[SophieB]

Does your vet have high charges like mine does? I've just taken my lovely old dog to the vet as he has a cloudy eye and she said it's "probably" conjunctivitis and a 10 minute consultation was £32.45 and we have Chloramphenicol eye ointment 1% 4g size to apply at a cost of £17.69 and Hypromellose eye drops 0.3% 10ml size that cost £8.19 on the vet's bill....

I looked up both online and the Chloramphenicol ointment is £5.10!!!!!
The Hypromellose drops cost as low as £1.73 online!!!!

£25.88 for drops/cream - increase of £19.05 as against what I could buy them for - they don't look like prescription drugs either!!

WHERE THE HECK ARE THEY GETTING THEIR PRICES FROM? What are your vets' charges like?

 

[FloppyToby]

vet bills are crazy. thats why i got toby insurance because i would rather pay a little each month then get slammed with a crazy vet bill that i can't afford.

 

[smitte21]

Hmm... depends which vet you are talking about. Our local vets are very expensive... one didn't used to be but since they both built new clinics their prices have skyrocketed. Our other vet who is about an hour away is great... she's a club member and my breeder works at her clinic so I always feel fine about taking my bassets there as she has so much experience with them. Whenever they have surgery or any procedure I take them there... only problem is the distance but when I have a choice her practice is the one I go to. Her prices are a fraction of the other vets I've been to. In a pinch if I can't get in to see her I will take our dogs to the local vet as they are wonderful in an emergency but their price hikes are driving me nuts.

 

[SophieB]

Another thing is that my lovely 12-year old boy has a couple of old brown teeth at the back of his mouth and the vet spotted them and said he needs a scale doing and those two teeth possibly removed! She then said dentistry is very expensive and it would be over £250 and could be up to £500 depending on how long it takes as they charge per minute and whether the teeth are difficult to remove!!!!

I remember back in 2003 my 13-year old lady Basset needed a scale and couple of teeth taking out and I was told by my vet in Scotland it would be a minimum of £160... and it was near Christmas and we spent the holiday period at my brother's in Somerset and my dogs came with us and out of interest, my brother rang his vet, (who runs around in an old Land Rover unlike my vets and their big 4x4 vehicles...) and he asked his vet if he would look at my dog's teeth.

The vet said to bring my dog in the day after Boxing day and he scaled and removed three back teeth and apologised for charging £60 and I couldn't believe my luck as my vets would have charged about £30 just for the consultation!! He is a James Herriot type of vet in a real old 'homely' surgery, whereas my vets have a state of the art place and I suppose us pet owners are paying for it!

I think it's a bit like a postcode lottery, as it is for people who want operations! Vets presume everyone has insurance and I read some time ago that insurance companies have noticed vets' fees have been hiked up in the past four or five years!!!! It's usually when dogs get older that they need things doing and some insurances don't cover the costs as much after a certain age!!!

 

[smitte21]

Yeah our vet near home wanted to charge us over $200 for a dental cleaning and wanted to require pre-screening blood work as well as he was over 5 years old (just five mind you). I talked to our other vet who's my breeder's vet and she did it under a very minimal anesthesia for around $60. Huge difference hey? No teeth needed to be removed and I've since learned how to scale the teeth myself as I do Roxie's for the show ring and also brush both of their teeth on a regular basis.

 

[Miss Snickers]

When I took Snickers to the "first" vet (which was highly recommended by a family member) it felt like highway robbery... every time I took her in for booster shots, (had to take her 3 times... then she ended up having to be dewormed) I walked out of there spending no less than $130-$160. Then when I asked about an estimate to get her spayed... it was $270, and if I wanted her chipped, it was an extra $30. So I then decided to take her to a different vet..recommended by other family members, and has been the primary vet on my dad's side of the family for many years. But they only charged $150 for her spay. And an office visit is $40.. and when she had her cartilage incident, I only paid $30 for the visit, and $14 for the meds. And she gets exceptional treatment... and the staff LOVES her!

 

[BigBloo]

My vet's charges are quite reasonable. I pay $18 for an office call, medication is normally comparable to what it would cost online and his neutering surgery was $70, total. Of course, his prices may be reasonable because both his house and clinic are paid for and his children all graduated university long ago. *grin*

 

[Terry]

When I took Tally in for her well-dog visit we found that she had a broken tooth that was causing periodic swelling on her muzzle. We already knew she was due for a cleaning. The estimate for her dental work was approx. $500 to $650 (depending on what the x-rays showed and if teeth needed to be removed). Moe's surgery several years ago to remove cysts cost over $1200. When it comes to veterinary care for Moe, Tally and Copper I don't want the cheapest I can find... I want the best.

