Unnecessary Vet Bills???

[KIM0024]

Does anyone know what are the "necessary" annual procedures that should be performed for a 4 year old lab?? The vet sent a reminder card for me to make an appt for annual shots, etc. The estimate for this is $150.00. Is there anything that I can eliminate or can anyone tell me what is really needed? I feel that vets are in business to make money so I want to know what I am looking at. Thanks for your replies.

[tatsxxx11]

Oh gee. Well, my first bit of advice would be to find a vet that you truly trust! Yes, they have to make a living too. But I know that a truly reuputable vet will only do that which is necessary and nowadays, there is much debate about which vaccinations are necessary, and how frequently the dog should be innoculated. A lot depends upon your home setting, how acitve your dog is (i.e. spends a lot of time outdoors) does he interact with other dogs, etc.)

As for the vaccinations themselves...Well, by law my area requires certification that the dog has been innoculated against rabies. There is a 3 yr. vaccination available; some states require yearly vaccination. My dogs are also vaccinated against distemper, cornovirus, adenovirus, parvo and leptospirosis (espescially important if your Lab swms a lots, walks the woods, drinks from stagnant water pools, etc.) and Lyme disease.
Many of these can be given in combination, with one injection. If you plan on ever boarding your dog at a kennel, he'll need to be vaccinated against kennel cough, bordetella, at least 7-10 days prior to boarding, depending on the kennel.

The vaccine for Lyme disease is not 100% effective, but does provide additional protection. A blood test for Lyme is required before that vac. is given. My vet spoke with me at length about giving this one. If you treat your dog religiously for ticks and fleas with Frontline, it might not be necessary.

Of course Heartworm medication is ESSENTIAL. If you use the Interceptor formula (given once a month over a 6 month period) a yearly blood test for heartworm is necessary, but not if you give the Heartguard formula, given each month of the year. (That is if you know that you haven't missed any doses!)

Yearly exam/stool sample check


Talk with your vet about which vaccinations he/she plans on giving and why. The thinking on this is changing rapidly! Here's a link to a good article on the tyes of vaccinations and why they should, or perhaps should not, be given!

Vaccinations (http://www.vetinfo.com/dogvacc.html#Bordetella)

[dragondawg]

tatsxxx11 has sumed up most of the vaccinations one should get. There are new theories on whether some of the traditional ones such as distemper should be given every year. My own opinion is that vaccines of that type where there is evidence of it lasting multiple years may be skipped when the dog is 2-6 years. After that an older dog should be given the vaccine due to the less effective immune system of a geriatric dog.

Actually the $150 isn't that unreasonable. A vaccine here and there along with the heartworm test and you can easily approach $100. Depending on the area of the country maybe another $50 added on. In general young dogs are low maintenance in cost, but when they do get sick a Vet will always get their money's worth.

The only place I really fault Vets is when they try to charge you 3X the price for the same drug you can buy over the counter. A good example would be acid blockers. Also they often over charge on antibiotics which have gone generic years ago on the open market.

[GraciesMommy]

That sounds reasonable to me...Gracie just finished her 4th set of puppy shots and some vets do 3 sets. I trust my vet, and I didn't have a problem with 4...including the rabies this last time.

Gracie also does the once a month heart guard and I sure wouldn't want to not do that...Gracie is 4 months old and I want her to have a full and happy life. My mercedes (schauzer) had to be put to sleep one year ago this month and we always did the once a month heart guard and kept her up to date on everything. The only thing I didn't do that the vet suggested was the teeth cleaning. (I probably should have) And I will do that with Gracie...and give her the dental bones as well to help keep the plaque and odor down.

[Basset Mom]

Baxter just went to the vet for his check up and shots . The bill was $121.00 and I did not think that was out of line at all.
It is a once a year thing and it is alot cheaper to maintain then to fix. I am constantly cleaning ears using the dry ear and giving treatments for allergy to my dogs. The allergy sponge bath is for allergic humans so the can be around my dogs. Taking to groomer for nail clips and or baths and to clean their anal gland. Add all that up and the yearly trip to the Vet doesn't seem so bad. But we all love our animals so we can grip but we will do anything for them.

