Since I'm hours away from the nearest Petsmart, I'm contemplating doing the online ordering thing for supplies (though I suppose I could just stock up the few times I got to Raleigh)...anyhoo, what are some sites you recommend, what are your experiences with them (i.e. Petco?), and were you satisfied? Also, are the prices low (but then they get you with shipping?) Free shipping? etc etc etc
Thanks

12/17/2005 8:28:58 AM

you should dress your dog up

12/17/2005 8:53:32 AM

uh no...not cool. I think she's got enough fur to keep her warm, and the only dressing up I'll do is a bandana around her neck when she gets older

12/17/2005 9:16:10 AM

http://www.petedge.com

12/17/2005 9:19:27 AM

if u really like petsmart, i think they have an on-line shop too.

12/17/2005 9:42:00 AM

sweet...I never even thought about that

I REALLY like Petsmart b/c you can bring your pup in...good socialization practice, plus they carry the dogfood I use (and the dinky little place out here doesn't).

12/17/2005 9:45:10 AM

i once took my dog into petsmart... he got excited and pissed all over the floor. the funny part was i had a friend that worked there who had to go get the mop

12/17/2005 9:57:02 AM

lol Dakota doesn't potty when she gets excited...but, normally she has to go after playing hard (she hasn't really learned to "hold it" yet). I actually got her from Petsmart*, so I think she'd like going back and visiting with all the other pups




[Edited on December 17, 2005 at 10:02 AM. Reason : *I got her from a rescue group that was at petsmart]

12/17/2005 10:01:43 AM

Hey Jen, for cheaper heartguard and frontline, we use http://www.petsuppliesnet.com

it's an australian site, but it's a fraction of what it costs here. Also, it's the exact same thing you get here, if you compare the packaging.

12/17/2005 10:03:21 AM

yeah, cocker spaniels have a problem with peeing when they are excited

12/17/2005 10:04:24 AM

^^thanks Bobby!

^hehe the first dog I ever dogsat for was a cocker spaniel...she was definitely the epitome of an excited pee-er

12/17/2005 10:06:47 AM

The lady I got my dog from have me some catalogues she has ordered supplies from:

http://www.cherrybrook.com
http://www.carealotpets.com
http://www.drfostersmith.com
http://www.petedge.com

12/17/2005 11:23:27 AM

hey fantastic...appreciate it!!

12/17/2005 11:28:00 AM

http://www.onlinepetsite.com

12/17/2005 11:38:01 AM

^link didn't work?

12/17/2005 11:45:13 AM

Quote :

"Hey Jen, for cheaper heartguard and frontline, we use http://www.petsuppliesnet.com it's an australian site, but it's a fraction of what it costs here. Also, it's the exact same thing you get here, if you compare the packaging."

Keep in mind that you don't have the product guarantee if you buy from an online distributer like that. If your dog gets heartworms while on Heartgard then Merial will pay for the treatment (and its pretty expensive) but you don't get that from the online site. Plus, if you giver your dog heartworm medication and he alreayd has it then you stand a very good chance of killing your dog. You need to at least have him checked for heartworms before starting the medication. Dogs in NC that are not on heartworm prevention and go outside regularly get heartworms at a rate of nearly 100% (we have really bad mosquito problems in case you didn't notice).

Plus sales of medince and supplies is just another way that a vet gets their income. They have to keep low margins on service fees simply because owners don't want to pay it. Often, the price of online pet supplies end up being about the same as many vets sell it at (at least relatively close to it) after shipping and handling is factored in. Don't be fooled into thinking that Vets are fattening their pockets (they only make $40,000-$50,000 on average and up to &75,000 if they own their own successful practice). Expect prices to go up in the coming years as malpractice insurance becomes more substantial.

12/17/2005 12:08:07 PM

I know that vets don't make that much...I was on-track for vet school until I decided to change my major.

Also, I wouldn't be purchasing the products in lieu of a trip to the vet...I'm just looking for other options that exist post check-up

[Edited on December 17, 2005 at 12:11 PM. Reason : ]

12/17/2005 12:11:10 PM

http://www.petsolutions.com

12/17/2005 12:12:34 PM

^ Great place to get fish supplies...1/2 to 1/3 of what local stores charge .even petsmart.

