"Emergency" Hospital RIP OFF

[jenluckenbach]

here is a quote from tuxlvr:

I'm a little ticked at the emergency clinic though - they didn't do anything but give her a shot - no blood work, no culture, no nothing..didn't even take her temp according to the paperwork.......other than prescribe some meds - to the tune of $215.....my regular vet did more than that and only charged $50, which included the new meds. We used the emergency vet in tha past, and they at least ran some tests for a little less than the amount.

until I saw this I was not going to post a complaint, but this fueled the fire.

Monday evening one of my mice was having some sort of problem. I thought she must have hurt herself as she could not walk. I saw nothing for her but a slow painful death so I wished to put her to sleep. Well, of course, it was late. And waiting until morning did not seem like an option. (24 hours to a mouse feels like a week to us). AND the emergency (after hours) hospital is so close to me, I took her there.

$95

$80 of which was an EXAMINATION fee. Here's the kicker, she was NOT examined! I did not ask for them to try to save her, no eveluation, no exam of any kind......just 39 seconds of the vet's time to do the right thing.:mad:

[HoRsELUvR]

What a rip off! they charged you 95 dollars for doing nothing?!:eek: that really stinx.

[ChrisH]

That is disgusting :mad: just pure, pure greed!:mad:

Chris

That really s**** , Jen !!
That is stealing and taking advantage of good-meaning people !! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!:mad: :mad: :mad:

[aly]

Thats utterly ridiculous. The Emergency Vets around here charge an arm and a leg too. Its like they know people who bring their pets to the ER are desperate and will do anything for their babies. The Emergency vet I use has a $50 examination fee and a $60 emergency fee. So if you go there at all, you know right away you're gonna have to drop at least $110 just to be seen.

[moosmom]

I'd call or go in and ask to see the head vet and make a complaint. Alot of vet hospitals go by word of mouth. I don't think they'd appreciate someone badmouthing their practice. Another thing is, did you sign any papers agreeing to the price? Did they give you any kind of estimate first before seeing the pet? I'd definitely complain. It can't hurt and may even help. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

That IS a rip off.

[sammi]

$95 to put a small mouse to sleep? That is terrible. My vet has no charge to PTS - but asks for a donation to the stray kitty fund. And he is only open from 8:30 am to 5pm - so after that he would need to come in to the office and cost is still the same. Some good things about living in the middle of nowhere!
Sorry to hear about your mouse.

[lovemyshiba]

That is absolutely ridiculous!!!!
I cannot believe that.
I have not yet had to use an emergency vet, however our vet is the most expensive in town, so I'm sure, if she had to come in for an emergency, we would be selling our car.

[sasvermont]

Having just gone through hours of agony with cats and their passage out of this world, what you are paying for when you visit an after hours facility is the money it takes to have someone there after hours. Think about it. They are most likely paying overtime to the techs or a special rate at least and hey, they are there whether YOU need them or not. They are waiting for people and sometimes get paid to just sit there. If you do not want to use them, you don't have to. I cannot imagine them NOT charging an arm and a leg. It costs money to keep any place open after the normal working day. Are they charging too much? Well, like someone just sad, they let you know up front how much it is just to walk in the door. At least my Emergency Vet service does. I do not think they are reasonably priced at all, but you are in a situation with a pet and they are your only recourse. So don't complain - you are not going to win. Maybe you could find a way to put the pet out of misery on your own. I don't know of any humane way of doing it, but I suspect someone must know.

I don't want to seem cold about this, because I am not. It is very, very expensive to have pets theses days, especially if you have a sick one. That is why I think some folks don't understand the responsiblity that goes along with ownership. It can be overwhelming sometime. And sometimes we don't do the right thing for our pets. Sometimes we go over board. Who really knows how to handle an emergency? It is up to you.

Thanks for listening,
SAS and her Miley girl

[aly]

I would *NEVER* put one of my animals down myself. I would pay $5000 before doing that! That would be ....... horrific! I can't even think about it anymore.

Sas, I do understand what you try to explain here ! It is true , those "waiting" hours are to be paid too . But it isn't it a bit overdone here to charge that much money for just putting that poor mouse down ?? If they would have asked something like
30 $ , that would at least have been more reasonable ..!
Sorry for saying this , but there are limits as to charging :(

[RICHARD]

i am currently looking into pet insurance!
sounds like a good deal 15-25 a month

[sasvermont]

My emergency Vet is $125 just to walk in the door with your pet. Doesn't matter what you bring it. I suppose some pets are more profitable to work on than others, but that is the rate my emergency vet charges. There must be some correlation between the flat fee, if you will, and their expenses. Like I said, they are having to pay the overhead of a Vet and tech, usually, so that you will have someone available WHEN YOU NEED THEM... and that is expensive. I know how much it costs to run some businesses, and it is not cheap. When it comes to overtime, or after hours, you just have to factor in a high, very high expense rate. It has nothing to do with the size of the pet. Of course they charge for each little procedure as well. I would love for them to be cheaper, for sure. I just went through a ton of money with Graemer, Gabe and Miley. Not all was emergency vet type, but in general, it was expensive but really expensive for the emergency vet. I did what I thought was best for the pet. Don't second guess yourself when it comes to having made an expensive decision about a truly loved pet. I don't. They are worth every penny of it.

