OMG IS IT JUST ME OR are vets getting more and more expensive??

That's a huge issue in our family right now! We've always had 4 cats in the family, and it seems that we're having a harder time affording them as time goes on. A bunch of our cats have all gotten old (and therefore sick) at the same time, so it stresses us more. Chester, most recently, was diagnosed with heart failure at the age of 1 year. He's on meds and his yearly ultrasound will cost me somewhere between $550-$1000. Our vets just raised their prices for the 3rd time in 2 years as well.
I think part of it is that vet prices are going up, part of it is that prices in general are going up and the third portion goes to the fact that a lot of the proceedures that they run now are higher tech and weren't available years ago. Also, there's this feeling with our vet that she has to run every test imaginable before diagnosing in fear that she could get it wrong and make us upset with her. One part of me understands the need to know EXACTLY what's going on, and another par says "come on, you're smart, you can give me a really close estimate on this one without that $50 test".
My new tactic is to save save save. I have deligated all of my tips to chesters ultrasound jar and have almost saved up enough. Before I adopt another kitten I plan on having a bank account for it totaling at least a grand. Just to be sure.
It sucks, but they're worth it.

Yes vets have gotten more expensive just like human medical care has gotten more expensive. I have a cat that started with a chronic problem when he was only 18 months old, he is now almost three. When it first started I said yes to every test and boarding for medical care. I had one bill that was almost $1,000. He still goes to the vet when he needs to and gets essential care but I no longer get every possible test and x-ray and I always try to manage things at home first. He has had one more boarding since but the bill was $600 versus $1,000. I felt bad about it at first but there is a limit to what I can do financially and I don't want to end up in a situation where I have to opt for euthanasia for financial reasons.

I know that there is insurance for pets which is like 13 dollars a month that way you only pay a copay when you go to the vet... they mention it on the petco website

I have their indoor cat plan for both of my cats which I will probably cancel instead of renewing this fall. The problem with my cat that has been sick a lot is not covered and routine exams are not covered. The plan that covers more illnesses and routine exams is $26.00 per month and even with that there are lifetime limits on coverage.

That is why I stick to the low cost clinics. There is one about 30 minutes from me and I like it. If there is anything they cannot do, the refer to another clinic nearby which isn't too expensive either. For spaying and neutering, I go to the local shelters and get the low cost certificates so I can afford it all.

I have to say when I lived in California my vet bills where over half what I pay now. I am in a small town, but the vet isn't always open when I want but hay Skittles got all her 1 yr vaccinations and a check up 3 weeks ago for under $50.00.. I took her last week for a cold and it was under $50.00 For the whole thing and meds. I would of easily paid a good $200.00 in CA for both visits.

My girls go for their yearly checkups and shots next week, I'm sure it's going to be on the expensive side. I'll post again after I get back with them.

Do you think some vets try to scam you into paying more money?

WHY do you think they tell you to bring your cat in for ANNUAL shots! They lose SO much money if they dont!

Yes Vets are really expensive and it's especially hard on people who have more than a few kittys and dogs to care for. Dental work alone can really be high. I wish that some of the well-off rescues in different states, would open their own Vets practices, hire the Vets and staff , it would save them money on their Vet bills and then we would be able to go there and hopefully get lower cost vet-care. Wouldn't that be nice?





http://furryfriendsrescue.bravehost.com/

The vet I take Stanley and Sadie too isn't all too bad. Mind you I have only been there for meds and the problem with Stanley scratching out his hair.

To get them all checked out it is $45. With Stanely's allergy problem he went to the vet for the original check up, got ointment, meds, and another appointment for about $75.

But that could be bad sinc I have only been to one vet and can't really compare. I just really like the help there. The receptionist is really nice and tries to accomodate you the best she can. You mention your cat's name and she pretty much knows who he or she is and what their problem is. Pretty good if you ask me.

