I think I got ripped off by my veternarian

[nancy679]

I took my 12 year old dog for his check up. He was due for parvo vaccination. The vet said she would draw blood to see if he still had enough immunity built up, and if he did then no need for the shot. But I got charged $45 for the blood sample and then if he needs it, I have to pay for the shot anyway. And does he need to be vaccinated against parvo at his age anyway. I probably just should have had her give the vaccination anyway. AND, he also has arthritis in his back hips, I asked her about giving him Glucosamine. SHe told me there is a "dog formulary" , but I asked her if I just couldnt give him the people form. Glucosamine is on sale at the vitamin store for $1.99 vs $70 for the dog kind. Luckily she told me to call her back with the strength so she could figure out how much to give him. Going to the vet is as expensive as taking the kids to the pediatrician ( but no health insurance)

 

[Boots]

Boots is pure ally cat and Cayti is half golden retriever. DH says we have spent more on vet bills on pets that were free that he would have ever dreamed! We love our fur babies though don't we!

 

[Jiminy102]

Hi NANCY. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WEE GIVE OUR DOG A joint mantenence formula pill that is a chewable lamb flavor that has 500 mg of Glucosamine and is made for dogs that we buy at walmart for $9.99 for 60 tablets. He loves them!!

 

[pumba]

we had to give her Rimadyl when she was in bad shape and then aspirin when she wasnt' to bad
yes doggies cost alot of money....Jasmine was worth every cent.....

 

[Kermit]

Regarding the blood test, I think that testing a dog's titers are really only worth it if you're really opposed to vaccines. If you don't mind having your dog vaxed annually (and if the dog doesn't have any health problems that make complications likely), then there's really no reason not to just get the vax. We had our dog's annual visit a few weeks ago. I don't remember the exact cost of the parvo shot, but I think it was around $25.

Blood tests are expensive. Our vet always does one for heart worms, and it's so much money, but of course it's worth it. Our last visit was a hair under $150, and we just have a 3 year old dog who needed routine shots and heart meds. We didn't even get any flea treatment or anything since he's an indoor dog and it hasn't rained enough here to actually have any living bugs.

 

[DocRafiki]

No, your vet isn't ripping you off. S/he is practicing better medicine than most of us do. Why? Because when we do practice good medicine, people like you accuse us of ripping you off, and the cheap-o "backwoods medicine" vets get your business and praise. And really, it's not worth being yelled at constantly. But it's so refreshing to see that you think you know enough about veterinary medicine and immunology that you can go around accusing people of that.

 

[JasonLyons]

dont mess with the doc, I am shaking in ohio

 

[Serena]

me too, ouch!

 

[Poohbear123]

My Pee wee had his teeth cleaned.......Final Bill--530.00! He did a EKG, Blood, Stool, Urine, you name it....but he is WELL Worth it!

 

[fireplug]

You go Doc R.
We take Shadow to the vet just like clockwork. He is worth it!

 

[Planogirl]

My vet is pricey but he saved my dear cat's life last year and no amount of money can make up for that.

 

[2disneywego]

Our "free" kittens have cost us over $1,000 in vet bills in 11 weeks, but we do not begrudge a dime of it. When we adopted Sam & Molly, they became part of the family with all of the obligations that come with it.
Yes, sometimes we get "sticker shock" when we're presented with the bill, but the good care they receive is more than worth it.

 

[Pugsley]

Doc, I totally understand your frustration. Two of my best friends are vets and I know that the pet owners can be very annoying. But don't you think that was a little bit harsh? I don't think she yelled at the vet and accused him/her to his/her face; I think she was just wondering if it made sense. I must admit I'm a little confused as to why the vet would do a $45 blood test instead of just going ahead with the $25 shot (unless it is harmful to give the shot if the dog still has immunity built up).

 

[RUDisney]

Wow DocRafiki!

We've been to both good vets and bad ones. The first place we took our pug offered the Vet du Jour. I spent so much time telling the vet about the specifics of our breed that it wasn't worth continuing with them. The icing on the cake was when my parents took their bichon because she had an oozing sore under her eye. The "vet" told them that it was probably cancer and that she should be put down. She was 3 yo! No, he didn't want to run any tests to prove or disprove his theory.

My parents found another vet that thought it might be her tooth that went bad, but there were no indications of that other than the sore. An almost $1,500 trip to Cornell, and her tooth was extracted and the "cancerous" sore was gone.

