[Blinkers On]

Wow. $500 for a dental is A LOT.

I pay about $190 for my dog with bad teeth to get a full dental (usually including some extracts) with antibiotics included. She's about 12 lbs. Great clinic, great vets, top care located in the midwest.

HUh??? That price made my jaw drop! Our dogs are a little different in size, but I just paid $900+ for one extraction.

I think there are good, bad and ugly in everything, including small animal vets. I left a bad clinic for the current one that I use. The old clinic made you wait, barely acknowledged the clients, answers to questions were like pulling teeth... new clinic.... the adore the animals! Personal, service for animal and human come first. It is a breath of fresh air and I recommend them highly! All answers are easy to come by. They engage my dogs with so much love and care! Everyone on staff knows one by name as she has frequent flyer points. BUT I have no complaints with service. But it took some doing to find them!

[WorthTheWait95]

HUh??? That price made my jaw drop! Our dogs are a little different in size, but I just paid $900+ for one extraction.

I think there are good, bad and ugly in everything, including small animal vets. I left a bad clinic for the current one that I use. The old clinic made you wait, barely acknowledged the clients, answers to questions were like pulling teeth... new clinic.... the adore the animals! Personal, service for animal and human come first. It is a breath of fresh air and I recommend them highly! All answers are easy to come by. They engage my dogs with so much love and care! Everyone on staff knows one by name as she has frequent flyer points. BUT I have no complaints with service. But it took some doing to find them!

That's really expensive. I don't know what's normal that's just what my vet charges for it. She gets 2 dentals/year and that's with me brushing her teeth so I'm grateful it's affordable. It's an equine practice that also does some small animal stuff. Their equine stuff is $$$ (no more so then other equine clinics in the area but still ), their small animal stuff is very, very reasonable.

[Blinkers On]

In this instance, I was shocked. A root canal for the same tooth was under $500 more (I think). I figured pull the tooth, less expensive. It's just a tooth. Silly distracted me didn't press for an estimate pre surgery. Why exactly I don't know. Something needed to be done. She ripped a tooth in half to blood and chipped it to the gum line. If I left it, it would not have been pretty down the road. Remove the thing and no abscess or infection down the line.
Maybe the lesser of two evils?

[Larksmom]

After being with a saintly SmAn vet for a LONG time, I have sort of broken it off. They moved from their somewhat dumpy facility to a lovely state of the art one, and prices went up accordingly. Well, when I was gainfully employed that was fine. But one morning about a year ago, my 14 yr old mixed dog was dying. I got dressed in a hurry and took them both to the vet, [so the other one would sort of know what was going on, and she was left in the car.] It was not quite 8 am so I went to the back door and explained that Auggie was dying. They let me in, and I went out to the waiting room where sainted vet was chatting with peeps with what looked like non emergency dog. Auggie was gasping and very sick. Eventually we were called in and we discussed options. Options? He was 14 and sickly. He was PTS. I held him thru the procedure, and the vet explained things to me. I paid for disposal of body as he was an 80 pound hairy beast. They did charge me an office call which I murmured about a bit. The receptionist with whom I have chatted many times about horses as she had several, was somewhat aloof. It was too much money at exactly the wrong moment, but last year was very bad for me financially. I couldn't afford to go back there till around august when the small old cat, Muffet who has breathing problems needed a spot in the -oh I can't even think of the right word but it helps her breath better. A new [be eye itch] vet came out, did n't introduce herself, ask about Muff, just, 'she needs her shots'. Next time you bring her back she will get them or we will not treat her. My cats do not leave the house, and that was just the last straw. I do not begrudge them the higher prices, everyone has to make a living, but her rudeness was off the charts. I have had these 4 cats and dogs now for close to 16 years. They are old, I hate to switch but I do not know if I really want to go back there. btw, total cost of euth and disposal for dog was $140.

[trubandloki]

I think there are good, bad and ugly in everything, including small animal vets. I left a bad clinic for the current one that I use. The old clinic made you wait, barely acknowledged the clients, answers to questions were like pulling teeth... new clinic.... the adore the animals! Personal, service for animal and human come first. It is a breath of fresh air and I recommend them highly! All answers are easy to come by. They engage my dogs with so much love and care! Everyone on staff knows one by name as she has frequent flyer points. BUT I have no complaints with service. But it took some doing to find them!

