Unreasonable Vet Fees?

[emerald42]

I admitted my cat to a vet in New Jersey after she was suffering from constipation for several days and lactulose/diet changes offered no relief. I am not being faced with a $800 dollar bill for 2 nights stay, enemas, fluids, and blood work. Is this excessive? Around two years ago I had the same procedure at a different vet and it only cost $250. Have prices accelerated this fast?

[nancyjac]

I would get a break down of the costs.  My experience has been that the biggest expense is generally lab work that has to be sent out to an independent lab and any medications or supplements provided by your vet at a very high mark up.  My vet only charges $20 per office visit but when there is lab work or meds involves the bill skyrockets.  Most of the time you can cut that cost by ordering the meds yourself.  In the case of lab work, you can talk to the vet about doing less expensive snap tests in cases where that would be sufficient, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet on that cost.

[aligator79]

Think about like raising children, it's not so scary then.

[cjsand]

i'm looking around for a general idea of costs : this is actually better than i thought it would be.


it does seem pretty absurd that vet bills are so high now tho --- i figure i'm paying about 200 a month on average every year for my 2 cats vet bills + prescriptions --- one cat costs $1000 a year approximately for monthly thyroid meds, bloodwork 3 times a year to check on her thyroid condition (which at 100$ each time is half of what my last vet charged), $45 a monht for the meds, plus her normal checkup and shots, which is around 200 if she odesn't need anything extra.


The other cat has allergies and variable needs, but i figure on average 1000 a year for him too -- which is a helluva lot of money for pet upkeep.

That of course doesn't figure in their food and litter, the higher price of renting with them (which limits my options and forces me into higher priced housing where i have room for them), and occasional toys/treats --


don't get me wrong, i love the darlings and i wouldn't trade them for anything, but it does seem absurd to me how expensive they are

[cjsand]

i'm looking around for a general idea of costs : this is actually better than i thought it would be.


it does seem pretty absurd that vet bills are so high now tho --- i figure i'm paying about 200 a month on average every year for my 2 cats vet bills + prescriptions --- one cat costs $1000 a year approximately for monthly thyroid meds, bloodwork 3 times a year to check on her thyroid condition (which at 100$ each time is half of what my last vet charged), $45 a monht for the meds, plus her normal checkup and shots, which is around 200 if she odesn't need anything extra.


The other cat has allergies and variable needs, but i figure on average 1000 a year for him too -- which is a helluva lot of money for pet upkeep.

That of course doesn't figure in their food and litter, the higher price of renting with them (which limits my options and forces me into higher priced housing where i have room for them), and occasional toys/treats --


don't get me wrong, i love the darlings and i wouldn't trade them for anything, but it does seem absurd to me how expensive they are

[Jade59]

I should have broken that $700 down better.  It's actually about $400 for the cleaning alone, the rest is for check-up, bloodwork and vaccinations.  And yes, $40 per tooth here too.  The vet said this $400 includes a new procedure of hooking the cat up to an IV prior to going under (I guess this practice wasn't done before?) because if something were to go wrong, kitty will go downhill quickly and it's harder to find a vein in that case.  I looked up our bill from 2yrs ago and it was $220 for a cleaning then.  When I questioned the vet, this was their explanation for increased rates.  

I should shop around, but this is overwhelming for me to deal with and our vet is only a few blocks away so I suppose I'm paying for the convenience as well.

Still outrageous, I agree!

[Ecologic]

To Emeral42: One of my cats had to spend 3 days/2 nights at the vet in 2007, with fluids, lab work and medication, and it cost us $700.

To Jade59: $700 for a tooth cleaning, now I find that very expensive!
We have a cat with gengivitis, adopted him in December and he had his tooth cleaning in January, it cost <$300. Tooth cleaning alone under anesthesia is $170 + $100 for blood work and IV during cleaning = $270. This price does not include extraction but I think it's # $40/tooth.
If I were you, I would shop around to find a less expensive vet...

[Maddie6]

One of my cats has a cavity, gingivitis, etc. and the estimate for X-rays, extraction, dental cleaning, anesthesia, meds, monitoring, etc. was between $600 - $700.  She already had the pre-op blood work, so it is expensive, but necessary.  

[zodiacqueen]

Oh, yes those prices sound right.  I had my cat for a check up, and got charged $377.  That included blood work, the exam, urine test, and an x-ray.  The blood work alone was around $200.  I think that vet bills will continue to go up!  GRRRRRR!

[PrettyKitty1]

I agree. It is abuse at its max! It is what you just called it: Unreasonable Vet Fees. Times have changed, and everything is more expensive nowadays, even in small towns. So it doesn't surprise me that vet bills are ridiculously high. *sigh*

[Jade59]

I am facing the same excessive pricing to get my cats teeth cleaned.  She is over 5, so the vet wants her to have a check-up, blood work and update vaccines prior to the cleaning which I am 100% on board with.  Jade will need to be anesthetized vs awake because of severe gum disease and the price also includes extractions if needed.  The total price came to $700!  

I asked what the price would be if she didn't need any extractions...$40 less.  I just about fainted!