Vet Prices...Venting

[tinav]

I must admit I would pay anything for the health of my pets and have already.
GiGi at one time was very ill and we paid over $1800 for her recovery at a "very" good clinic. At first the estimated bill was $2500 I din't blink and didn't work during my BUSY season for close to a week to take care of her and drive back and forth to the clinic. So yes no charge is too much. But when your cash and your dog's health are going down the tubes for nothing it is clear you are in the wrong but EXPENSIVE hands.

Still very scary Buyer be ware!!!

Tina

[judyeve]

"Good" and "expensive" aren't necessarily synonymous. It depends on how long your vet has been in business (long = good), location (high rent area = expensive), and of course, referrals.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Jujubabe

I have just gone through about 1600 this past week alone all in trying to convince 3 vets my dog has Cushings.

My husband on the other hand... not so happy... Oh well... Promised not to spend a dime on him if he got sick.. I can always get another husband... just as he said I could get another dog.. He had nothing much to say after that..

The 1600 isn't funny...but I laughed at your very last comment!

I do think animal care, at times, is ridiculously high - and other times not. Like medical doctors, vets SHOULD absolutely have different grades of office calls. If it's a really minor, 5-10 minute appt. (which, 80 % of mine are) - then charge me a $15 office call. If it is a major office call, then go ahead and charge me a complex office call fee of $43, I'm happy to pay it!

What I also find especially frustrating w/ vet care - is that 80% of the time, there is NO clear, firm diagnosis. Wylie hurt is toe - no diagnosis, Wylie had extreme itching/redness/loss of fur around 1 eye - no diagnosis, Marcel has had a whole bunch of issues and has been to the vet 10x in 2mths. - no real diagnosis most of the time (they see 2 diff. vets, btw). Granted, they can't talk like us and further express their symptoms. BUT, it is because of the "deductive" nature of animal medical care that usually results in extra tests, extra blood work, repeated office calls, different meds etcetera.

I'm a nurse, and I can tell ya that human medical care isn't anywhere near as deductive as vet care. But, what can you do? It's not exactly the vet's fault that diagnosis is so difficult - but geesh, I don't want to be the financial brunt of all that guess work either, you know?

[tinav]

I totally agree with "Good does NOT equal Expensive"

Remeber when you are dealing with your pets health you are dealing with Diamonds. Becareful who you go to.


tina

[celstu1]

I pay $120 for 2 boys to go for an office visit! Just to get checked out!!! Prices here are out of control. When my boys went for their vacs in Dec... just an office visit & 2 vacs each, the bill was $356. Vet prices ARE out of control! I couldn't imagine if one of my boys really had something wrong with them!

[diggy4]

An Xray at my vets office is 90.00. Shots are 19. Office visit/consult is 44, and 3 yr rabies shot is 22, heartworm test is 26 and fecal exam is 19. If you just go in for a shot and no exam....I do not get charged a office visit. Hope that gives you a good comparison. Oh Bile Acid test is 150, includes pre and post draw, full blood blood panel, office call, and consult before and after with the Doctor.

[Ozzie'sperson]

At the very least, vets should have some kind of "frequent flier" miles program ... getting a reward would make the pain of shelling out large amounts of cash on a regular basis at least a little less painful.

I think most vets DO deserve every cent they earn and then some.

Be honest though. Some of these costs ARE ridiculous. It is really frustrating to not only have a sick family member (your pet), they're miserable, you're worried about them and not sleeping because you're up with them, you're writing check after check after check, taking off work to run them back and forth to the office -- and they don't get any better.

Unfortunately, I think veterinary care has become more about business than about healthy pets. Again, it is mirroring what has happened to our human healthcare system. It's all about how many patients you can see in a day.
(When was the last time you had a doctor visit where you spent more than 5 minutes total WITH THE DOCTOR?)

Even our vet, whom I really like, is starting to succumb to some of the pressures of managing a large vet practice with a tremendous overhead. Makes me sad.

[tinav]

yeah my hair dresser was like that every time he bought a new house he increased the fee $10.