12/17/2005 7:42:31 PM

Quote :

"Dogs in NC that are not on heartworm prevention and go outside regularly get heartworms at a rate of nearly 100%"

just plain wrong

12/18/2005 1:24:37 AM

^sorry, he's right, studies have shown that dogs left outside in an area endemic to mosquitoes and heartworms have a 96% chance on contracting the disease after only 6 months. If i still had access to the NCSU library and their online journals I'd give you the articles

The biggest problem with buying heartworm medication online is that though the packaging is similiar there's no guarantee that the product on the inside is the same. Besides, any vet with half a brain now a days will price match, so why not go with the absolute real thing?

12/18/2005 8:05:34 PM

http://www.carealotpets.com/

It's local here in Virginia Beach. I know they have pretty cheap prices on a lot of stuff. Have never ordered from them though, just gone to the store.

12/18/2005 8:09:37 PM

ugh there are ticks EVERYWHERE here...my top priority when I take Dakota to the vet this week is tick treatments! yuck.......

12/18/2005 8:14:24 PM

just use a blowtorch

12/18/2005 9:04:54 PM

http://www.upco.com has the cheapest prices and free shipping on everything, including vaccinations.

we've ordered several things from them now and they have great customer service. also, in our last order they sent us 10 $.01 stamps to "help with the price increase in postage over the holidays"

[Edited on December 18, 2005 at 10:26 PM. Reason : ]

12/18/2005 10:25:10 PM

I second http://www.drfostersmith.com/ I think they have a free shipping deal going on right now.

12/18/2005 10:44:34 PM

i like drsfostersmith.com but i can usually find better deals elsewhere.

shipping at upco is always free

12/18/2005 11:42:50 PM

"JSNAILS PERPETUAL PET THREAD"

that'd be the shit

12/19/2005 12:21:49 AM

Quote :

"Quote : "Dogs in NC that are not on heartworm prevention and go outside regularly get heartworms at a rate of nearly 100%" just plain wrong"

My fiance is a 4th year vet student, ranked #2 in the class I believe, that is about to start her PhD and residency in Veterinary Pathology. If there is one thing she knows its diseases in animals. Believe me, I've heard plenty of shit on this. Hell, I had to help her at the pathology booth (since she was president of the Pathology club and no one else could make it at the end) at open house this year and heard that tidbit repeated damn near every 2 minutes. Not giving an outdoor dog heartworm prevention is a death sentence in NC.

Didn't see this reply, he's right on...

Quote :

"^sorry, he's right, studies have shown that dogs left outside in an area endemic to mosquitoes and heartworms have a 96% chance on contracting the disease after only 6 months. If i still had access to the NCSU library and their online journals I'd give you the articles The biggest problem with buying heartworm medication online is that though the packaging is similiar there's no guarantee that the product on the inside is the same. Besides, any vet with half a brain now a days will price match, so why not go with the absolute real thing?"

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 12:31 AM. Reason : .]

12/19/2005 12:30:44 AM

thanks again everyone

....lol yeah, that would probably make sense, drunknloaded

12/19/2005 7:03:27 AM

hehe

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 7:41 AM. Reason : the sad thing is i've went to bed and woke up since i posted that 7 hours ago]

12/19/2005 7:41:22 AM

Quote :

"http://www.upco.com has the cheapest prices and free shipping on everything, including vaccinations. we've ordered several things from them now and they have great customer service. also, in our last order they sent us 10 $.01 stamps to "help with the price increase in postage over the holidays""

jesus that's stupid. are people that cheap that they're willing to risk not only their pet's life but their's as well? wow, so you can buy rabies vacc's online without any assurance on quality control. who's to say that the vaccines haven't been stored at optimum temperature or are not expired and relabeled?

who gives a crap if they gave you 10 $.01 cent stamps, they might as well have taken 10 cents off your order, it's the same damn thing. If all it takes is for some business to give a dime for you to feel like they have great customer service, then you're going to get suckered into some horrible deals because of "great customer service."

seriously people, don't buy medications and such from online pet stores. The majority of distributors won't sell to them so they have to resort to shady means to get the products. If you're too cheap to spend a couple extra bucks and going to your vet, who will probably price match, then you don't need to have a pet. seriously, would you buy your kids vaccines and prescription online? especially when underneath it lists 27 states that they can't ship to

12/19/2005 8:01:09 AM

Quote :

"ugh there are ticks EVERYWHERE here...my top priority when I take Dakota to the vet this week is tick treatments! yuck......."

sorry for the double post, BUT if you have a big tick problem, you may want to see if your Vet carries the Lymes Disease vaccine. not all vets do, but it may be an important investment if they do. Although products like frontline and advantix will kill ticks, the little buggers still have to bite down! And i'm not sure how long it takes for them to die after the bite, it may be longer than it takes for the disease to transmit that might just my paranoia but it never hurts to ask!

also, my pup is gaining over a pound a week he was 10lbs last monday and weighed in at 12 last night! he's gonna clobber my 8lb minpin in the not to distant future

12/19/2005 8:07:35 AM

wow I never knew there was a Lyme Disease vaccination...ah you learn something new every day!

