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

The last vet I went to was only concerned abouit getting more tests and more money from me. I admire someone who can do their own medical care. I don;t like being scammed. I will never return to him.

The problem with people being allowed to administer their own vaccinations is that many who can't, and shouldn't, attempt to do so will just to save money. I wouldn't want to try and since I'm taking my boys to the vet for an annual check up anyway it doesn't cost me much more to have the vet give them their injections at the same time. Its also important to check things like temperature and heart rate are normal before you give a vaccination and I wouldnt feel confident doing that either.

It's hard to say whether vet bills are too high without knowing exactly how much drugs, blood tests etc actually cost not to mention overheads of running a veterinary practice. I certainly have no idea of what they cost. I think it's good to have itemised bills as that way you can see where the money goes. One of my boys recently had a dental examination and only a small proportion of the cost was for the actual teeth cleaning and extraction of 2 teeth - the rest was for the anaesthetic, blood tests, iv drip, hospital bed for the day etc. I don't feel ripped off by my vets and don't get the impression that they suggest tests etc for the sake of it.

I am so glad I have a country vet. It is very inexpensive here and he does alot for free...

When we 1st agreed to rescue/take-in/adopt LuckyGirl we weren't even sure we were gonna keep her. We were worried about disease, and scratching, and litter training...my house is all brand new, we didn't want a cat...but she was starving, and had a bunny tail, and the sweetest face. So we took her home.

I called different vets/ vet schools/ clinics/ SPCA's and asked about shots/spaying/check-ups etc... and it goes like this: most vets in my area (Philly...the outskirts) want $50 for the visit/exam, then $9 for distemper, $11 for rabies...total $70. I thought she had ear mites, they wanted $15 just to check & do a swab..and then $9 for the drops. Total $ for a cat we're "rescuing" because we're good people and didn't want her to be sick & starve to death....$94 .

Clinics/SPCA's were a joke... I had no luck there. SPCA's would spay/shots/check-up everything if I wanted to drop off the cat and get rid of her. But because we thought maybe we'd wanna keep her they couldn't help me at all. Go figure?! And I feel like asking them...do they spay/neuter all the pets they get in even though some of them end up being euthanized? It seems like a waste of veterinary care to spay an animal that doesn't get adopted...

I tried veterinary schools. My friend is going to school to be a dental hygenist and said their senior students do dental work for almost nothing. I thought maybe this would be true for animal care...after all, vet students need to spay and give shots under the care of teachers right?! Nope. The vet school is only for cases that are too tricky, or can't be figured out by a regular vet. They only take the extreme cases.

So I talk to some neighbors/cat owners and they recommend this vet really close to my home. They charge $50...for office visit, rabies, & distemper. This is 2 minutes away from the $70 places . And the staff was supposed to be great. I called to verify and they said yes it'll be $50. When I go in with the Dr. she suggests I get a blood test being that she is a wild cat. Due to the 8yr old I have and all my neices/nephews coming around. She was concerned about disease etc. I already had these fears so I agreed. At no time did they discuss price...and I was thinking, ok $50 for both shots...maybe at max is would be another $50..totaling $100. Nope. I get to the desk and the girl says $165 please . I almost had a heart attack. I was lucky to even have that much in my acct that day. (we had just broken down on our way home form Disney, had to get towed, & a new transmission!!!) But I paid it anyway. I've been duped!

I'm glad I did get the blood work done, because she came back positive for Cat Scratch Disease. And now has to be on anti-biotics. Guess how much? I call and ask the girls at the desk and she said $28. I'm like...ok. Then I go to p/u the meds and she tells me it's $28 for this bottle, but it's only good for 10 days...she has to be on it for 3 weeks. So it's another $28 when I go in to re-fill her bottle. Also, she has to come back for boosters 3 weeks from her 1st kitten shots. And of course by the time she had her 1st appt, we were hooked , totally & completely in love with her...I mean really ga-ga over her . So now what are we to do?!?!?!

