Vet bills

[tfiga]

About 7 months ago I found a stray cat and took him to the vet to make sure everything was ok because I wanted to keep him, the vet said he needed his teeth cleaned, but seemed healthy otherwise. At the time I did not have the money to have the cleaning done because I had to get shots and worm medicine etc for the cat which cost $400 total. The vet gave me quote for the cleaning and it was $300- $474. We finally saved up the money (my husband is seasonal and is laid off) and took the cat in. They showed us the previous quote and again told us $474 would be the most it would cost, but most likely less than that, but as soon as I arrived at work, I got a call from the vet stating my cats teeth were worse than anticipated (implied because I waited to long to get them cleaned) and the new quote was $770-$1100...I told my husband we should get a second opinion, but he did not want to as they stated the situation was serious and the cat needed the work immediately. I gave the ok...Four hours later they called me back and told me it was worse than previously anticipated and the price was now over $1500. At this point I would have halted it but the cat was already medicated, the x-rays taken and I was $1000 in either way. Is this common or was I taken? I feel that they should have told me with the first call that it would be $1500+...The Vet stated that the reason the price was going up to $770-$1100 was because upon examination, x-rays etc it was found to be worse, so how come they needed to raise the cost again... I was suppose to get a call tonight with the final cost, but the office is now closed and I still do not have a final bill. To me it is crazy that it costs $1500+ to pull 4 teeth on a cat, but I am more upset because I feel I was duped...

 

[Belle0101]

At first I thought maybe you lived in a region of the U.S. that typically has higher prices but then I noticed you aren't that far from our area. We live in Indiana. Years ago I worked for a vet and I can honestly say I've never heard of a cleaning go that high.

My sister has a cat that needs a cleaning and they quoted her about $220, unless I really misunderstood her.

Our neighbor's dog gets cleanings and I'm just about sure it's in the $200 range.

I wonder if you can ask them to go through the bill with you and explain all the charges? I can understand they deserve to be paid for the work they did but seriously, if the cat's teeth were that bad I'd think you would have noticed something - bad breath, problems eating, etc.

 

[tfiga]

I am sure the work needed done, I was possibly overcharged, but that is another issue... I feel duped though because I was told a maximum of $474, even if the teeth really did get that much worse in 6 months...How come the vet did not know that after the 1st examination today when they increased the quote the 1st time... I have never dealt with this before... Is it normal to get numerous quotes throughout the day each one higher?

 

[Belle0101]

I've always had dogs, right now we have 4 labs. Of all the things we've had done for our dogs I've don't recall a quote increase significantly or twice during a procedure.

Once sure because it can be worse than from the initial exam to when they actually start doing the work. But to call back again and say it's going to be even higher yet? Maybe a few dollars because they needed to prescribe some antibiotics for afterwards or some extra meds during the procedure but nothing like the increase you're expecting.

I'd expect increases like that if it were an emergency case, after an accident, trying to save a pet's life but otherwise ... that's just not been my experience.

 

[jls886]

I've had my cat's teeth cleaned a couple of times...and she has also twice had to have 4 teeth removed at once. Never has anything been remotely that expensive. I think the cleaning was around $200?? Getting her teeth pulled was also about the same. I would definitely find a second opinion in the future!

 

[shades]

When I had my cats' teeth cleaned, I was quoted the min price of $275 (in WA state) plus an additional fee for each possible extraction - something like $70 per tooth. All bloodwork, any/all meds & anesthesia was detailed and quoted before the procedure. The only "unknown" was how many/if at all - any teeth would need to be extracted and that would have been at a set price per tooth.

Fortunately, my cats were young and their teeth were still healthy - just some tartar build up - so no extractions were necessary. I do realize additional - unforseen costs can occur after the procedure if something drastic comes up. However, I wouldn't be pleased if the vet's tech called me while my cat was in the middle of the procedure to with costs that should have been explained before the procedure even started. I'd be looking for another vet if that happened.

 

[Katie's Gram]

The same thing happened to us with our dog and I live in Michigan. Heck it's probably the same Vet!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Slakk]

First thank you for taking in the stray cat and giving it a home.

I can tell you my cat had about 1,000 dollars worth of surgery done for dental then my rescue dog (that got dumped on me lol) was another 700.

The moral is do the routine so you do not need to pay for extractions - my animals spent more at the dentist then I did.

The great thing about it is they really feel better afterwards.

