$580-$1480?!
 

I took Nicco to the vet today to get his vaccination and during the general exam, the vet found that his teeth were pretty bad. I have tried to brush his teeth in the past but he just does not let me! I have been buying him dental treats which he has been chewing on but I really didn't think his teeth were this bad until the vet pointed it out today. She said he needs a cleaning and he has one baby tooth that has not come out yet (he's 2 and a half years old) and she said it would need to be pulled out. She also said that she would not know if he needs extractions and if so, how many he would need, until they are in the process of the surgery. She quoted me anywhere from $580-$1480 saying that it would most likely be on the higher side ($1000+!!!) That seems quite expensive to me for a simple teeth cleaning and pulling of one tooth?! This is my first dog so I have not experienced this before. Any insight will be greatly appreciated!

Yikes - the lower end seems high but the upper end is out of sight even if all the teeth had to come out. Do you have another vet you can try?

That is WAY too high (even the lower number).

Sorry I forgot to mention that the price is quoted in Canadian dollars. Not that it makes much of a difference though...

I did find that it was extremely pricey though! Maybe I will see if I can check out another vet. Does anyone know if you have to pay for vets to examine the teeth to determine if a teeth cleaning is needed??

Be careful of what vets say. You know those AKC free vet exam coupons you get when you register your dog? When I used mine the vet said she had tartar and tried to get me to get her puppy teeth cleaned (for a nice sum). Then I took her to her regular vet and our vet was appalled they tried to pull that. He showed me each of her teeth and said there absolutely no tartar/nothing wrong with her teeth that would warrant such a procedure. Two plus years later I take her to the vet for a checkup and he comments how perfect and super clean her teeth are. He even asked me if I was obsessed with brushing her teeth or something -- lol (no, I'm not)
hmmm. Vets have bills to pay and aren't always the most ethical.

Wow, that is ridiculous!! Quick question, do vets get paid commission? I go to an animal hospital which has a general practice as well and everytime I go there, it seems as though they try to sell me any and EVERY product possible or try to attach some sort of prescription or additional medication/vaccinations!!

that is a high price for sure, i would 500 is the max amount. get another quote for sure!

I don't know if they do (I would think not, but like any job...production is rewarded). It certainly seems like they are at times, but again if they can't pay their bills the place will close and they will be out of a job, so the more they "sell" the greater job security they'll have.

I do use PETZLIFE Oral Care Gel --- suppose to do it once a week, but I probably put it on them 2x a month. But maybe that helps some.

is all a vet would do to fix teeth is pull the bad ones & clean the rest? not that i want princess to have a grill or anything,:D but they don't do any type of fillings?

You might want to try brushing his teeth urself for a week before taking him to another vet. There are some dental sprays which help eliminate the plaque, you can even try dental wipes.

If you are talking about adult extractions in addition to a baby tooth extraction and dental cleaning by ultrasonic scaling and xrays, then the pricing seems in the ballpark to me. It sounds to me like your vet wants to do things right if all the above is included.

I paid $700 for a cleaning with blood work xrays ,anesthesia, extractions, antibiotics and a sealant applied. There were additional charges not related to her dental that made that bill much higher than that even :eek:

My vet charges a lot, but that seems very high to me. Even the low end. I would shop around.

I paid 800.00 for cleaning and extraction of adult teeth on my 15 year old Jack Russell last summer with blood work. He had abscess on one tooth. That was in Michigan.

I got 2 prices(from 2 different vets) for Sadie...she has a tooth that needs to come out and needs a cleaning. my quotes were 350. to 580. which I think is RIDICULOUS!! I want to give the furbutts the best care but it's so hard when they charge these high prices....AND most vets will not let you go on a payment plan...I have a care credit card that I use just for the "girls". I also use an enzamatic tooth paste that you don't have to brush with...I just rub it on their teeth and it's supposed to help with the plaque and tarter.

I just got 3 estimates from 3 different Vet offices here in Phoenix for removing one baby tooth for Pfeiffer (and, do a cleaning while they're in there). All of them were $1000+.

WOW !! :eek:

And I thought my new Vet was expensive !
I just received a quote for doing a Spay on
my Becca, plus pulling two baby K9's.