Tina

[Ellie May]

Although I still think $80 for 1 xray is ridiculous I am glad to see that others pay the same or more. I guess they aren't that out of line then. I was just in the mood to vent last night. It is so scary to switch vets. Ellie has been to 2 other offices and the one was good and had the sense not to give her the lepto vaccine but he is 20-30 minutes away and is a farm vet. While I am sure there are many good farm vets I don't think there is a way to be sure that he is good and has the right equipment until an emergency and then hope he does. The other one we went to is not the most friendly and he was intoxicated while working. I guess we pay high prices for sanity's sake. Oh and Ellie's vet (while doing their add-on) is going to get some equipment that no vet hospital has in the US and only 5% of human hospitals have. I think by next year xrays will be $100 each.

[tdessauer]

I don't think anyone here disagrees that our babies aren't appreciative of the vets and worth the money. I just spent $245 two weeks ago for my two to have stuff done and I was so frustrated. Sometimes we just need to vent about things. You are not the only one who has spent thousands on tuition....I"m a teacher getting my masters and believe me, I've given my share of money however parent's don't have to pay me hundrends of dollars out of their own pocket to teach their kids and I"m sure that an education is worth every penny. And trust me on this teachers make NO WHERE NEAR what vets do.

I think that if I don't have any kids my dogs should be covered under my health insurance

[Judy in Waco]

We have a vet with a small practice that specializes in cats and dogs. We chose him (over a first one) because he does some pro bono work for the local animal rescue and is less than five minutes from our house.

I took Gizmo in yesterday for his final booster shot (no rabies yet), Frontline (single treatment), and heartworm (single treatment). It cost us a total of $44.

We also asked about some upcoming expenses so that we can better budget for them, and they were very nice about giving the costs upfront. Gizzy's neuter in 2 months will be $85. They do not do microchipping, but the rescue he helps does, and that will be about $30.

I also saw him talking to a young lady who was thinking about buying a puppy (Yorkie) from someone. He told her straight out what to watch out for and that the person she was thinking about buying from was a puppymiller! I was very, very impressed.

I think most vets are totally awesome, you just have to do your research and find one you are comfortable with and can respect.

My Fair Lacy - - You GO girl! You will be an AWESOME vet!!

[Uno baby]

Originally Posted by tinav

I haven't read all th info in these posts but I can tell you from my own experience that some vets are nothing but CROOKS. Forget their education they must have mastered in muggings.

My breeder was warning me about certain vets in the area....Towards the twin cities area some of her puppy parents have had problems with Vets trying to get them to do unnecessary testing on their brand new pup. My breeder always advises her pup parents if it doesn't feel right, don't do it, and to call her. One couple bought a yorkie and they brought him/her into the vet...The vet wanted to do a laundry list of "standard" new puppy tests (???) and the couple called the breeder asap. My breeder (who isn't afraid of anyone...lol) called that vet up and told him to fax her the testing he wants done and WHY, since she sends nothing but healthy puppies to new homes. Well, needless to say the vet ended up pulling a "never mind, I guess he doesn't need that". GRR! The nerve of some people.

[Yorkiekids]

My vets outrageous too, but he doesn't set the prices, and he's always there for us. I'd never change.

[Gracie2006]

I'm not surprised. An office visit here runs $49.00 For Gracie's knee x-rays, it will be $400. That is 3 views plus anesthesia. Figure $100 for anesthesia, that is $80-$100 per view or about that when you calculate in the IV fluids and one day hospital stay.

[paulapoo]

I had to change vets because an office visit was 60.00 (I'm not kidding). They are great, they really care about the animals, and if I was married or more financially secure I would definately take my boys there, but I can't afford that. Especially when trying to rule out one thing or another requires multiple tests that are also high priced. I would empty my savings for my boys, but if I lose my house because I can't make the payment, they won't have anywhere to live. By the way, I work in a doctors office and an appointment with the nurse practicioner in our office is only 50.00. The internal medicine doctor is 90.00. I had to find a more reasonable vet that hopefully is as caring and knowledgable.