ArthriAid - Vet Scam?

revileandy

I went to my local vet who I've been going to for 9 years to get a bottle of Arthri Aid for our aging collie.

They wouldn't sell me any without a €50 Vet Consultation first!

I subsequently got some over the counter in a Pet Shop.

Is this a scam from the Vet or would they have a stronger version of the product?

KungPao

GPs and vets must make half their cash from jobs like this. In and out in 2 minutes - €50 please!

If you know what you need, get it yourself from a shop or someone you trust.

I have reptiles and sometimes need certain things...I just ask someone I know who is big into them and he helps us out when possible. Saves a fortune.

tk123

I guess they're covering their asses in case there was something seriously wrong BUT if you've been going for years they'd know the dog's history so don't understand why they wouldn't just sell it to you? Unless they're considering it a prescription product now but again you're a longs standing customer so why would you need a consult?

revileandy

It's a strange one, they know the dog's entire history & they saw her twice over Nov/Dec last year but when I dropped in this week they were making out that Arthri Aid was prescription only and we'd have to see the Vet again!

cocker5

revileandy wrote: »

I went to my local vet who I've been going to for 9 years to get a bottle of Arthri Aid for our aging collie.

They wouldn't sell me any without a €50 Vet Consultation first!

I subsequently got some over the counter in a Pet Shop.

Is this a scam from the Vet or would they have a stronger version of the product?

OP - isnt very effective i tried it on my cocker for 6 months - its overpriced / not much use... vets will always try and sell you just the products they sell good or indifferent _ IMO anyway

you should try salmon oil daily and Luposan Pellets (same price as Arthri Aid but far more effective)

revileandy

I just got a small bottle of Arthri aid to test the water over the next 2-3 weeks, if there's no improvement I'll move on to the Luposan, I've read good things about that.

Latatian

It may actually be worse than you think, if ArthriAid is the glucosamine/chondroitin supplement I found on googling.

The use of these supplements in dogs was based on human research. On further, better research being conducted it turned out that it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on pain in arthritis or on the joints themselves- it was a placebo effect. There's less research in dogs but again it's contradictory and the best studies show little to no benefit. The trouble with this is that if you know you are giving the dog something to help it, you will tend to see an improvement in the dog. If the human observer knows the dog gets it, they see a benefit.

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-top-ten-pet-supplements-do-they-work/
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-glucosamine-really-work/
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2015/02/what-you-know-that-aint-necessarily-so-glucosamine-arthritis-in-dogs/
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/03/clever-new-study-illustrates-the-improtance-of-placebo-controls-in-veterinary-clinical-studies/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19912522

cocker5

revileandy wrote: »

I just got a small bottle of Arthri aid to test the water over the next 2-3 weeks, if there's no improvement I'll move on to the Luposan, I've read good things about that.

to be honest OP 2/3 weeks isnt enough you need to try something for at least over a month to see the benefits - same applies to humans

100% on the Luposan (pellets) i find them excellent... you should also look at:


http://www.holistichound.ie/#!product/prd1/3892350021/golden-paste

Best of luck :P

tk123

Latatian wrote: »

The trouble with this is that if you know you are giving the dog something to help it, you will tend to see an improvement in the dog. If the human observer knows the dog gets it, they see a benefit.

I disagree. I'm quite observant about my dogs legs/condition because it's something I've been managing for 6 years and it's something that's pretty unique. I've tried different supplements and know what works for him and what doesn't and his joint supplements have definitely improved his condition to the point he doesn't need pain medication. If anything I'm critical of supplements I give him - I don't assume he's improved just because he's getting them.

I don't need studies or web pages to tell me what I can see with my own eyes - when he's sore he's sore and when he's not he's not and the supplements play a big part in that.

Latatian

Have a look at the last study linked there. Also this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23113523 Caregiver placebo effects were also observed in vet assessments- who presumably would be trained to be very observant on dog lameness and are trained to interpret gait.

It's not about assuming a dog has improved because they're getting supplements, or being critical or otherwise of what's given. It's just a funny psychological phenomenon that no-one is immune to, and that there seems to be no way of preventing (otherwise studying these things would be a lot easier: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23035739).

boomerang

By law, vets can only prescribe drugs for animals under their care. By definition, the animal must have been examined by the vet in the previous six months. If the six months are up, the vet can (and should) decline to hand out further prescription meds if you won't agree to having a consult first. It's important that a dog being treated for a chronic condition is examined and reviewed at least every six months, because many long term conditions require increases or decreases in drug dosages over time, and also because many long-term medications have significant side-effects on the kidneys and the liver. It is not a scam.

Sounds to me that the person on the desk (probably not a vet or vet nurse) thought the Arthri-Aid was a prescription item.

deisedays

There's no such six month rule. It's at the vet's discretion for dogs and cats.
Arthi aid is a nutritional supplement so not a medicine and no prescription needed.
A good businessman would charge €50 for a bottle of arthri aid and then include a "free" consultation with each purchase.
I suppose these vets go to vet school not business school and that's why their business model is as amateur as you have outlined in your story.

tk123

deisedays wrote: »

There's no such six month rule. It's at the vet's discretion for dogs and cats.
Arthi aid is a nutritional supplement so not a medicine and no prescription needed.
A good businessman would charge €50 for a bottle of arthri aid and then include a "free" consultation with each purchase.
I suppose these vets go to vet school not business school and that's why their business model is as amateur as you have outlined in your story.

I'd say boomerang is spot on with the receptionist thinking it was a prescription med rather than it being some well thought out scam. People do walk in off the street asking for all sorts to be fair! Thinking now I would have complained to the vet if it was a "consumable" rather than prescription medicine because they're turning customers away. The same way I pointed out that I could get clients in the door to them if they started doing titre tests lol! :pac:

I tell you what grinds my gears though - repeat prescription from the vet ready in 24 hours, repeat from the GP takes at least 48....And as far as I can see the vet is much busier than the GP! :pac: