Sep
29
I Want To Adopt A Dog With Seizures What Is The Average Cost For Medicine?
ByQuestion: My husband and I are look at adopting a 3-year old Corgi/Basenji cross who has recently been diagnosed with seizures. I have read a little about the possible medications for the dog, but i’m looking to find out what the average costs are associated with these medications. Any help you could provide would be so helpful.
7 Comments
September 29th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
It depends what medication he’s on. Find out and then call your vet.
Also remember he’s going to need regular check ups and blood tests, so factor those into it as well. He’s going to be an expensive boy.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Many epileptic drugs are not expensive. Phenobarbitol is pennies per day, and even the addition of potassium bromide it is still quite inexpensive.
Though, the blood tests that need to be run periodically to check levels are expensive– so you have to get all the information on the use of the drugs.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I am not sure, visit the vet. But the costs add up so if I were you, I’d be sure I know what situation I’m getting into and have enough money to provide for him/her. Medicine adds up because you need to consistently pay for it. Good luck.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Please do not let his Epilepsy determine if this is the reason you decide to adopt or not.
Yes, there will be medication. No, it is not expensive… as one poster said, it’s pennies a day. The choice of drug (AED’s) used to treat Epilepsy is Phenobarbital. Very, very inexpensive. A drug that is (usually) used in conjuction with this, or alone, is called Potassium Bromide (KBR). Again, if in the liquid form, is very inexpensive.
The only downfall of this is the cost of the bloodwork. But, if the dog is doing well on the medication you will only need bloodwork done every 6 months @ approx. $120 p/test. These tests are to chekc the Pheno levels in the blood to make sure that the dog is receiving the correct amount of AED’s and to chekc liver function, as Phenobarb can often effect the liver if used for long periods, or in higher doses.
KBR does not effect the liver, that’s why it is often used in conjunction with Phenobarb.
The vet visits are not that expensive if you look at it per visit. Yes, in the long-run it may add up, but for each time, no, it’s not that much money to spend.
I hope that you adopt this fella, he’ll need a good home
Feel free to contact me if you have questions, I’d be happy to help you.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Is there a diagnosed reason for the seizures? If so, do you know what the medication is called? If so, I would call a vet in your area and ask.
Also, you didn’t say who you were adopting the dog from, but I would try to get a copy of the medical records from the vet before hand to have a vet look at them for any undisclosed major problems other than the seizures.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Depends on what he’s on. Can you talk to the rescue and get a list of the drugs? Then call your vet to check the prices. Normally these medications aren’t that expensive.
Congrats on adopting a dog with special needs!
September 29th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
you should ask the vet that you are going to go to because depends on the vet, the cost could be different. And depends on the medication, you might be able to fill it at your regular pharmacy that could cost you a lot less. Good luck. This is very nice of you to adopt a dog with an illness.