schnauzer Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 It is now $310.00 later. :D I took Zedley to the vet for his first titer test YAY. Also had a blood draw for his thyroid (to see if the meds are at the right level), had his nails clipped, had an ear looked at, discussed his recent bad thunder horrors. Got 6 months of heartworm chewables, some drops for his ears, some pillls (5) for the thunder horrors. My, my these dogs do keep us poor Edited for spelling I feel a bit better about my vet bills since my girlfriend told me she had a $14,000 vet bill for her horse (AND he died ) : A suggestion - clip his nails yourself, it is not too hard to do. You can buy a small pair of nail clippers at the pet shop. Will save you $10 -20 which is a rip off anyway. Buy a DAP for his "thunder horrors" and turn it on. I have found that by the time you give them a Zanax/valium and it works, the storm has passed. Heartworm tablets are much cheaper online/petshop, at the vets you will pay premium price. ;) That is so horrible that your friends horse cost so much and still died Zedley's nails are really tough and the vet needs two hands to close the clippers over his nails. I have broken a couple of expensive ones and I try to use the dremel on him before they get too long. This dog walks on pavements for at least 30 mins each day, most of my yard is paved also. His nails grow at a rate of knots (like every 6 weeks they have gone from a clipped 1/2 inch to a full 1 inch long ) I've tried the DAP and it has no effect on the worry wort I usually buy his meds over the net, but I have not had h/w stuff for some years and needed to see what this dog needs. In the future I will be ordering over the web. Thanks for the input. Hi Loraine, Thanks for the thought for my friend - very sad that he died, a brilliant horse full of potential. I am very surprised the DAP does not work. Has the dog been kept in the room where the DAP is on? Re the nails, could you try trimming them a bit each week? I have three dogs so my vet bills are astronomical. Andisa, I wouldn't be complaining about that price. My old boy recently had an ultrasound with a specialist and it was $375. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Hey Loraine - I hope I clarified earlier that my post was not directed at you in anyway! I saw your post for what it was - a comment re what we do for our pets but it was the following posts I was commenting on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Well I guess it's my fault for not going to my regular vet. Because it was so hot I decided to go closer so the dogs did not have to be in the car for longer than necessary (even with the a/c on). By not going to my regular vet (repo specialist) it was around $80 + more than what I would have normally paid. I have paid $40 - $45 for vaccine and microchipping per puppy, if there is no profit in doing pups at these prices I am sure that the vets would have to increase their costs considerable... As for ultrasound costs. I have only ever paid around $50 - $65 for them. No idea why anyone would charge hundreds, I sure as hell would never pay that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauzer Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Well I guess it's my fault for not going to my regular vet. Because it was so hot I decided to go closer so the dogs did not have to be in the car for longer than necessary (even with the a/c on). By not going to my regular vet (repo specialist) it was around $80 + more than what I would have normally paid. I have paid $40 - $45 for vaccine and microchipping per puppy, if there is no profit in doing pups at these prices I am sure that the vets would have to increase their costs considerable... As for ultrasound costs. I have only ever paid around $50 - $65 for them. No idea why anyone would charge hundreds, I sure as hell would never pay that... A specialist radiographer charges $50-60 for an ultrasound? That is less than a normal vet consult in many parts of Sydney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Well I guess it's my fault for not going to my regular vet. Because it was so hot I decided to go closer so the dogs did not have to be in the car for longer than necessary (even with the a/c on). By not going to my regular vet (repo specialist) it was around $80 + more than what I would have normally paid. I have paid $40 - $45 for vaccine and microchipping per puppy, if there is no profit in doing pups at these prices I am sure that the vets would have to increase their costs considerable... As for ultrasound costs. I have only ever paid around $50 - $65 for them. No idea why anyone would charge hundreds, I sure as hell would never pay that... A specialist radiographer charges $50-60 for an ultrasound? That is less than a normal vet consult in many parts of Sydney. No I was talking about puppies vaccs and an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy. My usual vet is a reproduction specialist. Perhaps I should have made that clearer to save confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauzer Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Hi Andisa, thanks for clarification. Still as cheap as chips compared to Sydney prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Hi Andisa,thanks for clarification. Still as cheap as chips compared to Sydney prices. I see what you mean, I love my vets here and would have gone to them yesterday for the visit - but more for the benefit of the dogs that they not be in the car longer than necessary is the reason I went locally. I was not vet bashing at all - even though it may have come across like that to some, but when prices vary so much for the simpler tasks I just don't get it...as it was she could not even read the ultrasound machine so I am still none the wiser, no definite "yes" or "no". But since there was no obvious signs of puppies I have accepted it as a "no". I don't mind paying for the ultrasound at all, otherwise it would not have been done, just not being confirmed either way sucks to have paid for it and still not know one way or the other. Next time I will just chose a better