[jenluckenbach]

I DO understand about the overhead...etc, and actually I EXPECTED to pay more than at a regular vet. I was not given any sort of estimate, but in all fairness, I did not ask. I am not going to be making a big deal to the office, but I did write a letter mentioning my disappointment because I was charged for more than I asked to receive. After all, if the animal took MORE time than average, I am certain they would charge more. So the reverse should also apply

[marysmerrycats]

thats crazy! I would complain!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I also agree that this is a ridiculus amount to pay. I've never used an emergency vet yet and hopefully will never have to. I know that they have to charge more but in some cases it seems like they're also trying to take advantage of people. My vet gives his clients his home phone number, pager number, and cell phone number in case they have questions or emergency situations. I was told that not many vets will do this because they don't want to be bothered after hours. I feel very lucky to have such a caring vet.

[sasvermont]

Well, much to my amazement, many people use emergency vets. I had never used one until Graemer was stung by a bee (hornet) and his leg swelled. And then, Graemer again, for his last fight for his life. Although this last time, he was not only an emergency, he was at a surgical hospital, so the price was even higher. My little guy was worth every dime, as was Gabe and every pet I have had prior to Gabe and Graemer. Would I use one again? It would depend. I would try NOT to, because I just cannot afford to keep pouring money away, but at the same time, I love my pets so, that at the time of the emergency, I want to save them from pain and upset. So, there is the problem.

I think emergency services are very expensive and as I said, you do not pay based on the size of the patient, just as your doctor does not give you a discount if you bring in a small child vs. a teenager! A visit is a visit and it is based on the overhead, not the patient when it comes to the flat fee, plus other services as needed.

I am sorry for the folks who feel ripped off - and maybe they were charged a lot of money, too much money, I don't know. But I do know that emergency services are very, very special and on an as needed or on demand basis - a luxury for most pet owners.

Love to all of the pet owners here at Pet Talk,
SAS

[neko1]

Sas, I agree with everything you have said. The people at the emergency clinics have the worst hours! They are up and working when the rest of us are sleeping! I wouldn't want their jobs so I would hope that they get paid a decent amount. Ours is also something like $125 just to walk in the door. If your animal is sick and needs medical attention asap, just pay it and thank your lucky stars that these people are there because most regular vets are not going to come to you in the middle of the night.

[COCatMama]

jen: next time go to a different vet that doesn't know you and say you 'found' the poor mouse somewhere. The probably will not charge you to euthanize a 'stray.'
I used to live near a vet that would euthanize or even try to treat stray/wild critters. Once I found a fledgling starling with it's EYE hanging out cause some crows had got at it. I held it bawling, waiting for the poor thing to die but it didn't...so I walked down to that vet and he euthanized the poor thing.

[jenluckenbach]

I was not by any means talking about the SIZE of my patient, I was talking about the amount of "work" done. If I was asking for them to SAVE her I would have expected the price to include an examination fee. The rip off part is in the fact that I did not get what I paid for. (or I should say, I paid for what I did not get). And please do not complain about the hours, that is where (and therefore WHEN) these people chose to work. Some people actually prefer the over night shift.

[Nomilynn]

When Bassett went into emerg they told me on the phone "it's $106 to walk through the door" and she was suffering so badly I didn't care. But I think I would feel differently if I just wanted her euthanised.

[neko1]

Well since now you know of their costs for services (or lack thereof should I say), maybe is there another place you can go? We have 3 emergency clinics in our area, and many people will choose 1 over the other for their own reasons. Hopefully you have another place to go.

[Nomilynn]

I would take Bassett back to that clinic in a heartbeat. I didn't have a problem wiht the costs at all.. and the people there were very good to her.

[sasvermont]

What you are paying for, in the long run, is the availability of the Vet and support staff, without an appointment, for your convenience, in the event you should need them. Think about it. They have no method of scheduling an emergency or knowing if there will even be one. They have to offset their down time (no appointments) and charge an arm and a leg for their services. I suspect the "exam" for your poor little rat, was merely seeing if it was breathing and atleast checking it out enough to know if it show be put down. My bill for Graemer read "consultation"....rather than exam...but I suspect it was that "walk through the door fee" that most after hour vets charge.

You don't know want to know what my bill was to have Graemer treated from 12 noon to 6 PM. I would do it again. I know that the Vet was leaving the place when I brought Grammy Crackers to him and he had to call in a tech to help him with the proceedures done on Grammy.

Again, they are very expensive and they have incredible pressure, circumstances etc. to work under. Most of these animals are coming in there with lots and lots of problems, not just a regular office visit for a check up. The Vet and staff are "specialists in waiting" if you will.

I won't go on anymore about this as I think I have driven my point home maybe one time too many.

:rolleyes:

[jenluckenbach]

just for the record, the Dr. did not even TOUCH my mouse. So there was no "checking it out to see if it was breathing and should be put down". And since the shot was given out of sight, I can't even be sure a vet did that.