My Poor Scruff Is Sick. RE-CHECK UPDATE 2/2/107 PG 3

[Catlady711]

I called Purdue, they said it would range from $1100 to $2300...Ouch. I know I need to get this done...I am trying so hard to find somewhere some what cheaper. I don't have $1100. Another vet about 1 1/2 from me that said the surgery would be between $800 and $1100.

Why do they give such big window on prices?

Vet prices can vary a great deal, from hospital to hospital, even within the same town.

The reason for surgeries they give such a wide range is, until they actually get in there, they never know for sure what they're going to run into. Even with all the best x-rays, lab results, ultrasounds, you can still never predict everything or how long it will take (vets many times charge based on time taken).

As to why one hospital is different priced from another by such a big degree has to do with overhead (ie. equipment, utilities, payroll, taxes etc.). A hospital with 4+ vets, a large building, state of the art equipment which they may still be paying for, late open/weekend hours, full service grooming/boarding, and many employees (particularly ones with specialties) are mostly always going to cost alot more. Since they have more bills to pay out, and offer more services, they have to make that income back somehow and it's the clients that pay for it.

A 1-2 doctor general practice with a small building, several year old basic but paid for equipment, shorter hours open or no weekends, don't do boarding/groooming, and have less staff are usually less expensive becaue they have less overhead to pay for. However they usually have to send extensive lab work out and may refer you somewhere else for x-rays, ultrasounds, or late night ER's etc.

Of course that's not accounting for those vets that are out just to get rich quick, which unfortunately, just like in human medicine, sometimes happens.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Tracy, I'm so glad to hear that Scruff is doing much better and that he won't need surgery. Hopefully it wasn't a stone at all but just a UTI.

[Reachoutrescue]

Well, I took Scruff's urine sample to the vet today. They called me about a half an hour ago with the results. There is bacteria in his urine and some signs of crystals. The crystals can form into stones they said. So Scruff is on an antibiotic called Primor for the bacteria and was put on an all wet food diet. They want me to hydrate him as much as possible so he can push the crystals out. Another urinalysis will be done in ten days to see if everything is gone. If it is not, then he will be switched to a different brand of food that breaks up crystals. Last resort, very last is surgery. But we are going to try everything to avoid that. Let's just hope this works!!