vet prices

[georgette]

<FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT COLOR="Yellow">Am I out of touch or what? Our vet retired so I made an appointment for the babies with another local and reputable fellow.
He said that both dogs could stand a thorough tooth clean while they are still young. Since they would be "out" for this procedure, he would also use this opportunity to do a thorough ear wash on Danny (his ears are currently just fine) and he would remove a harmless teeny lump on Gabby's chest. Price estimate: $1100. I postponned this appt until summertime. Is this consistent with the prices you guys find? - georgette </FONT f></FONT c>

[Susan'sFreddie98]

That's ridiculous! It seems that Vet may be trying to take advantage. How are Gabby's & Danny's teeth? If their teeth and gums are healthy, I'd look into NO-anethesia canine dental cleaning. I think it's kinda new, fortunately there is a place here in San Diego that does it. It costs about $75. I had it done on Freddie and I was very pleased.

If Danny's ears are fine, WHY does the Vet wanna throughly clean them? Ask him about that.

As for the harmless bump thingy, is it just a fatty tumor? Those are common (I have a couple), and Danny may get more of them as he ages. Depending on how you feel about them, they say it's best to leave them alone. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

I would personally take care of the teeth now(but check around for prices first), and forget about the other two for now. $1,100 sure seems outrageous for those 3 simple procedures.<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm24.gif" border=0>

Susan

[Cindi]

I work for a vet and I have lots of friends who use different vets and the price you were quoted is outrageous!!!!! Have you tried brushing their teeth? Cleaning with gauze pads using the doggy toothpaste? Do you see tartar? There is no reason to clean a dog's teeth unless you see serious tartar buildup - back teeth and canines are the best places to check. If it is only yellowish, with patience you can gently scrub that away over a few days time. The hard brown stuff takes more dramatic effort that most people will not do at home and best left to professionals if you have not done it before.
Good luck!!

[~Jen~]

OUCH! Thats ALOT! I can believe it one of our dogs had coccidia when we brought them home and the vet charged us $40 for a 50cc bottle of albon .. vet prices are outragous! I changed vets the average going rate for the same bottle of albon is like $20 ... i would shop for a new vet!

Jen

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by ~Jen~ on January 28, 2001 at 08:56 PM</font>

[pkmiddler]

I have posted this before but here goes.A old local breeder taught me to use a DIME to remove tartar off teeth even in the back and I have always used baking soda and peroxide to clean up after.This has always worked just fine for me and all 6 of my dogs the only time any of them has had any work on teeth has been 1 broken tooth being removed from my then 9 year old girl Awful she is 11 now and my vet says every time any of my dogs come in he can not believe how they all have has he puts it young dog teeth.None of them have ever had a vet do their teeth.That includes a 12yr old who is no longer with us her now 11 yr old daughter,a 10 yr old,a 7 yr old,2 5yr olds and a 2 yr old.Kaye

[Mark]

Hi Georgette,

<FONT size="5">$1100!!!!!!</FONT s> http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/wow.gif

I'd be finding a different Vet. That price is criminal!

Kaye: The Dime tip is excellent . . . I'll try it out. Thanks!

Mark

[dutchman]

The last time I checked basic dentals assuming no other work had to be done ran about $125 for a 10 pound mini. I can't rember which number was which but anesthetic and cleaning fees were $60 and $65. Even if you double that for two dogs and add on a simply lymphoma removal (questionable surgery unless they suspect something else since these often grow back) the figure you were quoted wounds out of line. Get a second or third estimate. Are there any vet schools near you? If so you could also check there. While in Colorado the VTH is prohibited by a no compete clause from charging reduced rates they do try to charge the going rate for most procedures. Of course there are a few procedures that no one else in the are preforms.

Good luck,

Tom

[Mandy]

Georgette....

Absolutely ridiculous! Our foster is going in for some work tomorrow, so I can tell you about those prices. Our vet is reasonable for our area (actually on the lower side), but I know our area is higher than a lot of other places (our vet in KS was cheaper).

Dash is getting anesthesia, dental, 3 small tumors excised and sent off to pathology, nail trim, bloodwork and urinalysis, and some more stuff that I can't remember right now.....normal price would be less than $350 for all of this, but our vet is giving a 30% discount to DRNA for Dash. I know the tumor excision is around 50 and the pathology for the tumors is 75...or maybe vice-versa. And the bloodwork and urinalysis will take up a large portion too....

So that should give you an idea about what the dental will be.....and we are in a high vet cost area.....

Run to your yellow pages, friends, etc., and check on every other vet you can find... this guy sounds like a rip off....and if he is willing to treat you like that, how will he be treating the animals? Ask to speak to a vet or techs before taking your dogs there....ask for a tour of the place....ask for references......

[loving two dachsie's]

That is soo much money. Sounds to me like this vet is looking to make an extra buck where ever he can. If the dogs teeth are clean and healthy you can take care of them at home.

What is up with $1100 for teeth and ear cleaning???

Linda

[Mickamack]

Georgette,

I'd ask this vet what kind of lump he's removing. If it's a fatty deposit, there's not need to remove them. I was just astounded to hear $1100 for the procedures he described...I think he's trying to make a quick buck.

