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