Vet bill... ouch.

[Lindzey]

First off, I would like to note that both myself (at almost age 17) and my family knows owning a pet (no matter the size) can be - and is - expensive. We understand that taking in a dog means lots of things, and being able to uphold our responsibility as dog owners means we need to take into account the financial burdens that comes along with it.

 

Now to continue, we took Just About in this morning (look at thread titled "Demodex mange?") and have now picked him up. The bill is $468.02. For our family, this is a large amount of money... please do not think us snooty for not wanting to pay this, as I understand many of the members here at the forum have paid up the wah-hoo for their dogs. Do not be mistaken, as I do love my dogs TERRIBLY much... but there is a line to what we will pay for, and how much we will pay to have it done.

 

That being said... our vet took 'Bout to do a skin scraping, came up negative for demodex. He then decided to keep him for the afternoon and hold a biopsy around 'Bout's eye (blood vessels in his cornea, possibly). I understand that.

 

But as we went to pick up 'Bout, we were billed $468.02 for the following...

 

Physical Exam - 33.40

Fluorescein Stain for his eye - 19.80

Exfoliative Cytology - 13.55

Domitor Inj. (Sedation) - 15.00

Antisedan Inj. (Reverses Sedation) - 15.00

Isoflurane Gas - 45.00

Biopsy (4 Samples) - 45.00

Laboratory Fee (Biopsy) - 135.00

Prednisone 20 Mg - 26.40

Cephalex. 500mg Caps - 17.70

Prednisolone 1% Drops - 40.90

Complete Blood Count, Organ Function, and Heartworm Tests - 61.27

Remove Sutures - 0.00

 

I don't know how to word this without sounding... offended, snooty, poor, like we don't care about our pets... so I will just say it.

 

No. There are things that we did not know we were going to have done. Yes, I understand the prices are expensive... but does a "complete blood count, organ function and heartworm test" NEED to be done? I totally understand this may be a regular procedure, and it is "recommended"... but was this completely necissary? Please voice your opinion, but please do so kindly.

 

Some of the things I understand are necissary for the biopsy (sedation, lab fee, samples, etc.) but, for those of you who know about the meds and procedures more than I do, is everything on the bill COMPLETELY necissary? Would you pay for it all, especially if you did not know the cost or what exactly was being done?

 

- - - - -

 

Now for my second thought... does anybody know of any financial aid for pets? I will have to double-check with my mom (she keeps tabs on all things medical, etc.) but I don't believe we have pet insurance. Is there a company that could help with the bill?

 

I really do hope to NOT sound like a begger, nor somebody who does not care for her pets. I would like to re-emphasize that I do know that owning a pet can cost a lot of money... please do not mistake me for not understanding this.

 

Please give kind advice and guidance.

~Lindzey

[Journey]

Hey Lindzey,

 

That does look about right for what you said you had done. I know it's high but some of it was necessary. The only thing I can think you could save on is "maybe" the drugs, if you price them at a regular pharmacy they may be less expensive there.

 

Will your Vet take payments on the bill? Can you work out a payment plan, monthly for a few months? What about working for him in the clinic to work your bill off? Part time doing kennels?

 

Hope things work out and that the biopsies are clean.

 

Karen

[nancy]

My vet tells me ahead what they'll be doing and what it will cost. And what we can skip if I don't see the need at the time.

 

But I'm 60-1/2 - so I probably asked the first time. As in: Been there; done that;burned the T-shirt.

[Jack & Co.]

Did your mother speak with the vet about the charges? I think that is the best place to start. My vet is very good about explaining the costs related to procedures and she doesn't mind me asking either.

 

I think in your other thread you said the vet saw something in the eye that concerned him and the charges look like they are related to him delving deeper into the problem. I don't know what age your dog is, but I know that when my cocker spaniel was a senior dog he had to have a blood/kidney panel before they would put him to sleep to clean his teeth or remove his "old dog" warts.

[Vickkers]

Been there; done that;burned the T-shirt.

 

ROTFLMAO Nancy... I LOVE that!

