# Antibiotics without an Rx



## Alicia Mertz (Mar 28, 2006)

Yeah yeah, I haven't posted in forever... I'm still lurking, believe me.  

I thought someone on the board might be able to help me with this...

We took Dom to the vet last weekend because all of a sudden he had very bad diarrhea, and though the vet (not my normal vet, unforunately, since it was spur of the moment and he was on vacation for several days) didn't find any parasites when she did the fecal, she did say that the level of "bad" bacteria was a little high. So she gave us a Metronidazole prescription - 500mgs twice a day for 5 days (so 10 pills).

Well, Dom is doing much better. I don't know if it was the Metronidazole or the pumpkin, but he's a happy camper. :lol: 

However, Jaeger is now exhibiting the exact same symptoms.  No doubt it's the same thing Dommie had going on, and even if it is something like Giardia, the metronidazole would take care of it... BUT... The not very nice lol vet won't write me a prescription to get the drugs elsewhere (I'm not paying $25 for 10 pills again when I can buy 100 of them for $14-$25 online), nor will she even give me another prescription from there (even if I was willing to pay out the a**) without bringing Jaeger in, doing a fecal, etc...and the only sites I can find online that will sell Metronidazole without a prescription have something called "Fish Zole", which I guess is 250mg Metronidazole tablets for fish tanks.

My question is can you give Fish Zole to dogs (it DOES have doseages listed for dogs and cats, but I'm a *little* leary) and, if you can't, can anyone recommend a good site for ordering veterinary antibiotics without a prescription??

Thanks for your help, as always!


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## Sarah Hall (Apr 12, 2006)

I've never worked for or met a vet that wouldn't write a script for basically a refill. Try seeing if they'll price match at your vet (most practices down here do, but don't offer it unless you ask). Most likely they'll require you to have the "checkout" screen printed that details the shipping cost. Some add this shipping cost to the final cost.
I've never heard of using the Fish Zole tabs for dogs, I'd just try the above first.


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## Alicia Mertz (Mar 28, 2006)

Sarah Hall said:


> Try seeing if they'll price match at your vet (most practices down here do, but don't offer it unless you ask).


I never would have thought about that, so I called to ask... Nope. They won't do it. ::sigh:: 

Here's the site with the Fish Zole information if anyone wants to check it out: http://www.petstruly.com/2817.html

(There are a ton of other sites for Fish Zole that have better pricing, but this one in particular shows the recommended doseage for dogs.)


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Alicia Mertz said:


> Sarah Hall said:
> 
> 
> > Try seeing if they'll price match at your vet (most practices down here do, but don't offer it unless you ask).
> ...


................................................................

I would be switching vets so fast their little heads would spin. Well, maybe........ I've never heard of a vet (and I belong to a training club, so this comes up!) who won't match web prices if asked.

I would call back, explain TO THE VET the situation, and ask how best to manage this in a cost-reducing way. With "or I have to go elsewhere" in your voice.

I don't mean the receptionist or office manager; I mean ask for a call back from the vet.

It might be a good thing to learn now (and not when you have a major situation) how much they will and will not work with you.

Do I sound irritated? You betcha! :twisted: :lol: Go get 'em!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Connie, what are your thoughts on using the fish tank tablets for treating dogs? I just wonder if the quality control would be the same? :-k


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Bob Scott said:


> Connie, what are your thoughts on using the fish tank tablets for treating dogs? I just wonder if the quality control would be the same? :-k


Oh, no, I'm not thinking I would do that. I have the same reservations Alicia has.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

http://www.petdrugs.com/new_orders/

You have to fill out a form, but it's no RX. PetDrugs.com out of Canada.

Also, google this:

VET MEDS, "NO PRESCRIPTION"


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## Sarah Hall (Apr 12, 2006)

Hahaha, my mom gets meds out of Canada. I didn't even remember that they had dog meds you could buy from there. Thanks for the link, my breeder is always looking for that kind of stuff (she knows dogs well enough not to need a vet every time). There's a Canada RX place near me, I think. I'm going to go into there and poke around and see what I can find.....


