How many of you ask for a price sheet before you receive vet services? Is this something I should be doing now?
How have prices gone up in your area in the last couple years? Ours in N Tx seem considerably higher post Cov.
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Honestly if you are so fortunate to have the options to choose a vet practice on price, you live in a happy place. I’m thrilled that a vet that I trust and enjoy comes to me at all when I call. Availability, skill, and personal compatibility are much more important to me.
If you are concerned about the cost of a visit, of course you should ask ahead of time, and sure, sometimes the choices you make will be based on cost. It’s appropriate to ask what something will cost if you are looking at an expensive visit or treatment and especially if you’ve have any trouble paying it on the spot.
My livestock vet is much less expensive than my small animal vet, which is crazypants, but here we are.
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I get an estimate from my vet when I make the appt. If it’s a barn appointment, vaccines, teeth, fecal, we get a set price.
Vet for my horses hasn’t gone up much, but my dogs vet has skyrocketed. Basic vaccines, not including rabies, bloodwork, and basic examination was 750.00. Then add heart worm pills and flea/tick.
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I work in a equine hospital and I regularly get asked for a price quote. As a staff member I’m not offended if someone asked for that. We are not the cheapest clinic in the area but we offer a 24/7 emergency service that to be honest in our area is unusual. Most of our other large animal that our mom and pop shops that understandably can’t do 24/7 emergency service.
That being said, we definitely are more expensive for our basic care options than other clinics. I regularly help clients either spread out the services needed to allow them to get all the vaccines and annual stuff done. Or by quoting them the price of what it would be annually. They are able to plan that out and get that service provided in 2 to 3 months time.
As a provider in an area that has limited large animal/ equine services, we definitely know when you are going to someone else and just using us for emergency work. Doesn’t mean you’re going to get any different care, however, if we know the full background of the horse our vets are able to better triage and address the emergency when it comes in. So yes we have some clients who price check everything and do the bare minimum because we are expensive. But those clients still get the same treatment as clients who do the full nine yards. We are able to see those horses at least once or twice a year. And we have a relationship with them if there is medication prescribed and dispensed regularly.
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There are at least 2 practices in my area that require owners to vaccinate and do dentals through them in order to received emergency coverage. Harsh, but I get it.
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I just pay the bill. I don’t get quotes ahead of time.
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Every practice that I know of in my area started doing this a few years back. If you are not an established client that is seen once a year for a routine exam, good luck finding emergency care.
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I thought there was a law dealing with transparency of veterinary pricing a few years back. Or maybe the veterinary world just embraced the increasing human medicine regulations about providing quotes in advance. But I’ve noticed the majority of vets I utilize provide some sort of quote in advance for anything routine or pre-scheduled. Emergency or “mystery” diagnostics type appointments are a different ball game.
I feel very blessed to live where I live (MD, close to PA and DE). We still have vets and our prices are fair. In the late 00s and teens, I lived in other states where there were limited equine vets and the prices were out of this world.
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Wow, I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten an advance quote for any large animal vet stuff prior to service, unless I’ve specifically asked for one!
(Which I do, sometimes, to help with planning or the decision making process. Although it’s easier once you’ve been with a vet for a little while to have a decent “feel” on what a visit might wind up at, dollars wise.)
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When I’ve been talking game plans after lameness diagnostics or considered how else to diagnose, I’ve asked verbally and done the mental math. Otherwise, not usually. When I went to R&R a few years back, it was nerve wracking opening that invoice after! Haha
You do get some sense of it after a while, but transparency is always nice if possible.
I do not; things cost what they cost. We have several vet clinics so I am thankful to have options, and they are all in the same ballpark price wise.
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I don’t typically ask for routine vet visits, although I’m sure they would tell me if I wanted to know in advance. Plus my current routine vet does a yearly wellness plan you can sign up for where you pay once at the beginning of the year and then a set number of vet visits plus vaccines, sheath, fecals, dental are covered.
For sports medicine work, my vet and I will discuss the various treatment options including cost and pros/cons when deciding on a treatment plan. So for injections we’ll discuss steroids vs. biologics vs. hydrogels and how each is suited to what we are seeing with the horse including the cost of each. Same for bloodwork, etc.
I only got burned once not asking for an advance quote - the farrier at Purdue dropped a $700 bill in front of me for a pair of off the rack front shoes. I laughed, I thought he was joking.
I had to pull the shoes off 24 hours later as they put so much pressure on the horse’s quarter crack that it began to bleed profusely.
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That is totally Nutz!
I had my mini at Purdue for an emergent NQR episode & their farrier trimmed him.
I agreed to this when it was suggested by staff there.
It was more than my usual shoer, but not as wildly out of line as your jaw dropper.
I was told the farrier isn’t a Purdue employee, more like a subcontractor.
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I don’t ask for routine services, but I’ve also been a longtime client and know what my vaccines, floats, chiropractic adjustments, etc cost at this point. The clinics around here—both university and private practice—routinely give estimates before major services like surgeries, MRIs, etc. I think that’s always important so you have an idea what insurance might cover versus what you might be paying out of pocket for.
When it comes to treatment options, particularly something new to me, I will ask for both cost and efficacy comparisons/recommendations from the vet. For instance, we have one horse that surgery on his DDFT. The surgeon recommended Renovo, which wasn’t something I’ve had occasion to use yet, so I asked for the price and efficacy in comparison with some of the other biologics. Renovo actually ended up being cheaper and more effective, so that was a pleasant surprise.
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Yes, subcontractor is right. I did call and talk to Purdue about it. I have spent a fortune there and have always felt the prices were very fair, until that.
It made sense why the farrier was asking me what I do for a living, etc. while he was working. I dont think it was small talk.
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I hope you let Purdue know what you experienced with this guy.
I dont think he’s their sole source for shoeing, but I bet they’d like to know this.
I’ve had horses go there since 2001& always found their pricing very reasonable.
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I have always asked for a quote for routine things such as vaccines, coggins, dental or health papers as I do have a few choices of vets around me. But once I had an idea of costs, I do have a preferred vet that I use for everything now. I also have 5 ponies so the bills add up and I like to know how much I will be spending at one time. I’ll split it up if it the bill will be too high.
I for sure ask for a quote if there is something that is not the norm, like x rays, ultrasounds, bloodwork or shock wave (I’m glad I asked around for the shock wave as it was half the price using a different vet, so prices can really vary around my area!).
I hope the vets won’t be offended, but when I have 5 ponies to keep up, the $ sure does add up. I have no problem paying the bill of course, I just like to plan my spending as I’m not rolling in it. My ponies are…
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I don’t for routine care. I have a regular clinic I work with for those things.
If I were going to do major diagnostics or when I did a stint in the ICU with my last guy, prices and costs are definitely discussed. I don’t have insurance on my horses and I don’t have endless money.
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I am sure glad that my local multi-doctor equine practice does not require their own vets do dentals. That is not a negative comment about their vet’s skills, as I have never seen any of them do dentals. But my part of the Southeast has a regional vet specialty practice that does nothing but dental treatments, and their treatment to me is head and shoulders better than I have seen other vets and non-vet tooth floaters do over the years.
Fee for annual dental is $165. No additional charges such as a farm call fee either.
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