On January 28th, my veterinarian recommended that I try a new heartworm pill for my dog called Trifexis. The next day I gave it to my 9-pound, one-year-old Shih Tzu. First there was mild diarrhea, and then by 6:00 she started vomiting. By the time I got her to the emergency clinic, we literally thought she was going to die. We were yelling her name, and she could barely lift her head up. After a night in the emergency clinic with intravenous fluids, numerous tests, and an $802.00 bill, thankfully she was okay the next day.
I called the manufacturer (Eli Lilly/Elanco) the next day, and they asked me to send them all of the medical records and the bill. One month later they sent me a check for $82.00. Truthfully, after almost killing my dog and badly scaring my family, you would think that they would have reimbursed us for the entire bill.
Now, to be fair, the warning label does say that these symptoms can be some of the side effects of this medication. But you know what? Something tells me that if I had that kind of allergic reaction to a medication, the company would be a lot more sensitive than they were over "just a dog."
0 comments