Vets sure now how to rip u off

[Rocketo]

my dog broke her bone in her paw this sat...and well just to go to the emergency vet service and get it aligned and splinted cost 1500

i'm just wondering what's the most costly bill people have had at a vet

[hugh_da_man]

That's really not that expensive. The vet has to pay for his/her time, assistant's time, receptionists, rent, licensing fees, equipment, materials, phone lines, internet connections, etc. Plus, the vet had to go to school to get an education and so he has to be decently compensated for his time.

You know that it would cost you a lot more to have your own bone aligned and splinted if the Canadian government wasn't picking up the tab.

[ephemera]

Check out Blue Cross animal hospital next time.

[Rocketo]

That's really not that expensive. The vet has to pay for his/her time, assistant's time, receptionists, rent, licensing fees, equipment, materials, phone lines, internet connections, etc. Plus, the vet had to go to school to get an education and so he has to be decently compensated for his time.

You know that it would cost you a lot more to have your own bone aligned and splinted if the Canadian government wasn't picking up the tab.

so you are saying that because he went to school he should charge 500 dollars an hour ? i went to school studied hard in a different field i sure as hell don't get compensated as much as they do..considering my job is a lot of more stressful and high paced...

i'm not arguing with the fact that they should get paid that much but to the fact that they take advantage of the fact that they know that you will pay for it regardless...since your dog is a loved one...if it was 3k i'd still pay it

[CSK'sMom]

I don't consider vets a ripoff, I'll say that first. When we had the farm our biggest vet bill was for a double visit on a weekend by our large animal vet. First he had to come out and pull a stubborn bull calf from a heifer. Off the vet goes, everything is fine. Four hrs later he was back as the heifer prolapsed her uterus (pushed it outside her body). Basically the heifer needed an epidural, uterus cleaned and repacked and stitched up to keep it in along with a shot to stop the contractions. Total bill for both visits was just over $1200 which was not bad considering it was 2 seperate farm visits on a long weekend.

[Bazooka Joe]

Some vets are a total ripoff. For what it's worth, $1500 is a lot for no surgery. My dog came second place in a fight with a porcupine and it only cost me $450. As for most expensive bill, I'd rather not say as I'm embarassed to have spent that kind of money on an animal that died anyways.

Finding a reasonably priced good vet is really difficult. When you find one stay with them forever.

[Rocketo]

I don't consider vets a ripoff, I'll say that first. When we had the farm our biggest vet bill was for a double visit on a weekend by our large animal vet. First he had to come out and pull a stubborn bull calf from a heifer. Off the vet goes, everything is fine. Four hrs later he was back as the heifer prolapsed her uterus (pushed it outside her body). Basically the heifer needed an epidural, uterus cleaned and repacked and stitched up to keep it in along with a shot to stop the contractions. Total bill for both visits was just over $1200 which was not bad considering it was 2 seperate farm visits on a long weekend.

ok that was a good price but all my vet did was give an xray pretty much put her to sleep and then put a splint on...i'm not arguing on whether it was worth it..cuz to fix my dog's problem i would do anything ..i'm just saying sometimes i feel that it's very expensive to go to the vet..especially an emergency one

[CSK'sMom]

Emergency vet clinics will always cost you more than your regular vet. You're paying for them to be available after regular hours. Unfortunately, it's just the way it is, just like calling a plumber out after hours. With that said, vets aren't regulated as to what they can charge. A new vet just setting up practice will unevitably charge more than an older vet who's been in practice for decades due to the initial cost of setting up the practice. More affluent areas of a city, vets will charge more based on what the market will bear. It's all economics...

[Rocketo]

Emergency vet clinics will always cost you more than your regular vet. You're paying for them to be available after regular hours. Unfortunately, it's just the way it is, just like calling a plumber out after hours. With that said, vets aren't regulated as to what they can charge. A new vet just setting up practice will unevitably charge more than an older vet who's been in practice for decades due to the initial cost of setting up the practice. More affluent areas of a city, vets will charge more based on what the market will bear. It's all economics...

i didn't go after hours...actually my vet told me to go there instead since they said they were booked for the day and they didn't have the supplies needed to get her repaired...

[hugh_da_man]

so you are saying that because he went to school he should charge 500 dollars an hour ? i went to school studied hard in a different field i sure as hell don't get compensated as much as they do..considering my job is a lot of more stressful and high paced...

i'm not arguing with the fact that they should get paid that much but to the fact that they take advantage of the fact that they know that you will pay for it regardless...since your dog is a loved one...if it was 3k i'd still pay it

No, I'm saying that because he went to school and runs a business that requires him to have office hours where he might not have any clients there (ie, after hours since it's an emergency vet) he needs to charge more to cover all of his costs and still make a decent wage for himself and his employees.

