As a canadian I looked into this because you were getting it cheaper than I could. Talking to my MLA they looked into it and they found that you're not always getting what you are ordering or wrong dose. They bring the drugs up from a third world country and pass it off as being produced in a Canadian or other manufacturer that passes all the saftey standards.
I get asthma medicine for one of my cats from http://www.canadadrugsonline.com. It was recommended by my vet and the costs are a lot less. The actual medicine comes from, and is shipped directly from, Germany. It saves a lot of money and I can get name brand or generic. The cat has been doing well on this medicine for around 2 years. However, the inhalers don't have the nice counters that the US inhalers have. I just use each inhaler for 3 months.
However, you now don't have FDA regulation to make sure that the medicine is what it claims to be. I have found that lots of people who go to Mexico go buy cheap medicine end up with stuff that isn't medicine at all. I would expect Canadian pharmacies to be up to snuff but I wonder about any pharmacy that is primarily online.
All pharmaceuticals in Canada (to be sold to Canadian consumers) are licensed by the Health Protection Branch (HPB) of the Federal Government. Our drug laws are just as strict, and sometimes more strict than the US FDA. All drugs sold in Canada that are licensed by the HPB will have a DIN (drug Identification number) on the packaging of the drug (the bottle or vial) - not a sticker put on after the fact. In addition, drugs that are licensed in Canada are subject to Canadian labeling laws, which means that the product packaging and DFO's (directions for use) must be printed in both French and English. Because the Canadian marketplace is small, most pharmaceutical manufacturers obtain both Canadian and US drug licenses before marketing their drugs. If you buy drugs on line from a Canadian "pharmacy" and the drugs are not labeled as indicated above, then this drug is NOT licensed for sale in Canada. Buyer beware.
Paulc, forgive me, but your cat has asthma?? As in allergic to. . . human dander? And you give it an inhaler? Like the kind you breathe in?
I worked with a scientist once who studied gait and taught cats to walk on a treadmill. Well, actually he only got one or two cats to walk on a treadmill - the rest were too independent minded to ever cooperate. My husband's aunt taught her poodle to smoke a pipe (in the 1950s, for PETA folks). So I guess it is possible to teach a cat to take a drag on an inhaler.
Not to get off topic, but the visual of this is a tad funny. :)
It is a funny picture. And time to give her the inhaler.
Asthma can be the result of an infection and could go away (it didn't). She has feline leukemia which probably make her vulnerable to the asthma. And doing quite well for a cat with such a dx, is living way beyond the average. Anyway, you can use an empty toilet paper roll to get the inhaler to the cat. Inhaler in one end, cat head in the other. There are special inhalers for dogs, cats and horses. No, not the same model, but sold by the same company. http://www.trudellmed.com/animal-health/aerokat
She was on steroid pills but that resulted in diabetes. The inhaler ain't cheap but saves money in the long run because we use only half as many puffs from the inhaler. This cat has been on insulin twice, currently not on it. So she has recovered from that. If you have a cat taking insulin an insulin just for cats as come back on the market recently. Designed for cats and much cheaper since you have less in a bottle. We used bottles of insulin for 3 months and used up only half the bottle (after 3 months it doesn't work). So if she needs insulin again the vet medicine bill will be much smaller.
paulc...my cat Cleo became asthmatic after receiving the required shots. I had a proper mask for her. I would sit her on my knee, fill the lower part of the mask and then put it over her nose and mouth. She is no longer in need of the medication but I can still picture her little face with the mask on. Afterwards, she got a treat. I thought it would have made a great ad for Tempations.