To add some perspective, when my Buddy was in intensive care for 2.5 days at Cornell for AutoImmume Hemolytic Anemia he was receiving 24-hr emergency care with numerous blood transfusions, etc. And the bill came to only $765.

What did this guy just buy a Ferrari and is a little late making his payments???? I'd find another vet if I were you.

Let us know how you make out.

Karen

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Mickamack on January 29, 2001 at 09:41 AM</font>

[georgette]

Thanks everyone. You'll be happy to know that I "postponned" their appointments. The ordeal for them alone was going to be over the top.
And no, their teeth have only a little plaque; the lump is harmless so I gather better to leave alone; and Danny's ear is not inflamed right now - all of this verified by the vet himself.
Yes I'm going to try another - G<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm41.gif" border=0>

[Roxane]

Ohmygosh! Not only too high, but also unnecessary!http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/dorky.gif
Would hate to have to bail you out of debtors prison, my friend.
Wish he could read the comments on this board. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/mad.gif
Roxane and crew

[wireweiners]

Good Gracious! My vet will clean teeth for around $45. Unless a dog has a very severe ear infection, ear cleaning is something very easy to do yourself. A bottle of Nolvasan Otic costs around $8.00. The only reason to clean ears while a dog is out is if they have a severe chronic infection. Unless the lump appears cancerous or is in a place where it can be irritated, leave it alone. I have a dental scaler and can clean my dogs teeth. They also like the hercules bones and nylabones. That and regular brushing keeps their teeth in good shape. Pippin is 11 and has had his teeth professionally cleaned once, when he was neutered.

[Frzframe]

WOW I'd say that is too high also - When our Emily got hit by a car a few years back (she was being babysat and she decided to try to find her way home via the highway without the use of a car)we had to rush her to KC to an emergency clinic where she had surgery 1st to remove the ball of her hip because it wouldn't stay in place on the back left side and the back right side she had to have pins put in to hold her broken bone in place. She was there for a few day plus the other appointments to see how she was recovering and the X-rays came to a grand total of only $1,200 that is only $100 more then the price that vet gave you! NO WAY!!
~Shonda

[Wienergal]

http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/afraid.gif <FONT size="4"><FONT COLOR="Red">GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY!</FONT c></FONT s>http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/afraid.gif

I live right in Chicago, where the vet prices are as high as an elephant's eye, and I've never even come CLOSE to a price like that!!! Does this guy have his office in a Trump Tower penthouse??? When he smiled, did you see diamonds embedded in his teeth?

I agree with the other comments too. Professional ear washing??? Get REAL, Doctor Bozo! And Farfel has two fatty tumors, which I asked our vet to remove when he was anesthetized for his broken tooth extraction; she advised against it--said there was no reason in the world to run the risk of infection or other post-op problems for the growth at its current size (and one of them is quite large!).

Run, don't walk, to the nearest REAL vet in your area and remind Dr. Bigbux that you didn't just fall off the turnip truck!!!

SHEESH!!!

<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm25.gif" border=0>

[Penny's Aunt]

Be sure you don't delay too long in finding another vet. Don't wait until you really need one. Vets, like doctors, often aren't super-willing to come out for an emergency at 2 a.m. if you're not already a client.

Right now, you're armed with info on your dogs' conditions. Take one in to another prospective vet & sacrifice the checkup $ to see if he's any good. If he says something like this, you may have a winner, all else being equal:

"Oh, he's got a little tartar built up, but it's not serious enough to put him through any anesthetic for it. And he's got a little fatty tumor (lypoma) here on his chest. It's about the size of a pea right now. They usually don't cause any serious trouble, so just keep an eye on it. His ears are a little dirty at the opening here, but down inside they look clean. Just mix a little hydrogen peroxide & mineral oil & moisten a Kleenex with it, then wrap it around your finger & clean this part here. Is he a hole-digger? Diggers tend to have dirtier ears than other dogs. Otherwise, he looks in good shape. Watch his weight, some of these dachsies tend to get a little chubby."

Listen to your hunches. Sometimes our good manners tend to get in the way of our common sense.

[georgette]

Thank you everyone. Your replies are absolutely consistent regarding this experience. I'm considering sending him a copy of these replies.

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by georgette on January 31, 2001 at 11:32 PM</font>

[dutchman]

Reading Karen's post reminded me I could add that Aggie's bills at the vet teaching hospital only totaled a little over $1,800 (or was it $1,900) and that included a milogram, cat scan (when they couldn't get good milogram results), x-rays, neuro surgery on two ruptured disk, numerous drugs, four days in the hospital the first half day in exams and surgery, about a half day in a general ward when they thought she was recovering from surgery and the rest of the time in the C.C.U. the last six hours or so in an oxygen cabinet with almost continuos monitoring. The neurologist in charge of her case was in checking on her numerous times over the weekend, I know she was there a good part of Aggie's last night. Of course that was just her VTH expenses I also had another $100-$200 in bills from our regular vet before she got sent to the VTH.

Tom

[Susan'sFreddie98]

Penny's Aunt put it into perspective.http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif A good "old-fashioned common sense" Vet would talk like that.

Also, you may want to look around your area for a NO-anestesia canine hygenist. I was very impressed with the one I went to here in San Diego. If all your dog needs is simple routine cleaning (and gums and teeth are healthy to begin with), that's the route to take in my opinion.

Susan