Helps it is a vet specially for cats ha ha.

in the past 2 months i have spent (dont choke) almost 600 dollars on my kitties!!!! that was getting them s/n and all the pain meds and over night stay that went with it. and complete testing and updates on shots and flea meds also

Since someone has mentioned the annual vaccinations I'll put my two cents in on that one. I have long thought that this is unnecessary for adult indoor cats and from the research I have done there are several vets that are breaking the silence on that one. There is even a vet in Texas that has brought a lawsuit against the other vets in that state for fraud because of unnecessary vaccinations. Some vets even go so far as to say no vaccinations are necessary after the kitten shots and one year boosters. I'm not willing to go that far but I like the sane middle of the road approach that says once every three years is adequate. I haven't got into that one with my vet yet but I probably will this summer when my cats are due. My one that is sick a lot has to be pretreated because of an allergic reaction to the one year boosters and that can't be good. I know with humans it's never good when someone has to medicate the side effects from another medication. I am not even sure an annual exam is necessary because he ends up at the vets more often than that anyway. Maybe it is good for him to be checked when he is healthy though. My other cat needs an annual exam because so far she has been healthy and that is the only time she gets checked by a vet but I think I am going to question the boosters since they had them last summer.

I agree that the area's cost of living has a lot to do with it. The most expensive vet here charges $60 for a spay and $40 for a neuter (and I'd never go there again for a completely different reason).

The BEST vet (quality AND cost-wise) here charges $25 for a neuter if both testes are down, and and $30 or $40 for a spay. Dental work there is $35-$45 depending on the shape of your pet's teeth.

Shots are $10 at the mediocre vet's office (the only thing I'd go to him for, if anything).

None of the vets here charge for a visit.

I think vet costs have gotten completely out of hand.

I wonder how many ore animals would get adopted if there was reasonable vet care available. I think vets are causing a lot of the homeless pet problems.

If I go to my doctor, its a $45 office visit. If there's anything minor to be done, she does it. It's only more for extra procedures like blood tests, etc.

At the vet, it's a $40 office visit, and then anything minor, they charge more for. For a similar visit to what I'd have, I'm paying $120 or more.

When I brought Bosley to the vet, they didn't even see me. Gave him a quick look over between other patients, did the fl tests, gave him a wormer (which I didn't ask them to do -- could have done it myself, but they didn't bother to talk to me), and an advantage treatment (which I also could have done myself if the had given me the consideration of seeing me and asking). No shots or anything else.

$162. I think that's ridiculous. If I got the shots, it would have cost me well over $200.

(and yes, he will get shots and neutered, throught he rescue for a lot less).

Sad thing is, if I wasn't fostering and volunteering for them, there would be 4 cats on the street or homeless that aren't now because there would be no way I could afford it.

At least with people, if you have a low income, there is help available for medical care.

If the pet world wants more homes for their animals, one of the things I think they need to do is try to set up some kind of help for those who would love to have a pet, but are responsible enough not to have them when they know they can't afford the vet bills. It's a catch 22 that the responsible owners are the ones being excluded from possible homes because of the high cost of medical care.

I can understand major procedures. But basic check ups, less serious and very quickly cleared up problems, shots, and medications should be reasonable.

You can't even get generics. $30 for antibiotics that I can get for myself for $10 (just a higher mg). It's really exploitation in some ways, in my opinion.

Even a sliding scale vet would be a help. Unfortunately, where I live, there is very little in terms of help with anything. It's sad.

I'll bet some sort of program (other than just s/n) would lessen the homeless animal population by a large number.





No shots or anything

I agree, and I will tell you WHY I'll never go to the aforementioned vet again. I took a kitten in to be spayed. She'd had all of her shots already (a few months earlier), and I handed them documentation saying so. I said I wanted her spayed. Nothing else. No other things were mentioned.

