Medical and veterinary needs while full timing.

Thank you Dutch, appreciate the encouraging response!

GeoJG wrote:

I am alone with 2 dogs. What happens if one of them dies while on the road? One of them is too heavy for me to lift. They are quite old.

When we were in Florida last winter, that happened to the single lady in a site near us. She asked one of our neighbors for help, and he in turn asked me. We removed the golden retriever's remains from the woman's coach, and with the assistance of the park office, located a nearby vet that arranged for cremation. The woman was understandably quite upset for several days, but a number of us, both men and women, sat with her until she was able to come to terms with her grief. I heard a month or so after we had left the park that she was volunteering at an area animal shelter. I think my point though, is don't be afraid to ask for help. RV'ers for the most part are a very friendly and compassionate bunch that will try to assist you if they can. Park offices are also a good resource in many cases.

How do you handle narcotics? I have a pain pill & a nerve pill. I used to be able to get it written (for the nerve pill) so I would have 6 months worth at a time. But they have changed it. My dose was cut in half and can only get 2 refills. I see a pain specialist doc and not sure how that will be handled. I guess I will ask when I see her next time. I won't be heading south till mid December. That's when it will get interesting.
I've used Walgreen's for quite some time. While I can get a med refilled if I'm in another state, doing so transfers that script to that store. When I was OOT and needed a pain med refill, the WG nearby filled it. But when I got back home & time came for a refill, my home WG wouldn't fill it. Narcotics can only be transferred once. I had to call the pain clinic, explain what happened, which of course was made a big deal out of, finally got it fixed. My brother in NC got my refill and mailed it to me. After that I got a paper script from the pain doctor.

I am alone with 2 dogs. What happens if one of them dies while on the road? One of them is too heavy for me to lift. They are quite old.

I have a primary care giver to handle my maintenance meds and carry RX's that cover a six month period and written for 90 days and 1 refill. I also carry a personal medical file with my last lab results and a list of my meds, both Rx and over the counter items.

I use the same method for my pet. The non Rx meds for my dogs I obtain usually through Amazon.

I use a national chain {W**m*rt} for my Rx's.

I split my year between Texas and West Virginia and have a med team available in both locations. This may sound like an over kill, but it is easier to obtain quick service when you can say I'm a patient of Dr. **//**.


On the road I will usually ask the locals for a recommended DR or cross my finger and go to a DR in a box.:h

We only took our cat with us for any distance from home twice. The times he stayed behind, our girls took care of him. Even when he was restricted to the house due to hearing and sight problems the eldest girl took him out to play.

When we were in AK we had to board him and we knew this in advance and ask Vet for help with referals. Turned out we decided to take a whole day, or longer if need be and find him a hospital type environment in Anchorage. Took most of the day and about 8 Vets before we found THE ONE. Other than those two things, I can't add anything.

Jafa wrote:
How do most of you handle maintenance medication ...for... your pets, chronic problems that might flair up during full time where your primary physician may be several states away?...

Many of the maintenance medications for heart worm, flea and tick control no longer require a prescription and are available at Walmart, Pet Smart, and other pet stores. Foster and Smith will fill prescriptions by mail order. You can even get some pet prescriptions filled at CVS. When we needed emergency veterinary services in Charles City, IA; Memphis, TN; and Emporia, KS we used the vet clinics recommended by the campground staff and/or locals that we had met. We carry copies of all the pets medical records and vacinations with us.

I use Walgreens for my perscriptions... I am not fulltiming yet, I have a few years before I can retire and afford to fulltime. My doc already writes my scripts for 90 days with 4 refills. Also 90 days is generally less expensive than 3 30 day fills. I can easily change my pickup location and go online or call to request refills.

Another advantage to using Walgreens, I can order prints of pictures I have made to be printed in my hometown, and picked up by my Mother so she can have "pictures in her hands", as she doesn't do email/computer so well.

Mail order for drugs. Bring a copy of your medical records. 5 surgeries in 15 years. 3 hearts, one knee, one back. Keep records, they are VERY helpful. Because of heart I have seen doctors all over. Surgeries were in Alaska, California, Ohio, and Iowa. Keep records. Did I mention one should have medical records with.

We use Walmart for prescriptions. We have an EPO plan so we don't need a primary care referral...use urgent care facilities in network. For more in depth care our plan allows us to locate a facility/doctor/specialist as long as they are in the BCBS network. This worked out well this past April while we were near Nashville. Husband went for routine check up and five days later he was having a quadruple coronary bypass done at St. Thomas Heart Hospital in Nashville.

We keep a complete set of vet records for each dog and as we arrive in an area a veterinary clinic is the first place I locate just in case of an emergency....then we know where it is and don't panic.

We've always used WalMart. They're all over the country and it's easy to move the prescription from one to another. No problems. Our doctor writes ours for 90 days with a 4x renewal - lasts a year. Being full-timers you can get treatment at the best hospital in the country - just drive there and park nearby. Physical therapists will even come into your RV for treatments. We've dealt with multiple surgeries, including cancer. It's easy to recuperate in an RV - not much walking.

Everything you do in your stick house can easily be done while full-timing.