Honestly I hate to have to put such harsh chemicals on the pup just b/c of the tick problem, but at the same time I want to keep her as protected as possible...I'm going to ask the vet if there are any alternatives to frontline, though I'm not getting my hopes up.

haha your minipin needs to meet my landlords minipin...Mojo seriously needs someone to kick his little butt...and you know, he's being more devious than the puppy! I mean, Dakota is curious, but Mojo is just looking for attention (and its not like he's hard up for it either...he's my landlord's freakin' baby!)

OH...I remember someone posting about frontline/topspot...etc etc etc...what was the controversy between the topical flea/tick products again?

12/19/2005 8:37:20 AM

^I had worked in a vet hospital for 3 1/2 years and because we didnt' carry the lymes vacc, i didnt' know it existed either! But if your area has tick problems any smart vet should carry it.

Frontline isn't really a harsh chemical. It is considered a pesticide but it's not harmful to dogs or cats. Advantix is poisonous to cats and will kill them if they ingest it, so don't get that if you have cats in the area! Really, the only alternative to the tick problem is not letting your dog outside!

my minpin, Toby, is a little badass, he doesn't like alien environments and can get really nasty mean but he does pretty well with MOST other dogs, as long as they don't try to be dominant

the only controversy i know about the topical flea products is that they should NOT be bought online. also, don't buy the cheap walmart/target/grocery store products because they simply don't work for more thna 24 hours and you're just wasting your money. I've never had a problem with Frontline, and in fact, a few weeks ago, a client came into the hospital for a check up with his hunting dog that he puts frontline on and said that after their last outing he picked 6 ticks off of himself so he checked the dog several times over and couldn't find a single one!

12/19/2005 11:14:18 AM

Quote :

"jesus that's stupid. are people that cheap that they're willing to risk not only their pet's life but their's as well? wow, so you can buy rabies vacc's online without any assurance on quality control. who's to say that the vaccines haven't been stored at optimum temperature or are not expired and relabeled?"

you're an idiot. who said i bought a rabies vaccine???
you don't even know who ordered it, why, who it was for, or what they did with it.

way to assume shit about something you have no clue about. he didn't place the order because they gave him stamps, that just came with it.

how about from now on you keep your mouth shut about things of which you have no knowledge.

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 11:40 AM. Reason : ]

12/19/2005 11:37:47 AM

^^lol yeah I worked in one for 3 years myself...but that was SUCH a long time ago (think, first job) and since I haven't used a lot of what I learned then, I've forgotten a lot of it!

While Dakota will be an indoor dog (as I personally think all dogs should be, since they are members of the family!) she does love her walks. It just sucks b/c people don't really have yards here (unless they have the $$$ to purchase lots with room to spare) so a lot of the yards are grown over (at least in the area I'm in)...along the roads you find tons of weeds too (and those are great places for ticks to hide). Basically, unless she potties inside for the rest of her life, she'll always have that potential (and very probable) contact with the buggers.

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 11:44 AM. Reason : ^^]

12/19/2005 11:44:10 AM

^^

Quote :

"http://www.upco.com has the cheapest prices and free shipping on everything, including vaccinations. "

1) you said yourself you could order vaccines from their site
2) i never said you ordered it
3) why else would someone order rabies vaccines for their pets? no hospital or lab would order them from this site, they can get it cheaper from the distributor
4) i never said you made an order because you could get 10 stamps, but when you make a statement that they have good customer service and they even sent us stamps, you're implying that them sending you a dime worth of stamps was good customer service
5) your reading comprehension skills suck because you completely missed the point of what i had said
6) I've worked in a vet clinic for almost 5 years and i got pissed off when i read that you can order vaccines online for your pet, i never said your an idiot, i never said you ordered the vaccine, read over what was said

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 11:50 AM. Reason : f]

12/19/2005 11:49:23 AM