Vet Bills, Health expenses... it all adds up...

**StaffyDaddy** · 10-06-2009, 06:48 PM

I wanna see where you guys stand on vet practices. I mean, they are in large cities, smaller towns and in between. Some are little offices, and some look like custom built homes.

My question is, do you think that paying more ensures good services? Do they jack the price up because they know we love our animals?

What would constitute a good or bad vet?

And if a vet gives you an opinion that you question, what should you do?

I've been happy with our vet, but I have to see what everyone feels on this subject.

davidfitness83 (Got the BAN STICK) · 10-06-2009, 07:08 PM

It is really hard to say because of my economic situation and funds I can't get the regular pet insurance that everyone has which is based on submitting claims. This enables you to go to any vet and you pay up front and then submit the bill to the insurance company and you get 80%-90% back. What I use is Banfield, which is pet insurance based on a monthly fee. Basically I pay 40 bucks a month per pet and they get routine check ups, dewormings, shots and neutering for free. The only thing I ever have to pay for is medicine.

I am not a fan of the vet because it is such a high volume of animals that come in that sometimes they just deal with each dog without enough attention. For example, I took Bernie to get shots and they decided to clip his nails without my permission and made him bleed. I sometimes have to call and remind them that I do not want them doing too many shots at once because I know the vet techs never remember. They decided to give him the lepto shot without asking me, they just do whatever they want and dont tell you. I wish I had the funds to get a credit card so I can pay up front and submit the bills to the insurance company and get the money back that way I can find a nice vet where I can go in and out with my dog without having to leave the dog there for 5 hours without knowing how they treat him. Although, I did tell Banfield that I am dropping off my dogs there ever again and that I will wait in the waiting room until they are done and I will take them back. If there is ever any problems I will take them to the animal hospital by my house, but I just get a bad vibe from the people that work there and how they treat the animals.

**StaffyDaddy** · 10-06-2009, 07:28 PM

Ive seen the programs that banfield offers, I'm just not too keen on the idea of a nationwide "chain". It really is heartbreaking, not to mention frustrating when you know you don't have the money for the vet, and while some will work with you, some may just say sorry and offer you care credit (which helps, but what if your credit is shot?)

And that mess about the nails, and the extra shots... well that's just stuff I wouldn't put up with. They know how much our animals mean to us, and that most of us are willing to fork over the money, but I do see people getting extra expenses incurred by the vet's opinion, or time to time an injury during a simple procedure.

belindabone · 10-06-2009, 07:46 PM

well i know here where i live i see a vet that has been here since my girlfriend was a child.i wouldnt think of going anywhere else.when i was on my drive home from texas with moose at 2 days old i was on the phone talking to them about what i needed to do to get him pooping properly.it has been the same ever since.he takes the time to sit and listen to my concerns,reguardless if his waiting room is full or not.if im in a money crunch,he does only what is neccessary,and if it is more than i can afford at that visit he allows me to pay it the following visit.not too long ago,i had to have one of mine put down because it bit my daughter.the vet came to my house on a sunday to put her down....ive never seen that before,other than at our farm.a good vet doesnt have to be high,but should be thorough.we have 2 dogs and a cat,so i spend quiet a bit monthly on vet bills being its for flea medicine,or shots.i think it is very important to have a personal relationship with your vet.you would if it was for your child,so if you arent happy with one,then you should shop around and get referrals from friends or others that have pets.

**performanceknls** · 10-06-2009, 07:57 PM

Find a good vet! unfortunate unless you have a back ground in veterinary medicine or have been around dogs long enough to know when you are getting ripped off, it is hard to ID a bad vet. There are many no good vets out there and some that just don't care. The most important thing is to find a vet who will listen to what you have to say and address your concerns. You know the dog best and what is "normal" and what is not for you dog. A good vet will listen to have you have to say and take that into consideration. a good vet will not want to do every test in the book to find out what is wrong with your dog (unless a life threatening condition time cannot be wasted) they will do what they feel is the most likely and start there. The Vets that want to run every test under the sun are in it for the money, they should never make you feel like a bad owner if you want to start diagnoses off slow and eliminate the obvious first. I worked with many vets from a large cooperation that really just wanted your money. It is really sad what crooks the can be. After working as a vet tech for many years I would not even let the vet hospital I worked at treat my dogs. I drove 1 hr away to get vet care from IMO the vet around. I guess it was only fitting that I move down the street from his office 2 years ago, lol.

**StaffyDaddy** · 10-06-2009, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by performanceknls

Find a good vet! unfortunate unless you have a back ground in veterinary medicine or have been around dogs long enough to know when you are getting ripped off, it is hard to ID a bad vet. There are many no good vets out there and some that just don't care. The most important thing is to find a vet who will listen to what you have to say and address your concerns. You know the dog best and what is "normal" and what is not for you dog. A good vet will listen to have you have to say and take that into consideration. a good vet will not want to do every test in the book to find out what is wrong with your dog (unless a life threatening condition time cannot be wasted) they will do what they feel is the most likely and start there. The Vets that want to run every test under the sun are in it for the money, they should never make you feel like a bad owner if you want to start diagnoses off slow and eliminate the obvious first. I worked with many vets from a large cooperation that really just wanted your money. It is really sad what crooks the can be. After working as a vet tech for many years I would not even let the vet hospital I worked at treat my dogs. I drove 1 hr away to get vet care from IMO the vet around. I guess it was only fitting that I move down the street from his office 2 years ago, lol.

