Cost of Veterinary Care - a Vent

[Fessy_s_Mom]

I don’t mean to offend anyone, especially the veterinarians on this board (Ghazzu!), but I recently went through a horribly upsetting situation that actually turned out wonderfully, but I’m still a bit upset.

Story: My 5 yo Pom girl Penny was throwing up for two days. I brought her to the vet, they did an x-ray and found something caught in her gut, but they said her bloodwork was terrible and that she was probably too sick to withstand the surgery. I decided it was best to let her go. I went there to hold her for the needle, but when I got there she wagged her tail and gave me kisses and I couldn’t do it. :sadsmile: They treated her with IV antibiotics and fluids and waited until Monday when her bloodwork improved, removed a HUGE chunk of rubber toy from her large intestine, kept in hospital for a week and she is now home, happy and (all things considered) healthy.

That’s the good news. The thing that troubles me is that I also struggled with whether or not to do the surgery because of the cost. I know that’s something that many people struggle with when deciding to go the extra mile for their sick pets, and it breaks my heart.

If I had brought her to Tufts in Massachusetts to be treated, the surgery and aftercare would have run probably close to $3K, if not more. The bill for all her wonderful care and treatment at this clinic (which I picked from a list of vets on line as I’m new to the area) came to $755.45. :eek: Honestly, when I worked for a vet 30 years ago I believe the treatment would have been more than that then!

Now I know that I could have asked the vet for an estimate before they began her treatment, but I’ve gotten those estimates before and they are very often half or less of the actual bill when all is said and done, so I didn’t bother. As it was I had to put the bill on my CC, but man is THAT gonna be easier to pay off than I ever imagined. phew

So I don’t really know the point to this post, other than I’m sad that so many pets are PTS because of the potential vet bills, but that’s it so different depending on what part of the country you are in. I want my friends to know that they are welcome to bring their babies down here to be treated and they can stay at my house.

[Bobuddy]

I noticed you are located in S.Central Ky - pm me with the vet if you could. I live in central KY right now and would love to find a reasonable costing vet!!!

[GoForAGallop]

Wow, as someone who has given Tufts quite a chunk of change, how nice to hear that it doesn’t always have to be like that. :lol: Although they do GREAT work.

As for your complaint…that is just the way of the world, unfortunately. Some people have to make hard medical decisions because of cost for THEMSELVES!

We tell people on these boards all the time that buying the horse is the cheap part, and that you need to be prepared to fork out disgusting amounts of money for a vet bill…or face putting the horse down. But the same is true for small animals…heck, even including the mare’s surgery at Tufts, I have still spent more on small animal surgical bills! I spent $2k on a freakin’ eye removal for a $20 bunny! :lol:

So people need to consider costs when getting a small animal, too…and be proactive about being able to cover those surgical costs. Pet insurance can be a great option, and I LOVE my CareCredit card.

[Justmyluck]

Human Medicine : Health at any cost.

Veterinary Medicine : Health at what cost?

[make_x_it_x_so]

As a current veterinary student, I find this topic to be EXTREMELY interesting.

The amount people are willing to pay to save their pets is astounding at times, and it’s always heartbreaking when a resolvable condition is not treated because of money.

What I find really intriguing is that there has been a general increase in the amount of money people are willing to spend for major surgical procedures/treatments (dropping thousands for chemo, amputations, etc.) accompanied by a drastic DECLINE in how often people are going to the vet for PREVENTATIVE medicine (ie. wellness exams).

Many attribute this to newer vaccine guidelines that allow pets to go several years between boosters, but it is an interesting phenomenon nonetheless. It will be interesting to see where this field goes in the future and whether vets are able to convince clients that they are saving money in the long run with regular wellness exams (if that even is the case- while it seems intuitively true, I’m not certain that there have been studies to prove it).

I’m glad your dog is doing well, OP, and also I just want to say that this is more of a spinoff/broad response about veterinary pricing and I’m not implying that you don’t take your dog to the vet often enough!

[Fessy_s_Mom]

Bobuddy - sent you a PM.

GoFor - You’re right, I just think it’s so sad. Pet Insurance certainly sounds like the way to go.

Justmyluck - We all have to decide what we’re comfortable spending. It makes it so hard.

[Fessy_s_Mom]

make x it x so - No, not at all! It must be so difficult for you to have to PTS a pet because of prohibitive care costs when it would be an easy fix otherwise. I wonder what kind of line people draw for themselves in those situations.

Anyone?