 

I'm sorry Lindzey, I feel your pain... While I don't have any great answers for your current predicament I would say work something out in the future where if it's over a certain amount they call and discus with you what they want/need to do and the costs associated with that. My vet calls before they do anything if it's going to be over $50 (or a specified amount by me). That's just their policy.

 

I did a quick search and I did come up with this:

 

"Here is some help for those who need help with emergency vet services. DO NOT let your pet suffer!!

 

 

This information is for both rescue people and individuals. I'm posting a list of organizations that may be able to help in times of emergency when the difference between saving your pets life is the difference in whether or not you can pay the vet bill.

 

Note: these organizations help only in EMERGENCY situations - not for people who can't or won't provide basic care - although I think there are some organizations listed here who provide help to special needs people, like elderly who are on fixed incomes.

 

http://imom.org/fa/

 

 

 

www.aahahelpingpets.org

 

 

 

www.thepetfund.com

 

 

 

www.carecredit.com

 

 

 

www.help-a-pet.org

 

 

 

www.imom.org

 

 

 

www.fveap.org (for cats)

 

 

 

www.handicappedpets.com

 

 

 

www.uan.org

 

 

 

www.nysave.org

 

 

 

http://www.angels4animals.org/

 

 

 

Here is a list of organizations who can help guardians that cannot afford vet care. A couple are for rescue organizations and homeless pets.

 

------------ --------- --------- ----

American Animal Hospital Association

http://www.aahahelp ingpets.org/ home/

------------ --------- ----

Angels 4 Animals

http://www.Angels4A nimals.org

"Angels4Animals, a non-profit organization and a program of Inner Voice Community Services, has a mission to serve as the guardian angel of animals whose caretakers find themselves in difficult financial situations.

------------ ---------

Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance (FVEAP)

http://www.fveap. org/sys-tmpl/ door/

 

"The NEED & The HELP: Seniors, People with disabilities, People who have lost their job, Good Samaritans who rescue a cat or kitten - any of these folks may need financial assistance to save a beloved companion."

------------ --------- -

Help-A-Pet

http://www.help- a-pet.org/ home.html

 

"Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor. For lonely seniors, physically/mentally challenged individuals and children of working parents, pets represent much more than a diversion."

------------ --------- ---

IMOM

http://www.imom. org

 

"Mission Statement: "Helping people help pets. To better the lives of sick, injured and abused companion animals. We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged."

------------ --------- --

The Pet Fund

http://thepetfund. com/

 

"The Pet Fund is a registered 501©3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need urgent veterinary care.

------------ --------- ----

United Animal Nations

http://www.uan. org/lifeline/ index.html

 

"The mission of LifeLine is to help homeless or recently rescued animals suffering from life-threatening conditions that require specific and immediate emergency veterinary care. "

------------ --------

[juliepoudrier]

Lindzey,

One lesson to learn here, as already pointed out, is to talk to the vet/staff *beforehand* to discuss possible charges and payment options. Most emergency vets do have some sort of loan/credit system available, and even non-emergency vets will work with their regular clients on big bills. You probably couldn't have avoided the expenses, but it might have helped just to know up front what the cost was going to be, just to avoid the shock factor. I generally don't do pre-anesthetic bloodwork on a young, healthy dog, and you probably could have gotten some of the meds cheaper from a pharmacy. The only other thing I *might* wonder about is the physical exam charge. All vets differ, of course, but often if the vet is doing a number of other procedures, s/he won't also charge for the physical. Then again, I had a vet who charges to create a computer record for each pet and charges hazard waste fees any time needles, etc., are used. I really liked that practice, though, so I paid the extras because I felt that my pets got *excellent* care there. Anyway, you ought to be comfortable enough with your vet to be able to discuss any charges, both *before* and *after* a procedure(s) is done. That's probably not much help, but it's the best I can do.

 

J.

