Vet Prices...Venting
 

A few weeks ago Ellie had a UTI which she got antibiotics for. That bill came to $92. Well, something still hasn't been right and she has peed on the carpet a few more times (which she usually doesn't do). So, tonight we take her back to the vet and her vet tried to do another cystocentesis but her bladder is small and empty so she said we could leave her there overnight and they could make her drink and get a sample or bring her home and make her drink and take her back and get a sample (we can't just get one from her ourselves, it doesn't work) or we could do an xray to rule out stones and if there are no stones than she can go back on stronger antibiotics and if she is still having accidents she will have to somehow get a urine sample from Ellie. Anyway, all that to say that I elected for the xray and antibiotics which the vet agreed with. They took her back for the xray and NO STONES!!!!! We go to check out and the bill is $120. They did ONE xray and it was $80.:mad: :mad: :mad: That is a lot of money for one xray. This vet clinic is known for extremely high and ridiculous prices. Well, I really like Ellie's vet and wouldn't consider switching (she doesn't own the practice anyway, so she doesn't set prices) but who else thinks that $80 is way too much for an xray? Sorry for the long vent.

Was it an ER vet?

Seems pretty reasonable, depending on where you live. I'm sure it would be that or more here in the city.

I totally agree with you! I love My vet but its 48 bucks just to walk in the door, so i will be taking Jaspar for his rabies shot(he has had his 1st 3 sets b4 we got him but the doc will go over him and hopefully I will have peace of mind.The other option would be a rabies clinic and no vet till he is a year,not an option.:D

It is a vet that is open 24/7 but Ellie had an appointment and it wasn't done as an emergency. She had oral surgery there a few months ago and while sedated those xrays cost $13 each. Maybe it was a different machine or something.

Where I live vet services are very expensive! My oldest one just a cist removed and her teeth cleaned and it was 500.00.

Wow, $48 is a lot. It is about $39 for an office call here but the recheck was only $23 so we got a "deal". I guess I should have expected it because her oral surgery was $620.

I'm sorry about your baby not feeling well.

I just wanted to say that I don't like to see people complain about vet prices (unless they are just waaaaay out there - such as several hundred dollars for a spay!). I'm starting vet school this fall and even without going through vet school yet, I think vets deserve every penny they make. So far I have gone through 13 years of school (kindergarten-12th grade) and then 4 years of college at Texas A&M University (which is a few thousand dollars a semester just for tuition and books alone). Vet school is so much harder to get into medical school because there aren't nearly as many vet schools. There is only one vet school in Texas and they accept about 130 applicants a year into a vet school class - out of over 1000 that apply! I had to work hard for my grades, take the GRE, work for a vet for several years for experience, and go through a LOT of stress to get accepted into vet school. I was very excited to be accepted the first year I applied. I'm starting vet school in one month. Just for tuition it is $13,000 a year (since I live in state) and then you have to add books, supplies, etc. So I have four years of vet school ahead of me which is going to be incredibly intense and a lot of hard work and dedication. It takes so much work and dedication and money to become a veterinarian. You have at least 21 years of school to go to! It takes just as much school to become a vet as it does to become a human doctor and veterinarians don't usually make nearly the amount of money that doctors do. I just want you to think about how how much work your vet had to go though as well as how much money they spent for their education before you get angry at them for charging you $40 for an exam or $80 for an x-ray. Do you know how much money human doctors charge for those things? You would walk out of there with a bill for several hundred dollars or even a thousand if it were a doctor. I just know what's involved in becoming a vet and I think they deserve everything they make and most deserve more.

I agree that most vets earn every penny and are way under paid but this particular vet office has atleast 8 vets and they are undergoing a huge building add-on. They are the most expensive in the area that I know of and a lot of people give them horrible reviews because of it. I just like Ellie's vet way too much to change and the fact that they are an ER vet with experienced doctors makes it awesome but I still come back to $80 for one xray (even $40 would've made more sense). In human medicine people have insurance and while you can get dog insurance I haven't found one plan that makes any sense and you are paying more for insurance than the bill would be.

Wren i went to the vet for the first time i made sure i asked what his prices were before he even looked at my baby. An office visit for me cost 26 bucks and then prices go from there go from there, . I say of ur happy with the vet don't complain. IF ur not happy call around and compare prices, you have that right. also compare experiences. also look into pet insurance if you feel the price is steep.

I have just gone through about 1600 this past week alone all in trying to convince 3 vets my dog has Cushings... finally the emergency vet and $920 and overnite stay, 2 antibiotics, 1 potassium bag 3 xrays views ($245) later she tends to agree with me and had a low dex test yesterday another $120. Where I am they area dime a dozen and some are just awful as I found 2 that I wouldn't send any animal to. The 3rd was cautious probably because of me jumpin around on vets, but I know what my dog is like better than they do. My poor baby was sooo weak he couldn't hold up his head, I was in tears wondering what the problem was in diagnosis. He has all the classic symptoms of Cushings... It was beyond me why so hesitant. Finally like I said the last trip was to the emergency hospital where the vet there was so fantastic.. she read the Ultrasound report $260, she did the xrays, enlarged liver and adrenal glands - Pituatary Cushings... low dex test the next day and I find out results tomorrow hopefully and then they will start him on one of 2 medicines. I was so scared I was gonna lose him.. I actually called the 2nd vet and told her I woud sue her ass if I did lose him as her negligance in doing anything but trying to convinence me he didn't have Cushings and he obviously had other issues. She seen the ultrasound report.. WTF was she thinking. It takes a day to go from bad to worse and thats exactly what happend to my Trinket. He is on the road to recovery now or at least I hope... but $1600 later.. its money well spent... 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..

I'm not sure where you are in Michigan, but I live here too and I think that's a LOT all around!

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. :thumbdown

Last summer my GiGi had a loose tooth and a "trusted" vet sent me to this crook who tried to charge me $2,000 for a tooth removal and a cleaning. She calls her self a "Dog Dentist". She then went on to try to make me believe (in state of confusion) that GiGi would need cleanings every 3 months for the rst of her life that would cost $500 each. I went through quite a bit to get to the truth of GiGi's dental condition. When all was said and done (after calling GiGi's breeder and my other dog's breeder) I wound up at yet another vet who said she neede one tooth removed (as I ahd originally told the first vet) and she also needed a cleaning. The totla bill was $135.00 and her teeth today are STILL "beautiful".:thumbup:

I did file to take this other vet to court but things came up (at work) and I did not fully purse it. But she did get an extremly nasty letter from me and I do not go to the vet that recomended her any more.

Whew!:mad: (thank you for this opportunity to discuss my experience;) )

Tina

By the way I can "elborate" on the additional charges and lack of care that my dog recieved from these vets while this was going on:eek:

Scary.....very scary:eek: :eek:
Tina

Considering the fact tht if you don't go to a good vet, you might pay less but do you really want "Cheap" vet fees if you get low quality?

I am not insinuating that your post was in connection to my 2 but the vet that I went to was not cheap just honest. He told me the truth about the dental condition of my dog and she is now doing great and is not being subject to mis treatment and under going anesthesia every 3 months for nothing.

Tina

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:eek: Buyer be ware!!!

Tina

"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.

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? :D

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

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!

vet charges
 

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.

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. :(

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


Tina

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.;)

vet pricing
 

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:)

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!!

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! :mad: The nerve of some people.

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

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.

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.