2 Emergency Visits, 1 Neurologist Visit $3000.00 Still have no clue

[kjc]

Checking in for an update.... hope your baby is doing better....

[143julz]

I just read this....I hope things are getting better for you. Did they ever find out what was wrong?

[Dzbabykel]

What an awful thing to have to go through I hope and pray your baby is getting better!

[Sara1130]

Sorry to hear this...sending lots of prayers for all of you and hope they figure out what is wrong and he gets better.

[kjcmsw]

I realize this is an old post, but I think it's a reminder to get a good vet. Many years ago I had a little cocker doing much of the same things (though not after boarding) I was new in town, recently a single mother, so I started calling vet after vet...all quoting me ridiculous prices. I was devastated as there was no way I could afford at the time even 1/2 of what they were quoting and of course all the vets wanted the money up front. Finally, I decided I'd have to put her down but not wanting to give up I decided I'd call one more vet. Turned out that one has been our vet for 20 years now. He makes house calls (back then for $27) examined her and said he was appalled at the money grabbing vets out there that quoted me the other prices. He said she needed a steriod shot, gave it to her and she never had a back problem again, went on to live 13 more vigorous healthy years.
He came out today, checked all the dogs/cats, wellness checks, shots as needed,etc - the bill for 5 dogs/2 cats/house call: $48 -- he's honest, knows his stuff and cares about the working person's checkbook -- (the bonus: you can make payments when needed)
He and I were talking today and he said so many vets are like so many medical doctors, test after test after test, for things that are so common and obvious to a medical professional that it's a crime to even run the tests...and they are either so inept or just rip offs.
Anyway, I just wish people would call around before committing to these expensive - often unnecessary tests - it allows these "professionals" to get away with such things/playing on people's love of their animals. (I realize an ER situation is different - I just paid approx $400 for an ER run for one of the pups, so sometimes you can't avoid the ER costs)
Sorry about the rant - I just get so upset to hear someone has to practically take out a second mortgage for care for their pet.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by kjcmsw

I realize this is an old post, but I think it's a reminder to get a good vet. Many years ago I had a little cocker doing much of the same things (though not after boarding) I was new in town, recently a single mother, so I started calling vet after vet...all quoting me ridiculous prices. I was devastated as there was no way I could afford at the time even 1/2 of what they were quoting and of course all the vets wanted the money up front. Finally, I decided I'd have to put her down but not wanting to give up I decided I'd call one more vet. Turned out that one has been our vet for 20 years now. He makes house calls (back then for $27) examined her and said he was appalled at the money grabbing vets out there that quoted me the other prices. He said she needed a steriod shot, gave it to her and she never had a back problem again, went on to live 13 more vigorous healthy years.
He came out today, checked all the dogs/cats, wellness checks, shots as needed,etc - the bill for 5 dogs/2 cats/house call: $48 -- he's honest, knows his stuff and cares about the working person's checkbook -- (the bonus: you can make payments when needed)
He and I were talking today and he said so many vets are like so many medical doctors, test after test after test, for things that are so common and obvious to a medical professional that it's a crime to even run the tests...and they are either so inept or just rip offs.
Anyway, I just wish people would call around before committing to these expensive - often unnecessary tests - it allows these "professionals" to get away with such things/playing on people's love of their animals. (I realize an ER situation is different - I just paid approx $400 for an ER run for one of the pups, so sometimes you can't avoid the ER costs)
Sorry about the rant - I just get so upset to hear someone has to practically take out a second mortgage for care for their pet.

Your vet's comments about other vets are unprofessional on their face. Perhaps you should enlighten him to the current costs of veterinary school because back in his time (prehistoric) things were cheaper.

As for the second mortgage - who has a $3,000 mortgage? Last I checked, people had mortgages a lot higher than that. Sheesh you can't even buy a car for $3,000 let alone a house. If you can find me a house with a $3,000 mortgage, let me know so I can sell my house with a much bigger mortgage and assume the $3,000 debt! Then, maybe I can pay off my vet's school loans since she probably still has them even after many years of practice.

Your comments serve no effective purpose other than to dissuade people from seeking real and appropriate veterinary care for their pets and to disparage a profession. I think this OP should be commended for her financial expenditures for her pet -- if more owners were as committed as she perhaps rescues and shelters would not be the overburdened sad operations they are.