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## Alicia Mertz (Mar 28, 2006)

Connie,

Trust me, I won't be going back to this vet. Thank god she's not my regular vet, like I said. I've tried several vets here in Raleigh since we moved here, and thus far, I've only liked ONE of them! (My regular guy.) 

I've actually put in a call to him to see if he'll help me out any, even though he's not the one who wrote the original prescription. I would try what you suggested, but I seriously doubt that this woman is going to work with me at all....

I also checked out the link you posted. Cool site, but all the antibiotics I looked at said "Rx Required"?? Not that they have Metronidazole anyway... I guess I was looking in the wrong place, though, since you said that all you need to do is fill out a form?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Alicia Mertz said:


> Connie,
> 
> Trust me, I won't be going back to this vet. Thank god she's not my regular vet, like I said. .....


.... and let them know, too.



I didn't look any further than the form.

However, a BUNCH of sites came up when I googled VET MEDS, NO PRESCRIPTION

Put quotes around "no prescription" and it will have to have that phrase on the site.


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## Alicia Mertz (Mar 28, 2006)

Eh, can't find anything and my vet hasn't called me back... :? 

Thanks for your help, though. If no one on this board knows of a site off hand where you can buy prescription antibiotics (for dogs) without a prescription, then it probably doesn't exist! :lol:


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Alicia Mertz said:


> Eh, can't find anything and my vet hasn't called me back... :?
> 
> Thanks for your help, though. If no one on this board knows of a site off hand where you can buy prescription antibiotics (for dogs) without a prescription, then it probably doesn't exist! :lol:


Discount Meds USA No Prescription Drug Info
with no prescription needed. You simply choose the drug that you wish to ... Discount Meds carries a wide range of medications including antibiotics. ...
www.readingtarget.com/shop/druglist.htm 

from Google


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## Sarah Hall (Apr 12, 2006)

I just called my breeder, and she said that, in a pinch, she used Fish Zole once for Giardia when she rescued a dog back from an abusive owner.
BTW, Metronidazole is mainly used for Giardia, but I've owned a dog that got a high level of bad bacteria and got terrible diarrhea by someone slipping him a cooked pork chop.
Other meds used to treat are: Furazolidone, Tinadazole, Fenbendazole, and Albendazole. I believe Fenbendazole can be purchased w/o a script.


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## Alicia Mertz (Mar 28, 2006)

I swear I'm not trying to be difficult here... LOL Connie, AWESOME site. I'm definitely going to bookmark it for future use. However, no Metronidazole.  :lol: Seems I'm just SOL! :lol: 

And Sarah....the reading I've done about Metronidazole said the same thing - used primarily for Giardia but it also has anti-inflamatory properties and is used to stop diarrhea. I asked the vet specifically if Dom had Giardia, and she said no. Oh well. The medicine did work on him, though, so I can't complain there.

Did your breeder mention whether she had good results using the Fish Zole or what doseage she used? Would she use it again?

Thanks for the research.


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## Stacia Porter (Apr 8, 2006)

Alicia,

Have you considered giving the dogs plain yogurt? If it's an overabundance of bacteria, yogurt can help control that, can't it? If it's not giardia or coccidia, it might just do the trick.

You might also consider GI rest (fasting teh dog) and then giving him boiled rice and chicken a couple of days. His immune system should reset the amounts of bacteria on its own. Did the vet mention WHICH bad bacteria this was? Is it normal gut flora, or something like e.coli or the bad'uns?

The thing about buying meds online is that if for some reason your dog has a reaction, or they don't work, they won't take responsibility for it. The companies only guarantee their meds if they are sold to you by a veterinarian.

I'm sorry you're having such trouble and I hope Jaeger is feeling better soon!


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