My vet is bleeding me dry!!!

[BlackBart]

This happened to a lady I know who lives in Washington State.

Her house sitter, with her permission, took the her cat to the Vet because he couldn't pee.
The Vet she has used for 20 years.

Three days later, when she came home from her trip and went to get her cat she was handed a $2300 Bill. Needless to say she was happy her cat was alive and shocked at the amount of the Bill.
She sort of expected the Vet had operated but they hadn't.

They un-clogged the blockage and gave him Meds. As she glanced at the Bill she noticed she had to pay a Vet Tech to administer a pill. One would think this would be included in the Vet stay.
She also noticed she was charged a higher admission fee because the Cat was admitted at the peak time of the day. There were fees on top of fees, things that you would expect to be included in the overall admittance and care of a animal. Bandages, needles, food, etc..

She hit the roof and I am sure some of you could hear her where you live. They cut the Bill down to half.
It was not that she couldn't afford to pay it but she felt she was being taken advantage of.

 

[goldenluver]

usually when vets do exrays, they have to sedate the animal, hence the larger fee

 

[NellaBean]

What does the cost of an ultrasound or xray machine have to do with my dog's ear infection? I understand there are expensive "tools of the trade"...however, I dont see why that means shots should cost $150 or that my vet should recommend totally unneccesary testing.

Judging by some of the costs I have seen, only rich folks should own pets apparently. I'm sorry but all the dogs on death row would much rather go home with someone who will go to a shot clinic once a year and get "less expensive" care than to die because no rich people are looking for a dog that day. In a perfect world, I would love to spend thousands of dollars a year on vet care. But I'm not rich and most people aren't......

I used to work at a vet and hate to say it but the "expensive" vets are no more likely to use any more qualified staff than the "cheap" vets.

 

[Mattemma]

Due to costs and less money coming in I have had to become the *vet* taking care of issues I might have run to the vet before. I remember taking off the dogs tail one am with the door.Ugh,that mistake cost me $400 because that isn't a homecare job I could have done!

I have so-so vets.They will charge for follow up visits.Atleast they took my dog in an emergency when other vets would not take on a new pet in an emergency case.

 

[goldenluver]

I understand the costs increasing, don't get me wrong. If we could purchase insurance like we get and claim the vet care on our taxes like regular medical, more people would be encouraged to get vet care for their pets.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
I have to agree with this. We all know how expensive human medicine is. Because of the demand of some, and the sue happy nature of what many of the public has become, animal medicine is becoming human medicine. Vet's need to carry insurance for their practices now, insurance is not cheap, and they end up passing the cost on.

Back in the day, you did not treat cancer in your pets, back in the day, you'd put a dog down before amputating a leg, back in the day, if your dog was ready to go or hit by a car, you'd just shoot it for 50 cents and bury it out back. It's not back in the day anymore unless you want your neighbors to look at you like you're a heathen for not treating your animals like children.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
That's crazy expensive, even though a blocked cat is a HUGE deal. When they can't pee the toxins build up in their kidneys causing renal failure (reversible at this point) if it is left too long, their blood becomes toxic and they will die. They have to be put on fluids for usually several days to clear the toxicity, with a urinary catheter in place until the bladder flushes all the crystals and grit out. It does get very expensive, but not $2300 expensive...

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Those were just two examples to show what things cost these days. Ok, an ear infection - an otoscope costs around $1200, give or take. The time it takes for 2 to 3 people to clean the ears thoroughly (yes, it can take that many people, especially if the ears are painful and the dog has to be restrained heavily to get the job done). The time to look at a sample on the microscope to determine the cause of the ear infection, because if you use the wrong medication not only will the infection not clear up, you can damage the ear drum.

You say that your vet "recommends" "unneccesary" testing...it's a recommendation, not a "have to". And some owners would call every test to man necessary, because that's just how some people are. Your vet is recommending testing due to wanting to provide options for the best care possible. I agree that alot of things are not necessary, but they are laid out as options. And for the vets that will dole out heartworm meds without testing, they are putting the pet's life at risk. If you give a pet that already has heartworms a heartworm preventative, you will likely kill it. That's why most vets require the testing. Because it's their license and livelihood if that pet dies.

Now I have been working in emergency for the last 7 years, but back then a clincs COST for a single vaccine was almost $10, and that was if they bought in bulk. Prices have only gone up from there, and then when you consider the costs of the syringes, needles, regular markup for the vaccine itself, and the doctors time to administer said vaccines, fill out a rabies certificate, etc, and provide even a minimal examination, multiply it all by the number of vaccines given, $100-$150 is pretty standard.

I'm not saying that only "rich" people should have pets. I am saying that if you expect a certain quality of care, you should expect to pay for it. If you can't afford it, fine, but don't make it the vets fault. There are certain things I will and won't do for my pets due to costs, even as a veterinary professional. But I KNOW what my limitations are, and if my dog needed some $3000 spinal surgery, I would have to euthanize because I can't afford it. That isn't anyone's fault, that's just the way it is.

Do your research when choosing a vet, just like you would a doctor for yourself. ASK them if they use licensed staff or not. If they won't tell you, go elsewhere.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
There IS pet insurance available, from many companies. In fact, Progressive includes it automatically in some of their insurance packages. You just have to research it.

 

[sheila3935]

we have only 1 vet here that treats chickens. She is good but both times I have taken mine guess I really didnt need to cause she said I was doing what she would have had me do in the first place so she didnt charge me as much. Did have one vet years ago scam me. I had a german shepherd that had a stroke. Took her in in the middle of the night. After hours fee ok I understand that. Kept her 2 days told me she would be ok with meds and TLC being young I didnt question it so for the next year he kept her alive poor girl she really suffered. Finally took her to another vet cause she was just getting worse couldnt even walk outside to potty we had to carry her. That vet told me she should have been put down the night she had the stroke and she had been suffering for a year. The other vet took me form hundreds of dollars and made my poor girl suffer. Never again will that happen!