The "extra" for the dental was about $20 each.
but the whole procedure would cost about $350.

That's a little on the high side if all they're doing is cleaning and pulling one baby tooth. Dentals are expensive because of everything that goes along with it (bloodwork, anesthesia, x-rays, time etc) but I would expect to see a price that high only for an older dog who needed quite alot of extractions, not what your dogs needs. It will be expensive no matter where you go, but shouldn't as much as you were quoted, I'd get another quote from a different vet first for sure. They usually only get up towards $1000 if they have to pull ALOT of teeth.

That's crazy! There's no reason any vet should need to charge a penny more than $350 for a complete dental (including x-rays and) and one baby tooth removal. Yikes:eek: I guess it depends on the area, I'm not sure if it was you or not, but I saw someone post somewhere that vet care in Arizona is really expensive. Makes no sense to me.:confused: Maybe Canada where the OP is is the same way? That stinks that 3 different vets gave you that price :(

Finnigan just had a cleaning last week. With pre-anesthesia blood work, the cleaning, anesthesia... the total was ~$600 so it sounds like a good price to me because I know any extractions make the cost go up.

Yikes...I'm glad our vet is cheap...the whole shebang is $110 and 10.00 per extraction.

Yes, many do. If they are making this noticable though (be recommending unnecessary services), then it's probably time to move on. But some things clinents believe are unnecessary are actually very necessary.

Animals really don't get cavities like we do. Extractions are a major part of dentistry in vet med as is using sealants, gum work, etc. The more they are taken care of at home and the more cleanings that the vet does, the less likely these things will be necessary.


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OP, for a cleaning and one baby tooth removed, $1000 is way too high. $540 is pretty darn high too, but if that includes bloodwork it isn't crazy. I think the vet is preparing for more though. If the adult teeth aren't looking good, some may need to be removed. Xrays will need to be taken, etc. In that case, it all depends what the vet finds. When talking about oral surgery for adult teeth, $540 is not too much and depending, even $1000 may not be too much.

A lot more goes into a dental than what people realize.

Did the quote include bloodwork?
I'm still thinking that is a bit high,but Im not sure what prices are like where you live. Here is an example of here... Annual shots including Kennel Cough and fecal test and heartworm blood test $120. Dental cleaning (not prebloodwork),two extractions $198.

You might ask some friends in your area that have dogs who they use.

Wow!!!It might be cheaper to get him dentures!!!LoL

I tried to talk MY dentist into opening a dog dentist. Oh well, he thinks I'm nuts.

oi!
i am not going to lie, Canada has the highest price for everything!!!
Our vet, the Willowdale Animal Hospital(we used to go to Downtown Animal Hospital when mickey was a puppy) and the teeth cleaning was $500 +$50 per extraction

chester was 6 teeth pulled, pain meds, anitbiotics and anesthesia and it was 310 or so, sound too high to me

This seems VERY high to me. I realize that prices vary a great deal by area, but I would at least be checking around. You should be able to get a round-about estimate over the phone just asking for their price for cleaning, pre-op blood work and extraction cost per tooth, if needed. The extremely high estimate coupled with your post saying they continuously push their products, would make me look around for another vet -- or at least some comparisons.

I pulled out the bill where my two got their last cleanings this past fall. I took Candy in for a cleaning and a full-body xray. I took Ben in for a cleaning and neutering. They both got pre-op blood work done (Candy the basic and Ben a more extensive panel). The total cost for BOTH dogs was $676.94! That is quite a lot of service for less than $700! The actual cost for a cleaning is $121.61 or $76.11 if done with another surgery. The preop blood work was $56.93 for the basic and $128.27 for the extensive panel. Extractions were $45 for Ben and Candy did not need any pulled. Cost of cleanings included pre-op injections, anesthesia, polishing, ultrasonic scaling, Rimadyl tablets for home, 1 day hospitalization, monitoring of heart & respiration, etc. So you can see the costs were quite reasonable! My vet has one of the best reps in town and is middle road with prices. I would not be able to afford 3 pups at the prices some have to pay for vet services. Good luck to you!