"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.

[HoRsELUvR]

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

[ChrisH]

That is disgusting just pure, pure greed!

Chris

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

[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!