Vet bill... ouch.

[Smokjbc]

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. >>jrid

 

 

I had to pipe in on this, since I manage a vet hospital (for the last 10+ years now). You are not just paying for the stain strip- you are paying for the strip, the tech to hold the dog, the doctors/staff added time to perform the procedure and the doctors evaluation of the test result. I have never worked at any hospital that charged less than $15.00 to do a stain, and we currently charge $20.00. In human medicine, they would probably charge you for the eye flush afterwards and throwing the strip away too! LOL. I see though in your next post you say something similar to this but just wanted to point it out again.

 

The bill in the OP is EXTREMELY reasonable in our part of the world. Every service listed is less than what my practice charges and we are considered a lower cost clinic than most of our neighbors.

[MrSnappy]

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!

 

Yes! World domination here we come!!!!

 

Vets are expensive. But, they go to school for longer than a human GP and they have entire practices to pay for. I have also bemoaned the costs of vet visits and procedures, but my pragmatic part of me knows they deserve to earn. The only thing I really get frustrated with is the stonewalling that the BC Veterinary Association does to keep priced high, by 'recommending' costs for certain procedures ... when in reality, many of them can be and are done for much less.

 

RDM

[Guest pax]

Yeah, sadly, you get to the point where you start hearing the cash register ching in the back of your head evety time an animal starts looking funky.

 

Being able to estimate what it's going to cost before I even walk in the door is not a skill I have had a fun time developing.

 

 

Ask what the treatment options are, ask what they cost, ask what happens if they don't work, ask the cost of implementing plan B....when in doubt, payment plans are your friends but ask UP FRONT.

 

I say ask up front because a you'd be surprised how much can change if a vet knows up that money is an issue. My experience is that if they know the owner can't or won't pay, treatment options change.

[Liz P]

Don't forget the cost of education for a vet! Last time I checked, a few years ago, the average salary for a small animal vet was only in the mid 60s. Vets who graduate as an out of state student will owe about $400,000 to $500,000 after interest! I know vets who have been out of school for 30 years and are still paying off their loans.

 

Also don't forget the cost of all that equipment used to diagnose and treat the animals, the building, utilities, etc.

 

There is a trend right now in vet medicine to reduce the charges for drugs so that there is virtually no markup and to instead make their money on "services" like surgery, appointments, etc. What you are paying for will be the expertise and experience of the vet plus the support staff. The feeling is that this will reduce the pressure on vets to prescribe unnecessary drugs in order to make a profit.

[sharkie]

all the prednisones except for the drops and cephalexin are all under the walmart/sam's $4 generic list last time i've checked. pharmacies would have of course the cheapest drugs, but if you had to get some infrequently prescribed drugs, eg some weird strength phenobarbital they might be reluctant to order that for you. they may dispense couple of pills from the bottle and have it just sitting there on the shelf and let it expire.

[Lindzey]

I would love to thank (and reply to) each and every one of you that has taken their time to post on this thread... but there are SOOO many, I'll have to limit it to a few key points. I really, totally appreciate everyone putting up their opinions, and doing so kindly.

 

I am currently 16 (17 in over a month), and I understand that there are MANY things I need to learn. I always go with my mom to the vets office, with the exception of the last checkup. She was out of town for a workshop, and I should have waited one more day for the appointment - or at least called her and discussed this with her. She was a vet tech for awhile at a clinic where we used to live, and she understands many of the medication expenses, and the procedures that go on. I'm sure we would have ended up with most of the same costs, but it would have been nice to have my mom with me to ask questions.

 

That being said, I now definitely know to ask the vet for expenses. I have wanted to be a vet since I was old enough to speak - have since changed plans since then, but still looking into it - but the clinic as a whole still makes me a tad anxious. I forget to think things through, obviously proven here, and forget to ask questions. (Last time we were at the clinic for something other than a check-up, my beloved Not Yet - 13 y/o - had to be put down due to a tumor on her spine... she was an INCREIDIBLE border collie. Possibly why I am still a bit shy around the vet??)

 

My mom scheduled an appointment with our vet this morning to talk about the bill and what we can do about it. We are keeping the meds - obviously - but waiting to send out the tests for another week. Our vet told us that the samples could hold up to about a month before they are no longer accurate. If 'Bout improves this week, we will not send the samples off to get tested... however, if nothing improves and/or he gets worse, we will definitely send the tests in. My dad is a bit of a penny-pincher, so we have to be careful about budget around him. Most of the money will end up coming from my pocket, which is a bit difficult seeing as how I leave for college in two years, and I will need a car. I have to budget things out, but I will give almost anything for Just About.

 

We understand this is taking a bit of a risk, here. The vet's words, "let's hope we get lucky" and Just About improves. This morning, after taking his first doses, his eyes have improved and aren't as swollen and enflamed. We are a religious family and rely heavily on God...