I would be curious why you were not presented with an estimate - I was before they started and I approved it. I would raise a stink about THAT - this is not a buck here or there you know? I know my vet worked with me to discount my bill especially the rescue dog who has numerous health problems.

Again thank you for taking care of this cat - it is lucky to have you.

 

[dismom24]

My moms cat needed his teeth cleaned, She was quoted $200. He is 13 years old and she was considered about the procedure and waited a little while. A few months later, her vet opened his own practice - away from the gruop and she brought him in again since he had started to drool. This time he neeeded 2 removed and a cleaning - he only charged her $120 for 2 teeth removed and cleaning. I think prices vary from vet to vet.

 

[manleykr]

I just had my Greyhounds teeth cleaned and for the cleaning, blood work,3 teeth extractions, medicine they send home and they gave him IV fluids during the surgery because his enzymes were a little high costed $236.66. This is a 90 lb dog. If you have a credit card, I would use it to pay with and get the cat back in your possesion(take the ball out of their court)and file a dispute with the credit card company and the Better Business Bureau. I would get estimates from other Vets and show how unjust the cost really is. Good Luck. We all don't mind paying a fair price to care for our pets but this sounds more like the cost of an Emergency Pet Hospital.

 

[Muushka]

I agree with above poster. I think that that is not fair business practice. My vet, who works out of his car (housecall only) has shared some stories of various professional meetings with other vets. They have been known to (according to my vet) stand around and compare stories of how they were able to do extra medical procedures to pets (no harm intended by vets to pets, strictly financial) to pad the bill.

I wonder if the Attorney General would be another source to help this sort of extortion? Or maybe a local TV station that investigates things like this?

PS This stray is a lucky kitty to have been found by such a caring person.
I wish you the best in this sad situation.

 

[tomthebarncat]

This sounds extremely high. I am shocked by the poster who worked for the vet who bragged about financially screwing the clients. I live in Germany and vet care is extremely reasonable. My pups internal medicine DR, just moved to OK, to do a prestigious surgical internship. She asked me as an American did I have any words of wisdom for her. I only had 2- Vet care is big business in the states and the bottom line is the almighty dollar. She was shocked but emailed me the other day, and told me I was right. She has now decided to return to Europe when she is done, as she is disillusioned about practicing vet care in the states. As for the OP, I would ask for a itemized bill and make sure that the fees add up. Thank you for taking kitty in and providing him with a loving home. For future vet care, I would call your local humane society and see if they have a financial incentive programs that you qualify for, also is there a vet school anywhere near you? they always need patients! Take care,

 

[jenm2878]

Wow- that's steep! We had a similar situation where we took a stray in and found out she had bad teeth. In our case, she had them cleaned, 6 teeth pulled, was given antibiotics for an abcessed tooth, and had her tear ducts flushed (she always had a runny eye) and we only paid around $300. Granted we have a great relationship with our vet and have been going there for 10 years so we get little discounts here and there, but $1500 for teeth cleaning seems excessive.

 

[zumbergc]

Holy cow your vet is charging a lot of cash!!

I have a baby who had bad teeth, she was getting little holes in her teeth. Well, we never had a bill over $300-$400 and she has had lots of her teeth out. Sometimes that bill was for 2 cats. On different years she would get different teeth pulled as they decayed, a couple here a couple there, I'm sure the first time she had 4 out. I would believe that if some of the little front teeth would be cheaper to come out than the larger back teeth (esp on a cat).

I do know that some of the iv sedation costs a lot, and would presume that a dog would get more and cost more, and w/ 4 extractions was the dog under for a long time? But that much more seems crazy.

I would have to agree with the other posters. Look at the procedure and the bill. Call several other vets and ask how much it would cost and ask for a written estimate. If the other vets are really cheaper, file something w/ credit card company disputing the charges.

 

[tfiga]

Ok, I got my cat back and the total bill was $1435, the itemized bill stated a full mouth extraction because my cat was left with only 8 teeth... Looking at the bill I can see how why the cost was so much... First the vet charged $600 to do the surgery as a surgery charge, nerve block was $30 a tooth, medicine including the anesthia (sp?) was $300 cardiac monitoring $85, the actual cleaning, flouride etc was $200. It appears that I picked the highest priced vet around. ) : Next time I will be getting numerous quotes. Thanks for the support.

