to the vet - that will do for a while.) Instead I'm going to donate that money to my vet to use at her discretion for a family that can't afford medical treatment. I read something recently about the incredible amount of money we spend trying to keep our pets alive FOR US (not always for them, as you, quasifish, noted) while there are so many homeless, abused, or neglected pets, or pets that could be saved but the families haven't enough money for basic treatment. Obviously my beautiful Meeko wasn't going to recover. It was time to let her go. This is the first pet I've lost as an adult, and it's devastating. Thanks for "listening".

Doing the Canadian dollar conversion to US the comparison is about $600 versus $250. Vet is in a small town - is he board certified in dentistry or just a small town vet? Personally I wouldn't want my Family Practitioner to pull my tooth. Things to think about - what kind of anesthetic does he use, does the estimate include a blood workup to determine if all organs are functionally properly and there are no concerns regarding the anesthetic? Any good vet will want bloodwork done before any anesthesia is given and that alone can cost $100 + for the lab. Does it include IV fluids to keep the cat hydrated? Are X-rays included to clarify the root structure and determine if there are any surprises under the gum line? Does the quote it include prophylactic antibiotics? Teeth cleaning is preventative - failure to take care of it can lead to really serious consequences. Futhermore pulling an infected tooth is tricky - you don't want to spread the infection if it's done sloppily. This doesn't sound to me as if it's a straight dollar for dollar comparison. Ask for an itemized list on both quotes so you can make a fair comparison. The $600 amount is more in line with what we pay for our pets dental work. We are religious about having their teeth cleaned once a year, and sometimes more often if they are older. Sometimes it's done without anesthetic. Many of our cats had underlying health issues like diabetes, hyperthyroid, inflammatory bowel disease, Feline Herpes, cardiomyopathy, kidney disease, stomatitis, cancer - all of these cats had regular teeth cleaning done and all of them came through it, and more healthy because of it. If your vet knows their medical condition he can prepare for any potential unforeseen issues. Routine teeth cleaning in any dog or cat is an absolute must for maintaining good health. If the plaque builds up to the point that the gums become compromised, the animal's system is open to bacterial infiltration via the blood stream. This can lead to kidney, liver and heart problems. As for anesthetic, they use minimal amounts and the pet is barely under before the procedure is done. Research the potential damages that can be caused by leaving dental work undone in your pet. The risk of anesthesia is far less than the risk of potential organ damage from systemic bacterial infections. Why Dental cleaning for pets is important.