It really doesn't matter what you do. I think a vet should be compensated decently for his/her time otherwise there will be no incentive to have an after hours emergency vet.

Also, I think it's insulting to say that vets are taking advantage of you. I've been to an emergency vet and they are usually the biggest animal lovers around. They do what they do because they love animals usually. It's possible some vets are ripping you off but most I've been to charge a lot because they have to make sure their business survives.

[bionicbadger]

There is pet insurance you could have gotten.

[CSK'sMom]

Then I'd be seriously looking at your own vet and their abilities! If your own vet can't see an animal in a somewhat semi-urgent situation and isn't equipped to deal with broken bones than I would be seriously questioning the situation and even looking for another vet.

Rocketo, emergency vet clinics charge premiums period, it doesn't matter if it's after hours or not. They are usually set up as a full animal hospital that is fully equipped to deal with everything, including critical trauma cases. For example, we have a vet here in Niagara doing housecalls. He only charges $50 to come out, our regular vet charges about $45 for an office visit. In contrast, our emergency vet clinic charges $150 just to walk in the door Mon-Fri and $200 on the weekends.

[Rocketo]

Then I'd be seriously looking at your own vet and their abilities! If your own vet can't see an animal in a somewhat semi-urgent situation and isn't equipped to deal with broken bones than I would be seriously questioning the situation and even looking for another vet.

Rocketo, emergency vet clinics charge premiums period, it doesn't matter if it's after hours or not. They are usually set up as a full animal hospital that is fully equipped to deal with everything, including critical trauma cases. For example, we have a vet here in Niagara doing housecalls. He only charges $50 to come out, our regular vet charges about $45 for an office visit. In contrast, our emergency vet clinic charges $150 just to walk in the door Mon-Fri and $200 on the weekends.

yeah that's what we pretty much paid
that's what happens when you live in bayview village

[malbadon]

There was a W5 report a few months ago that I saw about the vet industry in Canada and it was less than flattering.
They had cameras in a Banff vet seminar where vets learn the best ways to take people for as much as possible, since people will pay almost anything for their pets. Different drug hawkers making special deals with vets to sell their medicine over cheaper kinds. It was all the bad things you'd ever heard about US style healthcare wrapped in and bundled into veterinary medicine.

Basically because we are so used to socialized medicine and those costs for ourselves, vets take advantage of the fact people don't realize that the vet industry doesn't work that way at all. One vet can charge $100 bucks to extract a tooth, the next one could charge $1000 bucks. It's the wild west and they charge what they figure you'll pay to not lose poor Mr. Tinkles. They even had the head of vets in BC say its not vets fault people are stupid and don't know this stuff.

Pet Meds were the worst, calling across the country they found vets charging anywhere from 12 bucks to 120 bucks for the exact same vial of medicine that costs 10 bucks to the vet.

One thing I learned from it that I didn't know is that you are allowed to ask your vet to write a prescription for you medicine and then go to a normal pharmacy to get it.

Then they compared it to England (I think) where public outrage over this practice a few years ago brought in legislation and now vets have to post what their "dispensing fee" is in their office so people can compare and surgeries, etc, are on a England-wide pay rate (I think it was like how dentists work here).

[Rocketo]

i was forward this..thanks

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/cat_got_your_wallet/

[602535]

A lot of clinics really do rip you off, and charge insane amounts of money for absolutely nothing... such as a 300 dollar ****ing bandaid

Thats when I changed vets

There was a vet on Progress road, it moved somehwere else in scarborough... dont remember the exact address right now, but its great. The people there are great, and they genuinly care about your pet. Ill edit this post when I remember the name and location :P

[malbadon]

Marketplace! that was it. Wfive....Marketplace.... it was one of our Canadian investigative shows :)

[aimfox]

dont forget, vets get paid a lot

[Dustbunny]

Vets are one of those businesses that you really have to feel comfortable with in how they care and what they charge as some will totally soak you. Some will also not take what's best for the pet into consideration as fast as how fast they can empty your wallet. You need to know who you are dealing with, great vet or money making entity.

For sure, an emerg clinic charges premium fees especially in off hours. All you can do is call around asking what a particular service costs (so you can compare properly) and get some idea about who to go to before you need to go. I can tell you I know that when my dog needs help, she isn't going to closest clinic to me because they would rather euthanize and charge for every test in the book than just do what is best. If you can figure out where the vets are that you need before you need them you won't be as likely to get soaked.

