And that’s not counting the service contract…
The clinic I work at charges $100 for the first 1-2 digital rads, then $45 per view after that. The $100 includes the set-up fee. Being the one who lugs around all that heavy x-ray equipment and sets it up and dismantles it, I wouldn’t call the set-up fee stupid (I just wish it would go directly to my paycheck!).
The vets I work for usually take around 20 views for a PPE, so I would ask why so many were taken (it is not unusual to take more if they vet is concerned about a certain area). We always quote a price for the exam and rads when scheduling a PPE (we require a credit card number before scheduling).
right, and using that million dollar plate with all those wires around a large unpredictable beast…etc, etc
And I’ve heard recently that they are sensitive to both moisture and heat, and the companies do not consider that a warranty issue, but normal wear and tear…
wow…and the worst part, digital is akin to crack…you just cant go back to regular rads afterwards.
And even human doctors say you cant really even get film anymore anyway. (Ortho surgeon was telling me this) and also weird, he says he likes the old films better…I jsut think they ned to hang out with the vet a little…lol
Digital xray machines are $150,000? 
I did a google search and turned up pages of links advertising portable digital units for $20,000 or less.
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;4009122]
Digital xray machines are $150,000?
I did a google search and turned up pages of links advertising portable digital units for $20,000 or less.[/QUOTE]
And you can buy a hoof knife from China too. :lol: :lol:
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what gets advertised as “prtable” dosn’t necessarily mean “out in the barn” in the medical field.
CR units can be had for $25 K or so (plus you have to buy the imaging plates)
Those are not direct digital, however. (though there are opinions that the quality of the images is somewhat better than DR from some users).
There is a DR unit out there for cheap, but the feedback on that from DVMs who bought them is that the quality of the images is crap, the equipment is prone to failure, and the customer service is non-existent. They advise strongly against getting involved with that company.
Point taken. 
I just throught it was surprising that there were lots of links of different brands in the $20,000 range. I have always thought that radiograph prices were reasonable. It is expensive, but well worth it, and is a fair price.
I paid around $67 per digital xray (xray, read, report) in 2008 for a pre purchase. Sounds about right.
And no, I don’t negotiate with my vet on pricing. Other than to ask if their is a cheaper alternative (generic perscription, less expensive first step solution to a not-serious problem, etc).
They’re more likely than not the CR equipment I mentioned.
A type of digital imaging, but not direct digital–there’s a sensor plate that is used to capture the image, then it is run through a reader, which acquires the image, then erases the plate so it can be reused. The information is then sent to the computer program.
We just got a CR system for the small animal clinic at the school.
(and the indoor permanent plate reader is less expensive then the model that is designed to fit in a truck.)
It is slightly slower than DDR, but significantly less expensive, and there’s no cable between horse and laptop.
(Though I have seen a recent ad for a wirelss DDR sensor plate, but again, new technology , big pricetag.)
I paid $50 per radiograph, $25 after the first four for high quality digital. If I were going to spend 2k on a vet check I would be looking at a bone scan.
Silly question, did you not ask the price of the x-rays before you agreed to have them done?
The price you paid per shot does not seem unreasonable to me.
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You didn’t mention where the horse was located, but depending on the area of the country, fees sound as though they could be reasonable.
Around here, it is about $40 to $60/view for digital, and about $25 to $35 for film. And yeah, I can tell you, once you’ve seen digital, film radiographs seem useless:( And I had one vet here on a PPE last year that ALSO charged a set up fee (I only know because I, the seller, agreed to pay for 3 views and he charged me the set up fee on top of that:eek:).
As for a PPE - if you xray front feet, hocks, stifles, and fetlocks, you are easily at 38 views. Yeah, I’ve had buyers do a $2k PPE. I’ve been through a few of those now - on the plus side, the buyer has base line rads for everything and they KNOW the horse has no OCD, NO ringbone, no navicular problems, etc. On the down side, their $10k horse is now a $12k horse…
As for the cost of a new radiograph - I’ve talked to a few vets who are looking at purchasing or just purchased, $65k for a decent quality machine. $120k is probably top of the line, $20k is probably not the quality you want (not that I’m an expert, but I gotta believe if there are decent machines for $20k, we’d see more vets buying them).
Tagging onto this thread. I have a horse with a bony bump on his spine. Isn’t hurting him and he’s sound but I have an appointment with the vet next week for another look at this bump- it’s on his spine on his lower back (about where thoracic and lumbar vertebrae meet) - and they are planning to do some x-rays and possibly injections. I was quoted $45 per shot so I’m just wondering, since we know the area of the horses back because of the very obvious bump, will this save me any money to be able to only take a couple shots on this specific section hopefully?? It’s a $75 farm call which is fine, not that I’m thrilled about spending more money on a horse that’s not even lame (yet)… but I’m hoping I save long term by not having him go off for months or require more expensive and/or invasive procedures. He has had the bump for 2 months with no issues under saddle, jumping bigger actually. Has anyone ever had back injections done, we had them a long time ago but I don’t know the market rates now??
Hi. I had my gelding’s neck and spine x-rayed & ultrasounded last fall, it was about $250 all told, but then it was about $100 additional for sedation, and there was a farm call. From the sound of things though, my vet might be less expensive than other practices from reading this thread… I am in an area where it is super sport-horse central if that matters.
I know it seems expensive but it is worth it to get the whole picture, if you can. Ask your vet if they’d accept a payment plan like $100 a month. I was able to do it with my vets for an unrelated injury that was sudden and quite catastrophic.
Once we switched to a digital system we started charging by the study rather than the shot. Each study is $175 and includes all views of the site. One study would include all views of both hocks, for example.
If the horse is sound, I doubt you will be able to make payments on radiographs. If payments are allowed at all, they’re typically reserved excellent clients in emergency situations. However…it doesn’t hurt to ask!
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My vet charges around $40 and it’s digital. But it must be really advanced digital 
because there’s no set up or set up fee. He’s using something that looks like a laptop screen and it’s wireless. He takes the x-rays so fast now that last time he was done before I realized he had even started
When we PPE a five-figure prospect we also take about 38 views and the bill typically runs in the 2K range including the clinical and lameness evaluation.
When we seek out the services of a lameness specialist, our specialist charges a set up fee, an archive fee, etc. and his rates work out to about $50 to 60 for each view before any farm call, lameness evaluation, etc.
We have never negotiated a vet bill unless there was an error in the billing.