Oh, and spaying...my vet charges $100. But I applied for a discount certificate at spayandsave.org (anyone in Philly area can go to this site for a spay/neuter coupon!!!) and my vet is on the list that will take the coupon, the coupon is a spay for $40-$70 vs. $100, depending on the vet. I haven't gotten my coupon yet but we'll see... she's 8mos old. They said I had to get her done by 10mos.

i go to a clinic that could be considered a "country vet." they have 4 vets, a large staff, and are a 10 min drive up the freeway from where we live. the in-town vets all charge an arm & a leg. and God help you if you have an emergency, the in-town vets just send you to an emergency clinic that is even more $$$. the clinic we use, takes emergency calls for their clients (found that out when stimpy pulled his stitches out on a saturday night). and i can pretty much ALWAYS get my cats in right away if they need to go in for something. the clinic i go to is both large & small animal vet, and they are *just as good* as in-town vets. but a much more reasonable price. the clinic i used for the last 5 years was similar, before we moved out of state.

i don't have any troubles with my clinic not knowing me. they seem to know me and my critters even though we aren't there all the time. i just get so ticked that the in-town vets almost have a collusion going on with prices. when i lived in so. california there were so many vets that they HAD to be reasonable. there i went to a small vet practice in a low income area. the vet was AWESOME, and always got us in when we needed to get a cat in. and they had much better prices on vax than i've seen in a long time.

ps-the estimate i have to get dentals for 2 of my cats at my clinic is $200 different from the in-town vets' estimates. would you rather pay $200 for a dental (all the same stuff, no extractions) or $400 at the fancy foo-foo clinic for the same thing? like most people, i don't have a money tree out back.

I can't complain about what Shay's Vet charges. Shay's visit with her Vet yesterday was only $55.00. She had her butt area clipped and cleaned, an anti-inflammatory injection, medicated cream for her butt (well over 1 weeks worth), antibiotics for 2 weeks, and her Rabies and FVRCP vaccinations.

Scully is in today and from the estimate (this is the stuff NOT covered by insurance)

Radiography setup (the actual xrays are covered but not setup and evaluation: $70
Various Shots & Vaccinations: $234
Blood Services: $25
CBC: $61
Full Panel: $87
T4 w/Panel: $45

Some of the stuf that is covered

Biopsy/Histology: $122
Fluid Therapy Surgery: $64
Medication (various): $128
Isoflurane (30mins): $90
Anaesthesia Induction: $104
Consultation: $59
2 Radiography (xray) Plates $86

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Scully is in today and from the estimate (this is the stuff NOT covered by insurance)

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You poor thing icklemiss!!! I'm glad Scully is with you, I would'nt be able to afford all of that!!! PS...I love Scully ! I checked out all his pics...he is SO HANDSOME!!! I think I'm gonna start my own I love Scully Fan Club !! Anyone wanna join ?!

I live in San Francisco and my wife and I have 3 beautiful indoor cats. Unfortunately, my older guy Lenny Love, has been diagnosed with Liver, Bile Duct and possible Pancreatitis.he worst part is that he now sems to be in Pain

If you see my previous post you will see what I have been going through. After getting ripped off at a certain, unsympathetic non communicative vet we found the best group of vetrinarians I have ever seen. They are located on the Coast in Pacifica, which is welll worth the 20-30 minute drive. They are caring, compassionate, understanding and an all-around well-run practice.Their prices are much better as well.

However, in the past two months I have spent close to $3,000 on getting Lenny better. Money I do not have given the fact that everything here is too expensive (for no real reason given our saleries) I thought he was getting much better, because he has been acting more like himself, playing and fighting with his brothers, etc. However, yesterday he was acting weird and started vomiting.

To make a long story short, it cost me close to $400.00 for an ultrasound re-check and bloodwork, shots, fluids and meds for approx 2 weeks. I am now totally depressed and almost broke. I will do anything I can for my cats and I believe they are "worth every penny." However, my main problem with vets here in Cali-$$$-fornia is that even if you are a recurring customer with multiple cats or other animals, you refer other people to them, etc, they still seem to never be able to "work something out financially." I do have CareCredit @ 0% for 6 months, but now I have another bill !

I fully understand how business works, and the fact that "if they give you a deal, they have to give everyone a deal," however, it seems to me that the issue here is that our cats are our children and we will do anything for them. So the bottom line is that I think they know that they have you by the heart.