Meanwhile, seems to me your vet should have been able to handle this in their office. My vet fits people in all the time and the only time he sends people elsewhere is when they really do require facilities he doesn't have, but x-ray and set a leg....seems pretty basic.

[UrbanPoet]

so you are saying that because he went to school he should charge 500 dollars an hour ? i went to school studied hard in a different field i sure as hell don't get compensated as much as they do..considering my job is a lot of more stressful and high paced...

i'm not arguing with the fact that they should get paid that much but to the fact that they take advantage of the fact that they know that you will pay for it regardless...since your dog is a loved one...if it was 3k i'd still pay it

Vets require a MEDICAL freakin education. Its not just a hack job. You gotta factor in all the education required, as well as the cost of running a vet. practice. It may seem like they are getting $1500/hr but it might end up being $30/hr after they factor in the cost of renting a building, hiring a receptionist, an assistant, supplies etc...

How do you know that the equipment they used didnt cost $50,000?

[dark169]

if your willing to pay it, how is it the vets fault?

They are in a pretty favorable position to make money, can't really fault them for that. Ever wonder why a jerry can costs 10 times the price at a gas station as it does at canadian tire? You need their service NOW and are obviously willing to pay, welcome to the real world.

[MoonDoggy]

if your willing to pay it, how is it the vets fault?

They are in a pretty favorable position to make money, can't really fault them for that. Ever wonder why a jerry can costs 10 times the price at a gas station as it does at canadian tire? You need their service NOW and are obviously willing to pay, welcome to the real world.

I watched the CBC special about vet charges. They noted in the show that some of the vet prescriptions are also available to human (i.e. over the counter at your local pharmacy) which cost much much less than those prescribed by your vet. They don't have a law on how much they can charge so they charge by region (i.e. richer areas vs poorer areas).

[IronMac]

How do you know that the equipment they used didnt cost $50,000?

Doesn't mean that they should pay it all off in one shot. :lol:

[heat]

i think he charged what everyone charges. In my opinion if u cant afford vet bills then dont get urself a pet in the first place.


That's really not that expensive. The vet has to pay for his/her time, assistant's time, receptionists, rent, licensing fees, equipment, materials, phone lines, internet connections, etc. Plus, the vet had to go to school to get an education and so he has to be decently compensated for his time.



+1

neways thats just my 2 cents on it. Not trying to piss any1 off here.

[kuqdew]

With $1500, you should've bought a new dog.

Heck, you could have bought 5!

[heat]

With $1500, you should've bought a new dog.

Heck, you could have bought 5!

:lol: trueee

[IronMac]

With $1500, you should've bought a new dog.

Heck, you could have bought 5!

Weren't you banned for posting something along similar lines last week?

[felix]

dont forget, vets get paid a lot
Not really a lot. Starting salary in Ontario is around $60,000, in Vancouver is around $70,000. And in USA up to $100,000 US or so for fresh new grads.

How do I know? My good friend is a vet, and my sister will be a vet next year. She accepted the job offer already and she hasn't even graduated yet! ;)

Note that for doctors, they are paid by the government. While vets only get paid by their clients. So they earn a lot of less money for the same amount of schooling/work. That's what my vet friend told me anyway. :)

[IronMac]

Not really a lot. Starting salary in Ontario is around $60,000, in Vancouver is around $70,000. And in USA up to $100,000 US or so for fresh new grads.

How do I know? My good friend is a vet, and my sister will be a vet next year. She accepted the job offer already and she hasn't even graduated yet! ;)

Note that for doctors, they are paid by the government. While vets only get paid by their clients. So they earn a lot of less money for the same amount of schooling/work. That's what my vet friend told me anyway. :)

Actually, relatively speaking, that's pretty good money for a starting salary. Did your vet friend say how much he actually makes?

[felix]

Actually, relatively speaking, that's pretty good money for a starting salary. Did your vet friend say how much he actually makes?
It's a she. Her starting salary if I remember correctly was $55,000 in Markham (GTA) area and this was about 6-7 years ago in May 2001. But it's probably higher now, my mom mentioned $60,000 when I said it was $55,000. I assume my sister told her it was $60,000. I do know it's about $10K higher in Vancouver (probably due to the lack of vet schools there), which is why my sister was thinking of moving there.

Edit : I think most new vets are female. My sister says most of her classmates are female (maybe U of Guelph in general has more female than male). And few asians of course. My sister and my good friend were one of 1 or 2 asians in their graduating class. :)

She told me there are only 3 vet schools in Canada. I think two of them were in Ontario. The biggest/most popular is U of Guelph (if i remember correctly).