I totally agree! I love my small animal vet. I have not priced shopped so I have no idea if she is the cheapest or the most expensive around. I know I give her lots of money because I seem to own several walking vet bills. But I find her to be great with my animals and great with me. That makes her worth the money. Two weeks ago she PTS one of my pet rats and did not charge me. She is a keeper!


I would not blame the old vet for not offering a lessor service up front. If you wanted a lower priced option why not ask for it? A simple, "wow, that is quite a bit and I am in a tough spot, is there something else we can do that will cost less" would have probably gotten you that reduced service option.

[Cielo Azure]

After being with a saintly SmAn vet for a LONG time, I have sort of broken it off. They moved from their somewhat dumpy facility to a lovely state of the art one, and prices went up accordingly.

With a lot of animals, a good income and moving all over the country, I have seen lots of DVM offices.

Price does vary to real estate, then number of receptionists, animal technicians, plant watering service, landscaping service, size of parking lot, type of art work on the walls, fancy scales, oversized exam rooms...

I actually find there is little correlation to quality of DVM and price. Except that some DVMs go the other route. They choose to specialize in being generalists, doing it themselves, have less expensive real estate and do charge less. My current vet is very well trained, offers $75. spay/neuter because he hates the way people keep their dogs/cats around here and does not have fancy digs. He has one receptionist, who is also the tech. The vet answers the phone as much as her. He always offers the cheap way first and is constantly thinking about my budget (I "love" the guy).

What I can never understand is the correlation with vet techs, and cost. It seems like the more they hire, the more expensive the services. Shouldn't it be the other way around? I guess vet techs just show a busy practice, where they can charge their patients more (even if the work is done by someone other than the DVM).

[RedMare01]

A topic that is close to my heart today.

I took my five month old kitten to the vet yesterday for a neuter and declaw (no flames here, we tried everything, including the Soft Claws). I don't expect to get him out of there for under $350-400.

I switched to this new vet practice last year, and I do think they are good vets and very knowledgable. However...they push extras like crazy. I've been there four times and it's already driving me insane.

The most annoying by far is the Revolution...I have two indoor only cats. I have no other pets that go outside or that come in contact with the cats. Every single freaking time I've gone to these vets they keep asking me if I want Revolution. When I say no, they are inside cats, they keep pushing, telling me that it is still possible for indoor cats to get fleas, ticks, and worms and that it is really necessary for them to have Revolution too. Multiple times per visit. UM, NO. I DO NOT WANT REVOLUTION FOR MY COMPLETLY HEALTHY ALREADY TICK, FLEA, AND WORM FREE INDOOR CATS. Wow, sorry for yelling, but that felt really good .

For the kitten's neutering, they had an entire list of extras that they recommended. I chose to have the labs done prior to surgery, laser surgery, and pain meds after. I declined the IV catheter and fluids during the surgery because I felt that was completely unnecessary (I've had a lot of cats fixed, and this is the first I've ever heard of them needing fluids during surgery).

So I get a phone call yesterday morning, saying the labwork is back on the kitten. His RBC count is a teeny, smidge high and the vet really recommends doing the fluids during surgery. Fine, okay, I let them do the fluids (vets out there: does this sound necessary?). And, they have to keep him for two days following surgery to make sure everything has gone alright.

Caitlin

[WorthTheWait95]

Two days? For a neuter? That's pretty much the easiest surgery there is. Ours get kicked out same day. Same with spays unless there was a complication (which there never has been). That seems excessive to me (and $$...boarding animals at sm an vet clinics is usually pretty expensive).

I'm loving my vet more and more as I read these.

I took my parents dogs into their small animal vet last year when they were having some ear issues. I do their shots for them except for rabies (all of them have the three year tag and weren't due)...they kept pushing those darn vaccs on me. I must've told 8 different people 5 times each that I do them myself and they are not due but they continued to tell me I needed to get them done. I told my parents to switch to my equine vet.

[arena run]

Well, I've got a large and small animal vet all rolled up into one very competent person. ;D

Took a couple horses to him the other day... and my inside dog. One horse needed a coggins, one needed an eye recheck, the dog had a loose tooth (thanks to my son who had tried his own hand at plaque flicking).

Coggins was $20
Recheck was $25
Doggie tooth was free

I SO love my vet. He has come out to my place and performed 'surgery' on a horribly torn shoulder... $150. He has come out to my place and performed a lameness check on a 21yo horse we had purchased as a beginner horse for my son.... $0. sylvia

Oh yes... had a mini gelded the other day $50. Usual geldings are around $80-$100. Spayings are well under $100... depending on whether dog or cat or male or female.