day and make the drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I was not vet bashing at all - even though it may have come across like that to some, but when prices vary so much for the simpler tasks I just don't get it... Every vet does not have the same overheads and expenses including paying off machines, staffing costs, rent etc etc etc. It is these things that influence the prices which they set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I was not vet bashing at all - even though it may have come across like that to some, but when prices vary so much for the simpler tasks I just don't get it... Every vet does not have the same overheads and expenses including paying off machines, staffing costs, rent etc etc etc. It is these things that influence the prices which they set. Yes that is true - for every business to remain productive. Makes me appreciate my vets even more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 There's a wide range of opinions on what a 'good vet' is, just as there is a wide range of opinions on how much it should cost. Vets offer a professional service, put many more hours into their work than they are actually paid for, yet are (frequently) undervalued. How much should veterinary services cost? Have you picked that figure because it's what you've been paying for ever, or what you think the service is actually worth? Do you feel that the professional and medical skills possessed by your veterinarian are less than say a GP? I work with excellent client who want the best for their pets. Sometimes that involves an involved diagnostic work-up, sometimes it is a simple problem. Recommending diagnostic tests doesn't mean the vet is lining their pockets, not that they have no clue, it means they are gathering specific information to make medical judgements with. Unfortunately, everything costs money and having a system such as Medicare means that many people have no idea what things actually cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticks1977 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Unfortunately, everything costs money and having a system such as Medicare means that many people have no idea what things actually cost. Would vet costs be considerably less if you had pet health insurance? I have always heard about pet health insurance but have not looked into the costs or what is involved - I presume it would be similar to private health (such as medibank, HBA, etc.)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 (edited) It is the same but different. Essentially Pet Insurance is 1 of 2 types of policy: 1. Either you get reimbursed 100% of your actual costs less an excess; or 2. You get reimbursed 70 or 80% of the actual costs (no excess) In both types of policy, there is an annual limit - usually split between Accident and Illness (budget policies allow you to cover only 1 of these) so for example the RSPCA policy I have has a $6k annual limit of accident and a $6k annual limit for illness. Within this there are certain sublimits so for example, there is a $1,200 sublimit for medication. Also - there is a cap on the amount paid for a single illness over the life of a policy. So if you treat an illness for 3 years then the maximum amount you get for that illness in the 3 years is $6k. It only covers vet treatment and prescribed treatments - it does not cover specific diet food, elective procedures (from memory) or reproductive medicene costs (ie breeder's costs) or flea treatment/ worming medication etc There are certain exlcusions like treatment for paralysis ticks. So yes - your vet costs are considerably cheaper if you have insurance - simply because you can claim the costs back. I spent $800 on a policy over 2 years for Angs and got back nearly $6k in that time. Edited January 22, 2009 by Danois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 It is the same but different.Essentially Pet Insurance is 1 of 2 types of policy: 1. Either you get reimbursed 100% of your actual costs less an excess; or 2. You get reimbursed 70 or 80% of the actual costs (no excess) In both types of policy, there is an annual limit - usually split between Accident and Illness (budget policies allow you to cover only 1 of these) so for example the RSPCA policy I have has a $6k annual limit of accident and a $6k annual limit for illness. Within this there are certain sublimits so for example, there is a $1,200 sublimit for medication. Also - there is a cap on the amount paid for a single illness over the life of a policy. So if you treat an illness for 3 years then the maximum amount you get for that illness in the 3 years is $6k. It only covers vet treatment and prescribed treatments - it does not cover specific diet food, elective procedures (from memory) or reproductive medicene costs (ie breeder's costs) or flea treatment/ worming medication etc There are certain exlcusions like treatment for paralysis ticks. So yes - your vet costs are considerably cheaper if you have insurance - simply because you can claim the costs back. I spent $800 on a policy over 2 years for Angs and got back nearly $6k in that time. That's a very good breakdown of the 2 different types of pet insurances - and because everyone is always asking - maybe it could get pinned in the Health section? (Under Pet Insurance of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saram Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 with two pups and a kitten we have been living at the vets lately - So far we have clocked up $1000 since bringing them home a month ago. Something that did annoy me a little was the kitten was a stray from the vets - I wished they had taken the time to point out her health problems before we took her and we also paid more for the spaying as she was in full heat but they were the ones to advise when she would be off heat - shouldn't they have known before opening her up that she was still in heat??? Anyway off topic. Having said that I know our vets work their tushies off and are ALWAYS helpful and caring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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