[143julz]

Originally Posted by kjcmsw

I realize this is an old post, but I think it's a reminder to get a good vet. Many years ago I had a little cocker doing much of the same things (though not after boarding) I was new in town, recently a single mother, so I started calling vet after vet...all quoting me ridiculous prices. I was devastated as there was no way I could afford at the time even 1/2 of what they were quoting and of course all the vets wanted the money up front. Finally, I decided I'd have to put her down but not wanting to give up I decided I'd call one more vet. Turned out that one has been our vet for 20 years now. He makes house calls (back then for $27) examined her and said he was appalled at the money grabbing vets out there that quoted me the other prices. He said she needed a steriod shot, gave it to her and she never had a back problem again, went on to live 13 more vigorous healthy years.
He came out today, checked all the dogs/cats, wellness checks, shots as needed,etc - the bill for 5 dogs/2 cats/house call: $48 -- he's honest, knows his stuff and cares about the working person's checkbook -- (the bonus: you can make payments when needed)
He and I were talking today and he said so many vets are like so many medical doctors, test after test after test, for things that are so common and obvious to a medical professional that it's a crime to even run the tests...and they are either so inept or just rip offs.
Anyway, I just wish people would call around before committing to these expensive - often unnecessary tests - it allows these "professionals" to get away with such things/playing on people's love of their animals. (I realize an ER situation is different - I just paid approx $400 for an ER run for one of the pups, so sometimes you can't avoid the ER costs)
Sorry about the rant - I just get so upset to hear someone has to practically take out a second mortgage for care for their pet.

Old post? there are some post on here that are brought back to life after a few YEARS 2 months isn't old. We're just looking for an update on the current status of this pup...just saying....

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by kjcmsw

(partial quote)
He and I were talking today and he said so many vets are like so many medical doctors, test after test after test, for things that are so common and obvious to a medical professional that it's a crime to even run the tests...and they are either so inept or just rip offs.

Sorry about the rant - I just get so upset to hear someone has to practically take out a second mortgage for care for their pet.

I understand the need to rant...healthcare (human or animal) can be frustrating.

In every profession, there is a full range of how skilled a person is at their profession. That said, a vet has a lot of training and their diagnostic process is so much more complicated than we might assume when we're being armchair vets. Diagnosing is a balance of art and science -- and complicated diagnoses can require a great deal of testing - again, human or animal.

Thankfully, not all people are just out for a buck. Many vets love what they do, despite the fact that their jobs are extremely demanding -- and the pay really isn't commensurate with the level of difficulty. If someone really wants get rich, being a vet is not a likely path.

I will probably not express this well...but I would be a little concerned if my vet was charging what your vet is charging. It just doesn't really add up, in a way...? It sounds too good to be true. And, you know what they say if things sound too good to be true. I dunno, maybe vet care is priced lower in your area, in general. So, I don't mean to say the wrong thing here.

[Ellie May]

I'm not sure that I can word this right, but will try.

There are a portion of vets who are incompetent or who like money a little too much or who just don't care. I agree. Now what I'm seeing though is most vets getting grouped together into a "runs too many tests" category. Who decides how many tests is a good number to run? There are, of course, a few things that can be treated without testing as long as the drug isn't going to makes things worse if the diagnosis is wrong. Really though, this isn't that often. I really prefer not to drug my girl without knowing that I need to. And I like giving the right drug the first time. You can treat worms without a fecal if you see them in the stool, but when talking about UTIs, pain, GI issues, there are just too many variables. Vets don't have crystal balls and I'd be concerned if they acted like they did.

Fifty dollars for 7 pets is $7 per pet. So then, no blood work or anything for early detection of disease? There is simply no way that a facility could be maintained for that. Even if a vet makes housecalls, most still have an office. At a minimum there really should be a small lab on-site, anesthesia and surgery equipment (tens of thousands of dollars), xray (digital), a wide selection of drugs, scales, kennels, computers (for digital xray), tables, and that is just to name a few things. That is the standard of care I expect for my dog. I would rather pay what it is worth and have peace of mind that problems can be taken care of when my dog gets sick. The cheaper that vet care is, the more likely something that is important (but expensive) is missing. For instance, injectable anesthesia is cheaper than gas, but not maintaining with gas is not a good idea.

I'm a pre-vet student and spend quite a bit of my time around vets. They run tests even for seemingly obviously things because 1) they believe it is right and 2) if they are wrong they will probably get sued if something is missed. So I guess they are either inept or money grabbers?

