$500 Vet Bill, $60 Parking Ticket!!!!!

That does seem awful high to me as well.  Heck, i took kayCee in 4 weeks ago this moring and there was the ofice visit, and he did a full blood panel,  CBC, utrasound, did a 1 1/2 hour surgery to remove the tumor, she was in ICU from Friday morning til she died Sunday night, on round the clock iv, antibiotics, pain meds and was force fed special food because she would not eat and had to eat to keep her bowels from shutting down adn the bill was $1500 and he knocked 20% off that and only charged me $1200.

There's two philosophies that vets tend to take when figuring up charges.  One type of vet tends to charge for services and wants to make sure that expenses are covered but your cost kept as low as possible.  Then there's the ones who seem to want to milk everything possible out of you - the clinic is very much run like a commerical operation and nothing else.

There's a song in Les Miserables that comes to mind when I deal with vets like this. It's called "Master of the House" and the part that I remember particularly is:

" Reasonable charges
Plus some little extras on the side!

Charge 'em for the lice
Extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice
Here a little slice
There a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks he knows
How it all increases
All those bits and pieces
J***! It's amazing how it grows!"

I'd find another vet if possible.  the fact that the receptionist is so skilled at smoothing over those reactions of shock, tells me every customer just about, is similarly shocked at the bill.  I remember how apologetic my vet was when I had to pay $600 for Lynn's stay when she had parvo.  I had to reassure everyone from the vet to the techs to the front desk receptionist, that it was okay, that I was just happy my dog was alive and back home so soon, and that it was actually a good bit less than I had feared when we first got the diagnosis!

It does depend on where you live.  My dog's annual exam was two weeks ago and the total was $120.03.  Annual exam $37.75, vaccinations $24.50, bordetella $11.50, fecal $17.40, heartworm test $32.00.  I got a $3.12 discount as I scheduled him in within a month of the reminder notice.  I did not need to buy any Frontline Plus or Iverhart Plus as I still have some.  Iverhart Plus is a monthly tablet and is not very expensive. It kills fleas and ticks.  My vet used to sell Heartguard, but changed years ago to Iverhart which is less expensive and does the same good job as the other. 

Oh I forgot to add that when you bring your dog in for its annual, nail clipping, ear cleaning, and anal gland expression are free at that time. 

Sorry Denise - that's major income opportunity. 

1.  They should NEVER have pulled blood for a thyroid panel and unless they are sending it to Michigan State (which should be about $90) it should be about $45 and the blood pull should be included. 

2.  Interceptor is better -- particularly for a herder -- and does more.  I sent you an email on the Revolution issue.

3.  Their prices are high -- but it's all pretty calculated to charge to a price (since you saw the woman before with a shocked $500 bill with lots of explanation I'd bet it's typical).  But given that he was LESS weight than last year, NO WAY should you have paid for a thyroid panel (and what an expensive one -- and I send my dog's out to Michigan which is higher than anything all the time!!).  The vet should have looked at last years FIRST.  Thyroid is always a possible BUT it wouldn't be 'better' than last year if it was thyroid.  It would have been worse. 

Taken advantage of?  You bet.

rwbeagles

did you actually agree to the thyroid test? Seems like to me you were still thinking about it...and they did it anyhow? No way I'd pay for that...nnnnope.

I was still thinking about it! She may have taken my silence (as she was giving her spiel) as an agreement. I can understand that, but I was surprised she wouldn't want to see if better control of the diet would have worked first instead of pushing for the test. That alone would not have been so bad but it was the whole combination of 'extras' that made me feel like they were just out to suck my wallet dry. The crazy part is I end up feeling that they are making judgements on how much I love my dog when if I opt not to follow their recommendations.  

Heck the full thyroid panel done at MI state was just $80 at my vet, including blood draw!

I would've been furious if my vet tried to bully me into so many things honestly.  I think a letter to them might be in order.
 

