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[luvmyjacks]

Just got back from our two week check up and Will is no longer considered to be at risk of dying.     He has however continued to lose weight so I have to work harder at getting him to eat or purchase the appetite stimulant prescribed for him.  His x rays have changed very little so the blasto still has a good hold on him.  His lungs are oxygenating at 98% - up from 92% when he was released from the ICU and his rate of respiration is 58 breaths per minute when sleeping.  They want me to bring him in if he goes over 80 and we are hoping to see him down to 40.  I am thrilled he has no eye involvement and seems to be over the hump, but I am staggering under the weight of the vet bills.  Today was another $960 and with all tests on all 4 dogs we are over $10,000.  I don't begrudge saving my Will by any stretch, but I need to find a place in Canada where I can find drugs at a better price.  This last lot was almost $500 for two months supply and I understand the compounded formula has a short shelf life so i can't get huge amounts ahead of time  If anyone can recommend a place I would appreciate it.  I have a sister living in Florida so I might on occasion be able to get some from the place everyone talks about in Arizona.  I still have a small supply of the Itra that is the tiny pellets in syrup but I find it hard to measure as the pellets stick to the side of the bottle and are hard to keep evenly spaced in the liquid.  Hope that makes sense.  I would love to not have to throw that out as it was for Roxy and she only had one dose.  Anyone with a reputable Canadian source???
Thanks again everyone for all the support.  I am going to reread a lot of the posts to get ideas for food and step up Will's feeding program.

[Wilson3]

this is wonderful news!!! you are doing awesome the bills do get very high but well worth it
i know this may sound dump but why can't your vet order you meds from the usa?
taks care
wilson3

[mhitesman]

Comet has been going to the Veterinary Hospital (Virginia Tech) which is a teaching hospital.  His initial visit over three days for all the tests which were many many many, including a retinal aspiration, bladder aspiration, liver aspiration, ultra sounds of internal organs, chest and lung xrays, optic ultrasounds (many), blood tests, urine tests, rickettsia (tick) tests, heartworm test, lyme test and probably more ...was $1100.  His enucleation surgery to remove his right eye was $962.  The Sporonox (Itra) capsules run about $400/month, and we are three weeks into treatment.  We feel we have been so fortunate to have a teaching hospital nearby (relatively).  The tests are more extensive and faster, the equipment is better, and the bills are much much much lower.  We believe these tests (including an overnight stay in ICU) would have been in the area of $8000 or more at our local vet clinic.  Is it possible that such a vet teaching hospital is within driving distance from you?  Even if you have to drive quite a distance and obtain a referal to go there, you might consider it for all those expensive tests.  If it is just about the meds now, I did find that Walmart was much less expensive than CVS Pharmacy -- several hundred per month less.  I have not used the formulary drugs sold by Roadrunner or Pet Pharmacies in Arizona, but I have been told they are $80 for a two month supply of Itra.  Some folks have flown to Mexico ...it is EXACTLY the same Itra (Sporonox), and you can take y our prescription and get it filled for a number of months, I hear, for just a few dollars!  I guess it's any pharmacy over the border.  Obviously, you need a prescription from your vet.

[luvmyjacks]

Well now I have an addition to the meds story...... I received a two month supply and was told it has a short shelf life:  not much beyond the two months I received.  Then, the next day I got a call to discuss the results of all the blood and liver enzyme tests we had done.  Well they have decided to cut back Will's dosage of Itra from .5ml 2x daily to .2ml.  so now I have all this prescription that cost a fortune and will expire.  Could cry.  In Toronto we have two major hospitals for pets and they are both affiliated with our University teaching hospital in Guelph.  They are interchangeable for care except that I have taken my horses to Guelph as they also have a large animal section and they can go to the next level of care for the dogs (a ventilator was suggested for Roxy - $6-9000).  From what I can tell the charges seem to be the same.  Now that Will is out of the woods I am definitely going to have a serious look at getting a prescription that I can fill somewhere other than at this hospital.  We have friends who travel all over the US and Mexico so I'm sure I can get someone to bring it back for me.  I can see from all the posts here that the costs differ substantially from clinic to clinic and vet to vet.  The hospital certainly wasn't offering to help me find the meds cheaper and I suspect it is because the vet doesn't own the clinic but is simply an employee of a large and lucrative corporation.  Having said that I have only praise for the quality of the care and the caring. When we went back  Will had a serious tail wag going as each person came out to welcome him and everyone was quick to tell me all the stories of what they had been feeding him.  Speaking of which, I am hoping his appetite will pick up now with this lower dose of meds.  He is still only picking at his food - while my husband and daughters have their fingers slapped while they pick juicy bits out of the recipes I am preparing him.  Will has steak and home fries while the hubby has a boiled egg!  Could be a mutiny in my future.