Vet Visit just drained my wallet!

cocopuffsmom

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I have only been a cat Mom for two years and our first vet visit a year ago was in home which with a rabies shot was $125 total which I thought was a great deal. (I'm in NYC) 

Coco started having goopy swollen red eyes Monday night and the home visit vet couldn't get her in until Sat. so I had to look for a new office. 

Coco did great at her visit and kept very calm. The vet informed me that since she had not had bloodwork done yet it would be a good idea to do that along with a test to check the distemperment level. If this was low they would do the shot free of cost. 

She thinks Coco had allergies and gave me some eye wipes and antihistamines for her wet food. 

The breakdown came to $100 for the visit plus bloodwork and meds at $279.00. Since I had already purchased a yelp deal for $75 for $100 they would not apply the new customer deal which I didn't know about ($50) and would have been better off doing to have a $229 total. 

This all seems really steep to me-especially a test just to check a distemper level for $64 extra. 

What is typical for this stuff? I'm a freelancer and am going to be broke if this keeps up. I'm really happy she's ok but they also said she needs her teeth cleaned and her gums are very red giving me an estimate of over $850 for that process. gulp. 
 
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red top rescue

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I've passed this on to another TCS Advisor, @StephenQ, who lives in the NYC area and may be able to direct you to a more affordable vet.
 

micknsnicks2mom

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I have only been a cat Mom for two years and our first vet visit a year ago was in home which with a rabies shot was $125 total which I thought was a great deal. (I'm in NYC) 

Coco started having goopy swollen red eyes Monday night and the home visit vet couldn't get her in until Sat. so I had to look for a new office. 

Coco did great at her visit and kept very calm. The vet informed me that since she had not had bloodwork done yet it would be a good idea to do that along with a test to check the distemperment level. If this was low they would do the shot free of cost. 

She thinks Coco had allergies and gave me some eye wipes and antihistamines for her wet food. 

The breakdown came to $100 for the visit plus bloodwork and meds at $279.00. Since I had already purchased a yelp deal for $75 for $100 they would not apply the new customer deal which I didn't know about ($50) and would have been better off doing to have a $229 total. 

This all seems really steep to me-especially a test just to check a distemper level for $64 extra. 

What is typical for this stuff? I'm a freelancer and am going to be broke if this keeps up. I'm really happy she's ok but they also said she needs her teeth cleaned and her gums are very red giving me an estimate of over $850 for that process. gulp. 
it really depends on where you live, the average vet costs. what i do is to make sure i have a good amount of money available (or set aside) for unexpected vet expenses. for something like dental work/teeth cleaning, i'm able to more easily come up with the money i need if i already have a good starting amount saved.
 

GemsGem

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I agree that our advisor stephenq stephenq would be best to answer your questions on vet prices in NYC :D
 

Willowy

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The titer for $64 is actually a pretty good price, especially if they'll throw the vaccine in for free if she needs it. Prices do tend to be high in large cities, but things like titers and bloodwork are usually expensive everywhere. I agree that asking someone else in NYC about the standard pricing for the area would be a good idea, because prices here are certainly going to be different than prices there. You can also call around to ask other vets about their prices (probably a good idea to compare prices before getting a dental done), but of course keep in mind that the cheapest one might not be the best one :tongue2:.
 

stephenq

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@cocopuffsmom Hi there!

I am in NYC and work with and know different vet practices, and many vets are expensive in the city, but if you're going to spend a lot of $$ at least you want to know its well spent.

I don't know what you're referring to exactly about the distemperment level, but healthy cats aren't checked for distemper (feline panleukopenia) and there really isn't a specific test for it, so this is confusing.  Dental work can be expensive, but your estimate sounds high unless perhaps they are expecting many extractions due to advanced disease.

Where in NYC are you located?  Are you comfortable giving the name of the vet practice you're going to?

If you want, I can give you references to good but reasonably priced vet practices, and some amazing practices where you know you will be getting 100% of your monies worth.
 

raintyger

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Pricing in Los Angeles -

-$50 exam/office visit

-$80-$125 bloodwork, some specific tests extra

The dental pricing sounds way over the top. It's $200 here, that's on the low end of average.
 

stephenq

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Pricing in Los Angeles -

-$50 exam/office visit

-$80-$125 bloodwork, some specific tests extra

The dental pricing sounds way over the top. It's $200 here, that's on the low end of average.
NYC, exams $75-$125, blood work $150-200ish, and I've seen dentals at $500+ but that includes sedation, monitoring and possibly extractions....
 

jodiethierry64

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Well here in Colorado Springs,Co you can expect to pay over 500 and that's just the cleaning. Like I keep saying it's getting to the point very few can afford a pet!!!
 

denice

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Well here in Colorado Springs,Co you can expect to pay over 500 and that's just the cleaning. Like I keep saying it's getting to the point very few can afford a pet!!!
That's what I was thinking.  I have paid $1300 for a dental with 5 extractions and $800 for one with 2 extractions.  I think she gave me some discounts on the second one.
 
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cocopuffsmom

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They kind of got me on the $64 titer because I have an indoor cat and when they explained it I didn't really ok it to be done with the bloodwork since I wasn't sure she needs it. 

Oh Well. 
 

denice

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Indoor cats really aren't safe from distemper.  It's closely related to canine parvo and can live in the environment for a very long time.  That means that we can bring it inside and infect our indoor kitties.  It is mainly a disease of kittens though.  Adults can get it but they don't get nearly as sick as kittens, adults can even be asymptomatic.
 

mycatwasthebest

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since your cat's only 2 you might want to think about getting pet insurance.. just keep in mind that the day, week or month you decide to cancel it will be when you REALLY need it. NEVER FAILS. If you qualify as low-income and can prove a certain level of taxable income you can try and get your cat into a low-cost clinic, or at least get her on a waiting list at one.
 
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