With that many dogs, I would have too!!

No, but I agree entirely with your post. It's hard for the public to determine wether their vet is trustworthy or not, and that point about running every test under the sun.. TOTALLY true, most emergency vet places want to run every little test that they can, they are open during hours of the night and burn big holes in savings accounts, pocket books, and wallets.

BLUE PIT BULL MAN (Got the BAN STICK) · 10-06-2009, 08:13 PM

I go through the vet hospital its the only thing around here that deals with pits. i like them because the are inexpensive and knowlageable and there is more than one vet there so if i want another opinion i can ask the guy in the next room

I am paying 26 dollars for the office visit and very little for testing blood work and treatments. and the cool thing is they can do alot of the lab work there most doesn't have to be sent off so we figure out whats going on faster.
A good vet is one that knows what they are doing and gets to know your animals and listens to what you feel about the situation.
just what i think.

**StaffyDaddy** · 10-06-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLUE PIT BULL MAN

A good vet is one that knows what they are doing and gets to know your animals and listens to what you feel about the situation.
just what i think.

Nizmo · 10-06-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StaffyDaddy

I wanna see where you guys stand on vet practices. I mean, they are in large cities, smaller towns and in between. Some are little offices, and some look like custom built homes.

My question is, do you think that paying more ensures good services? Do they jack the price up because they know we love our animals?

What would constitute a good or bad vet?

And if a vet gives you an opinion that you question, what should you do?

I've been happy with our vet, but I have to see what everyone feels on this subject.

i think people should be very particular about investing money and your animals life in veterinary doctors. i honestly think for the majority, you really do get what you pay for.
yo pay 35 bucks for a spay, i will guarantee you will get exactly what you pay for. (using the same surgical instruments that they just used on another spay, no pain pills, no machine monitoring, ect..) so i really do believe that in this practice you usually get what you pay for.

if you ever question a vet's medical call, it is always good to get another 1 or 2 or even 3 other opinions from different offices. i would never take a big diagnoses from just one vet unless i had full faith in them. its always good to get other opinions.

a good vet is someone that explains what they're doing and why they're doing it. communication is the biggest thing for me personally.

great post OZ!

**StaffyDaddy** · 10-06-2009, 08:23 PM

Hey guys what about a vet and the better business bureau???

**performanceknls** · 10-06-2009, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nizmo357

i think people should be very particular about investing money and your animals life in veterinary doctors. i honestly think for the majority, you really do get what you pay for.
yo pay 35 bucks for a spay, i will guarantee you will get exactly what you pay for. (using the same surgical instruments that they just used on another spay, no pain pills, no machine monitoring, ect..) so i really do believe that in this practice you usually get what you pay for.

if you ever question a vet's medical call, it is always good to get another 1 or 2 or even 3 other opinions from different offices. i would never take a big diagnoses from just one vet unless i had full faith in them. its always good to get other opinions.

a good vet is someone that explains what they're doing and why they're doing it. communication is the biggest thing for me personally.

great post OZ!

Not always true but I agree to a point if you get bargain discounts of vet care something might be wrong!! lol
But my vet is way cheaper than the other vets and I get top quality care and he has a state of the art facility.

Nizmo · 10-06-2009, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by performanceknls

Not always true but I agree to a point if you get bargain discounts of vet care something might be wrong!! lol
But my vet is way cheaper than the other vets and I get top quality care and he has a state of the art facility.

not all but a lot. i know the 160 dollar neuter at my vets office was amazing. they really go the extra mile.
but a lot of the franchise offices, one in particular that i ex terned at, has 75 dollar spays, and there was a whole lot of shady stuff going around. im not going to speak for all of them, because thats unfair. but to a certain point i believe you get most of what you pay for usually.

belindabone · 10-06-2009, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLUE PIT BULL MAN

I go through the vet hospital its the only thing around here that deals with pits. i like them because the are inexpensive and knowlageable and there is more than one vet there so if i want another opinion i can ask the guy in the next room

I am paying 26 dollars for the office visit and very little for testing blood work and treatments. and the cool thing is they can do alot of the lab work there most doesn't have to be sent off so we figure out whats going on faster.
A good vet is one that knows what they are doing and gets to know your animals and listens to what you feel about the situation.
just what i think.

MY MIKADO · 10-06-2009, 11:40 PM

My vet is amazing. He is always bettering him self taking classes in new Holistic treatments. He is not in it for he money hardly ever charges me an office call. I can just walk in and talk to him. I can call him on the phone and ask questions.

We have about 15 vet offices in the surrounding area and I only trust three vets to work on my dogs. Two of them are the cheapest around and all three love bullies two of them own APBT's.

I worked ofr two different vets for a total of 13 yrs. One didn't mind answering all your questions he was up front if he didn't know he would call the Univeristy and get answers he wasn't expensive either. The other vet he only told you what he thought was important. he didn't like for you to read anything. He thought he knew it all and you had better not question him.

PeanutsMommy · 10-06-2009, 11:45 PM

first thing when we got Peanut I signed him up for pet insurance.
I worked for a vet for 3 years and seen them go from a private owned vet that had a special pet fund and worked with people that wanted to help their pet but didnt hae enough money to being part of VCA that was in it for the money and the prices went up the pet fund went away..i quit.
the vet we go to now is privately owned and does adjust prices to help owners out but it is still expensive. having pet insurance you pay the bill and you get money back a few weeks later. i will always carry pet insurance for any pets i have