Today's Vet Bill

[hcammack]

Sounds like you got a great vet ! And healthy animals !

I worked with a vet for a day touring around to dairies and house visits. Most of it was putting dogs to sleep though

it was an intresting experiance vets work really hard !

Henry

 

[Farmer Kitty]

We have the vet scheduled to come out once a month. It's for what we call herd health-Pregnancy checks, vacc., injuries, illnesses, etc. are all taken care of then.

When we have a emergency in between they come out with no problems due to the working relationship we already have. Although, I have been told by a couple of them (it's a clinic of 4) that they hate emergency calls from us because it is never easy. Also, due to the working relationship it is easier to call in and ask for advice instead of having them out. We take care of the easy stuff ourselves! Of course, here it is common to have the vet out for herd health due to all the dairy farms!

 

[greyfields]

It costs me $75 for an ultrasound pregnancy test on sheep. Too bad I make about $100 on a lamb, so it doesn't pay. I've heard parts of the US where it's less than $5. I wish I lived there.

 

[ruth]

We've already taken most of our pets to our new vet and she's great - the prices are sooooo much cheaper. We asked if she made "house calls" and she does - for $18 she will come to farm and check all animals and administer all shots - only charging for price of shot, most at $6. My jaw is still on the floor.

Our hoity-toity vets in last town charged $75 just to walk in the door. Then insisted on running full blood workups and other tests before even administering a well pet annual shot. I've never left their office for under $150 - usually $350 or more if the cat/dog had a cold or some other illness for taking them in.

This new vet said she doesn't charge an office visit or exam if you just need a rabies shot - just bring them in, she'll give the shot - $6 total.

You're so right - LOVE your vet - especially one that will do all that work for that cheap.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Ughh MP that sounds fantastic! I really need to find a vet like that around here...

Zoey's due for her rabies... get this, she also 'needs' a psychical, 2 other random shots, plus all the heartworm/wormer/tick meds she'll push on me once we're there... they quoted me $150... But I've never walked out of that clinic without a $200 bill. Once it was $900 for a cat

At least she's putting all that cash to good use

she just built a brand new Vet Hospital over the last 3 months and it's up and functional...

Either way, I need a new vet. Especially if we'll be getting farm animals. Any recommendations where to look?

 

[MissPrissy]

Call your county extention office and ask for the names of vets that treat goats and sheep. The thing is most large animal vets stick to cow and horses - the big money clients (here is it racehorses and equstrian event horses) and won't do other livestock and many turn their noses up at goats. Our vet is the ONLY vet for nearly 100 miles that will treat goats and sheep.

Lesson here - convince your kids they want to be vets - with specialties in avian vet medicine and/or other livestock. There is a need to be filled in many communities. As ideas spread and the family farm is becoming popular again the need for vets who will treat the family farm livestock will rise. The demand is already here with no one to fill the job.

 

[Oblio13]

Wow, a $100 farm call is remarkably cheap, especially since that's the price of a tank of gas now.


Edited to say: I was a pre-vet major in college. When I hit organic chemistry I thought it was too hard so I joined the Marines. I still vividly remember my first day of boot camp, thinking over and over "Organic wasn't that bad..."

 

[2manyhats]

I'm trying to convince my DD that she wants to be a vet tech. We are a big dairy area and vets won't come for hobby farms like mine. I figure if she's a tech - she'd have access to the "good stuff".

 

[Blondie]

I wish I can even FIND A VET that will consider goats! I live in a fairly rural area, and I have called everywhere to no avail. Even the equestrian vets don't want to deal with goats.

I get the impression that vets think goats are a "throw-away". In other words, it's not worth treating or saving a goat. In fact I had a vet tell me that they only spent one day studying goats in school, and he doesn't remember anything about them.

Anyone know a vet in Mid GA? Or even a vet-tech?

 

[helmstead]

There are small animal clinics around Atlanta that see goats...I have some customers south of Atlanta that had no problem finding vets.