 

Instead of taking it in payments, we decided to pay it all at once. It is easier to have the money GONE and realize what we have to work with, rather than to have to set it aside each week/month.

 

Our family greatly appreciates the support and advice (and honesty!) from all of the members here on the boards. I've definitely learned the things to do from now on - asking questions, looking into Pet insurance, setting aside a certain amount of money each month for emergencies, taking mom with me from now on (haha) - and I owe a lot of it to you guys.

 

Just About goes back in about a week to get his sutures out, at which point the vet will re-exam (at no cost... he really is an incredible man) 'Bout to see what futher steps we need to take. Hopefully my dad will understand that I love my dogs very very much, and am willing to spend a few hundred dollars - if that is what it takes - to keep him healthy.

 

Please feel free to continue placing your input. I love learning, especially from such experienced forum members as you all. =)

 

Thank you again and again.

~Lindzey

 

 

ETA: The cost, without sending off the tests, totaled to $270. It is still a large chunk of money, but I split the current bill with my parents.

[AK dog doc]

Up here that would have been higher, especially on the anesthetic fees. The pred would probably have been less. The ceph about the same. Everything else would have been more. We're the least expensive clinic in town.

 

It's like the old joke about a high-society matron who simply MUST have a unique, one-of-a-kind hat for some event. She goes to the best hat maker in the country and before her very eyes he takes a single ribbon and weaves a magnificent creation out of it, beautiful and unique and one-of-a-kind, a vision of elegance. Exactly what she asked for. She exclaims over it in delight and awe and then asks how much it costs. She is told it will be $500. "Five hundred dollards for a piece of RIBBON?" she asks, taken aback. The hat maker says not a word, but unweaves his beautiful creation until it is no longer a confection of beauty and grace, but just a ribbon. He presents it to her and says, "The ribbon, madame, you may have for nothing."

 

Or, the one about a factory that has a critical piece of machinery shut down. The factory can't run without it, and all the workers are sitting around on the clock, doing nothing. No product is being made, everything has ground to a halt. They call a repairman. He goes in, looks at the machinery, taps it with a hammer, and everything roars back to life. " How much?" says the factory owner. "Five hundred and ten dollars," says the repairman. "Five hundred and ten DOLLARS? For tapping it with a hammer?!?" screeches the owner. The repairman says, "For tapping it with a hammer, ten dollars. For knowing WHERE to tap it, five hundred."

 

If your vet did a physical exam, they're entitled to charge for one. If they did a stain, ditto. You're paying for expertise, expereince, education and skill, not to mention the physical plant, the meds and equipment, the technicians and kennel girls and receptionists and all of THEIR skills. Your neighbor would probably look at your dog's eye for free, but your neighbor is unlikely to have clue one about what to do about it - and doesn't hold (or pay for) the liscences to do anything about it if he did. If you don't want labs done, say so beforehand. We (at our clinic) always get authorization to run labs, and always call the owner if there's another procedure we'd like to do that we haven't already discussed - but some clinics do labs as a matter of course, and you have to specially request them NOT to if you don't want them. Bear in mind many clinics "bundle" their labs to make them less expensive. Like, if you were to get a CBC/panel at our clinic, it's about $100. If you get them separately, one today and one tomorrow or next week, it's about $110. (Labs also often do the same thing... if you select a bundled test, you can get several things run for less than if you paid for them one at a time - and sometimes you can get three or four things run in a bundled test for less than you'd pay for two individual tests.) The point being that having run the heartworm test may atually have SAVED you money, if it was part of a bundled test pacakge that the lab offers.

 

By all means, get pet insurance, get estimates, discuss fees and your personal financial limits beforehand, put whatever limits you like on what diagnostics or treatment you are willing to go for - but while you're paying this bill, thank your lucky stars that it wasn't more (as in many areas of the country it would have been, for exactly the same services), and bless your vet for giving your dog the same level of care your MD would offer you - but doing it for about a tenth the cost, and without the support of government subsidies for indigent care.

[HighDesertSpice]

...There are things that we did not know we were going to have done. Yes, I understand the prices are expensive... but

 

Medicine in general is going a tad wacko. I have paid for an expensive scan when the root problem was too much sodium (as in stop drinking carbonated liquids); had a second mammography (simply to confirm what the doctor's always previously and correctly identified and fibrous tissue) and routinely decline anti-biotics, et al.

