The Cost of Hock injections

[Lord_Helpus]

I casually told the vet that we might as well do hock injections on 2 horses (who both had a definite diagnosis of LH pain). I just got the bill of $1600. :eek:

$1300 was for the injections (4 in each horse’s hock). And, evidently, I got a real deal for having so many injections done at once.:o

The other $200 was for the Dermosidan and other stuff (One horse (Petey) cow kicked the vet and nailed him right between his eyes.:ambivalence: . I think the vet probably added in a ‘hazardous duty’ charge). I am very thankful that the bridge of his nose got the kick. 1" either way and we would have had a disaster.

Is this what other people pay? The total sent me into cardiac arrest, but when broken down, it is probably very fair.

At least one horse (Petey) is 100% sound now.:congratulatory: Goober has yet to be lunged or jogged, but I have high hopes that he will be substantially better.

Serves me right for not asking the cost of things before giving the go ahead…

[Princess_Sparkles]

I paid $1,800 for hock injections and knee injections (only one knee) on one horse. That included some investigatory x-rays as well.

Your bill sounds totally reasonable. My total for just the hocks and sedation was probably around $1,000, with the extra $800 for the x-rays and the injections on the knee (just did one site on the knee and didn’t do both, as I said).

[Heinz_57]

Do you mean 4 in each hock, or 4 in each horse (i.e., inner & outer, 2 on each leg)?

I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 last year for 1 horse, lower joint only on both hocks (2 injections per leg, inner & outer). But some of the cost does depend on what combo of drugs you choose to inject, and the amount of sedation needed. My horse is an old trooper and will stand for almost anything, plus he’s a cheap date.

I would not blame any vet for adding a hefty surcharge on a horse that kicked him in the head. :lol:

[Marla_100]

I used to frequent a farrier forum and it was pretty common to add a “hazardous duty” fee to difficult horses.

[PNWjumper]

I don’t recall exactly what my bill included from the last time I got my guy done, but IIRC, the hock injection (only) portion of it was in the $700 range. The total bill was closer to $1000. I can’t say it sounds “reasonable” (since I almost faint every time my vet hands me a bill!), but it sounds correct!

[Scribbler]

Ah. The takeaway here is "I casually told the vet we might as well do. . .’

I know nothing about hock injections so far. But any time I have casually told the vet we might as well do something, I’ve had huge sticker shock the next week.

My vet is great. He’s both technically skilled and willing to do minimal intervention. But he doesn’t quote prices on the spot. He hires office dragon ladies to do the billing. It is quite possible he doesn’t even know what things cost

[IPEsq]

I did hocks in April. 2 injections each leg (lower joints only). The call also included a recheck lameness evaluation, xrays of both hocks (previous films were 3 years old), xray of a hind fetlocks and feet to check angles. Plus drugs of course and call charge. They may have also given him a shot of Banamine. All of that was $1400.

[joiedevie99]

Sounds reasonable. My vet would be a few hundred more, but I’m in a high cost area as well.

[Amy3996]

I’ve been debating hock injections for my older horse for awhile now… I asked one of the larger local clinics for a quote and it was $250 on the low end, $750 on the high end. Then again, I’m in a relatively low-cost area.

[soloudinhere]

I paid about $400 for the injections on one side last year. The total bill was $1200 with X-rays, lameness eval, some blood work.

[OneTwoMany]

@Lord Helpus

I casually told the vet that we might as well do hock injections on 2 horses (who both had a definite diagnosis of LH pain). I just got the bill of $1600. :eek:

$1300 was for the injections (4 in each horse’s hock). And, evidently, I got a real deal for having so many injections done at once.:o

The other $200 was for the Dermosidan and other stuff (One horse (Petey) cow kicked the vet and nailed him right between his eyes.:ambivalence: . I think the vet probably added in a ‘hazardous duty’ charge). I am very thankful that the bridge of his nose got the kick. 1" either way and we would have had a disaster.

Is this what other people pay? The total sent me into cardiac arrest, but when broken down, it is probably very fair.

At least one horse (Petey) is 100% sound now.:congratulatory: Goober has yet to be lunged or jogged, but I have high hopes that he will be substantially better.

Serves me right for not asking the cost of things before giving the go ahead…

$800 for hock injections is not out of line. Our vet charges $600 for the injections (4 in each hock), $125 for lameness evaluation and $110 for the sterile preparation. Add in a farm call and it is north of $900 for us.

[TheHunterKid90]

My vet is very straight forward. Hocks end up being about $75 per needle…so if you do uppers and lowers on both hocks it’s 300 plus $40 for dorm and a shot of banamine…some horses we hit the medial joint and that’s just an extra 75 for each leg. He charges the same no matter what he injects with and he doesn’t charge a farm call for me.
When I was wintering in Oklahoma I got a quote for $1300 to do a set of hocks and I think I laughed the lady off the phone. That blows my mind.

[OneTwoMany]

@TheHunterKid90

My vet is very straight forward. Hocks end up being about $75 per needle…so if you do uppers and lowers on both hocks it’s 300 plus $40 for dorm and a shot of banamine…some horses we hit the medial joint and that’s just an extra 75 for each leg. He charges the same no matter what he injects with and he doesn’t charge a farm call for me.
When I was wintering in Oklahoma I got a quote for $1300 to do a set of hocks and I think I laughed the lady off the phone. That blows my mind.

I’ve run into situations where the lady at the desk looks at the price sheet for hock injections and doubles the price, not realizing the price sheet is a quote for a set of hocks. Perhaps that is what happened in your case. It never hurts to tell the person giving a quote that the amount sounds very high and could they please double check their figures

[Lord_Helpus]

My vet doesn’t give quotes. He only has an approximate idea of what things cost. I usually call the billing lady to find out exactly what I will owe, but that is always on the low-end because she does not add in things like the extra drugs needed after my horse kicked the vet in his face.

[skipollo]

I pay about $350-ish for both hocks on my show horse (lower), so two injections per hock, sedation included. I’m in central PA aka middle of nowhere.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

I’m thinking the last time Boy’s were done a couple of years ago, both hocks, upper and lower were $360 then add the office visit, sedation and banamine my bill is easily around $500. I’m in southwestern PA, Somerset County.

[zakkandtoto]

I’ve been getting off easy. Both hocks $375 including the tranq and barn call.

[TWH_Girl]

That does seem high. They run about $600 here. It depends on how much medicine is used (last time I split a vial of Hyvisc) and which joints are injected and with what.

[Princess_Sparkles]

@TWH Girl

That does seem high. They run about $600 here. It depends on how much medicine is used (last time I split a vial of Hyvisc) and which joints are injected and with what.

For TWO horses it seems high??? My God I need to move where you live. As I said, I paid $1,800 for one horse, had both hocks done (two injections in each) plus some x-rays and a lameness. I did have one knee done as well but that cost was probably an afterthought as it was just one injection.

And I was happy with it, as I had budgeted $2,000 so it came in under budget (when does that happen with horses?).

[TWH_Girl]

@Princess Sparkles

For TWO horses it seems high??? My God I need to move where you live. As I said, I paid $1,800 for one horse, had both hocks done (two injections in each) plus some x-rays and a lameness. I did have one knee done as well but that cost was probably an afterthought as it was just one injection.

And I was happy with it, as I had budgeted $2,000 so it came in under budget (when does that happen with horses?).

Yes, it is high even for 2 horses. My clinic is on the high side. Many vets will do the two lower hocks with HA and steroid (Vetalog) for around $350. I paid $950 for hocks and stifles in one horse with HA and betamethasone. I’m located in SE Wisconsin.