Vet Prices...Venting

[Ellie May]

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. 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.

[BubblPopElectrc]

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.

[vviccles1]

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.

[Ellie May]

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.

[babi1542]

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

[Ellie May]

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.

[MyFairLacy]

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.

[Ellie May]

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.

[La Princesa]

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.

[Jujubabe]

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..

[Wrenee4]

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

[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.

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".

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! (thank you for this opportunity to discuss my experience )

Tina

[tinav]

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

Scary.....very scary
Tina

[TinyBit]

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?

[tinav]

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