[Cielo Azure]

A topic that is close to my heart today.

I switched to this new vet practice last year, and I do think they are good vets and very knowledgable. However...they push extras like crazy. I've been there four times and it's already driving me insane.

Caitlin

My son and his girlfriend have their first dog (a year old now), I feel like the DVM they go to is preying on their ignorance/naivety (sic). She pushes holistic dog foods -sold from her practice, extra vaccines, holistic medicines ( asimmune boosters for instance, cause the dog had a wart) in addition to traditional, extras for the spay (which cost a fortune), extra, extra, extra...every little thing you can think of, she has pushed as a necessary part of responsible ownership and she charges double (at least) what I pay. It makes me a little sick when I hear how much these young kids (early twenties) are paying out for stuff that is completely not necessary in this economy.

[EponaRoan]

So I get a phone call yesterday morning, saying the labwork is back on the kitten. His RBC count is a teeny, smidge high and the vet really recommends doing the fluids during surgery. Fine, okay, I let them do the fluids (vets out there: does this sound necessary?). And, they have to keep him for two days following surgery to make sure everything has gone alright.

I can't imagine my vets recommending pre-surgery bloodwork on a youngster unless there are other issues. The only place that did that sort of a la carte pricing was the spay/neuter clinic that I used when I had a friend's dog speutered and I paid extra for post surgery pain meds.

Two days? The last dog I had neutered had retained testicles and I took him home late the same afternoon/early evening after he was awake.

For cat neuters, one of the vets at the track will lay them out and do the males on a hay bale. It's really easy surgery if surgery can be called easy.

I think your new vet practice is geared towards Helicopter Pet Parents.

[trubandloki]

For the kitten's neutering, they had an entire list of extras that they recommended. I chose to have the labs done prior to surgery, laser surgery, and pain meds after. I declined the IV catheter and fluids during the surgery because I felt that was completely unnecessary (I've had a lot of cats fixed, and this is the first I've ever heard of them needing fluids during surgery).

The way I read this, in conjunction with some of the other posts is that being a vet is a lose lose deal.

You are mad that they gave you the ability to pick and choose what you paid for and someone else was mad that their vet did not offer them a cheaper option.


I have always thought that IV fluids were SOP for surgery, even something as routine as a spay.
Shrug.

[BuddyRoo]

See, and that's the thing...

People say "My old vet never mentioned stuff like fluids during surgery" but then when new vet offers it "they're just trying to make money"

Can't win.

I can't speak for all practices...but regarding the vet tech thing...

In our practice, our goal was for the doctors to be DOCTORS. Not fiddle fart around with computers, inputting charges, filling scripts, cleaning kennels, monitoring post ops, running labs, prepping for surgery, taking temps, suture removals, doing the books, training staff, hiring staff, etc.

So we had staff to do those things. We wanted the doctors doing things no one else could do--practice medicine. Examine patients, do surgeries, etc.

It does cost more to run a practice with a larger staff...but I think overall the care is better when you can let doctors do doctor stuff.

[Ghazzu]

So I get a phone call yesterday morning, saying the labwork is back on the kitten. His RBC count is a teeny, smidge high and the vet really recommends doing the fluids during surgery. Fine, okay, I let them do the fluids (vets out there: does this sound necessary?). And, they have to keep him for two days following surgery to make sure everything has gone alright.

Caitlin

Fluids may not be absolutely necessary, but an IV cath in an anesthetized animal? I'd want it. If there's a problem under anesthesia, you want vascular access *now*.

Two days following neutering surgery--not unless there were complications.
But...two days following a declaw--not odd at all. Bandaging and pain med considerations are the likely reason.

[RedMare01]

The way I read this, in conjunction with some of the other posts is that being a vet is a lose lose deal.

You are mad that they gave you the ability to pick and choose what you paid for and someone else was mad that their vet did not offer them a cheaper option.

Actually, I'm not mad that they have the extras and offer them, but that they really push them and make you feel bad if you do not choose them. As if you are a bad pet parent for not doing absolutely everything that could possibly be thought of, no matter what the cost....

I also should have clarified that the two day stay was in fact for the declaw. And I'm actually happy that they're keeping him that long; it takes a lot of worry off of me.

