Vet Costs

[k9kreationz]

Y'know. I agree with everyone here. I don't want to say my co-worker is a bad dog mom, but at the same time, I think I follow what you guys say. It's not about price. I'd rather pay top price for a vet I like and trust. I honestly don't know how much anything costs either, I try not to look at the bill. I just know how much I budget (also for misc visits during the year, like lumps, or constant diarrhea, etc). I want a vet I can have a good long r'ship with.

I like it when the vet shows me the x-rays. As if I know what I'm looking at. But he'll explain what he sees, what is going on, etc. Although my vet does take my dogs to the back (for some things), they happily go with him, so I'm not concerned. They really like him. And I don't hear any shrieks. If I did, I'd ask him to do it in the room. I'm sure they'd comply.

So, thanks for making me feel normal. I don't understand why my co-worker pushes her cheap vets on me all the time.

BTW, of course she LOVES this vet (just like she did the last one that is 15 miles away and too far). The teeth cleaning was $150 EACH. Not for both. She misunderstood me when I asked her. But see, this is what I don't get. She was like, "he did an AWESOME job. the BEST JOB EVER. he got their teeth so clean. I didn't see anything" and my thought was, "isn't that what they're supposed to do? shouldn't they clean them like that anyways? i wouldn't think that should be the best job ever or awesome. it should be typical." I just need to let her words roll off my back and remind myself that 100% of the time, she's exaggerating.

On the upside, if I"m in dire straits, I know where to go. But until that happens, I'll continue to pay too much for my shots cuz I love my vet.

(now I'm curious to find out what they charge, lol)

 

[Smudge]

now I'm curious to find out what they charge, lol

I've used two vets before. If I call either one of them and ask the front desk how much something costs, they will give me an estimate. Like if I called to see how much it would cost to get a second opinion on mange they would tell me it's $30 to see the vet, and the medicine could cost anywhere from $0.00 to $0.00. They pretty much can tell you how much something is going to cost or give you a good idea. If you don't want to call them yourself, give somebody else the phone and let them call for you.

 

[Calliesmom]

I love my vet too. for probably the first year or so that I was taking Happy there- I never saw a vet tech in the exam room- only the vet. I would hold Happy and never a problem- everything is done where I can see and help out. now that I take Callie and Happy, the vet tech comes in too-I think mainly to visit- they all like my pups there. and I already have Cranberry's first appointment scheduled.

 

[Justicemom]

Here's one...
I was given the honor of being the client who spent the 2nd highest amount at our vet's office for 2008. I believe I am always in the top 10. Isn't it nice, the girls at the front desk let me know. LOL

I can match that in 2006, I was the #2 client in the clinic I worked and I'm the vet. I would have been #1 had I paid full price. Last year, I didn't make the top 25. It was a good year.

SheltieGuy, your bill is avg.

I question how any vet can do $75 dentals it doesn't even cover costs. There was vet in SD who did cat spays for $25. He used only injectable Ketamine, tied the cat down to the table, no gloves, no gown, nothing. No monitoring equipment, no intubation, no gas. You'll be glad to know he lost his lincense for failure to follow standards of care. He reused syringes, dispensed outdated medication and a list of other things to cut costs. People when to him because he was cheap.

 

[SheltieChe]

what I do not like most about visit to the vet is that you come with single request to do simple shot and suddenly you need a this and that and have thought about this and that... similar like you bring your car for oil change and find signing up for filters and transmission and who knows what else.... well I let my hubby deal with that...
when I come to the vet it is important to me to do what I want, what I came for.. and we found a place that fits our needs, prices are similar to what SheltieGuy describes which is very reasonable for North Shore standards...

 

[BarbV]

Stomach pumped....$532
Cryptorhic neutering.....$378
Annual vaccines....$215
Sedation and Bloodwork....$536
Bacca living and long and healthy life....Priceless

p.s. that's only half of the bills....

 

[Caro]

I don't like that the girls at the front desk know me and say oh look it's Bailey. I don't want them to know us. That means we spend too much time there.

When I ring up my vet I say "Hi, its Caro" and they say - "which one is it this time, Deska or Tully?" I must be in the top 10 for annoying clients - the kind that are ringing all the time with all kinds of questions. My regular vet is a small family practice, I go to another vet for behaviour problems and chiropractic, another one for weekends, and a different one again for evenings (the others are all big clinics). Still, I do make sure I send them all a christmas card...

 

[k9kreationz]

Stomach pumped....$532
Cryptorhic neutering.....$378
Annual vaccines....$215
Sedation and Bloodwork....$536
Bacca living and long and healthy life....Priceless

p.s. that's only half of the bills....

Aw.....so true so true. I've put a lot into Miko too, and I'd keep doing it. Sadly, I always keep my 20k credit card as open as possible, just in case. Cuz he's worth it.

 

[Smudge]

Stomach pumped....$532
Cryptorhic neutering.....$378
Annual vaccines....$215
Sedation and Bloodwork....$536
Bacca living and long and healthy life....Priceless

p.s. that's only half of the bills....

Good lord woman! What did Bacca have his stomach pumped for?!

I think you made me 10,000 times more paranoid about Fluffy and her "random snacks" now.

 

[BarbV]

Good lord woman! What did Bacca have his stomach pumped for?!

I think you made me 10,000 times more paranoid about Fluffy and her "random snacks" now.

Surely, you have heard about Bacca, the cannabis-eating dog?

Came home from work and Bacca was flacked out in the backyard, staring at the clouds! Then he finally got up and wobbled his way over to me...straight to emerg!

I was much comforted by the vet who told me that when she was teenager her dog reacted exactly the same way to the "chocolate brownies"....