The cost of vet care

[BlackBart]

I think Vet fees are equal to the area you live in.

A four hour drive from here and you can have a horse gelded for $180, in my are it is anywhere from $450-800 depending on the Vet.

If the Vet is working in a rural/low income area where there isn't allot of employment or higher wages the fees will be lower.

Vets fees here are not monitored by any agency or board they charge what they want. The rules are different for each Province.
I was told (don't know if its true) that in Ontario if you want to de-worm your horse you have to buy the de-wormer from the Vet, feed stores are no longer allowed to carry those products.
In BC the Vets have total control over vaccines, they successfully stopped people from importing vaccines from the USA. Even with shipping, exchange and duty it worked out much cheaper to import from the USA.
The more control of a situation the more monopoly you have.
If you want to vaccinate your animal there is only one place to do it.
They feel the general public doesn't have enough smarts to be able to make "safe" decisions for their pets.

As a poster has already mentioned. Some people cannot afford the Vet fees so they opt to have the animal put down. I have heard conversations (in a Vet's office) if you can't afford the Vets fees then you shouldn't own a animal.

Those in the USA that are able to buy and administer your own vaccines consider yourselves lucky.

 

[mamaKate]

The vets in my area aren't nightmarishly expensive but they ARE completely clueless. I've had at least three occasions (wait 4) when my guys were misdiagnosed. I vaccinate for everything except rabies myself and sometimes go in to get prescription meds.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

People that have almost nothing take better care of what they do have than people that have it all.

Boy, ain't that the truth! Nothing like scratching--really scratching--to buy something to learn what it is REALLY worth! After I've scrimped for months to get something, you better believe it doesn't get casually tossed somewhere. It gets put back in the box and stored carefully away between each use!


Rusty​

 

[Angelic Vampyre]

I got two bunnies a few weeks ago and need to get them de sexed (helps with toliet training and also I have a boy and a girl and DO NOT want baby Bunnies) I checked around and the cost of desexing runs from $118 to $300! Granted the $300 one is at a Rabbit clinic that ONLY sees rabbits but still you wonder how some vets get away with it. For the $300 I get two vet vists, pain meds for after the op and also both the orginal vaccination and the booster and the option to put in a micro chip. Then there was a vet that charges $290 and all you get is the desexing and he even said "Oh we are cheaper then the rabbit clinic" which I thought was cheeky as they give ALOT more for their $300 but such is life which sucks!

 

[hen-thusiast]

Quote:
Wow! We were lucky, our local low-cost spay and neuter place did bunnies. Cost us $45 bucks including pain medication per bunny.

 

[ams3651]

I just got my dog from the vet yesterday. Tuesday night she was having trouble walking and wednesday morning she couldnt walk. The quote for overnight treatment was $250. I had to apply for a credit account to afford it. 3 days later I was expecting a HUGE bill. It was $325. They only charged me for one night. I was so relieved. They knew that money was a major factor for me and they didnt want me to give up on her getting better just because I cant afford it. There are still good vets out there.

 

[Angelic Vampyre]

We don't have then and I think we should! We have Spaying week but it covers Cats and Dogs and not Bunnies. Alot of vets over here will not touch them, my normal vet was happy to do my male rabbit and he charged me $145 however he would not do my female and recommend I go to the rabbit clinic, yeah it's $300 but it includes alot. A friend of mine got her female done at another clinic and they charged $118 but then said if she wanted meds it would be another $50 and then she had to pay $70 to come back and get the stitches taken out so looks cheap on paper but ends up being expensive. Also the rabbit clinic when I spoke to them said that they have alot of rabbits come in after they have been spayed by a non rabbit vet and they have thing like not everything was removed, the rabbit was pregant when spaying happened and the babies where not removed and die internally, bleeding under the skin from incorrect stiches it all adds but and really I am one of those people who would rather go to a specalist and save up the money and get it done right the first time then get it done cheap and end up with a sick or dead animal.

There has been a push for spaying clinics to open up over here but so far no one in the vet world wants to do it, basically de sexing makes a regular vet paractise far to much money!

 

[hen-thusiast]

Quote:
Bummer. I agree about having it done by someone who's familiar with the procedure. I guess we're just lucky here in Utah. I really think the presence of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in the southern part of the state has really influenced animal welfare throughout the state.

Good luck on getting low-cost spay and neuter clinics!!