[Rachel]

I almost hate to suggest this but I do think that some of the pet stores (PetsMart) have clinics where you can get the vaccinations at a lower cost than you might pay at the veterinary hospital. The reason I don't do that is because my dogs are given a once over by the vet tech and veterinarian at the time they go in for their shots. I do make one consolation to economy by buying our heartworm medications through the Dr. Foster and Smith's catalog. Even with paying shipping and handling, it came out to be significantly less expensive.

[Basset Mom]

I have to tell you your Tucker and Hannah are beautiful. You must be very proud of them. They stole my heart.

[kingrattus]

it sounds high to me if ur talking about usa funds. I spent about 120.00 canadian for RB Max's annual shots, bloodwork & flea drops & herartworm shots. & every second year it was 150.00 canadian cause I did the deluxe bloodwork on him

[caseysmom]

local feed stores have rabies/distember shot clinics also...actually casey is going saturday, she was just seen in july for gunk in her eye I have constantly given her heartworm meds.

[K9karen]

Logan just had her 3 year rabies shot, distemper shot, nails trimmed and I bought a 6month supply of Advantix and Interceptor and my bill was a little over $150 but I thought that was reasonable for time well spent (also a total physical exam). I have Vet. Pet Insurance and they pay a good portion of the bills, usually for blood work, shots, fecal and urine tests etc. Every little bit helps. I know it's hard when money is so tight these days, but I honestly take better care of Logan than myself. I cringe at my $150 bill but rarely at hers! ;)

[bsherman]

I don't think $150 is out of line, but have you thought about a health plan for you pup. The vet should have info on that, it can cost $30 a month which seems high, but if something goes wrong it can be a savings. Tawny goes every year, she gets special tests now that she a senior. A wellness test and what they call tighters (spl) it checks to see how her immune system is and if ok she doesn't need everything. Rabies every two years( can go three but my vet says everyone seems to try and stretch that one out) after the first 2 intial vacs when she was a pup and Lepto every year( we like chasing squirrels and dirty water). Heart worm test every two years and pills for six months of the year. The country vets don't seem to charge as much as the big city ones can. Having one vet for you furbabies seem to be a good idea, they get to know the pet and the family. Ours is terrific and cares about my girl.

[chuckandtammy]

when we take our dogs (we have 4) when we take one to the vet for her yearly check-up and shot, trim nails and glands it's under a $100.... Check around at other vets that you can trust.. a long time ago we went to a vet..she charged so much !!! that we switched to a different one...and she is great..and it's like half of what we was paying...
I wish I had a avatar picture of my dogs...I don't know how you do it **pout***

[PJ's Mom]

I can get both of my dogs checked, vaccinated and have their nails done for less than $150. In fact, they have to go on November 10th! :eek: But don't tell them. :D

[chuckandtammy]

that's cheap PJ.... I won't tell them their going to the vet...hahaha
My female Airedale is going to the vet soon too.. she is going to have babies :)

[Thandi]

Our local shelter has a low-cost vaccination day, or else I do go to PetCo (don't usually frequent them, but for this one thing) for my dog and cats. It's a ripoff at the vet.

[chuckandtammy]

IHAVE NEVER WENT OTHER THAN MY VET FOR SHOTS THANKS FOR THE INFO..