This may be why they say pets are a luxury. You need to be prepared to give them the care they need when they need it.

 

[SophieB]

Terry... I can tell you from experience and having moved from one part of the country to several others over the years with two or three dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs etc, that expensive doesn't always mean the best!

 

[mydawgz]

Here is what I have always done for my dogs..... I never take them to the vet for shots or heartworm pills. There are several low cost clinics here in Tampa. You can google "pet clinic" or "vet clinic" in your area and I bet you will find a clinic just about anywhere. Usually all of the chain stores like Petsmart or Petco have clinics on the weekend. You will save over 50% because you are not paying the high cost of a vet visit. They check the dogs overall health, give them the shots and if you need heartworm pills, they have those also. To spay or neuter- I have always had my dogs done at my shelter or pound. It is really cheap to have it done there. Call your local shelter or find their web site and it will prob tell you the cost to have it done. I dont think it was more than $25-$30. (obviously that is not something that I take them to do frequently, so its been a while.. but I would go there if I needed that service. Finally, like Toby's mom- I have Pet Insurance through Pets Best. They have a great web site and they pay incredibly fast. I highly recommend them. Going to the vet is like throwing a dart.... they are all expensive and they are more than willing to "try" every test possible on your dogs and when you leave you still do not know the problem. I have heard countless times.... "well it COULD be THIS" or it "COULD" be THAT". They all make me crazy.

 

[smitte21]

Terry... I can tell you from experience and having moved from one part of the country to several others over the years with two or three dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs etc, that expensive doesn't always mean the best!

Agreed... I can go to the one vet down the road and their care is ok but the price is high... does that mean I trust them... NO. The only vet I truly trust is the one who is on the lower end of the price range... my breeder also works at her clinic and the care that our dogs receive there is second to none. The prices there are much less due to it being a clinic based out of her home, it is a small older building and not much to look at but the care is fantastic and I can leave it to them to know what to do in an emergency whereas the other vets always have to have your permission to do anything. So while her prices are a fraction of the others her care is every bit as good as the high priced clinics and even more so in some cases. Remember expensive does not always equate to the best. If it costed an arm and a leg to keep my dogs safe and healthy then that is what I would pay but the best care for them is where a trusted vet and friend is there in my opinion.

 

[Terry]

Terry... I can tell you from experience and having moved from one part of the country to several others over the years with two or three dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs etc, that expensive doesn't always mean the best!

I agree that expensive doesn't always meen the best. But, if good care is expensive, I am willing to pay for it. We like our vet. They are close by. They have clean, updated facilities, knowledgable and caring personnel, and they are accomodating when unexpected emergencies pop up (there have been many over the years). They've allowed me to delay payment or set up a payment plan, and they have waited for me after hours. They authorized unlimited refills on Moe's meds without seeing the vet every time and they answer medical questions over the phone. For our area, they are not more expensive than other vets, and they are not the most expensive. We used another vet for our rabbit (they had a small mammal vet on staff who was good with rabbits) and my daughter drives fifty miles to take her chinchillas to a specialty vet.

My point is good care is worth the price. And, as with our own personal doctors, you need to find a vet who you are comfortable with and meets your needs.

 

[smitte21]

I agree that expensive doesn't always meen the best. But, if good care is expensive, I am willing to pay for it. We like our vet. They are close by. They have clean, updated facilities, knowledgable and caring personnel, and they are accomodating when unexpected emergencies pop up (there have been many over the years). They've allowed me to delay payment or set up a payment plan, and they have waited for me after hours. They authorized unlimited refills on Moe's meds without seeing the vet every time and they answer medical questions over the phone. For our area, they are not more expensive than other vets, and they are not the most expensive. We used another vet for our rabbit (they had a small mammal vet on staff who was good with rabbits) and my daughter drives fifty miles to take her chinchillas to a specialty vet.

My point is good care is worth the price. And, as with our own personal doctors, you need to find a vet who you are comfortable with and meets your needs.

Exactly... a good vet is worth their weight in gold no matter what kind of fees they charge. I choose to go to the vet I trust and who has a great deal of experience with bassets as she knows what kind of issues bassets have (especially growing bassets). For our chinchilla we go to the other vet as they have a small animal specialist there who knows a great deal about chins. I would never skimp on my vet care but I go to the vets that I trust with what ever problem we are having.

