[QUOTE=chism;8213235]
So, I’m taking a general survey…how much did you pay and what part of the country are you in? Thanks for contributing.[/QUOTE]
About $350 for a 20 lb dog in the deep south… a year ago. This is on the high side for my area.
[QUOTE=Jim R;8215259]
Where did I say charging $320 was charging to much. $600 is robbing them.
$320 seems fair to me, $600 not to fair.[/QUOTE]
As the OP… I feel that I have to say… I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s robbery. It’s a lot of $$, much more than I expected and it’s a big stretch for us, but I know the local economy, I know the real estate costs of the area, I’m sure I’m not being taken advantage of. Vets need to make enough money to live, and I’ve never met a rich vet either. It is what it is, and if money was the only factor, I’d be down at the subsidized clinic.
I am curious though…for the vets who’ve chimed in. How does the size of the dog come into play with the cost? My dog is a large breed who will end up about 90 lbs or so, definitely over 50 now.
Generally, a larger dog spay takes longer. The uterus, ovaries, and blood vessels are larger and need more suture material ($). Because it takes longer, it requires more anesthesia ($), takes more monitoring time/technician time ($), more doctor time ($).
[QUOTE=chism;8215965]
As the OP… I feel that I have to say… I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s robbery. It’s a lot of $$, much more than I expected and it’s a big stretch for us, but I know the local economy, I know the real estate costs of the area, I’m sure I’m not being taken advantage of. Vets need to make enough money to live, and I’ve never met a rich vet either. It is what it is, and if money was the only factor, I’d be down at the subsidized clinic.
I am curious though…for the vets who’ve chimed in. How does the size of the dog come into play with the cost? My dog is a large breed who will end up about 90 lbs or so, definitely over 50 now.[/QUOTE]
I talked about size/age as a factor in my post #55. =)
Just to give people an idea on a spay, actual vet costs with zero mark up
Tech time 1 hour: $26
Aca time 1 hour: $14
Iv catheter and fluids, pressors ext 20-50
Narcotic pre med; $8-25
Ketamine, valium, propofol or alfax $20-50
Iso and oxygen $10
Vet salary per hour $120
Suture: 6
Instruments (original expense $$$$)
Mmonitoring equip (original expense)
Metacam or post.op med $3-15
Multi parameter monitors are uowards of $8-12,000. Instruments are expensive and do not last forever. The cleaner and sterilization process isn’t free. Sterile drapes run $4 per set. Reusable drapes only last so long and need to be sterilized.
Then there’s the cost to own or rent the facility. Very area dependent.
What is $150 in one location could be $650 in another. What is sketchy is in a same neighborhood offering vast differences. This may indicate one is skipping out on some major necessities (imho).
Squish - I want to work where you do. I do not make $120 an hour :lol: but I should.
Sock Monkey, don’t hold your breath waiting for that $120/hr. At the clinic where my daughter works, experienced associates make about $40/hr. The partners make more, but have all of the business related responsibilities. The clinic bills out the vets at about $200/hr to cover the vet trucks, costs of the building and staff costs. The vets end up with decent salaries because they work a lot of hours. The clinic survives by being open 12 hours per day for small animals and always having a vet available for large animal calls.
[QUOTE=sockmonkey;8216946]
Squish - I want to work where you do. I do not make $120 an hour :lol: but I should.[/QUOTE]
I took this to mean TO the vet… as in overhead costs plus pay. Maybe I was wrong?
I took it to mean it’s the vet’s salary. That’s what it says. Vet salary $120/hr. Maybe I was wrong.
Our vets work on commission, with the higher incomes coming in at $60-70/hr.
I believe Squish works at a speciality hospital, so that salary may be for the boarded specialists she works with.
Maybe I was remembering old prices, so I may have been off a little. We just had two bitches spayed today, that are being retired from breeding. Another girl had her teeth cleaned today. Total cost was $262.00.
Our Vet has had his husband/wife practice for something over 40 years, and we trust them completely. All dogs are back home now, and doing fine.
This for 12 pound dogs.
That’s an incredible deal! You must have a frequent/long-term customer discount.
Last time I brought my dog in, just for teeth, was $185. The spay, we had done at a clinic that specializes in uncomplicated spay/neuter, and the bill for that was around $230, for a 100lb dog. Their minimum charge is $145 though, only part of the cost is weight-related.
I did pay upwards of $600 once and know someone just quoted for that for a cat spay. In both cases it was surgery done by a laser, which is supposed to be an easier recovery. That may be what is behind the really high prices.
The girl that had her teeth cleaned had one pulled too. Her teeth weren’t very bad, so that wasn’t that big of a job. She’s fairly young, and had retained one canine long enough that Pam thought it should come out.
I’m sure the building they own has been paid for decades ago. Their techs are well liked and respected by us too. They do get a lot of business from us, but the prices are not special to us.
Just picked up my dog this morning. 50 lb collie in the South Jersey area. Large, very well respected local clinic. The bill says $436.85 but then there’s a “coupon/debit” (I never know why their system bills that way for $207.85 off the price. I also got pre-op bloodwork which was an additional $57 with a $14 discount. Pain meds $33 on top. All told, a little over $300. An absolute BARGAIN in my book. This vet has never let me down and saved a cat UPenn gave up on. I’ll never stop using him.
