Outrageous Vet Bill

[LenoraMinogue]

As bad as that bill is, I've heard of worse. It's insane how expensive those bills can be.

[dwggs]

I feel your pain ... been there - done that. 

I got lucky and found an older vet who works out of his home office.

I love him.  His prices are reasonable and when I take my puppy in for a visit he
is the only animal there so he gets the vets full attention.

Back in December my older dog chewed open a tumor.  I called the puppy's vet
who has never seen my older dog on a Sunday morning and asked it he could
recommend an emergency vet service.  He told me to bring her right over and
he would look at her. 

They don't make vets like that anymore ... a Sunday morning at 9 am and he was
willing to stop what he was doing to help my dog.

[healthfreedom]

Your vet bills seems a little outrageous to me, but I don't really know how much their cost may have risen in recent months. Seems like you should get some wuotes from other vets for comparison.

[ladavia89]

I worked at an animal hospital for a few years so I've seen some outrageous bills. Yours is far from the worse I've seen although we didn't charge as much just for the visit. I've seen them in the thousands for something fairly simple or routine

[samrhett2]

Thanks everyone.  My girl is feeling much better now and is back to her old sassy self, although she is still on the antibiotics.  If I can't find someone cheaper I am thinking of bartering with them.  I know there is something I could do around there. lol

[Tresbn00]

Pets are expensive and vetrinarians seem to be finding new and innovative ways to take more money out of our wallets.  I have two champion-bred golden retrievers that we got from a special breeder whose husband is a vetrinarian.  We call the breeder everytime that our vetrinarian suggests some preposterous new surgery.  For example: dogs, after eating, can twist their stomachs shut if they excercise to aggressively.  My vetrinarian proposed sewing the dogs stomachs to their body walls to avoid this for a cost of over six hundred dollars.  The breeder though this was a hilarious especially given the high level of quality our dogs are at.

[SherylsShado]

I took her in and asked if it could be a urinary tract infection.  They checked and sure enough it was.  They said that it was so bad that they wanted to do an Xray to make sure there were no stones causing a blockage.  The Xray showed no stones.  They sent me home today with an antibiotic and some cranberry pills and a bill for $217!  That is in addition to the $60 I paid a few days ago.
Does anyone else think that is outrageous?

The first trip to the vet was a typical visit.  From the symptoms you listed, I would have guessed the a. gland problem over the UTI because those glands are a common problem for many dogs and the dog's behavior coincided with how a dog acts when they are having that problem.  I think the reason they didn't take the dog's temperature on the first visit is because usually by the time an owner takes a dog to the vet with the gland problem, they usually are running a temperature and have a mild infection.  Usually a simple gland expression and the dog is better within a few days.  Vet's around here charge around $30 for a a. gland expression and if the glands are impacted or ruptured, the surgery & meds costs usually begin at $1200 (thankfully your dog didn't have that bill)!

My vet charges $30 an office call and double if it's an emergency (no previous appointment was made or if the pet was "squeezed in" to accomodate an illness.)  X-rays typically cost $100, anti-biotics usually run about $30-$40 (which seemed "pricey" to me until the day I had to pay $10 for a "vial" of medication for my kitten and when I got home and opened it, it contained 1 pill.  No mistake, it was $10 for one tablet!)  I've never had to buy cranberry pills, my vet has recommended putting a little cranberry juice in my dog's food before because she used to have UTI's...cranberry juice is fairly cheap and she loved it.  Your bill seems to be in-line with what my vet would have charged.

I love my vet and I know that when my pet's lives are "on the line"--- when they are in her hands, they are being cared for by the BEST.  I can't put a price on that...  Pets are expensive, there are things that people can do to help with expenses when they need to.  I've had people tell me that instead of purchasing the meds from your vet's office, to have your vet (if they will cooperate) write you a prescription so you can either get a human-quality med if possible (people meds are cheaper than "animal" med's and they are the SAME thing) or check into ordering from an on-line pet med site.  *I have previously checked into the pet meds on-line and my vets prices were cheaper than those on the sites and it is just more convenient to get the pills with the pet and go home, so I've personally never ordered from the on-line sites.  There are pet insurance plans but read the fine print, they were never helpful for me, I'd rather just put $30 a month onto a Netspend card and save it just for the pets' medical fund.  As pets grow older, the medical expenses can increase especially if there becomes a need for medication or a special diet. 

Most importantly , you need a veterinarian that you can trust.  One that will take the time to answer your questions and offer advice when you ask.  One that cares for your pet as if it were their own...

hope that helps and glad that your "fur-kid" is feeling much better now!! 

[mardukblood2009]

Yah we just took our cat to the vet and spent a whole lot of money. The good thing is she is doing much better now.

[laine39]

Vet bills are outrageous here in CT. I have two dogs and have had them both sick within a week of each other. I've spend thousands on vet bills. My male alone was $500 to neuter, which is outrageous. He weighs 5 pounds. My female is next for a spay, and that's always more than a neuter. She's a golden....wonder what that's going to cost.

[samrhett2]

I also don't think I mentioned that the first visit was $60.  Anyway, it is really sad because I think this is contributing to the stress right now on the shelters.  More now than every there are people in financial situations that probably have to make the decision whether to take their dog to the vet or put food on the table.  While everyone needs to make sure they can afford a pet before they get one, I still think that as well as many people planned, these are unusual times when many people who thought they would always be able to afford things no longer can.

I understand that the vets do a wonderful service and that they have to make money too, but I just don't know what people are supposed to do if they can't afford the treatment.  I know the shelters here are bursting with cats and dogs and they are begging for foster homes.  Dang economy!

[vicogden]

It looks like the healthcare industry's inflated prices have carried over to the vet industry... sad.

[kolathegreat]

I will try to make a long story short, but I just have to vent today.  I took one of my dogs to the vet earlier this week.  She was biting at her read end and sitting down when she walked.  She was hiding and acting sick and not eating.  The vet said it was glands (I know, sorry) and they took care of them and sent us home after I paid $60 for an office visit.

A few hours I went back home to check on my dog and she seemed in paid.  She would not get up and go the bathroom or even come to greet me.  I called the vet and asked if they took her temperature to make sure there was no infection.  I noticed she did not answer me but said that the dog probably was just having some paid and I should give her Rimadyl.  Thankfully, I had some.

This morning the dog was worse.  I took her in and asked if it could be a urinary tract infection.  They checked and sure enough it was.  They said that it was so bad that they wanted to do an Xray to make sure there were no stones causing a blockage.  The Xray showed no stones.  They sent me home today with an antibiotic and some cranberry pills and a bill for $217!  That is in addition to the $60 I paid a few days ago.

Does anyone else think that is outrageous?

First of all if they had taken the temperature of a dog that I told them was acting sick it would have clued them into an infection somewhere on the first visit.  Secondly, I can't believe the charge.  If I had a urinary tract infection the bill would not be $217! 

Can anyone else tell me if their vet charges this type of money?  I have been with this vet practice for 15 years but as of today, I am shopping for a new one.  They want me to bring her back for a recheck in two weeks.  I am not taking her back there.

If they can over charge you they will more money for them .Like the song say YOU BETTER SHOP AROUND FROM NOW ON.

[handllucas]

I agree that the vet should have done a COMPLETE exam on the first visit.
When I take my cats in, I do the same things I would do with a child at the doctor.
I speak up, ask questions and make sure everything is covered.
If the vet is not responsive to your questions, concerns or requests, well..time to find another vet.