I think your being just a tad defensive. There are good and bad in every profession and life teaches you to be on guard for the bad ones. People also experience sticker shock at alot of things, the cost of a WDW vacation, the cost of a new car, the cost of vet care. It's easy to get since my dr visits cost a $15 copay and a trip for Puggles to the vet is usually over $100.

Aside from that, my vet quizzes me about canine nutrition since I had to read up and learn what the "experts" think about feeding. I created my own diet for my one pug since she is allergic to everything that is in commercially available dog food. He even has offered my diet plan to other patients in the same boat.

Caveat emptor, Doc.

 

[TerriP]

This may be a good time to point out how important it is to find a veterinarian you trust completely. Just like human doctors, we must rely on them to be honest and help us make decisions we are NOT knowledgable enough to make ourselves.

Three weeks ago DH and I made two trips to the Emergency Vet in one weekend (once with each of our dogs). The second trip was the result of a broken leg with our Labrador. The Emergency Vet splinted the leg, gave us the x-ray he'd taken, and sent us on our way. The next day, Monday, we went to our OWN vet and made the decisions on surgery and rehabilitation for our boy. DH said "We don't know what needs to be done....we need YOU to tell us what to do.". And he did...we did not question him. Several hundred dollars, one surgery, and several follow up visits later, I wouldn't change a thing. He's my Vet and I know he takes care of my boys as well as I do.

Moral of the (long) story...if for any reason you are not comfortable speaking freely with your Vet or you are uncomfortable with decisions that are made, it's time to find a new Vet. Pet owners can NOT diagnose and treat their own pets, we have to rely on professionals. Find one you believe in and put your trust (and pets) in their capable hands.

 

[fkj2]

Just as with human physicians, there are vets who have reasonable charges and those with excessive charges. There are also well-qualified vets and those less so. The challenge is finding well-qualified and reasonable in the same vet.

I have two sets of vets; one for equines and one for my dogs. Just had the dog to have a dental yesterday; was charged $130 for anesthesia, pre-lab work, the cleaning/extraction and antibiotics.

Had the horses vaccinated in the spring for rhino, tetanus, rabies, West-Nile virus and there was a fifth but I forget what it is. Anyhow, I had a group discount of $7/horse and the part I paid was $65/horse. A story in our local paper contained an interview with a large animal vet just 30 minutes northeast of where I live who was quoted as saying horse owners could have this series done for $300/horse. Whoa, that's a big difference!!!!! My vet was STILL making a profit at $65/horse.

These are great vets and I think they recognize their clientele have to be able to afford their pets and at the same time, make a living for themselves and their employees. They give great care to my pets, both large and small, and strive to make them as healthy as they can. I couldn't ask for more. Oh, and I live in Ohio not far from Akron.

 

[Pugsley]

I think the cost of veterinary medicine is a big problem. Prices are high because it’s not all that different than human health care (imo), and becoming a vet requires a great deal of education. So I understand the costs, but sometimes it’s hard to justify spending that kind of money on an animal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m willing to do that because my pets mean everything to me, but I can understand that many people have a problem with it. They want to do the best they can for their pets, but really can’t afford it. For example my sister just spent $1,500 on a vet bill for her rabbit. And they never did find out what was wrong with it. The rabbit was OK for a couple of weeks after that, but now it’s sick again and my sister is very upset because she feels she can’t take it back to the vet due to the cost. It’s really hard to justify spending that kind of money on an animal with a life span of only around 5 years. So it’s frustrating for vets when they know they can help an animal but the owner is not willing to spend the money, and it’s frustrating for the owners when they want to help their pet but can’t afford it.

 

[Mermaid02]

You should have asked the vet outright if it was "harmful" to just vaccinate the dog instead of do the blood test. Hindsight is 20/20 though and I probably wouldn't have thought of it until I left the office.

Maybe Doc Rafiki could come back and explain to us if it is harmful to vaccinate if the dog still has immunity in it's bloodstream.

 

[musicfan]

A good vet, like any good doctor, explains the WHY behind their decisions. Doctors/vets who don't explain why should not be surprised when their patients (or their patients' owners) question apparently redundant procedures.

 

[Mermaid02]

Good point MusicFan and they shouldn't feel defensive or mind answering the patient/owners questions either..... I fired a pediatrician for that reason.