 

Recently I declined keepping my dog OVERNIGHT in the emergency, paying for an ADDITIONAL IV, ADDITIONAL antibiotic, full body xray--and instead monitored him myself. He is now doing well. It was a case of too many diet changes and dehydration and perhaps a bug. Total bill anyway was $400. Total potential was double that. He COULD have an ulcer, or cancer. But the DR. put cancer on the very tippy top of his target list immediately upon arrival. My guess is so that he could do the entire routine and bring in the revenue. Sorry, but me thinks the Dr.'s today have a very hard time resisting all those cool tests and gadgets recently developed and that make the work more interesting and fun.

 

NOTE: we keep up with the essentials and basically believe an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure....I have dr.'s in my circles....I don't really believe in vitamins but take them for colds..........on and on........

[HighDesertSpice]

...There are things that we did not know we were going to have done. Yes, I understand the prices are expensive... but

 

Medicine in general is going a tad wacko. I have paid for an expensive scan when the root problem was too much sodium (as in stop drinking carbonated liquids); had a second mammography (simply to confirm what the doctor's always previously and correctly identified and fibrous tissue) and routinely decline anti-biotics, et al.

 

Recently I declined keepping my dog OVERNIGHT in the emergency, paying for an ADDITIONAL IV, ADDITIONAL antibiotic, full body xray--and instead monitored him myself. He is now doing well. It was a case of too many diet changes and dehydration and perhaps a bug. Total bill anyway was $400. Total potential was double that. He COULD have an ulcer, or cancer. But the DR. put cancer on the very tippy top of his target list immediately upon arrival. My guess is so that he could do the entire routine and bring in the revenue. Sorry, but me thinks the Dr.'s today have a very hard time resisting all those cool tests and gadgets recently developed and that make the work more interesting and fun.

 

NOTE: we keep up with the essentials and basically believe an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure....I have dr.'s in my circles....I don't really believe in vitamins but take them for colds..........on and on........

[HighDesertSpice]

...There are things that we did not know we were going to have done. Yes, I understand the prices are expensive... but

 

Medicine in general is going a tad wacko. I have paid for an expensive scan when the root problem was too much sodium (as in stop drinking carbonated liquids); had a second mammography (simply to confirm what the doctor's always previously and correctly identified and fibrous tissue) and routinely decline anti-biotics, et al.

 

Recently I declined keepping my dog OVERNIGHT in the emergency, paying for an ADDITIONAL IV, ADDITIONAL antibiotic, full body xray--and instead monitored him myself. He is now doing well. It was a case of too many diet changes and dehydration and perhaps a bug. Total bill anyway was $400. Total potential was double that. He COULD have an ulcer, or cancer. But the DR. put cancer on the very tippy top of his target list immediately upon arrival. My guess is so that he could do the entire routine and bring in the revenue. Sorry, but me thinks the Dr.'s today have a very hard time resisting all those cool tests and gadgets recently developed and that make the work more interesting and fun.

 

NOTE: we keep up with the essentials and basically believe an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure....I have dr.'s in my circles....I don't really believe in vitamins but take them for colds..........on and on........

[HighDesertSpice]

...There are things that we did not know we were going to have done. Yes, I understand the prices are expensive... but

 

Medicine in general is going a tad wacko. I have paid for an expensive scan when the root problem was too much sodium (as in stop drinking carbonated liquids); had a second mammography (simply to confirm what the doctor's always previously and correctly identified and fibrous tissue) and routinely decline anti-biotics, et al.

 

Recently I declined keepping my dog OVERNIGHT in the emergency, paying for an ADDITIONAL IV, ADDITIONAL antibiotic, full body xray--and instead monitored him myself. He is now doing well. It was a case of too many diet changes and dehydration and perhaps a bug. Total bill anyway was $400. Total potential was double that. He COULD have an ulcer, or cancer. But the DR. put cancer on the very tippy top of his target list immediately upon arrival. My guess is so that he could do the entire routine and bring in the revenue. Sorry, but me thinks the Dr.'s today have a very hard time resisting all those cool tests and gadgets recently developed and that make the work more interesting and fun.

 

NOTE: we keep up with the essentials and basically believe an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure....I have dr.'s in my circles....I don't really believe in vitamins but take them for colds..........on and on........

[Jack & Co.]

Huh. I don't know if I should be more offended on behalf of my physician father who practiced medicine for 40 years or my vet and the e-vet who together saved my cat's life.

[HighDesertSpice]

Huh. I don't know if I should be more offended on behalf of my physician father who practiced medicine for 40 years or my vet and the e-vet who together saved my cat's life.

 

My point being that due to the advancements in medicine, many new tests, et al, Dr.'s and Vets are going the extra length to rule out a possibility. Due to this I think there are additional things being prescribed that may not actually be necessary. It's not to say that these professionals don't care or are not competent. And in fact, these additional advances are probably useful....just that they seem extraneous at times. And are indeed expensive.