I come back to pick her up, and see that my bill is about $30 or 40 more than it should be. The vet gave her ALL of the shots AGAIN, plus a $13 Feluk shot (which I would not have gotten for her, seeing as she's never been outside, and is not in her new home either), and tacked it onto my bill. even marked them all off as "given" a second time on the paperwork I'd given them!

There wasn't anything I could do but fume as I paid extra for shots I never asked for, as it would've been their word against mine.

Luckily, she did not seem to have any ill reactions to it, and recovered quickly.

They've done that to at least two people I've spoken to, and for obvious reasons, none of us are going back there again!

Pudge will get vaccs every 3 years, with titer tests in between to see if she still has immunity.

It costs me $60.00 just to bring Sadie to the vet! Then, any services provided are over and above this cost. Now, granted, the vet I use is very thorough and compassionate, but WOW, it's expensive. In fact, I had the opportunity to purchase one of Sadie's brothers, but I didn't take him because of the extra vet costs I would incur over time.

Seems that the cost of vet services is not regulated in Ontario Canada. As Sadie will soon go in to be fixed, I thought I'd research costs. One vet quoted me $250 and another quoted me $125. Why the big price difference - doesn't make sense.

It cost me about $700 (between intial visit and surgery) when Freckles had 4 teeth extracted last year. His former owner would not take him to a vet for just that reason. She did not want to spend $$$. My vet office is good - they asked about his history before suggesting certain shots and tests because they weren't necessary in his circumstances.

Bob goes for his annual checkup tomorrow - I'll be lucky if it's under $100. He needs his distemper shot and have to do a fecal anaylsis in addition to the checkup.

Not just the cost alleviation, but the convenience of not having to drive out at 7 am and worry about kitty not making it.

That being said, I'll still get strays vetted, fixed, and rehomed. The cost is immediately offset by the satisfaction of giving them the happiness of feeling well and a warm, safe place to sleep, play, and more importantly-live.

Have anyone gone to the petsmart or petco clinics to see if they are good.

No petshops at all in this area, unfortunately.

As a vet tech I can say that yes it is rediculous how expensive vet's are, but I have also seen the other side of it too-as in what things cost. Unfortunatly, medicine and other things are more for pets and I can say honestly as the mom of 5 cats, all with their own medical problems, even WITH my discount I can easily spend over $300/month on vet bills. I have a 1yr old kitty with asthma and for his inhaler alone it costs me $115 and it only last 2-3 mos. YIKES!!!! I can only advise you to check into the care credit card for times of emergency. It works at most hospitals and almost anyone is elligible. Good luck and happy saving!!!

I had a good visit today. Skittles was seen and got x-rays and antibiotics, Baby Brat was seen and got her 9 week shot and the total was 87.00 I about died. I am not going to get the insurance I will just use my Visa if I had to. There is nothing on it.

That is low. I have never gotten out of the vet's office that cheap. The lowest bill I can remember was $125.00 and that was for one cat.

I think because am in a really small place or town I should say. I came from Ca so this was a real surprise to me also. Usually my bills are double and some more.

Just wanted to comment on costs of small town vs. city vets. It's very simple--running a clinic in the city costs more!! I get new clients all the time who are shocked because their previous vet in a crappy small town was much cheaper. Here are some of the differences for running a clinic in a city vs. country:

1) RENT-- rent is extremely expensive in cities!! the rent for my clinic is 6000/month; whereas country vets either pay lower rent or are able to buy their building.
2) Employee wages--staff in the city expect/require higher pay than those in the country, because cost of living is much higher for us!! this includes everyone from vets to receptionists to kennel staff.
3) current equipment/drugs/education--not all country vets are bad, but all too often do I receive medical records from country vets practicing outdated medicine, ex. using 'old school' cheaper drugs, no pain meds after surgeries, improper diagnostic testing, and just simply substandard medicine. I'm not saying that all 'city vets' are perfect by any means, but the medical records from those country vets don't lie!

I could go on, but you get the picture. Hope this helps!!