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Prescriptions: IV fluids and
IV admin sets always require a prescription in the US. (In Canada
and Mexico, IV fluids are over-the-counter.) A few states including
Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island
require prescriptions for needles and syringes.
It's not unusual
for mail order firms to insist upon needle/syringe prescriptions
 even
though they may not be legally required. Have your vet
make out an indefinite quantity (PRN) prescription for each of the items
you'll buy in the next year and FAX or mail it to the vendor. The
prescription is good for a year. Many states
require vets to give you a prescription under veterinary and/or pharmacy
laws/regulations. If your vet refuses to write a prescription, see
Vet
refuses to write a prescription.
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Ask Your Vet. Before you
run off to purchase supplies, ask your vet for help. Most vets sell
fluids by the bag and it's a very good idea to first make sure that you
are capable of administering fluids to your pet at home. If you experience
problems, consider hiring a vet tech to come by and coach you through a
sesssion or two. Folks who have done this have reported paying $15-$25
per vet tech home visit. Some vets have reasonable prices on fluids
and some have volunteered to sell cases of fluids to their clients for
their cost or their cost plus a small handling charge. Kudos to those
vets!
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Check Local Sources. Just
about everyone who has tried has found lactated ringer's solution (LRS)
or Normosol-R locally at a significant savings over mail order. Correspondents
have reported paying from $10-$30 for a case of 12 liters of LRS.
Only a handful have had success finding IV admin sets and needles locally,
however. When I was still infusing my Scooter Cat, I bought LRS at
my local CVS and needles and IV sets via mail order from BRICO. Check the
local
fluids link for more information and instructions. There are
some "tricks" to obtaining fluids locally.
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PVC vs. Non-PVC Bags. A chemical
plasticizer, DEHP, is used in the manufacture of PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
IV bags and lines to soften them. But DEHP is a known carcinogen
... studies suggested that it causes liver cancer in laboratory animals.
There is no definitive proof yet that DEHP from PVC bags and lines will
cause harm to infused animals but many prefer the non-PVC bags and IV admin
sets for peace of mind. See the Health
Care Without Harm web site for more information. All Braun brand
IV bags are DEHP-free. But other providers, including Hospira and
Baxter, now have fluids available in DEHP-free bags, although these bags
may be more costly than their bags manufactured with DEHP.
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Price Comparisons. Be sure
to include all shipping, handling and other fees in comparing prices between
vendors. For example, some vendors charge an additional fee for low
dollar orders!
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Vendor Location. Don't
forget to consider the vendor's shipping location when ordering fluids
-- it will determine the time to your location. Use the UPS
Shipping Calculator to estimate delivery time.
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Don't Wait. If your cat
is responding well to fluids treatment, don't hesitate to obtain bulk fluids
from a vendor. My vet charged relatively humane prices but ordering
supplies via mail order saved me about $1300 a year over my vet's prices!
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ThrivingPets.com or BRICO for No
Fluids Order. If your current needs do not include fluids but rather
a box of needles and/or IV sets, consider the two vendors listed.
For example, if you just need a box of needles, ThrivingPets.com charges
$6.25 plus $5.00 shipping ($11.25) and BRICO charges $6.25 plus $7.25 shipping
($13.50). See
table 4.
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Reuse IV Sets. It's perfectly
permissible to reuse IV admin sets by transferring them from a depleted
fluids bag to a new one as long as you maintain sterility. Some will
reuse a set up to six times. Others will change to a new set every
month or so.
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Don't Reuse Needles. Disposable
needles are not designed to be reused. They lose their sharpness
quickly and are easily contaminated. Since the cost per needles is
only 4-7 cents each, there's no real economic incentive to reuse them.
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Join the Feline
CRF Support Group. The ability to ask a question of folks in
the same situation makes all the difference. The Group can address
both big concerns and the small ones. When I first joined, the Group
sent me to Direct Medical, reducing my cost for a bag of Lactated Ringer's
Solution from the $12 charged by my vet to $1.89 plus shipping. The
Group also patiently explained how to remove the guard on Terumo needles
after I had stabbed myself twice.
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