Dog dewormer: 9 euros at the vet, 2 at the pharmacy

Nine euros for a pill that, according to other users, costs two

The owner of a female dog living in the countryside opens the blister from her latest deworming treatment and reads the brand: Milbemax by Novartis. The clinic charged him 9 euros. He says he asked whether he could buy the pills himself at the pharmacy and give her one every three months, but the clinic gave him no clear answer. Other participants cite lower prices: 2 euros for a generic pill that a clinic orders from the pharmacy, less than 3 euros for Drontal from an online store, and about 1.5 euros per pill when buying boxes of ten online. The author's frustration is not just about the money, but about having to go back to the clinic every three months to have the pill administered.

How much does it cost to deworm a dog every three months?

The range depends on where you buy. The highest price mentioned in the thread is the 9 euros charged by the clinic. The lowest is 1.5 euros per pill when buying a box of ten online, according to one participant. In between are the 2 euros for generic pills that a clinic orders from the pharmacy and the less than 3 euros for Drontal from an online store. For a 5-kilo dog, one user gives a quarter of a pill, so the real cost is diluted. Another points to one pill for every ten kilos of body weight.

On the schedule, the thread argues that the pills do not protect for weeks: they clear the dog on the day you give them. One participant says a trusted vet recommended monthly treatment if you want full protection. Every three months is the norm for animals without much risk, according to the comments.

Ticks: neither collar nor spot-on guarantees everything

The other half of the problem is external. Despite wearing a collar and having Advantix spot-ons applied, the country dog keeps picking up ticks. Some claim the Advantix formula has changed and no longer works as well as before, while others defend that the product works just fine. The most frequently mentioned alternative is the Scalibor collar, which according to one user lasts six months against almost everything and four against fleas, and can be bought online for around 18 euros. Frontline is also mentioned as a reference brand.

The advice that keeps coming up: check the ingredients before buying cheap spot-ons at the supermarket. According to one participant, those with natural ingredients repel for a few days but do not kill eggs or larvae. And the home remedy that appears in the conversation —a centimetre of Butox, a cattle product— comes with a warning: the dosage must be watched carefully. The same goes for Ivomec, powerful and broad-spectrum, but which one user flags as dangerous for collies, bobtails and their crosses.