"Ted is a 9 year old Border Terrier, who had continual ear infections, itchy feet and stomach problems. He was on Apoquel every spring for a few months.
He hated most dog foods and tried all the hydrolysed meat based diets. He is now on Greta Mini, Green Crunch also small Solo tins for about 18 months now and loves them all. The only visit to vet we’ve had is for vaccinations!
Couldn't be more thankful trying Ted on plant-based food!"
- Elizabeth and Ted
Such wonderful news as THERE ARE SIDE EFFECTS TO TED'S HEALTH BEING ON APOQUEL - read the post below -
What of the cost saving now that Ted is off Apoquel?
These are the insights from the February 2025 CMA working paper on competition in the supply of veterinary medicines (concerning first-opinion veterinary practices in the UK):
- The cost of veterinary medicines has increased by 60 to 70% over the past decade, roughly double the rate of inflation.
- Large veterinary group practices mark up the purchase price of medicines by an average of 300% to 400% vs. 100% by independent practices.
- Limited evidence suggests pet owners are likely to make substantial cost savings if they buy some medicines from online pharmacies vs. directly from their veterinary practices.
- There seems to be no recognised industry benchmark for prescription and dispensing fees, with a wide variation in what is charged: £12 to £36 for a prescription; 0 to £20 (sometimes more than £100) for dispensing.
- 38% of pet owners are not aware they can buy veterinary medicines from third-party retailers with a prescription, and only 16% do so.
- Barriers to purchasing elsewhere include the level of prescription fees and the availability of large-veterinary-group-branded medications.
- Revenue from injection and dispensing fees represent 5% to 20% of earnings for large veterinary groups vs. under 5% for independent practices.
If Ted's Mum was to buy the Apoquel from an online pharmacy with a Prescription, there is the cost of the Prescription which as shown above could be anything from £12 to £36, and she would pay at least £1.04/tablet online (as shown here).
If Ted's Mum were to visit a corporate veterinary practice, the cost of Apoquel as shown above with a 300%-400% mark-up, would cost at least £3.50 per tablet!!! + the cost of a consultation which is at least £50, so the saving for Ted making the change to a pure, healthy and affordable long term plant-based diet is a no-brainer!