[GoForAGallop]

@make x it x so;7380467

What I find really intriguing is that there has been a general increase in the amount of money people are willing to spend for major surgical procedures/treatments (dropping thousands for chemo, amputations, etc.) accompanied by a drastic DECLINE in how often people are going to the vet for PREVENTATIVE medicine (ie. wellness exams).

I think that you are talking about two different groups of people, though. Do feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, or didn’t understand what you’re saying, but I think that there is a group of people who would do anything to save their animals. “Sky’s the limit” or very close when it comes to cost.

I DON’T think those people are skrimping on the yearly vet checks, I just don’t. I think the people who are skrimping on the yearly vet checks are those who are being “priced out of the game”. I know that at my small animal vet, if it’s a year where vaccines are needed, a yearly checkup for ONE dog can run over $200. While I am lucky enough to be in a position where I can afford that (x2 dogs and x3 cats), that can be A LOT of money for a person that doesn’t have a lot of disposable income. Should they be budgeting for it/not have the animal in the first place/etc? Yes, but that’s not realistic, and we all know it.

The solution that my local animal shelter came up with is vaccine clinics…you can get your pet’s entire round of yearly shots/heartworm test/etc for maybe $50? Plus they get a once-over by a vet as well. It’s not a stand-in for a regular appointment with a vet who really knows the animal, but it’s better than NOTHING. Heck, I had a tight year once and took my dogs to some of their vaccines there once. I still took them to the vet for a hand’s on visit and to update their charts, but the vaccines cost me $50/dog instead of $100/dog. Similarly, the shelter will do microchips for $20, vs the $80 that it costs at my vet. The response from the community has been absolutely overwhelming…they do these clinics on a weekly basis, can accept up to 75 pre-booked patients, and are always booked full. The costs are waived completely if you are in a certain income bracket. They also spay cats for $25 and dogs for $50.

[Fessy_s_Mom]

GoForAGallop - great point about the animal shelter clinics. I had been using one before we moved down here for the very reason you point out. Why would I spend $200 a dog each year when I can get them done for $20. I also used their spay and neuter clinics. I’m not in the lower income bracket, but I still got a break using them and would usually donate the difference - pay it forward and all that. I think it’s (shelter clinics) area a wonderful solution. Unfortunately, they probably will never offer emergency treatment, so we’re back where we started. :sigh:

[Tha_Ridge]

Good thread, and I’m curious to read more responses.

Funnily enough, last time I dealt with an emergency for my dog—which the vet misdiagnosed at first, meaning two $500+ bills—the vet actually asked me why I don’t have him do my dog’s vaccinations anymore. Well, the fact that I can’t afford a $60 office visit, plus about $30 per vaccination is a pretty good reason. The low-cost clinics simply have them beat there, but like Fessy said, until they start offering emergency care (pipe dream), I have no idea what I would do in a true emergency. I’ve not yet found an insurance plan that makes financial sense for me.

[Justmyluck]

Those low cost clinics are putting veterinarians out of business and making it impossible for new veterinarians to find jobs. The problem with the the economy is that everyone wants cheap. I call it the Walmart phenomenon. Cheap over quality. Your vaccine clinic isn’t going to now how to know the meaning of your dog’s heart murmur. Won’t be able to prescribe medications and there will be no complete medical record when you need it. Client patient relationship is as necessary in vet med as it is in human medicine. When your dog needs some major medical treatment your regular vet is more likely to work with you on cost. Where as if your vet has never seen you before they aren’t going to help you with something such as payments.

[cowboymom]

Baloney. Vets don’t work with costs much at all, IME as someone that worked at a high end profit-driven clinic.

There should always be low cost vet care available as an option. I don’t deny the profession seems to be skewed so that vets can earn enough to pay for their equipment and school loans but some of the costs are way behind reasonable.

[Manahmanah]

You’re lucky! It cost me almost that much this spring to have three small biopsies done on some mystery lumps that turned out to be granulomas. She (the vet) was here a maximum of 45 minutes. :no:

[betsyk]

Justmyluck, I think it works the other way. If the low cost clinics are taking a substantial amount of business away from the regular vet clinics (and I’m not necessarily convinced that they are, but maybe) then I think the regular practices need to look at that and learn something from it. If pet owners make the choice to keep costs down but get the vaccines their pet needs without the relationship piece, or the continuity of record keeping - then maybe those things aren’t as important to the average pet owner, or maybe their value is greater to the vet clinic than the pet owner. How many people are perfectly happy to get shopping mall health care - walk in clinics for a strep throat or broken finger, or a big HMO instead of a small private practice - it’s a choice a lot of reasonably healthy people make. I don’t particularly care who I see for routine stuff for myself, and if I just need a rabies shot for the cat, I don’t particularly care who does it. When I need the expertise of a really good vet, I’ll make the appointment with the really good vet and pay what it costs.