I just wish Vetrinarians would understand that people with multiple animals sometimes need a "little more" in regards to working things out with long-term payments, etc. I, for one, would rescue more animals and provide a good home for them if it were not for the cost of Vetrinary care. I guess the good thing is that I feel totally comfortable with my current Vetrinary office and that is a definite plus. I am now searching for a part time job to help me pay for Lenny and his brother's care.

I think the bottom line is that these days the objective of running a small-animal clinic IS the "bottom line." The days of James Herriott are long gone.

If anyone lives in Wisconsin, you can come to my clinic! I can almost guarantee you'll be paying WAY less than any prices I've seen on here!!!! PM me if you want to know where it is!!!

I think my vets fees are about average for where I live, but the most important thing for me is that I like the practice I use and feel confident in the care my cats receive. Thats worth paying a bit more for, imo. It's a referral and postgraduate centre so I feel that the vets there are all keen on learning and keeping abreast of what's new. They also provide their own emergency cover so if I need to see them out of hours (only happened once) I dont need to go to a different place.

I too woudl have more cats if it weren't for the high vets bills I have (I do take on oldies) but that isn't really the vets concern - I am lucky that my vet will do what she can to reduce the bill for me, I dont always pay a consultation fee - but have only been using them for 4 years and have spent over £1k there (min £250 per cat, and have had 6)

So since we're talking about vets trying to get as much money as possible out of their clients...is there anyone here who wants to talk to us about how much s/he is overpaid in his/her own line of work? Do any of you feel like your boss pays you too much?

Amen to the ridiculous costs I say!
Funny how my FORMER vets cost skyrocketed after the addition of their state of the art ultra sound machines etc and a building addition were added.
I was really offended that they would attempt to take it out of my hide.

Also about the shots, I too have read many articles now about how it is not only unneccesary but harmful to innoculate your pets every single year. So I will be checking into this deeply.

I think it is costly everywhere because everything is expensive here in Alaska but vert fees are beyond believable, like someone said, it costs more for my cats than it does for me.

As for the vet tech saying that it's because these medicines are expensive I say HOOIE!
I've fostered pets for our local animal rescue that gives their puppies and kittens their intial shots and THEIR cost for those shots? 5 BUCKS!

I don't even want to tell you what they charged me just to flush my cats eye when I could have done it myself at home.

And the insurances are a scam because they end up covering nothing unless your cat happens to get a gumball stuck up it's butt during a full moon on the 4th of July.

Originally Posted by Chickory Chick

I've fostered pets for our local animal rescue that gives their puppies and kittens their intial shots and THEIR cost for those shots? 5 BUCKS!

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Bur presumably they are a non profit making organisation? If I was a vet I would expect to make a decent salary. I know how hard it is to get into vet school over here and how demanding the course is. Then when you qualify it's long hours, being on call at night and the expectation to continue to study and keep up with the latest research. I would not do that for what I currently earn and I don't expect anyone else to do it. My vets aren't running a charity and I'm happy with their fees. If I become unhappy with them I'll vote with my feet and find a new vet.

Originally Posted by semiferal

So since we're talking about vets trying to get as much money as possible out of their clients...is there anyone here who wants to talk to us about how much s/he is overpaid in his/her own line of work? Do any of you feel like your boss pays you too much?

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Nope, at my job, we are overworked and underpaid.

Originally Posted by semiferal

So since we're talking about vets trying to get as much money as possible out of their clients...is there anyone here who wants to talk to us about how much s/he is overpaid in his/her own line of work? Do any of you feel like your boss pays you too much?

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That is all. Just .

Sure, let's talk about how teachers are UNDER paid.
When a Vet makes more than a man or woman who is guiding your childs mind than I'm sorry that is just sad.
And wow someone that is happy with their vet fees ROFL

Originally Posted by urbantigers

Bur presumably they are a non profit making organisation? If I was a vet I would expect to make a decent salary. I know how hard it is to get into vet school over here and how demanding the course is. Then when you qualify it's long hours, being on call at night and the expectation to continue to study and keep up with the latest research. I would not do that for what I currently earn and I don't expect anyone else to do it. My vets aren't running a charity and I'm happy with their fees. If I become unhappy with them I'll vote with my feet and find a new vet.

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Charity Schmarity, there is no need to make 50 bucks off of a 5 dollar shot.
I suppose you're fine with your human Dr. bills too? How about your prescription prices? I'm not buying it sorry.