 

[bakinforbassets]

Vet prices, even in a small area vary wildly. I have toenails trimmed every 5-6 weeks & was paying $16.00 to go to the closest vet. I finally smartened up & now pay only $5.00 for driving another 6 miles. The office visit & meds are also less but I can't remember the details. I do know a complete physical was $90.00, all yearly vaccinations included. I sometimes have to wait a little longer here but the vet & staff are wonderful. While waiting on Doc to check Mr. Pea's ear swabs (which he does on an old microscope right in the back room) every single vet tech came to say hello to Peabody. Oh yea, the ear check & meds were also included in the $90.00. Mr. Pea has frequent yeast infections in his ears, I know ya'll can relate.
Susan

 

[FloppyToby]

the vet i go to has really good prices. on saturday mornings they have really good deals on shots. and i was really worried last week when i was told hank needed surgery for his hip, thinking i was about to have to spend like, 2,000 dollars. the vet visit on saturday was 390, which included 2 different medications, blood work, the exam itself, x rays, anesthesia, and a 50 dollar deposit to hold his spot for surgery. the surgery itself was about 580, so all in all about 1,000 dollars for this whole ordeal. not too bad. and the surgeon hank had teaches at Texas A&M which, if you live in texas, that is THE school to go to if you're going to be a vet. and when toby got colitis, all his fees which included several things was only 200. they've been good to me!

 

[Tuesday]

I took Gwen to the vet yesterday for yeast infection in both ears. They did a culture to show that it was yeast, and gave medicine drops (which costs 12.99 online). That was it and the visit was $209.00.

 

[Tuesday]

the vet i go to has really good prices. on saturday mornings they have really good deals on shots. and i was really worried last week when i was told hank needed surgery for his hip, thinking i was about to have to spend like, 2,000 dollars. the vet visit on saturday was 390, which included 2 different medications, blood work, the exam itself, x rays, anesthesia, and a 50 dollar deposit to hold his spot for surgery. the surgery itself was about 580, so all in all about 1,000 dollars for this whole ordeal. not too bad. and the surgeon hank had teaches at Texas A&M which, if you live in texas, that is THE school to go to if you're going to be a vet. and when toby got colitis, all his fees which included several things was only 200. they've been good to me!

Wow...that is great! I wish I had a vet school near me.

 

[Tuesday]

Vet prices, even in a small area vary wildly. I have toenails trimmed every 5-6 weeks & was paying $16.00 to go to the closest vet. I finally smartened up & now pay only $5.00 for driving another 6 miles. The office visit & meds are also less but I can't remember the details. I do know a complete physical was $90.00, all yearly vaccinations included. I sometimes have to wait a little longer here but the vet & staff are wonderful. While waiting on Doc to check Mr. Pea's ear swabs (which he does on an old microscope right in the back room) every single vet tech came to say hello to Peabody. Oh yea, the ear check & meds were also included in the $90.00. Mr. Pea has frequent yeast infections in his ears, I know ya'll can relate.
Susan

I need to find a better vet. Is it bad to ask how much they charge beforehand? My cat swallowed a ken (barbie doll) foot a few months ago. They did all this stuff to him that I could have done myself,made him stay the night, he ended up passing it with laxative... $2,000

 

[Tuesday]

I agree that expensive doesn't always meen the best. But, if good care is expensive, I am willing to pay for it. We like our vet. They are close by. They have clean, updated facilities, knowledgable and caring personnel, and they are accomodating when unexpected emergencies pop up (there have been many over the years). They've allowed me to delay payment or set up a payment plan, and they have waited for me after hours. They authorized unlimited refills on Moe's meds without seeing the vet every time and they answer medical questions over the phone. For our area, they are not more expensive than other vets, and they are not the most expensive. We used another vet for our rabbit (they had a small mammal vet on staff who was good with rabbits) and my daughter drives fifty miles to take her chinchillas to a specialty vet.

My point is good care is worth the price. And, as with our own personal doctors, you need to find a vet who you are comfortable with and meets your needs.

So true...I would never go to a vet that didn't give great care just because it is cheaper. There are a lot of places that actually care for the animals and do a great job. They are not into it for the profit.

 

[tygrrrl]

My vet is probably one of the more expensive ones in the area, I haven't checked around. But he's cared for all our animals for years and is very highly regarded in our area.

Sometimes I start to be upset at his prices .. . . and then I stop, because I know he cares for many of the dogs and cats taken in by our local rescue organizations, and does so at a reduced rate and sometimes takes a loss. I realize that if I pay a higher cost, which really I am able to afford, some of what I'm paying helps provide care for others who may not be able to pay and might otherwise go without what they need. And in that context, it's better, it's like making a charitable donation.