[Shadows Mom]

I don't see anything on that list that we didn't do when I was a tech, its all pretty standard testing to figure out what is wrong. And yes, those blood tests are needed, they can tell the vet if its an infection, organ problem, or even parasites (and many vets require blood tests to do even a minor surgery, any sign of infection or organ problems and the pooch needs to get better before a surgery.. including a biopsy). We had a dog come in that seemed perfectly healthy except for some "mange" lesions, which the blood work showed was actually caused by a spleen problem, those tests are awesome I'll suggest looking into pet health insurance tho, it can save you a bundle and covers a lot of the charges for emergencies (ours is up to $5000 emergency coverage and costs $15 a month.. but we have 2 dogs, 6 cats and a ferret on there. Think the normal cost is $30 a month [per pet]). Also good to ask your vet about pet insurance, some clinics get discounts from different companies. I just googled "pet health insurance" and got 3k hits, I'll let you try since you know where you live Some are by country some by province (or state!).

[Sue R]

What Julie said.

 

Our daughter (with her vet in NC) and we (up here in WV) have excellent relations with our vets but feel free to ask about charges beforehand, find out just how much the vet feels any procedure is needed or likely to produce results, and have been offered payment plans when we've needed them.

 

Lisa pays ahead with post-dated checks and I've not had to use a payment plan yet.

 

I think establishing good relations with a vet or clinic you can trust is one of the best "investments" you can make in your animal's health and well-being. And will help you, also.

 

Best wishes!

[Daviid]

From experience, I always ask ahead of time too.

 

When I was a whole lot younger and not in the best financial means, my first puppy had a stomach obstruction and needed surgery, she was in the hospital for a week.

They worked out monthly payments for me.

Most vets are more then willing to work with you about payments.

 

One thing you might consider for the future is to set up a savings bank account for your dogs.

Put away a little each month, then you'll have it in case of emergencies, hopefully you won't have to use it.

[smileyzookie]

I generally don't do pre-anesthetic bloodwork on a young, healthy dog, and you probably could have gotten some of the meds cheaper from a pharmacy.

agreed.

 

I understand the issue you and your family see right now. If I had gotten that bill back, I'd have been extremely upset. I ALWAYS discuss price and what they'll be doing before hand. You didnt know that evidently, so maybe you could have your mom explain that to the vet. But really from now on, make sure you make it clear to him nothing will be paid for you didnt specifically ok.

[Jack & Co.]

agreed.

 

I understand the issue you and your family see right now. If I had gotten that bill back, I'd have been extremely upset. I ALWAYS discuss price and what they'll be doing before hand. You didnt know that evidently, so maybe you could have your mom explain that to the vet. But really from now on, make sure you make it clear to him nothing will be paid for you didnt specifically ok.

 

The vet found something that needed a closer look. Here is the first thread about the dog going to the vet: http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?showtopic=13388

[Guest Freckles LaLa Mom]

might not be a bad idea to look into pet insurence....it comes in handy so I've heard. We have not (knock on wood) had to use it (yet...still knocking) but it isnt too expensive a month and it can save bundles!!

[smileyzookie]

The vet found something that needed a closer look. Here is the first thread about the dog going to the vet: http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?showtopic=13388

 

lol Im sorry Im not sure what you're responding to...the fact that I dont get pre-blood work on my dog if she's healthy, or the fact that I want everything discussed ahead of time. I make it known, if something is found and there needs to be more tests, call me. Do nothing without discussing it with me first. That way I know the bill ahead of time (except in like you know, life or death emergency)and I know why everything was done.

[Jack & Co.]

He told them in the office that something in the eye would require further exploration and the dog would have to be put to sleep to do it. So they knew before they left that this procedure would take place.

[nancy]

Yeah, but the vet probably didn't tell them what costs were involved.

 

Of course, if the vet says you need stuff done - and if you're rather young and haven't been through stuff like this before, you just say OK.

 

Hey, anything medical can be frightening.

 

You have to get old before you can deal with folks. Or act like you're old.

[BCjetta]

I work in a vet clinic and the costs do sound about right....but, at our clinic we would have let the people know how much the anesthetic was estimated to be, and how much the biopsies would be, and would have asked them if they wanted the pre-anesthetic bloodwork or not. We also go through things with the clients in the bill (like I do below) so people understand the charges and we can talk about it first.

