Immiticide

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
cedriccj3

cedriccj3

NCSU CVM c/o 2014
10+ Year Member
Joined
May 22, 2009
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Hey guys,

I know that this isn't the type of question that this forum is designed for, but I need some opinions. I recently adopted a dog, 2-3 year old spayed pit bull mix, who is heartworm positive. I am on the "waiting list" through the shelter for medication at a super reduced price (100 dollars for all three shots). I have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting...and my dog is starting to show more advanced symptoms. I have gotten quotes at local clinics, and am yet to find anything that I can afford. So, I did some reasearch online and found the following website:

http://www.allivet.com/Melarsomine-Immiticide-p/30210.htm


Selling immiticide online for a "doable" cost. I will NOT be giving it myself, so please dont attack me on that account. I was just wondering how feasible it would be for me to order it myself, and then bring it in to a veterinarian for them to inject it? I have found suggested dosages of 2.2 mg/kg online, so she would only need 45 mgs per dose. So I would even have a few vials left over after the treatment...

What do you guys think? Is this feasible?
Members don't see this ad.
 
I would recommend talking to your regular veterinarian and see what they recommend. It's pretty rare to find immiticide for sale online, regardless if they require RX or not, so it seems kinda sketchy to me.

Best of luck.
 
Last edited:
I agree. It might be legit, but it does seem suspicious. If you can possibly afford it, I'd recommend trying to obtain tx through your regular vet. They might be able to obtain Immiticide more quickly.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
We actually discussed this last week with a Merial Rep. They said for items that are sold OTC or online that isn't approved by Merial, they assume no liability.

just something to keep in mind if you decide to purchase online.
 
Immiticide is a fairly dangerous drug when obtained ethically, let alone from a mail-order pharmacy in Florida (a state particularly known for lax pharmacy standards). I wouldn't shell out money to an online pharmacy that wasn't at least VIPPS-accredited for a handful of acepromazine for my kitty, let alone melarsomine.

Have you told the shelter that your dog is becoming clinically worse, or have you tried asking your vet school for help?
 
Lots of counterfeit drugs out there... never heard of immiticide being one of them, specifically, but man... this stuff is injected, and it's pretty crucial to the dog's future well-being. Not sure I would risk it.

Why is immiticide being sold OTC? Wouldn't that encourage *****s to try and DIY their dog's treatment (because yeah, the IM injections aren't like, precise or anything :rolleyes:)...
 
It's not OTC from that site, you still need to submit a prescription before they'll ship it. I tried to order a box just to see what was involved - they put the order into the system, but they still have to contact your vet before the order is complete.
 
Yea I am really looking at this as a last-case scenario, but I was just intrigued to find that the drug was sold online. I am going to try begging at a few more clinics and see what kind of prices I can come up with...its just hard finding time in the middle of 1st year classes.

I have tried asking the vet school, but they will be reluctant to go through the procedure without the entire workup...making it extremely costly even with any type of student discount. Hopefully I can find a vet nearby with a soft spot for shelter dogs and poor vet students.
 
technically it IS shipped to the client. Once the doctor sends the RX, they ship it to your door. (assuming it's like the other hundreds of online pharmacies).

I would hope they would atleast assume the person is ordering the drug for their heartworm positive pet, and is going to let a veterinarian administer the drug. rather than trying to do it at home, however they plan to do that (and i'm sure someone will find a way..such as the lady on the product review section :scared:)


I really hope for the best for you and your pet, Cedric.
keep us UTD on her progress!
 
Just to clarify - I do think allivet is a legit operation, from what I know. My concern would be that you'd go through the entire process only to find it's on backorder with them too. I find it implausible that they'd have a magic untapped source. But it still might be worth a phone call.
 
Are you going through Wake? If so, it seems odd you are on a delay; one of our classmates just got her dog in for immiticide treatment less than a week post adoption from the surgery program.

If you are still having issues, you might consider talking to Dr. Ferris, shelter medicine. She may be able to direct you to some places that might be able to assist you.

Currently, my understanding is that immiticide is available, but from the european manufacturing plant due to contamination in the american plant. So it isn't really a true shortage, but a process of delays.
 
Our Merial rep told us a different story.
He said that the company that manufactures the Melarsomine has stopped, and the reason why there was such a squeeze to get any was because they didn't want to run out of stock while they were finding a new company to manufacture it. But he said there's no problem now, just a little backed up getting their supply to the vets.

the contamination part may be true, but I guess he must have excluded that. since he is a rep and all.
 
Sumstorm-

Yes, I am going through WCAS. They told me when I adopted her that there was a waiting list was 2-3 months, and that this was because they had a shortage of the drug at the shelter. I'm not sure how that person pulled it off, but I'd like to know if they have any more information!

I've been emailing Dr. Ferris and she has been helpful, but hasnt really indicated how much longer it is going to be on the waitlist. She said they are expecting extra shipments in the near future, so thats good news. So far, the cheapest i've found in the area is $450 dollars at a small clinic in Cary, which I will be doing if I don't hear from WCAS soon. I've started her on doxy for the "pretreatment", and that will be finished in mid october, so I plan on starting her treatment right after that.
 
cedriccj3 said:
Sumstorm-

Yes, I am going through WCAS. They told me when I adopted her that there was a waiting list was 2-3 months, and that this was because they had a shortage of the drug at the shelter. I'm not sure how that person pulled it off, but I'd like to know if they have any more information!
Click to expand...

I know our classmates dog was adopted from a different shelter 3 weeks ago, her treatment started last week and I am pretty sure it was at Wake. Maybe it is a different program (for owned dogs vs direct adopts)? I know Dr. Ferris was the one who suggested it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread
Top