Heartguard for our dog

[wishesuponastar]

We were told by our vet that we would need to purchase the Heartguard from her to get the warranty that if our dog gets Heartworm again, Hearguard would pay for the treatment as long as we kept up the doses.

I read in another thread here that people were buying Heartguard at Costco to save money so I just wanted to put this out there in case they need to really buy the med at their vet too.

 

[ellie05]

That is not correct. You can get that guarantee even if you don't purchase through the vet, but it has to be a legitimate pharmacy. I know 1800petmeds gives you the same guarantee.

 

[havaneselover]

Sounds like your vet wants the money. My bf's vet won't give him a written rx because they claim it's a liability issue.

I get Heartgard ($51/12 doses), 2 eye drops, and clavomax for my dogs at Costco. Heartgard and clavomax are $90/year cheaper going through Costco. Eye drops are far far cheaper.

Only issue is Costco can be inconvenient. I went yesterday and they were out of heartgard. The lines are often long and they aren't open on Sunday (neither is the vet though). But for me it's necessary because money is tight.

 

[ceecee]

That is not correct. You can get that guarantee even if you don't purchase through the vet, but it has to be a legitimate pharmacy. I know 1800petmeds gives you the same guarantee.

I get mine through 800petmeds as well and I called about the guarantee. Vets usually mark the meds up considerably. Check it out before you buy next time.

 

[jmartinez1895]

I used to buy my dogs heartguard online at petcarerx. My dog got heart worms and heartguard would not reimburse for the bill because I did not purchase it from my vets office, even tho I had all my receipts. My vets office now offers the heart worm shot ( proheart). For us it cost the same as a 6 moth heartguard supply and I don't have to remember to give the dogs the medication each month.

 

[momto2inKC]

We ran into a similar problem with flea treatment. We usually buy it from our vet but bought it at a local farm feed store one time (exact same item). Well, the flea treatment did not work and we couldn't take advantage of their guarantee because we did not buy it from our vet. Lesson learned!

 

[mcorbo]

Check with your vet, mine will price match any website or store on medications as long as I can bring in proof of the price.

 

[wishesuponastar]

I used to buy my dogs heartguard online at petcarerx. My dog got heart worms and heartguard would not reimburse for the bill because I did not purchase it from my vets office, even tho I had all my receipts. My vets office now offers the heart worm shot ( proheart). For us it cost the same as a 6 moth heartguard supply and I don't have to remember to give the dogs the medication each month.

Sorry your dog also got heartworm. I see there are a couple of us who say the treatment would not be covered if we don't purchase the med from the vet. I guess we could call the maker of the heartworm med and ask them directly.

 

[jmartinez1895]

Sorry your dog also got heartworm. I see there are a couple of us who say the treatment would not be covered if we don't purchase the med from the vet. I guess we could call the maker of the heartworm med and ask them directly.

Thanks, I chose to buy from the vets office and like a pp said, our vet will price match so it's a win win. Only now we get the shot.
I hope that your poor dog gets well soon. Ours was so pitiful during treatment.

 

[JillyBean1899]

OP: I call "BS" on your vet. I buy my dog's meds from Drs. Foster & Smith. They have an online pharmacy and are an actual vet practice in Wisconsin. There are multiple heartworm medications, HeartGuard isn't the only one (and there's also a generic version of it that's cheaper). My 45 lbs dog is on Sentinel (which does heartworms and fleas), it's $70 for an entire year's worth. And F&S has a 100% guarantee on their HW meds. You have to follow their procedures (which really isn't a lot), but they will cover treatment if your dog gets heartworms or intestinal parasites while on the meds they sell.

Quoted from their Guarantee Page:

Heartworm Preventive Guarantee
In order for this guarantee to be effective, the client or their veterinarian must contact Doctors Foster and Smith Pharmacy at 1-800-447-3021 prior to beginning any treatment. Proof of a negative heartworm test within the 6 months prior to the pet being started on product purchased from our pharmacy will be required, as well as a positive heartworm antigen test, confirmed by an outside laboratory. We will also require verification of continuous use of the heartworm preventive on a monthly basis, with the last dose being taken within 31 days prior to the diagnosis, as well as proof of annual heartworm testing. We have found the average cost of heartworm treatment to be about $800.00. Doctors Foster and Smith will reimburse the client for diagnostic work-up and treatment, up to and including $1500 per dog.

Intestinal Wormer Guarantee
Proof of a negative fecal test within the 6 months prior to the pet being started on the prescription heartworm preventive/intestinal wormer product purchased from Doctors Foster and Smith Pharmacy will be required. Proof of continuous use of the product on a monthly basis, with the last dose being taken within 31 days prior to the diagnosis, will be required also. Doctors Foster and Smith will pay for the positive fecal test and the cost of the treatment, up to $100 per dog. If treatment has already occurred, claims must be submitted within 6 months following the pet's positive test for intestinal worms.

We hope that our written guarantee provides the peace of mind and reassurance that every pet owner and veterinarian is looking for when purchasing prescription medications from an online source such as Doctors Foster and Smith Pharmacy. We encourage both the pet owner and our professional veterinarian partners to choose an online pharmacy such as Doctors Foster and Smith. We are dedicated to ethical business practices, proper and complete licensure, written guarantees and a true concern for the pet's well-being.

I asked them, and the "verification of continuous use of the heartworm preventive on a monthly basis" is simply that you have purchased an adequate supply from them to have been giving it monthly; obviously there's no way to prove that you've actually given it, but if you're going to spend the money, you're most likely going to give it to the dog.

 

[rbrainerd]

All heart worm medication has to have a prescription from a veterinarian after a heart worm test has been done and is negative. The manufacturer will only guarantee the medication if purchased through a veterinarian and the medication is given year round. In the northern states, some people do not medicate year round due to the winters we have...thus making the guarantee void also. Veterinarians usually offer incentives (discounts) through the manufacturer if the medication is bought in bundles (say 6 or 12 months at a time). This info came from my vet tech daughter.

 

[ellie05]

All heart worm medication has to have a prescription from a veterinarian after a heart worm test has been done and is negative. The manufacturer will only guarantee the medication if purchased through a veterinarian and the medication is given year round. In the northern states, some people do not medicate year round due to the winters we have...thus making the guarantee void also. Veterinarians usually offer incentives (discounts) through the manufacturer if the medication is bought in bundles (say 6 or 12 months at a time). This info came from my vet tech daughter.

Yes all heart worm needs prescription. While the manufacturer might only guarantee if purchased through a vet there are plenty of places that offer the same guarantee or a better guarantee and you still pay less. If you use the medicine the right way there is a very small chance of your pet getting heart worm. We had never purchased heart worm through our vet because they don't match price and our pets,our fosters, our rescues never had an issue and we live in the south were heart worm is very common. However I do check before I buy it that the place provides the same guarantee.