The labs before neutering/spaying were recommended at the last vet I went to and at this new one too. I don't really think they're necessary, but the way I look at it is that they are always useful to have as a baseline in case of any future problems.

I really doubt that he needed fluids during the surgery, but on the phone the vet kept talking about all these potential problems (like kidney failure) if we did not do them, that I agreed. I'm sure that she has to say that for liablity reasons, but again there is that underlying context that if you don't let them do them, if something goes wrong it's your fault.

Caitlin

[Blinkers On]

The extras don't bother me that much. I say no to alot of stuff these days as the sheer weight of the dog's medical bills have piled up in a hurry! So I am tightening that up a bunch! The bills were unavoidable at the time. Now both dogs are wrapped in bubble wrap lest more injuries occur!

[Trakehner]

There are some wonderful classes listed in "Veterinary Practice"...basically, how to prey on your customers and earn more money.

I have no problem with vets making money, I think it's a good thing....BUT there are a lot of scum-sucking leeches out there nowadays who prey on owners with blackmail techniques..."Isn't Fluffy just like one of the family? Why, isn't she worth $2/day to keep her alive and feeling better?"..."You mean, she's not worth a cup of cheap Starbucks coffee! That's so sad, and won't the children be hurt too!"

My wife refused to take our dog to her vets..nothing but high-pressure to buy heart worm preventatives with this and that lab tests...they did everything but call her names for not doing it. They tried some of this crap with me too...well, that wasn't pleasant for them at all it turns out. Vaccine charges are obscene and unsupportable, same with drugs (and yes, you do have to write me a prescription for vet meds in VA).

A cat being neutered absolutely doesn't need an IV. A shot of Ketaset & atropine, pluck their kitty balls, make a simple slit, pull/snip/toss and tie off the vas-deferens with themselves and shoot a could of sulfa in their now empty sack...takes 4 minutes. No lab tests, no fluids...and exactly what fluid did they lose needing to be replaced in all of this?

My old dog had "old dog bumps" my wife hated the look of...no problem, brought her there, got em' removed and the vet said, "I dont like the look of those, I'd like to send em' off to pathology"..."Sure, go ahead, but I'm not paying for it...no matter what you'd find, she's not getting treated to cancer". Seems they weren't near as interesting after that.

[trubandloki]

My wife refused to take our dog to her vets..nothing but high-pressure to buy heart worm preventatives

I guess I like spending money because I can not imagine not having my dog on a heart worm preventative. I have seen dogs with heart worm, not pretty. And heck, it kills all kinds of other worms too, so I do not have to worry when they have a manure snack or find something dead when I am not looking.

If you do not like your vet then why not pick another one? It seems silly to not move on to one you can have a better relationship with.

[MistyBlue]

fourh mom...those are some really decent prices. Hold onto that vet with both hands.
As said...I don't knock the fees my SAV charges. They have 3 really good vets with excellent bed/table/floor side skills and they discuss things well with the human owners too. The techs are all very nice and very good...they always call and do follow up to make sure things are okay at home, etc.
The costs are reasonable considering they have at least 4 techs that I've seen. I just REALLY wish my menagerie would stop needing to visit them so often. I do wish there were a Frequent Flier type discount. I have to track all my expenses...including vet bills. In the last 3 years my vets bills would have paid off my newer F250 AND my newer TC33DA New Holland tractor. Dude...that hurts. If I have another 5 years of similar vet bills...I could pay off my mortgage. At what point does an owner say, "Enough!" I'll probably never know...nothing has ever been a cut-and-dried health issue where an owner can make that tough decision.
One really neat thing about my SAV practice is one of the vets we see was one of the Lost Boys from Sudan. And he's absolutely fantastic with animals...even my cat allowed him to live through her last exam and she's hell on vets usually. We've had some great conversations.

[Blinkers On]

I guess I like spending money because I can not imagine not having my dog on a heart worm preventative. I have seen dogs with heart worm, not pretty. And heck, it kills all kinds of other worms too, so I do not have to worry when they have a manure snack or find something dead when I am not looking.

If you do not like your vet then why not pick another one? It seems silly to not move on to one you can have a better relationship with.

Oh I agree. Though I believe I live in the heartworm capital of the world. I want live dogs for a long long time!

Misty! A frequent fly-er thing or a "coffee card" type thing. Come in 5x and the 6th visit is free!!!