what would you do? vet costs...

[FoxyWench]

i completly understand all that, but in the same run theres paying more because things are more expensive ect then theres wow thats very expensive.

i live in fairfeild county ct one of the most expensive places in the us aparently (though in all honestly i dont know why) the vet i use certainly isnt the cheapest in the area, and still $900 for a cleaning and extraction as i said seems high (and my vet is certainly no "country vet") yes it will depend on your area, and if your using a high end state of the art clinic wiht all the newest procedures ect then its gonna cost more. but there has to be a limit on whats normal and whats wow expensive.

bubbatd: i DO agree with you, i belive its VERY important to build a strong relationship with your vet from day one, and i feel its important you spend the extra time trying new vets if your not comofrtable with the first 1, as i said i had 4 different vets before i found the one i use and am very happy with now...and this one is the most expensive of the 4...

i think there needs to be some kind of studies done t find the averages for routein procedures in each state...least that way people would have some kind of basis for cost and there wouldnt be as much price gouging (which DOES exist)

 

[rustysdriver]

Whoa, that's sound like a WHOLE lot to me. I have never had any dental anything done to my dog, but whoaaaa!!!! I'd be making some calls to other vets, just to check, if nothing else. I recently bought this dental kit, haven't started using it, but I sure will be now. Thanks for the incentive. Sorry to hear that your pet is having a bad time, hopes things get better for you real soon!

 

[Aussie Red]

there is also another option which I have not seen mentioned here and being that we all can agree on our pets health care needs why not have them insured ? Mine are. It does not matter where I am because they are insured and even if the vet does not take the insurance I will be reimbursed - deductible and co pay. With all the talk of pet health care why are people not insuring them ?

 

[tinksmama]

well, I did some serious checking around last week,and I am relieved to say I found a local vet,who some friends had been to in the past, who quoted me a price in the 1-300 dollar range-
This is about what i expected in the beginning- almost 1000,for not much seemed extraordinary to me.
I will be bringing my animals to this practice from now on, barring any problems with the care,which I don't anticipate-
I do appreciate all the responses. I do care very much for my animals, and i really needed to find balanced care for scrapdog that we could afford also.
thanks for all the replies...

 

[Rubylove]

I partially agree with what was said before about complaining about medical costs (vets, doctors etc) without really knowing what goes into those costs. And I also agree that in many cases you do get what you pay for.

But I think that this cost (especially if so many people agree) was seriously inflated and that you have every right as a consumer to, if not shop around, then certainly make sure that the prices you are being charged are competitive.

I have worked in medicine for six years and what doctors and vets do, they deserve to be well paid for. We couldn't do it - that's what they study for so long for. It's not always just what they do, but also what they know. All of the knowledge and skill required to do these things properly and safely that we couldn't even begin to imagine.

However, I have had both Ruby and Chester into our vet, sedated, x-rayed, ultrasounded and tests done, shots given and then counter-affecting drugs given for the sedative, and all that totalled about $600, and our vet's in a pretty ritzy area and is a top-notch vet.

$983 seems a bit much to me, too.

 

[rustysdriver]

there is also another option which I have not seen mentioned here and being that we all can agree on our pets health care needs why not have them insured ? Mine are. It does not matter where I am because they are insured and even if the vet does not take the insurance I will be reimbursed - deductible and co pay. With all the talk of pet health care why are people not insuring them ?

You know I've heard of health insurance for dogs and always laughed at it, but the more I think about, it's not sounding so bad. Would you be so kind as to provide more info, premiums, company, website. Thanks

 

[Jonas104]

We just spent 2,700 dollars on Dookie for him to get over parvo. It had to be done because he was a part of the family. This was a life and death situation so we honestly had no decision. But as far as tooth work, I don't see how that could be so high. That much would pay for one night at a critical center along with 4 medications and an IV. oh ya, and this phase has made us deeply consider dog health insurance. the vet told us it was about 800 dollars a year. Thats your tooth operation right there.

 

[Love That Collie]

I use two different vet practices.
One vet is less cost than the other. The vet who is less costly is less costly on everything, less on same shots, less on medications including flea and heartworm meds, less on accessories and food, less on office vistis and less on testings and less on spay/neuters and any other operation.

Know why? Well, in this case and is also the case in other areas of my state when I checked around..........the vet that is less expensive has his building that his office is in paid for as well as his equipment, which he adds to.
The other vet (the LOTS more expensive one) built brand new offices about 8years ago and prices went up. The biggest percentage of price hike was with the "office call" charge. It doesn't matter if you just talk to him or walk your dog in for shots, the (big) office call price is charged. Gotta pay for that new office. While the less costly vet does NOT charge office calls for popping in to ask a health related question nor does he charge office call for shots. If he does charge an office call he's pretty much given your dog a hands on physical of eyes, ears, limbs, mouth/teeth, blood presure, skin, temp, heart, reflexes and anything else you can think of. He also doesn't charge for office calls if you have to purchase a lot of meds and have had several blood tests.
He said he always wanted to make sure that his charges made it possible in most situations for people to obtain medical care for their pets and that he didn't become a vet for the money.

One vet has been in practice for a little over 30 years (the less expensive one) the other has been in practice for about 15 years.

 

[Miakoda]

Oh my goodness!

Teeth cleaning charges at our clinic range from $75-85 depending on the severity & even if we had to pull every single tooth (which we don't, just giving an example here) the most it would cost you is around $120.

Honestly, dentals are very simple procedures. They aren't cardiac surgeries.....................

And for the record, we use top of the line everything & do NOT use old school anesthesia or anything like that. Yes all of our stuff is properly sterilized & yada yada yada..........to all those who think that all the cheaper vets are criminals in disguise who hate animals & are only out to make a buck.

 

[IliamnasQuest]

I'm with Miakoda. Dentals are simple procedures. Anesthetic, cleaning and extraction of two teeth (regardless of which teeth) shouldn't cost $900 regardless of where you live.

I just had sedation and OFA x-rays taken on Khana (three x-rays needed, they ended up taking nine) and it cost less than $200 - including the $12 to send the x-rays to OFA.

Looking at the dental .. if they charged $75 for the anesthetic (higher than any I've ever paid), $150 for the cleaning (not an unreasonable amount, given that it may take 15-20 minutes), and $100 per tooth (which is on the high side) .. you're looking at $425. And that, to me, is higher than it should be.

tinksmama, I would call the clinic and ask for a copy of your records. They may require you to pay for them, but those records may save you money if you go to another vet. When you call up the new vets, tell them you have the current records and they may offer you a price based on what the previous vet has written. The vet should have put down exactly which teeth need pulled and why.

I don't mind paying for a vet who is knowledgeable, experienced and reliable - but I also want the prices to be within reason. I don't go to the cheapest vet clinic here, but the vet I do go to has more experience in certain areas and I like that. It's also the farthest vet of the three in my area.

Good luck in finding a reasonable vet - I'm sure you will if you keep looking. At least you're not dealing with an emergency!

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

[tinksmama]

well...update! I took Scrap in today for her appt- she got cleaning,scraping, 5 teeth extracted, 3 booster shots, pain meds,and antibiotics-total cost was $235... saved about $700 by checking around! Thanks to you who let me know it was ok to do that... she went in at 8 a.m.- I picked her up at 2 p.m.- no fuss,no muss.
The office was very busy,and I can see why- it was no fuss type of place, but they seemed efficient and the place looked cleaner than the expensive one I've found my new permanent vets office!
Next week we start brushing old dogs teeth:yikes: I travel about 20 minutes to get there, it's worth it!
BTw,I'd been reading some brochures for insurance, it seems very expensive,and excludes so many things that might need doing......