[Scooby4]

Your Vet isn't exactly ripping you off but is adding EXTRA's that can be optional. Basically, ask your Animal Control what shots they require for dogs. Most need proof of Rabies shot once a year. That is to get them licensed which most cities require.
Now there are MANY optional shots. Rabies is pretty much required and should cost less than $20 at most offices. Heartworm medicines are expensive. They are optional but many people are convinced otherwise. I know people will argue with me on that statement! However, if there are no Known cases of heartworms in your area then you can avoid this cost. Heartworms are contagious but can only be contagious if they exist!
Other Parasite shots: Round worms are contagious by animal feces. They get it through their feet or noses. This isn't a required shot but the exam for checking the dog for it is just as much as the shot itself.
Find out through walking what illnesses the neighborhood animals have had recently. Those are the ones you want to make sure you protect against the most.
There are shots available at your County Co-op for less expense. Those you can give yourself. If you don't want to do it, then atleast check out the prices and compare.
My cat was given her first shots and I asked questions! I asked HOW DOES THE ANIMAL CONTRACT THESE DISEASES? If the disease is caught by direct contact from another infected animal then maybe vaccinate. If it is something contracted that is somewhat controllable or limited access to catching then treat that shot as optional.
Example: My cat was offered a shot for Feline Luekemia. I was told the shot was $35 and would have to be given EVERY 6 months to a year! I was a poor college student at the time... I found out that Feline Luekemia is ONLY transferred by OTHER cats infected. That was great news since my cat was NEVER going to be exposed to other cats. I wasn't allowed animals in my apartment and I was hiding her! That meant no exposure risk.
Also ask if the animal DOES catch this disease is it TREATABLE? Heartworms, and parasites are treatable but expensive and heartbreaking to deal with. Just make sure you get your animal vaccinated for things that could end it's life. (Parvo, etc..)
Good luck and Shop around for Vets. I recently started that and have found some good results and some expensive ones as well!

[cali]

as others said it depends on where you live and what your feeling on the suject are, as others know I only vax for parvo, and Blair will be getting his Rabis only because he bits people he does not like, and we wold rather he be quainteined at home rather then some kennel if he ever bits hard enugh to get reported. in most places a rabis is required, here is is not. in most places some sort of heartgaurd is essential, this depends on where you live, where I live heartworm is nonexistant, so we dont need it. you may also choose to go with titres instead of vaccinations. BUT I dont know what it is like where you live, so you will need to decide these things yourself.

[stacwase]

I just wanted to point out that sometimes there are HUGE differences in the charges at different vets.

I've been taking my dogs to the same vet for years. I just assumed all vets up here were as expensive as mine. The yearly necessary vaccinations, exam, etc. added up to $250.00 per dog.

Once I had to bring Max in for quill removal during daylight hours and she charged me over $300.

One night Max got quills in his chin again, and my vet wasn't available, so I called a vet about 50 miles from here. The quill removal at 3:00 am there, including anesthesia, was less than $150.00. The annual vaccinations/exam are about $100.

The new vet also is much better than the old one - it's a larger facility, with several older and more experienced vets who are always available, and generally more professional overall.

So - if you think you're being overcharged, don't be afraid to shop around. You DON'T necessarily "get what you pay for".

Just my two cents.

[Cazi]

Well, I now work in a Vets in the UK. They do not carry out any treatment that isn't necessary as they value the clientelle.

Here in the UK puppies have 2 vaccinations, the first at around 8 weeks old the second one is two weeks later. The cost being around £75

They then have an annual booster which usually equates to around £60.

Vets are like any other business whereby if you shop around you can get the service cheaper.

[bckrazy]

I agree with most of the replies, if you aren't happy with that price (which seems fairly reasonable), definately look around. Call different clinics, ask other dog people around you, and compare prices/services. Some vets charge *insanely* high service/sitting fees. We had a local vet who used to be great, but they moved and our town has gotten really big since we were going to him 10 years ago, and his services just got horrible. The last time we went, we waited 2 hours (we had an apointment weeks in advance) for a check-up and our usual HW/flea prescription, and he charged us $75 for the sitting fee alone! He also got very rude with us, so we changed to a vet thats about 20 minutes away who charges $20 for the check-up and is always fair with prices. She's also very nice and Gonzo loves her. His HW and flea for a year, blood tests, Parvo booster, and rabies vaccinations cost around $150.. which I consider pretty reasonable for my dogs health.