I find this astonishing too!  My BF's aunt and uncle have a rat terrier that should weigh about 15 pounds or less and he weighs 20!  We've been telling them for 3 YEARS to get the thyroid done but their vet always says, don't feed him so much.     So the dog hurt his back leg and they took him to the vet.  The vet said he needs to go on a diet and they said they've decreased his food intake to less than 1/2 a cup a day and he was still gaining.  So then the vet says ok lets run some tests.  Does he check thyroid first?  No, he does everything else, THEN checks it. And ya know what?  It's LOW!  Big shock!!!

Everytime I saw that dog I felt bad for him because when I first met him, he was a great looking dog.  Now he looks like a sausage.  And his aunt this past weekend had the gall to say "we would have never known if he hadn't hurt his leg!"  Um?  WTF???  I may not be a vet but dang it I know about dogs!  sheesh......

But yes, I would agree you got taken a bit on this.  The prices I pay are lower all around for those items. 

Hmm, I paid a little over $700 for two dogs' annual check up, HW and flea meds (3 months worth) back in March, and I was floored by that....I use both interceptor and frontline year round, and it gets really pricy. What irritated me this last appointment was being charged for a HW test before she would prescribe interceptor for the year, even though I use the stuff year round and there's no way they have heart worms....and yeah, I expect them to take my word for it.

2shelties

What irritated me this last appointment was being charged for a HW test before she would prescribe interceptor for the year, even though I use the stuff year round and there's no way they have heart worms....and yeah, I expect them to take my word for it.

Sorry, but no "preventative" is foolproof.  It is not a matter of the vet not trusting you.  She very wisely does not completely trust the pesticide.

Possible problems with the pesticide: 

• It doesn't happen often, but a larvae could to get into a position of low blood flow and not get enough pesticide to kill it. 
• A dog can spit out a tablet behind the owner's back and another dog can scarf it up. 
• A dog can throw up the tablet in the yard unnoticed.

Gosh, I just took my two for their annuals and it was 407.00.  I thought that was high and their vet is in a posh town.  My office visit used to be 35 and now it's 41.00.  Fortunately I didnt have  a ticket to add to my bill. 

Forget writing a letter - I would march in there and kick up a tremendous stink in person. In front of all the other customers, who might be feeling similarly but are too timid to say anything.

My vet in CA was quite pricey, but to give you an example, the cost for Rascal's neuter surgery, plus 2 blood panels before anesthesia (the first one was a little abnormal, so they had me wait 2 days and bring him back), plus IV fluids during surgery to prevent dehydration, plus teeth cleaning, plus antibiotics and pain pills (for gum infection and post-neuter pain, respectively) ran about $400 total. And again, my vet was expensive compared to even others in the same area.

IMO you should find a new vet, and don't just complain to the office staff, complain to the primary vet - it's possible the "head honchos" might not be aware that their office staff is trying to rob everyone blind! 

I have a friend that's a vet... I hate to say this, but they get paid a direct percentage of all charges.  So it'd be in her best interest to push things that are spendy, like Thyroid tests.  My friend was very ethical about it, he felt he made enough money doing his job without milking it.  I'm not sure your vet clinic was ran this way or not... but it would be my guess.

I'm with the others, I wouldn't have accepted the thyroid test.  They should go over costs with you versus saying "it's kind of expensive" or whatever before doing things like that.  That makes it seem like she was trying to be shady and push the tab up.  And it does sound very expensive everything on the bill seemed inflated to me.

I had to rush a dog in for an Emergency visit not so long ago with blood work taken and a physical exam, subcues and an antibiotic shot, I don't have the breakdown, but it was about $120.  The corresponding 3 days of IV treatment and at the vet receiving medical treatment was $600, to give a comparison.

You may wanna shop vets! ... and sorry about the ticket :(
 

Wow for that price you might as well be going to a holistic vet!

$42 for anal glands...OH NO. Our vet only charges $25 and she is the highest reccomended in the area!

calliecritturs

2.  Interceptor is better -- particularly for a herder -- and does more.  I sent you an email on the Revolution issue.

Thanks Callie. I did not receive your email. Could you resend it? I think what I will do is return the Revolution and get Interceptor. My main concern is heartworm prevention even though Toronto is not a high risk area - it's cold in Canada, aye?.  That's why I think 7 months or year round is overkill (my pun for the day!)