Vet Fees

[catlady1945]

Just out of curiousity, what do vets charge in your area? I just took Krissy in for an ear infection - $90 CDN - $31 for ear drops and the balance for "consultation" and office visit.

This seems a bit pricey to me, although I am happy with the way they treat the animals. I wonder if our area is particularly expensive. If we have any more animals dumped on our doorstep, I won't be able to afford to adopt :)

[carole]

It cost $35 dollars for a consult at my vet, which is more expensive than a doctor visit for myself, all up I payed 68 dollars for consult, two injections, and two sets of pills, I suppose that is not too bad, keep in mind NZ dollars though.

[slick]

Today it cost me $45.00 just to walk in the door and $275.00 for the teeth cleaning. Extractions and meds are extra. I expect to have a $350.00 bill by the time it's all over.

[Laura's Babies]

I find vets are steadily going up. The one I use was really reasonable..... then he built a new building and I have about fainted when I got the bill at the end of the visits. When I took Midnight for her tests and first round of shots, checked for worms it was about $140.. Next trip several week later to get her spayed it was a staggering $181.... as compared to the around $100 when I asked prior to the visit... I didn't know she was pregnant and required more meds and stuff... But she was worth every penny for the effort she put into getting to be MINE! She never gave up!

[krazyaboutkatz]

My vet is also fairly expensive but I do live in California where everything is expensive. Over the years his consultation fee has gone up from $28.00 in 1997 to $41.50 now. That's an incerease in $13.50 in only 7 years.:eek: I looked this up from Storm's vet records.

When I first adopted Storm he was very sick and had a lot of things wrong with him but they were all treateable. I spent almost $300.00 on him back in 1997. I'd hate to think what it would have cost today. He has been worth every penny that I spent on him though and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.:)

[NoahsMommy]

Vet's are really expensive...I get to hear it every day how we charge way too much. :( Trust me, I wish I had the power to make the prices. ;)

We charge $42 for an office call, $27 for a recheck, $18 if its just a brief recheck. We also offer a discount if people bring in two animals to get checked at the same time.

[boscibo]

Honestly, I don't think vets are getting rich off us. They have to buy much of the same equipment human doctors do, (I almost typed "human vets") and probably at the same prices. Plus, a lot of vets do work for free or at reduced prices for shelters and rescues.

Sometimes I am surprised that the costs aren't higher.

[sammy101]

i thnk its $45 here for the visit,then we have to pay for shots,and blood work etc.

[K & L]

$41 for consultation
$99.60 for Xray
$45.60 for sub-fluids
$28.60 injection
$19.00 Tablets
$41.30 Urinalysis
$28.00 Tablets
$1.25 (per can)- IVD Feline Prescription diet

Total: $305.60

This was just for yesterday with Hazel. I've had at least 3 other visits in the last 2 weeks with these totals!:eek:

[sqwelch]

Originally posted by K & L
$41 for consultation
$99.60 for Xray
$45.60 for sub-fluids
$28.60 injection
$19.00 Tablets
$41.30 Urinalysis
$28.00 Tablets
$1.25 (per can)- IVD Feline Prescription diet

Total: $305.60

This was just for yesterday with Hazel. I've had at least 3 other visits in the last 2 weeks with these totals!:eek:

Oh my god, I guess they'll be no meowmy treats for a while !!! Last year while Jock wasn't well I ended up with a bill for £700. When he went to Rainbow Bridge I swore I'd never be caught like that again so I got Bonnie some pet cover. I pay £10.31 a month and I'm insured against any vet bills. I have to pay the first £30 upfront but as you know how these bills mount up its still makes me feel safe. I suppose its alright for me to get cover but most of you guys have many kitties in one household but hey don't we love these guys and they are all worth every penny:D

[catlady1945]

Just had dental work for our 9-year old, Krissy. Cost = $375.00 ($CDN). I just spent $90 a couple of weeks ago for her ear infection. I won't be able to afford pets soon.

[catnapper]

This is a sampling of various vet visits withnth last year:

Office visit: $35.00
Felocell CVRC: $13.00
Tresderm Solution (what is that? :D ): $10.00
(they were from Pouncer's kitten visits)

Rabies shot: $13
Pouncer's "Castration": $75.00
Pre castration lab work: $37.00
Casting Pouncer's broken toe: $50

The cost of a healthy cat: Priceless (sorry just had to say it! :D)

[smokey the elder]

Trezaderm is a skin medicine for ringworm, fungus and all sorts of skin troubles.

