Save money on special foods (petremedies.co.uk)

Member Name: ScottishWestie

Product:	petremedies.co.uk
Date:	11/07/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reliable, cheaper than vets, good website

Disadvantages: Postage costs

If you have a cat, dog or rabbit that requires special food or herbal remedies due to it having an allergy & end up paying ridiculous prices from your local vet because its not available elsewhere, than consider this website.

Established in 2003 Petremedies supplies pet shops, vets & customers direct from their Welsh headquarters & can save you serious money on items that are difficult to get other than from a vet. They sell food recommended for animals that have allergies, dental care items, joint care items, flea control & loads of other things.

Our old dog suffered from eczema; he was allergic to beef, poultry, grass, leaves & dust mites. Left untreated his skin would come out on nasty blotches causing him to scratch until it bleeds. He had been on medication for 12 years which kept it at bay plus I had to ensure he was on a strict diet of certain foods. Namely, lamb & rice & fish & rice, nothing else.

Getting a regular supply of fish & rice is quite easy as our local pet shop had it in stock all the time. However, lamb & rice is more difficult. It's made by Hills & imported from America, although I have tried in the past to get from pet shops I am always redirected back to my vet for supplies.

It comes in a pack of 12 tins & is about three times more expensive than normal tinned dog food. In the early days when the dog was covered by pet insurance, the company would pay me the difference between normal dog food & the lamb & rice.

However, when he turned seven years old they increased the insurance policy by a staggering 486% & that alone stopped the subsides. I have to pay for all vet fees as no one will insure him & have to pay the full cost of the special food.

However, that wouldn't have been a problem had my local vet not become a little greedy. This time last year I was paying £17.35 for 12 tins of Hills imported lamb & rice from the vet that is £1.44 a tin.

By April it had increased to £19.44 for 12 tins, £1.62 a tin. Well inflation is rising & times are getting tough, but to add insult to injury the tins were actually smaller, I was paying more for less.

By last month the price had increased again, this time to £22.60 for 12 tins, £1.88 a tin, now someone was pulling my leg!
Manufacture, supplier or vet? Since last year, the price has risen 23.5% way beyond the national inflation figure.

I started looking around again to see if anyone else could sell me the same food cheaper, I scoured umpteen web sites, mostly American who wouldn't ship to the UK & just as I was giving up I accidentally came across Petremedies web site.

At last a UK site that was able to supply lamb & rice from the same company & the price for 12 tins? Just £16.00, £6.60 cheaper than my greedy vet.
Postage costs were £4.50 but the postage rate remained the same even if I ordered multiple packs. Two packs, 24 tins cost me with postage £36.50, still £8.70 cheaper than from the vet.

I registered with the site, placed my order on the Sunday night which was confirmed right away. On the Tuesday morning they sent me an email to confirm the order had been despatched. Parcel Force sent me an email confirming they had my order & it would be delivered the next day, which they did much to my surprise.

In the parcel was a £2.00 discount voucher off my next order & aside form one bashed tin it was exactly the same stuff the vet was supplying me.
Petremedies specialise in selling prescription items not readily available at supermarkets or pet shops. I would recommend you look at their web site first before being ripped off by your local vet.

They only supply items for cats, dogs & rabbits, nothing for pet snakes, crocodiles, cobras, boa constrictors or pet slugs I'm afraid.

Summary: Cheaper than buying special food from a vet