 

Physical Exam - 33.40 - this is a decent price for a physical exam (cheaper than the clinic I work at but we're in Canada)

Fluorescein Stain for his eye - 19.80 - also about right for that - the stain checks the surface of his eye for any scratches/damage. You don't want to treat an eye with steroids if the cornea is scratched because it could make it worse so a good vet will check and make sure first.

Exfoliative Cytology - 13.55 - this is probably the skin scraping they did.

Domitor Inj. (Sedation) - 15.00 - a good sedative, also cheaper than we charge

Antisedan Inj. (Reverses Sedation) - 15.00 - reverses the domitor so the dog wakes up fast

Isoflurane Gas - 45.00 - they must of had to put him right on the gas anesthetic to take the biopsies (sometimes domitor doesn't work that great for working around the head, that cost seems ok to me.

Biopsy (4 Samples) - 45.00 - this would be the charge for actually taking the samples.

Laboratory Fee (Biopsy) - 135.00 - this is the fee for sending the biopsies away to a pathologist to get them diagnosed

Prednisone 20 Mg - 26.40 - I'm assuming they sent you home with prednisone pills or gave an injection of prednisone.

Cephalex. 500mg Caps - 17.70 - an antibiotic, its a moderately cheap one but good for lots of things.

Prednisolone 1% Drops - 40.90 - eye drops, they are always stupid expensive. My friend got some from a human pharmacy that cost $56 for his dog and it was only a 5ml bottle

Complete Blood Count, Organ Function, and Heartworm Tests - 61.27 - bloodwork doesn't seem too expensive but they should have made you aware of it before doing it. If it were my dog and she was only 3.5 years old and it was only because she needed an anesthetic, I would not have done it. But, if the vet was trying to figure out what was going on with her and thought something in the blood may give him an answer, then I would have done it no questions asked.Remove Sutures - 0.00

[Liz P]

This is a conversation you should have had with your vet before everything was done. If you are on a budget you need to let the vet know so s/he can talk to you about what absolutely needs to be done and what can wait. Those of us posting on the boards simply do not have enough knowledge about your actual dog to say whether anything that appeared on the bill was necessary or not.

 

Pets are expensive and I know that first hand. When I was 15 my father lost his job and my parents told me if I wanted to keep my two Border Collies that I would have to get a part time job. I worked every Saturday and Sunday AND holidays. It was more than worth it to me to keep my dogs and to make sure they stayed in good health because that is what a responsible pet owner should do. If you are already working to help pay the bills and your family still needs help you can sometimes find discounted medical care at or through your local Humane Society. Many of them run low cost veterinary clinics or know of vets in the area who are willing to work with owners on a tight budget.

[Pippin's person]

If you keep your dog on year-round HW meds, you might not have needed the HW test, and like others have said, the vet should have explained it all first in any event.

 

the vet we go to gives an estimate of everything they're going to do with the prices beforehand. I gulp every time, but I know what I'm doing going in. One of our cats had to have a dental cleaning and when the vet got in there, the poor kitty had six rotten teeth that had to be pulled--but she called me first and made sure that was o.k. since it meant the price of the procedure would be higher than the estimate.

 

In your situation, I would agree to pay the bill. Most vets will work out a payment plan as others have said and you might suggest they look in to software that can spit out an estimate of charges.

 

Sorry for the surprise.

[Shadows Mom]

We didn't think the pet insurance would ever pay off until one of the cats had a severe crystal problem. I woke up one morning at around 3 to a screaming cat, he was by my door literally inching his way to me on his belly. Called the e-vet and took him in, heavy meds and a week in the hospital (no surgery).. $1500. I was SO glad for the insurance after that. Its helped pay for his medicated food too (it dissolves new crystals). Ours is PetMed Priemium Insurance.

[juliepoudrier]

I make it known, if something is found and there needs to be more tests, call me. Do nothing without discussing it with me first. That way I know the bill ahead of time (except in like you know, life or death emergency)and I know why everything was done.