 

[Muushka]

This sounds extremely high. I am shocked by the poster who worked for the vet who bragged about financially screwing the clients. I live in Germany and vet care is extremely reasonable. My pups internal medicine DR, just moved to OK, to do a prestigious surgical internship. She asked me as an American did I have any words of wisdom for her. I only had 2- Vet care is big business in the states and the bottom line is the almighty dollar. She was shocked but emailed me the other day, and told me I was right. She has now decided to return to Europe when she is done, as she is disillusioned about practicing vet care in the states. As for the OP, I would ask for a itemized bill and make sure that the fees add up. Thank you for taking kitty in and providing him with a loving home. For future vet care, I would call your local humane society and see if they have a financial incentive programs that you qualify for, also is there a vet school anywhere near you? they always need patients! Take care,

If you are referring to me, I said it was my vet (I don't work for him) and he was not bragging about screwing clients, he was at meetings with vets who bragged about it.

It doesn't sound quite that bad my way (but bad enough )

 

[campingcorgi]

Well, I'm shocked at $400 for shots and worming! We have a new puppy and her first round of shots, worming, check-up, etc. was only $60. Looking for a new vet, I bet!

Enjoy your rescue kitty!

 

[lisajl]

Hey, I work for a vet and I have never, ever seen a $1400 teeth cleaning!

Holy mackeral!

In your vets defense they did a lot of stuff to make sure the cat made it through and with little pain.
My boss does not use a nerve block for the teeth that are removed.
We use an oxygen and cardiac monitor but do not charge extra for it.
The only extra thing I can think of besides bloodwork would be IV fluids.
The older or more sickly the pet is when we use IV fluids.

Sorry it cost you so much! Thanks for taking care of the kitty...that will be good karma for you...bad karma for the vet for charging so much!

Lisa

 

[grumpyvet]

I practice in S. California, and we see prices like that and higher from the specialty dentists. My practice is going to start being more expensive as we recently purchased a dental xray unit.

The differences in prices for dentals often relate to "the standard of care". Some practices use anesthesia and do procedures without requiring blood work or IV fluids. Most do not have the capabililties of taking xrays. The use of nerve blocks for tooth extractions is relatively new. Heck, 15 years ago we would do orthopedic procedures without pain medication to go home.

So, now vet med is trying to catch up a bit with human medicine..not financially, but in terms of care. Will most pets do okay without IV fluids?, yep, but what if your darling cat is the one whose subclinical kidney failure goes into crisis due to hypotension that could have been prevented? Or the spay that should be routine suddenly isn't and IV fluids might have saved the pet? You just never know, so as a group, veterinarians are really trying to improve routine care.

Since we don't have the dental unit up and running..I still pull teeth (not always easy, by the way, often 1 bad root and two good...can involve a lot of time) and "HOPE" I didn't leave any bits of root behind. Do these root fragments cause problems? Sometimes!! Rarely, but can.

And sadly, in this litiginous society, if I fail to remove a tooth completely (and I am not slap dash...but things happen) and the client is unhappy...I can be sued or held up for Board review. Because with the increased availability of specialists and available education, etc., standard of care is not actually upheld without labs/IV fluids/monitors/ pain management and is some actions I have seen, dental radiography.

So, please no flames....I am not defending anyone for a $1400 bill. Our dental bills are not that high, maybe I should say yet as we haven't started doing nerve blocks (going to classes in February) or using dental rads!! Pets are not people, but as a group , Veterinarians have devoted their life's work to their care. We really want to do just that, CARE. There are bad apples, but there are in all professions!!!

I would say that your vet does need to work a bit on the quoting thing. If I under quote that much, I would have trouble merrily keep adding it up!!! So, the intial quote should have been more reflective of what might go on!!

So good luck, it sounds like you can find less expensive places, but maybe not as good? Who knows!!!?

Again, please don't attack me. I usually don't post in a doctor capacity...but wanted to today.

Oh,and I am glad to see all of the pet lovers out there rallying to support!!!

 

[Danemom]

I worked for a vet - 15 years ago so I admit I'm out of touch with prices/procedures - but this seems completely ridiculous to me. The final bill was 3 times the amount you were told was "the most it would cost"! They definitely should've had a better idea of the cost going into it. Did they even look at the cat again before beginning? At the very least, the vet I worked for would have discounted as many of the fees as he could. And how could 8 teeth require $200 worth of fluoride?

This makes me so sad. I'm sorry. You did a great thing by adopting a homeless cat and you seem to have been taken advantage of. I have heard many horror stories of vets who "pad the bill". A good vet is a treasure. I'm very grateful for mine. IMHO, you should find a new vet for future care.