Are human antibiotics any different than a dogs?
Posted on September 19th, 2008 in Answers
HBLeggs asked:
My vet wants $40.00 for my dogs perscription of antibiotics in treating a bladder infection, and I get antibiotics for a bladder infection for under $4.00 thru my medical insurance which covers most cost of my perscriptions. Is there a difference in antibiotics for a dog as there is to a humans, and if not, dont you think my vet should let me fill the perscription instead of buying it from him?
The price of my dogs RX isn't what I meant to focus on, I just have alot of Amoxicillin left over from my lifetime supply for pre-dental medication due to a heart prolapse, and before they expire or go to waste, I thought it was a good subject to bring up only because of the fact that an antibiotic is what it is..... shouldn't be different in what the use is in animals as to a human. But dosage is key.. and that's what I think is the only difference.
My vet wants $40.00 for my dogs perscription of antibiotics in treating a bladder infection, and I get antibiotics for a bladder infection for under $4.00 thru my medical insurance which covers most cost of my perscriptions. Is there a difference in antibiotics for a dog as there is to a humans, and if not, dont you think my vet should let me fill the perscription instead of buying it from him?
The price of my dogs RX isn't what I meant to focus on, I just have alot of Amoxicillin left over from my lifetime supply for pre-dental medication due to a heart prolapse, and before they expire or go to waste, I thought it was a good subject to bring up only because of the fact that an antibiotic is what it is..... shouldn't be different in what the use is in animals as to a human. But dosage is key.. and that's what I think is the only difference.
This post has 14 comments
September 21st, 2008
Well that would make sence in the real world but with insurance companies it will not. You will end up paying full price for the perscription anyway. Your insurance company will not allow you to fill the script. for the dog under your policy. He is not considered a dependent so he gets no copays.
September 24th, 2008
Sometimes they are prescribed the same antibiotic but there are different types of bacteria and different antibiotics treat different types. You can’t be sure that the prescription that you would get would treat the bacteria that your dog has. And if the dog was prescribed the same antibiotic the dose would be different. I suggest that you stick with what the vet gave you. You don’t want to overdose your dog on the wrong medication.
September 26th, 2008
Vets don’t write RXs for humans.
September 29th, 2008
In some cases there is as far as strength, and dosage there is a big difference. I would not do it. Try calling a pharmacy and see what their price would be. Most vets will let you fill prescriptions from outside sources. I fill my dogs pain meds through Pet Health Pharmacy you can find them on the web.
October 1st, 2008
It’s not so much the medication as the dosage that needs to be adjusted. My moms vet told her to give her cat some penicillian but it had to be cut down just right, from some left over from a prev illness.
October 4th, 2008
I was told by a veterinarian the medicines are the same but they effect the animals differently than humans.
October 4th, 2008
They are frequently the same antibiotic but not always there are antibiotic used for dogs not used for people. IF it is a human antibiotic the pharmacy can fill a vet script. HOWEVER the chances your medical insurance will cover a vet script for your dog are nill, and claiming it a script for you is fraud (and your vet CAN NOT prescribe for you anyway). Full price from the pharmacy may or may not be the same - it could be more….
In some states the vet is NOT required to give you a script to buy at the pharmacy.
October 4th, 2008
Well, I am no doctor but in general something like amoxicilin may be ok since it is used for general use. I personally think animals are too expensive to keep around but I would just pay the money and not take the risk. If you really want to save money just contact the doctor himself and ask if it is ok for the dog. Anti-biotics in general just kill bacteria and are usually all-purpose unless its a specific drug for a specific bacteria.
P.S
as a side note. Never take anti-biotics if you have a virus! They will not work and only make you even worse by killing off good bacterias.
October 6th, 2008
There is a huge difference, dog’s bodies are built completely different than ours. Giving human medicine to a dog can cause kidney and liver failure, because they’re designed to affect human organs. Dogs don’t process medicine the same way we do, so it could do alot of damage experimenting with your medicine. But you can help offset the cost a bit by calling around to other vets and asking them how much the prescription would cost if you bought through them. Someone may be selling it cheaper, you can ask the vet to write out the prescription just like you’d get it from your doctor.
October 7th, 2008
Some of the same antibiotics are used in both human and veterinary medicine. The antibiotic that’s prescribed for you may not work for your dog, though. It’s best to follow your vet’s instructions.
October 10th, 2008
Actually veterinary medicines are better quality and more refined than human medications, according to a couple of vet techs and DVMs I know. Preparation and controls are much stricter, although we have learned the opposite about animal food supervision. I have known people to take Amoxicillen meant for horses and sold freely in feed stores because they could not afford to go to a doctor for a human prescription which costs far more if you don’t have insurance. It was just a matter of comparing their weight to that of an equine so they told me. Seems a trifle risky to me and I would prefer my animals to get the accurate dose prescribed than take a chance on guesswork with human quality meds. Feeling “healthy as a horse” may not be all that good an idea if you are not one and you can be sure estimating veterinary requirements of your dog may be the wrong thing to do if you haven’t taken the 12 year DVM courses, as a human MD only calls for 8 years of schooling.
October 11th, 2008
If you ask your vet to write the prescription so that you can get it filled somewhere else, he has to give it to you. You can’t claim it thru your people insurance, but it will be cheaper at a regular pharmacy than thru the vet.
He can’t make you get the prescription from him, so ask him to write it up for you.
October 12th, 2008
NO THEY ARE DIFFERENT. IF YOU HAD A BLADDER INFECTION I’M SURE YOU’D SPEND $40 TO GET YOURSELF CURED. YOUR POOR DOG IS MISERABLE.
October 15th, 2008
U can tell them u can’t afford it and to call the Rx in to a pharmacy, however, your insurance isn’t going to lower the rate as it would for u.
at least ask what she would prescribe and call a pharmacy or two for pricing…… it’s worth a call. when my dog had trouble with a few antibiotics her system couldn’t take, we kept trying and she finally prescribed one she didn’t keep on hand and I picked it up at the drug store, for less than the others, I might add!
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