This is one of the most trying professions on earth and I don't like to see so many accused of something they aren't guilty of.

[kjcmsw]

Originally Posted by 107barney

[/B]

Your vet's comments about other vets are unprofessional on their face. Perhaps you should enlighten him to the current costs of veterinary school because back in his time (prehistoric) things were cheaper.

As for the second mortgage - who has a $3,000 mortgage? Last I checked, people had mortgages a lot higher than that. Sheesh you can't even buy a car for $3,000 let alone a house. If you can find me a house with a $3,000 mortgage, let me know so I can sell my house with a much bigger mortgage and assume the $3,000 debt! Then, maybe I can pay off my vet's school loans since she probably still has them even after many years of practice.

Your comments serve no effective purpose other than to dissuade people from seeking real and appropriate veterinary care for their pets and to disparage a profession. I think this OP should be commended for her financial expenditures for her pet -- if more owners were as committed as she perhaps rescues and shelters would not be the overburdened sad operations they are.

You’re kidding me right?? --- the second mortgage thing…it wasn’t “literal” /a $3000 mortgage…??? You thought any part of my post was referring to a literal (first) mortgage of $3000???? I’m having a hard time taking the advice of someone who could at any point take that small portion of my post as “literal” and miss the big picture. (though if the post was about mortgages one can get a second mortgage on their home for $3000)

I wouldn’t call a vet with 30 years under his belt exactly prehistoric, however, you may – your prerogative, but I’d say that’s just blatant disrespectful and very ageist – but after you’ve worked for 30 years, let us all know how it feels to be called “prehistoric”…maybe you’ll have earned that title, maybe you won’t.

As for enlightenment: the truth is never unprofessional. Disparage a profession? Surely you kid about that also. What you think there are no bad medical doctors, no bad veterinarians, no bad priests, no bad lawyers, no bad teachers, no bad breeders --- so for one breeder to make negative statements about another breeder (near daily on YT) is “disparaging” the whole profession???? If someone here commented on how “some” (some, some, some, not all, not half, not a quarter, not three quarters, just “some”) breeders may be less than ethical would anyone here really think --- and take literal --- they were disparaging the WHOLE practice of breeding????

For those that have an endless supply of money spend it how you feel…be it for vets, whatever. But for those that don’t have an endless supply of money or maybe lost their endless supply of money – don’t be taken in by “professionals” that have a large overhead and, yeah, vet school to pay for, that all tests are automatically necessary. IF your dog might need some tests and you can afford it go for it, but don’t think you’re a bad pet parent if you call around and find someone cheaper, more knowledgeable , more experienced that will take care of our pet’s needs just as well. There’s no shame in providing care for your pet at a reasonable and legitimate cost.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by kjcmsw

You’re kidding me right?? --- the second mortgage thing…it wasn’t “literal” /a $3000 mortgage…??? You thought any part of my post was referring to a literal (first) mortgage of $3000???? I’m having a hard time taking the advice of someone who could at any point take that small portion of my post as “literal” and miss the big picture. (though if the post was about mortgages one can get a second mortgage on their home for $3000)

I wouldn’t call a vet with 30 years under his belt exactly prehistoric, however, you may – your prerogative, but I’d say that’s just blatant disrespectful and very ageist – but after you’ve worked for 30 years, let us all know how it feels to be called “prehistoric”…maybe you’ll have earned that title, maybe you won’t.

As for enlightenment: the truth is never unprofessional. Disparage a profession? Surely you kid about that also. What you think there are no bad medical doctors, no bad veterinarians, no bad priests, no bad lawyers, no bad teachers, no bad breeders --- so for one breeder to make negative statements about another breeder (near daily on YT) is “disparaging” the whole profession???? If someone here commented on how “some” (some, some, some, not all, not half, not a quarter, not three quarters, just “some”) breeders may be less than ethical would anyone here really think --- and take literal --- they were disparaging the WHOLE practice of breeding????

For those that have an endless supply of money spend it how you feel…be it for vets, whatever. But for those that don’t have an endless supply of money or maybe lost their endless supply of money – don’t be taken in by “professionals” that have a large overhead and, yeah, vet school to pay for, that all tests are automatically necessary. IF your dog might need some tests and you can afford it go for it, but don’t think you’re a bad pet parent if you call around and find someone cheaper, more knowledgeable , more experienced that will take care of our pet’s needs just as well. There’s no shame in providing care for your pet at a reasonable and legitimate cost.