[boscibo]

Originally posted by K & L
$41 for consultation
$99.60 for Xray
$45.60 for sub-fluids
$28.60 injection
$19.00 Tablets
$41.30 Urinalysis
$28.00 Tablets
$1.25 (per can)- IVD Feline Prescription diet

Total: $305.60

This was just for yesterday with Hazel. I've had at least 3 other visits in the last 2 weeks with these totals!:eek:

Wow, prices are high where you live. I took Hanna in last week when she was sick, and I was charged:

Exam $30 (d)
Radiology x-ray, 2 views $85 (d)
Bloodwork $85 (d)
Metronidazole $8
Sub-q fluids $15 (d)
Injection (antibiotic) $15 (d)
Clavamox $14 (d)

Total: $252

We get a multi-pet discount (the (d) next to prices, 10% off everything except the metronidazole), so the total I actually paid was $227.60

[nibblets]

I had to take both of my pets in last week:
Buddy had conjunctivitis in his eye and Dr. tested the retina with dye under a black light to see if there were any scratches. (there were not) and gave me some antibiotic ointment to treat his eye with. He also got his yearly vaccines and tag. His total- $58.
Julie went in for a check up and her vaccines and tag. Her total- $45.

I think our vet is very reasonable with his prices.

[Kona & Oreo's mom]

Kona had her regular checkup on Monday (she's as healthy as can be!). My vet charged $39 for the visit and exam, and the 3-year vaccination was $21. I got an estimate for their recommended "senior bloodwork panel" at $75.

[Don Juan's mom]

Well, I'll be able to make an up-to-the-minute contribution soon. Don Juan is limping AGAIN :( and we have an appointment with Dr. J this afternoon.

Please note that I haven't paid my RENT yet! :eek: But Don Juan been such a comfort to me in my unemployment... :)

Liz

Well, I'm back. The visit came to $73.50: $36 for the office visit, $25 for an injection of cortisone, and $12.50 for pills to give to Don Juan for the next few days. He did not charge for the lecture about my cat's weight. :rolleyes: Guess we're going to start buying DIET cat food. :D

[catfancier]

Having worked in a clinic, and being a pet owner I can see both sides of things:

Most of the time, most vets are able to justify their charges. There are a few cowboy vets out there who charge a lot just for the sake of it, but luckily I don't know any and I haven't heard any outrageous stories about it, but I know that it does happen.
You have to remember that unlike a regular human doctor, vets are all specialties rolled into one - they are GP's, Surgeons, Obestricians, Gynacologists, Neurologists, Pathologists, Paediatricians, Chemists, Radiologists, Opticians, Dermatologists, 'Coroners' (for lack of better word), psychologists among a whole ton of other stuff, including being business people. To get to be all of this out of 5 years of study is really really intense, and most of the time comes at a personal cost.
Vet bills are usually so high because Veterinary Medicine is such a specialised field - all the equipment vets use is very expensive, very specialised, and usually few and far between.
Hence the cost of having this equipment is passed on to the client, otherwise the business wouldn't be able to function, and your favourite vet or clinic would close down.
The reason why vets are (or should be) constantly getting newer, better or more equipment is so that diagnosing an illness or disease takes less time, is less invasive (radiography - xrays and ultrasound - as opposed to surgery), therefore less stressful to both the patient and owner, and ultimately, less expensive. I would rather pay for 3 or 4 xrays to find out my cat had gas than to have it go through surgery to determine the same thing.

Also the vets I worked for were always on the lookout at places like Amazon.com for new textbooks to aid in their continual learning. We rely on vets so much to have the answers to our questions, so it makes sense that they would want to read up on the latest and greatest techniques or equipment. A well equipped clinic with vets who are constantly looking to further their knowledge is the best thing my pets could ask for - and I don't mind paying a bit extra for the peace of mind of knowing that my Vet is doing all they can to help my pet.

By the way, vet nurses or technicians don't get paid a whole lot of money (certainly no where near as much as vets do!), so I'm not just saying this because I am a vet nurse and my clinic charges a lot because they need to pay their staff well, staff wages are probably the last thing on the vets budget priority list!

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by nibblets
I had to take both of my pets in last week:
Buddy had conjunctivitis in his eye and Dr. tested the retina with dye under a black light to see if there were any scratches. (there were not) and gave me some antibiotic ointment to treat his eye with. He also got his yearly vaccines and tag. His total- $58. I just took Sushi in for the same exact thing on Monday and the bill came to $63. :eek:

Samantha goes in for her heartworm testing this weekend and Sushi and Kirin both need rabies shots in two weeks. No Christmas presents for us!