This is how I work with my vet(s) as well. I give my pets top-notch care, but I do expect to be informed of any additional procedures that might be done or any additional costs that may be incurred, for whatever reason. I do this so I won't be surprised by a bill and so if something is going to be very expensive, I can work out a way to pay for it. As Donna said, this doesn't apply to life-and-death emergencies, but in general I expect my vet to communicate with me and let me know what s/he's thinking and why, and the cost. I also expect to have risk vs. benefit (or cost vs. benefit) discussions with my vet. For example, when Farleigh had an unexplained illness, my vet wanted to have an ultrasound done. It was going to be expensive (>$200) and we discussed first what she expected to learn from the US and whether it was the appropriate diagnostic tool given the cost. She was concerned he had a splenic mass, and felt that US was the only way to determine if that was the cause of his illness (I thought there might be a simpler explanation for his illness). In the end the US showed nothing, but I wasn't upset about the cost because I had had a very thorough discussion with my vet about the whole thing. She also wanted to do additional tests after the US was negative, but we decided to treat for a suspected disease (lepto) first, as treatment was cheap, and then if he didn't respond, continue with more expensive testing. So Farleigh got the care he needed, but I maintained some control over how much money I spent and the type of care he got.

 

Lindzey,

I realize that you are not an adult, and therefore you may not be in a place to have these sorts of discussions with your vet, but you can discuss it with your parents and urge them to be proactive in the care of your dogs (and have these sorts of discussions with the vet in your stead).

 

J.

[Becki's Boys]

I definitely feel your pain. When Lance my Rough Collie was sick the bill ended up being over $2000.00 and the hard part was that we lost him anyways . Our Vet worked with us on a payment plan. That helped alot for payment reasons, but not for the loss of my Lanny boy. See if they will do something like that. But they're worth every penny

[Darcy.d]

Hey Lindzey,

 

I know what you mean, we just took our maltese cross poodle to the vet for a checkup for her ear (which nothing turned out to be wrong) and it turned out to be $50.00. There was no vaccinations or worming etc. , just a checkup. I know when you buy/adopt a pet you should consider the exspenses, but to be honest, I think vets charge to much. My mum also agrees. But if my pet was in a life threatening situation, my mum and I would pay anything to keep them alive. But just for a checkup, $50.00 is way to exspensive.

 

Thats only my opinion

 

Darcy

[Bill Fosher]

Everything on that bill looks pretty reasonable to me, with the exception of the 20 mg prednisone (unless is was a lot of pills, but the way you wrote it looks like a single dose?).

 

I would echo the sentiments of those who have recommended seeing if you can work out a payment plan with your vet. Working off the debt might be an option, but there's not too much on this bill that isn't something the vet had to buy with cash: aside from the exam and the biopsy, nearly all the fees are for medications or lab fees.

 

My guess from the rest of the info is that the CBC would have been a diagnostic tool, as opposed to routine pre-KO check. And the Heartworm check would have been so cheap when you're running blood anyway it would be crazy not to do it.

 

It sure does add up, though.

 

BCJetta -- the fact that you live in Canada should actually make your stuff LESS expensive. The Canadian dollar surpassed the US dollar in value last week. $1 US is $1.04 CDN this morning. But there's nothing wrong with our economy -- no siree!

[jrid]

I don't know why a fluorescein stain should cost over $19.00 as the average wholesale price for 300 strips was $36.88 a few months ago. That makes the AWP per strip $0.12293 each. The cost of a flourescein strip ought to be included in the cost of a routine exam. I don't believe my regular vet has ever charged me for staining one of my dogs eyes. The Emergency vets are an entirely different story. I paid $20.00 for a stain there. Of course it was a Sunday morning and it was an emergency buti I was still ticked.

[jrid]

I need to add to my reply. What I need to remember is that the vet bills we pay take care of the salaries of ALL the people who work at that facility. This includes the office staff, the kennel help, the surgical assistants and whoever else may work at that office. I once complained to a veterinarian about what they charged for vaccines and his reply was that if they charged only what the vaccine cost them, the cost of a spay or neuter or the cost to do any type of surgery would be on a par with the cost of surgery on a human. What is charged for routine vaccines subsidizes the cost of surgical procedures. I know I could not afford to spay a dog if it cost the same as a human hysterectomy.