I did get your whole picture.... you think $7 per pet is "reasonable and legitimate" for veterinary care based on conjecture or guesswork, and that conventional testing as a means of diagnosis is a waste of money.

[ladyjane]

Bargain shopping for vets is a scary thing. I had a foster that almost died because of a vet who offered a very reduced "rescue discount". The vet actually contacted us...that should have been my first clue. In the end we saved the pup .. but it cost over $2,000 for a specialist. Using money as a determining factor for choosing a vet is dangerous imho. I see nothing wrong with asking about fees, but that should not be the only consideration.

Any vet who would come to my home and treat 5 pups for approximately what should be an office visit for one would scare me.

[kjcmsw]

I think a $48 house call fee is very reasonable and appropriate for the situation, and then to take the time to exam all the animals was truly an act of kindness and more than generous on the vet's part. "since I'm here for this one, let me give all the others a check..." Not to mention since I told him I was now going to be giving the dogs the vaccines myself, he took the time to show me the correct way to do it.
And what exactly is wrong with all that? Could he have charged me individually for each animal? Sure...any other vet would have --- but he didn't. Being considerate of people and animals isn't the sign of an inept and "prehistoric" vet, rather it's the sign of a truly good and caring individual who is also a vet. If he had discovered or suspected some serious condition would he have referred me to a specialist? You betcha.
He has been right 100% of the time over the course of many years. I'm very grateful to have such a skilled professional who actually cares about his patients. How do I know he truly cares:
Many years ago our old dog had a stroke and had to be put down, he made sure I held her and after she died and he knew how upset I was he sat with me until I could compose myself. He called his next appointment and said he'd be running a little late (because he was taking the time to sit there with me) He sent a condolence card and about a week later he stopped by the house "because he was in the area" and wanted to see how we the family were doing/feeling after losing our beloved pet.
He has the best reputation in our city, and despite being heavily booked he always goes out of his way, will work late to make sure everyone animal that needs to be seen is seen. He's philosophy is when prices are reasonable and appropriate people are more likely to get the care their animals need. His prices are for all, for those who can only afford the minimal care and for those that have money to burn.
I feel very fortunate to have found this incredible caring and skilled vet for the care of our animals.

[107barney]

$48 for 7 pets = inappropriate standard of vet care.
I'm done here.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by kjcmsw

I think a $48 house call fee is very reasonable and appropriate for the situation, and then to take the time to exam all the animals was truly an act of kindness and more than generous on the vet's part. "since I'm here for this one, let me give all the others a check..." Not to mention since I told him I was now going to be giving the dogs the vaccines myself, he took the time to show me the correct way to do it.
And what exactly is wrong with all that? Could he have charged me individually for each animal? Sure...any other vet would have --- but he didn't. Being considerate of people and animals isn't the sign of an inept and "prehistoric" vet, rather it's the sign of a truly good and caring individual who is also a vet. If he had discovered or suspected some serious condition would he have referred me to a specialist? You betcha.
He has been right 100% of the time over the course of many years. I'm very grateful to have such a skilled professional who actually cares about his patients. How do I know he truly cares:
Many years ago our old dog had a stroke and had to be put down, he made sure I held her and after she died and he knew how upset I was he sat with me until I could compose myself. He called his next appointment and said he'd be running a little late (because he was taking the time to sit there with me) He sent a condolence card and about a week later he stopped by the house "because he was in the area" and wanted to see how we the family were doing/feeling after losing our beloved pet.
He has the best reputation in our city, and despite being heavily booked he always goes out of his way, will work late to make sure everyone animal that needs to be seen is seen. He's philosophy is when prices are reasonable and appropriate people are more likely to get the care their animals need. His prices are for all, for those who can only afford the minimal care and for those that have money to burn.
I feel very fortunate to have found this incredible caring and skilled vet for the care of our animals.

I am curious as to why you feel you should vaccinate your pups at home. Are you a breeder?
I just don't totally understand, I guess, that a pet owner would short cut on vetting their pups. I am thinking that it might be wiser to lower the number of animals rather than to take a risk of an allergic reaction to a vaccine that could be deadly at home. In other words, only keep the number that you can reasonably afford to take to a vet for such things.
I am a firm believer in doing yearly exams which include blood work. Vaccines are now only given every three years, so why the need to have them at home? Unless you are a breeder and doing large numbers...I have heard of that. I would not do that as a breeder either, but I know that many do.