[Shetlander]

Huh. I don't know if I should be more offended on behalf of my physician father who practiced medicine for 40 years or my vet and the e-vet who together saved my cat's life.

 

Yeah. I've had a few disappointing experiences with vets over the years, but I can't say trying to screw me out of money for no good reason has ever been one of my complaints. Maybe I've been lucky to find so many who honestly want to help my animals and tried their best to do so. One vet was so worried about my dog that he carried the file home with him. I can never thank him enough for all his kindness, concern, research and hard, hard work for one little sheltie who was falling apart.

[Jack & Co.]

Sorry, but me thinks the Dr.'s today have a very hard time resisting all those cool tests and gadgets recently developed and that make the work more interesting and fun.

 

Fun? Radiology and nuclear medicine were my father's specialities and I can guarantee you that he never administered an unnecessary test, X-ray, or scan for fun or to make his day more interesting.

 

You complained about having a second mammogram....I would be glad my doctor was on top of things and concerned enough about possible changes to take a second look.

[Bill Fosher]

By all means, get pet insurance, get estimates, discuss fees and your personal financial limits beforehand, put whatever limits you like on what diagnostics or treatment you are willing to go for - but while you're paying this bill, thank your lucky stars that it wasn't more (as in many areas of the country it would have been, for exactly the same services), and bless your vet for giving your dog the same level of care your MD would offer you - but doing it for about a tenth the cost, and without the support of government subsidies for indigent care.

 

I agree with every word here except for the fourth, fifth, and sixth ones. Pet insurance will usually end up costing you more than the procedures it covers, particularly when you start to count deductibles and co-pays. That's how the insurance companies make their money. The only way you'd come out ahead is if your dog is very sickly long term (at least until you hit the limits of the policy). AND, perhaps more importantly, it adds another cost to the provision of veterinary medical care: that of claims processing. My solo practicing MD used to have one full time person processing claims, and the receptionist caught the overflow. So for every hour of billable time, there was 1.5 hours of staff time for the bill to get paid. And it usually took insurance companies between six months and a year to pay the bills. All of these costs were added to the overhead, and made the cost of health care much higher for those of us paying directly.

 

Please, AK Dog Doc, don't encourage the bureaucracy that goes along with insurance. It's a bad deal for everyone -- pets, owners, and vets.

[urge to herd]

Lindzey, I'm glad you took the time to ask these questions - I've learned a lot from the replies.

 

AKDogDoc - I can't wait to use your 'Ribbon' story the next time someone complains about what I charge for my services, and will share it with my colleagues.

 

I really like my vet - he's worked with us a couple times around the finances, he really listens to my concerns, and is pretty much a "Let's take the least invasive/difficult/expensive approach first," for most things except emergencies. And, really, really cares about his patients and their humans. We may disagree on individual things, but all in all, we're lucky to have him.

 

When Buzz went through his bouts of diarrhea/vomiting/generally being really, really sick, when I took him to the vet fot the 4th time in 6 months, the Dr. said 'It might be time to see a specialist.' I winced, the Doc asked me if it was a financial issue, and I said, if he needs to see a gastroenterologist, then we'll do it. But, I want to make sure that you and I have left no stone unturned before we take that step. And yes, there's a strong financial issue.

 

He did a little research, did one more stool culture, and Voila! C. perfingens overgrowth, we treated appropriately for that and it was taken care of. I so appreciate that he listened to me, helped my BuzzardBoy, and saved us a chunk of money.

 

Ruth n the BC3

[OurBoys]

Not all vets are the same. I would much rather pay a vet that is UTD on today's meds and problems than to pay a cheaper vet who hasn't bothered to stay current. We went thru a number of vets and lost a cat to one who acted like we were wasting his time. It took us a while but we have finally found a vet group I'm happy with.

 

One of the vets is knowledgeable with hygroma's. And one reason I like him so much is because he had a problem looking me in the eyes when he was asking me questions about JJ's hygroma. When I told him JJ had it when we adopted him, he opened up. He had a problem with me until he found out I brought JJ in to get better and not because I had done that to him.

 

And another one of the vets in same group has been seeing my cat. She is so concerned about her, she doesn't want any of the other vets to look at her. She as actually swapped appts before when I have taken my cat in so she can see her herself.

 

Another reason I like these vets is because they actually listen to you when you ask a question and will answer your question(s) for however long it takes until they are sure you understand. They never act like they are in a hurry and they give me the impression the animal comes first. When you take your pet in for the first time, on the paperwork you have to fill out is the question "Do you consider your animal a pet or a member of the family?".

 

We are lucky enough to have a cc if we don't have the cash on hand to pay for any visits. I know we are also lucky to have a vet who will start looking for ways to help me cut costs if the procedure(s) are starting last longer than orginally planned.