And, fwiw, I haven’t paid a vet to do vaccines on my horse in at least 10 years. Our horse vet - same practice as the small animal vets we use - either dispenses the vaccine from the truck or the clinic, or we order from a catalog and usually go in with other boarders to save money. I haven’t seen any effect on her willingness to go the extra mile for our animals when needed, and we’re among that practice’s most loyal customers. If I save money on vaccines and routine stuff, I’ll have more in the account when I need it for a major expense or an emergency.

[starrunner]

Variability in costs makes me wonder. I have been on both sides of the fence.

One vet I work for is lower cost because he has little overhead. He owns the building, his equipment is paid for, and so forth. He’s a geezer, so no loans to pay and so forth, but he is also a little stuck on some older ideologies.

But I have had friends that have worked in some lower cost clinics that are disturbing. Reusing scalpels and other disposable equipment. Using vaccines past date. Refusing to use proper analgesia or anesthetic.

I don’t mind lower cost clinics. I just mind on how it comes to be lower cost.

[vacation1]

I’m not blaming the vet profession either, but I feel the OP’s frustration. I am able to prioritize my dog’s vet bills (single, no kids, no financial crisis in my life currently, knock wood) and that helps enormously in not feeling pinched for medical treatment. However, sometimes it does grab me. I’ve been doing various things for my dog’s arthritis for a few years, and between the meds and the various therapies and special food, it is a substantial chunk of my budget. Really substantial. A few months ago, a vet we don’t usually use was checking my dog’s lip for a weird bump and noticed her less-than-clean teeth and recommended something to put in her water. I looked into it, and it’s really expensive. Not like $1k but it would be another $80-$100 thing to pick up once a month or so. And I think for the first time, I felt that sense of pressured, defensive grief that must lead to the angry vents about vets. I know that if something happened tomorrow, I’d beat myself up for the rest of my life about not having gotten that damned water additive. I think this is where it helps having a relationship with a vet. My usual vet and I are on the same page, and she seems to have an idea of how much I’m spending and how much I can afford, and how much I want to do. She might have suggested the additive, but not quite so strongly that I feel depressed every time I think about it.

[Tha_Ridge]

[QUOTE=Justmyluck;7380541]
When your dog needs some major medical treatment your regular vet is more likely to work with you on cost. Where as if your vet has never seen you before they aren’t going to help you with something such as payments.[/QUOTE]

The difference is that if I need MAJOR medical treatment and have no insurance or money, I can walk into an emergency room and get the treatment I need, no questions asked. Whether you think that’s right or wrong, it happens. That is not an option for my dog, and my vet requires all payment in full. I’d much rather spend $40 per year on shots and have that extra $200-300 in my account in case my dog needs it down the road.

[cowboymom]

Vaca1-look into just putting some OTC additive into the water, it’s not expensive at all and it’s something.

I never ever get any vet care for any of our animals without googling every aspect of it and bouncing it off of other horse/pet people. I have seen time and time again where there was a middle road or a more affordable option or that the vet felt they had to do Something when in fact it wasn’t necessary. Or seen that vets really didn’t know (the goats) or that there were other options (tail docking 101).

[Unfforgettable]

Pet insurance can be a big help, but it is reimbursement, and you still have to pony up the cash to pay the vet bill up front, then wait for the insurance to reimburse you for their share.

I’m amazed at the difference in costs for the same procedure. One example: A standard C-section. My regular, local vet? $650. The vet I use when I’m in Oklahoma? $350. The vet I used to use half an hour from here? $1250. And the after hours emergency clinic? $3100 (and that’s not a typo). Having been through one at each of these clinics I can say there is absolutely no difference in the serves provided…just in the cost.

[RubyTuesday]

[QUOTE=cowboymom;7380655]
Baloney. Vets don’t work with costs much at all, IME as someone that worked at a high end profit-driven clinic.

There should always be low cost vet care available as an option. I don’t deny the profession seems to be skewed so that vets can earn enough to pay for their equipment and school loans but some of the costs are way behind reasonable.[/QUOTE]

The vet that wrote the book “How To Afford Veterinary Care Without Mortgaging The Kids” agreed with you, which is why he wrote the book. He was disgusted with how many “professionals” fleece the public and make them think they have to have things that they really don’t just to pad the bill.