Vet Costs Our Yorkie goes to the vet at least twice a year..Some of the services and costs are as follows..Heart guard for one year is $66.00. Bordetella Booster 18.00...Intestinal parasite screen $17.00. Lepto Booster $15.00. Exam $22.50. Dental chew $1.50. Other services that I don't have the prices for are: Annual wellness exam Heartworm and Blood tick test Rabies vac DHP+CPV Booster A second LEPTO Booster A second parasite screen I don't really think a Heartworm blood test is necessary..(Comments???).Am I paying for other things you don't think are necessary? |
The annual heartworm test is required for coverage under the 'guarantee' by manufacturers of heartworm preventatives. My boys use Heartgard. If they develop heartworm, the manufacturer will pay for treatment. I live in a high risk area for heartworm, so I'm happy to have it done, even if I don't like the price. ;):D Our vet charges $59 for the hw and tick screening. We pay anywhere from $45 to $55 for an office visit. Rabies vaccination is really inexpensive, under $20. I think the other vaccinations/boosters are more. |
Veterinarian charges vary,when I lived in NYC my vet was quite expensive,here in Pa. they are much more reasonable. Let me start off with Heart-worm blood test. It is VERY important to get the yearly blood test 1- For reasons Maximo has explained, also 2-if you for what ever reason take your dog off heart-worm you cannot restart unless tested for heart worm. If your dog has heart-worm, is not NOT tested and you just starting using the heart-guard again, it could be fatal to your dog. Lepto and Bordetella are NOT core vaccines in my area, are they mandatory vaccines in yours. I do not see Lime vaccine listed. My office visit is $60. follow up $30. Rabies 3 year vac. $19. Heart worm prevention my vet advised Interceptor Plus I buy one year supply (12 pack) $83. Heart-worm blood work testing $40. Flea and tic prevention chew-able 6 pack $80. Oravet dental chews 30 count $28. I buy monthly I also live in a high risk area for heart-worm, and get my boy tested. I also live in high risk for lime disease so Cody get that vaccine with a booster shot 2 weeks later. The least expensive part of owning a dog is the original purchase price lol, it's the medical and grooming upkeep that can be the most costly :eek: |
Thanks guys..We plan to keep him on the Heartguard but will likely skip the blood test..What I read about heartworms and my real life experience differs greatly..I raise sheep and have 5 Great Pyrs that protect them..They are not on heartworm prevention except about once a year I will give them a horse wormer that will also kill heartworms..I realize there is risk doing that but I've never had a problem and furthermore I have friends who have had their old Great Pyrs tested who have never had preventative and tested clean..In fact a vet told one of my friends he has never known a Great Pyr to have heartworms..Not sure what to think of this..I'm well aware there are all kinds of risks in life and life itself is all about risk assessment..I would like to hear if any of you have ever had a dog contract heartworms while on a properly administered regiment of heartworm prevention. |
Our vet will not sell the Heartgard to us if we are overdue for the annual test. He will let us go a month or two over, but then tells me to get in for the test. The preventatives require a vet prescription, don't they? I believe all vets follow the annual test rule as required by the manufacturers. We give the Heartgard year round too. Our previous dogs never were never on a preventative. The first dog was lucky. Second dog we had in Chicagoland, colder climate and they spray like crazy for mosquitoes there. We are in Virginia now. Very high risk area. I've seen lots of dogs at the vet being treated for heartworm. Very sad. |
One more thing, I was initially opposed to the tick testing. Then a few of my friends' Yorkies contracted serious tick-borne diseases, including one that did not show any symptoms at first. The tick test gives me a little peace of mind. |
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You should do a heartworm blood test every year. Sometimes the meds don't work and your dog can still end up with heart worms. Also you should not be able to get more meds without the blood work. |
"you should not be able to get more meds without the blood work." I don't really understand what you mean.. |
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Thanks for your replies..This seems to have gotten way off what I was asking.. I've never had a problem getting the heartworm med for dogs that were initially tested and kept on the medicine regardless of additional testing.. |
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There are some stats available on heartworm positive tests when on the Meds. But I can tell you you don't want to go through treatment of a heartworm positive dog. As love to dream said there can be shortages of the adulticide medication and you just have to wait until it becomes available. There is the cost of the hospital stay the Meds and the real risk of life threatening complications. My gal survived treatment and died from cancer about four months later.... I still think with no proof at all the two were linked somehow. And btw we were not compliant with her Meds.. |
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If I knew how I would post a picture of one of my Great Pyrs |
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