Vet's bills

[Posey]

Nicky is worth all he has cost is vet's fees. But they sometimes are a lot. How do other Carin parents afford their vets costs? Any hints on the costs are appreciated. I've heard of Ins. for vets. What kind do you have, if you take this route and how much is fair?

[hallswel]

Good question, I can save up for scheduled visits but the others really hurt the pocket book.

[Milopup]

I looked into the pet insurance, especially since Bosco had two major procedures requiring anaesthesia before he was 6 months old! On the surface the insurance looks great, but the ones I looked at seemed to only cover a small percentage of each visit.

[Scully'sMom]

When I got my first Cairn back in the 80's I had pet insurance because it sounded like a panacea. It didn't pay for anything so I dropped it. Since we've gotten Scully I've thought about getting insurance now thinking they've gotten better at paying. I'd be curious to hear more responses if some of you here have gotten it.

[kayharley]

The financial part is not so bad when it comes to routine visits/immunizations because I'm prepared for that. It was when Winnie had the eye ulcer and I was going to the vet 2x a week, then the surgery, then the post-op care. The unexpected stuff can add up and burden my checkbook but I took my financial future into account before I decided to add Maddy and Elliott to my family.

Luckily my kids are all grown so if it ever did come down to buying dog food or buying people food, Canidae/Wellness will win hands down and I'll eat whatever they leave in their bowls.

[Marmielin]

That's a tough thing. Our previous Cairn lived to almost 17 with very few vet bills because he was so healthy. The last two weeks made up for 17 low cost years though, because in trying to heal him we spent $1,700. How do you know when to stop. The doctor kept saying she wasn't sure she couldn't heal him, so how do you know when enough is enough. We would go see him at the animal hospital every night, and he would wag his tail and love on us. How could we do anything but try to get him well. In the end we had to put him to sleep, which was the hardest thing we ever had to do. My husband held him and cried while the vet did the procedure. I often question whether or not we should have spent the money, and don't know if I would do so again. But, after all those years we couldn't just let him go.

Lindab

[MikeC]

Years ago when I had five dogs of different breeds, I had the insurance. It was not worth the paper it was printed on. I have not checked recently because I doubt that it has changed. Here is what I do; I put aside $10 each week into a special account. That only amounts to $520 per year, but both my dogs are under 18 months of age and I can financially handle the routine shots, vet visits, etc. As they get older though the savings account will have grown also so if some major health issue comes along I would be prepared. If however a major crisis comes before that then I suppose I use that credit card that I have been saving for such an emergency.

MikeC

[Milopup]

How much do your vet visits cost? My annual cost almost $300 (exam, shots, heartworm test). Is this just waaayyy overpriced, or is this fairly normal? The other vet we went to in California was pretty expensive as well, with the neutering costing around $700 (test, anaestheisa, procedure) and having his teeth pulled cost around $700 as well.

[Darsey]

OMG!!! I cannot believe those prices!!! I just had Toto neutered yesterday and the total cost for anesthesia, blood tests, microchipping, the neutering, and nail trim (which was free)... $175. Toto was suppose to have his last 2 baby teeth pulled but they fell out before the neutering the cost quoted for 2 teeth....$18. Now mind you I am somewhat away from any major urban areas but the vet I go to is one of the mid-upper priced vets out here and I LOVE them... They are so friendly and personal. - Darsey

Oh yea, Posey we have 2 dogs which need work around the same time one was neutering the other has to be spaded and treated for heartworms. Me and my husband can easily swing regular visits but since this was all a (what we consider once in a life time procedures) we actually took out a small loan which will be paid in full quickly, it's worth every dime.

[Milopup]

The two procedures were done in San Diego, and the annual was conducted last month in NY.

[MikeC]

Milopup,

I live in San Jose and have an appointment to have Mickey neutered next month. The vet quoted me a price of $180.00. Regular checkups (I take mine in every 6 months) run $36.00 for each dog and this is pretty standard in the Silicon Valley area. Sounds to me like that vet in San Diego might not be the most scrupulous vet around (unfortunately there are some out there). I am assuming that you live in NYC and with the per capita income there I would think that vet care would be pretty high.

MikeC

[Toto times 2]

The prices around here (Barrie, Ontario) seem to be pretty standard. I think my vet may be a bit more but not much and I wouldn't trade them for the world. For anything out of the ordinary they will let us pay on time and there is no one else I would trust my dogs or cats with. It would be worth calling around and checking fees but also check with your friend to see who they go to.

I have had to take out loans and run up Visa a couple of times.

[Posey]

We live just outside of St. Louis, Mo, on the Illinois side. Our local vet seemed to be priced less than the one in Belleville, but my husband liked the one in Belleville, and they do seem higher. But he is willing to pay the price, so that is where we go. It seems that Nicks neuter was about $160. or so. But what we run up vet's bills on is Nick's sensitive stomach. In case he eats a praying mantis or whatever crosses his path. We watch him like a hawk when he is outside running. I mean, if it moves he feels obligated to eat it. And I think too, about when he gets older and was wondering if anyone had input on Ins. for dogs. I am going to check some out on the net. If I run across any that appears good will let you know if that is allowable. And not considered advertising.

[kayharley]

I just checked my records and for Elliott to be neutered with the pre-anaesthetic blood chemistry and pain med was 125.97 and my vet is not one of the cheapest around. I can't believe a vet would charge $700 to neuter a dog.

[Brigette]

$700 is way overpriced. I paid extra to have the laser surgery, its supposed to be less swelling, sedation, and shorter recovery time and it was still somewhere between $100-$200.

[Carolinasmom]

Last year's annual visit for shots, (rabies was not needed) and heartworm med. came to a total of $58. She had her teeth cleaned in Nov. so for anesthesia and the cleaning, it was $110.

[Eliz222]

We live in St. Louis and I take Scout and Finch to Petsmart. I have their Basic insurance which runs about $11 a month. This paid for having them spayed and for 2 full physicals a year. It also pays for all their vaccines for the year. It also pays for office visits. There is not a limit and you can go as often as you like. What you do have to pay for is their heartworm medicine, flea medicine, or any other medicine needed (like antibiotics). It doesn't cover lab fees or xrays. It was worth it when they were small because of the many visits. Since I can afford it now, i'm going to keep the insurance...at least for now.

[Milopup]

Hmm, I guess the vet I went to in San Diego is just very expensive, eh? Oh well.....

As for the annual, I just double checked the bill. The exam alone is $70, and the shots (combo, lepto and rabies) plus heartworm test made up rest of the bill.

edit: I just pulled the bill for the neutering, and it was $470 (including various tests, anaesthesia, electronic monitoring, etc.) not $700 . I guess it is still high versus the forum average.