[kleptodathief]

ya i HATE THE VETs..bunch of scam artists...i had a dog that wusn't gonna make it and he suggested to my mom, it need operations to b done on it and the dog ended up dieing anyways shortly after...it wudda been cheaper if we just had to put the dog down! :mad:

[Euphoriiick]

I've dealt with High Park Veterinary Clinic on Dundas near High Park and the VEC emergency clinic at Yonge & Bloor. Both are very high priced and run more as a business with low empathy (personal opinion). The first one never disclosed its fees until you checked out, while the latter has a large admission fee just for the convenience of being open 24 hours (i think around $250). I've also discovered that family run vet clinics which are not conveniently located are usually better cost & care-wise.

Look for clinics just outside the city like the Renforth Veterinary Clinic. Ask for fee disclosure for all the procedures that are going to be performed so that at least your informed. A good clinic should have their prices accessible to the public.

[deep]

dont forget, vets get paid a lot
My cat's breath smells like cat food.

[qster]

Move to the US...then see if you are still complaining.

I broke my pinky finger back in grade school while on a school trip. It cost at the time $700+ USD for the doctor to examine the finger, an x-ray of the finger and a splint for the finger.

You are forgetting that the x-ray machine cost $ to operate and maintain.
You are forgetting that the doctor had to apply local anethesia during the operation and thats not free either.
You are forgetting it was emergency service and it was probably outside of working hours.
List goes on....

Would you work for the same pay if your employer called you in late at night to do the same work you do during the day?

Would you still be complaining about the costs if say it was a family member (not a pet) that broke something?

[CSK'sMom]

Not really a lot. Starting salary in Ontario is around $60,000, in Vancouver is around $70,000. And in USA up to $100,000 US or so for fresh new grads.

How do I know? My good friend is a vet, and my sister will be a vet next year. She accepted the job offer already and she hasn't even graduated yet! ;)

Note that for doctors, they are paid by the government. While vets only get paid by their clients. So they earn a lot of less money for the same amount of schooling/work. That's what my vet friend told me anyway. :)

And in the big picture that starting salary range is nothing really. Once you figure the student debt that most vets come out of school with, the staggering amount to start up a practice (if they choose to), etc. it's really not much at all...

[Psylocke]

My vet tried to get me to shell out over $700 for blood work and an x-ray b/c my cat chipped one of his fangs... :|

And why are check-ups so expensive? $58 just for her to rub my cat's belly and look in his ears and mouth!

[Rocketo]

Would you work for the same pay if your employer called you in late at night to do the same work you do during the day?

Would you still be complaining about the costs if say it was a family member (not a pet) that broke something?

yes i work for the same pay actually when my boss tells me shiet needs to get done outside of norm work hours..it's called salary jobs...

yes i would complain..my dog is my kid pretty much....so what makes that different from a brother...i would say the same thing...

[Bazooka Joe]

yes i work for the same pay actually when my boss tells me shiet needs to get done outside of norm work hours..it's called salary jobs...

yes i would complain..my dog is my kid pretty much....so what makes that different from a brother...i would say the same thing...

+1

I worked all day Saturday and didn't get a dime for it. I have gone in and fielded calls in the wee hours of the morning on work days.

If I had to pay rediculous bills for my own health care (or a family members) when there were equally qualified people doing identical quality of work for less money (however in a different neighbourhood) you'd better believe I'd complain.

[Rocketo]

+1

I worked all day Saturday and didn't get a dime for it. I have gone in and fielded calls in the wee hours of the morning on work days.

If I had to pay rediculous bills for my own health care (or a family members) when there were equally qualified people doing identical quality of work for less money (however in a different neighbourhood) you'd better believe I'd complain.

+1

[qster]

yes i work for the same pay actually when my boss tells me shiet needs to get done outside of norm work hours..it's called salary jobs...

yes i would complain..my dog is my kid pretty much....so what makes that different from a brother...i would say the same thing...

Tell me this again if you not paid on salary, but by the hour (wage).
Doctors, Dentists and Vets aren't paid by salary.

If your heater goes in the night (when its -20C out) and you call a technician...do you think the technichian is going to charge you the regular rate? Or are you the cheap type to call around or freeze overnight to fix it in the morning?

We have health insurance (OHIP) to cover our bills, but not the pets (unless you buy pet insurance). If we were using the US system and you had to pay for medical service and it was say your spouse... would you still complain about it? or would you want a price quote first only to reject it (due to high costs) and drive to another clinic while your spouse is in pain???

[qster]

+1

I worked all day Saturday and didn't get a dime for it. I have gone in and fielded calls in the wee hours of the morning on work days.

If I had to pay rediculous bills for my own health care (or a family members) when there were equally qualified people doing identical quality of work for less money (however in a different neighbourhood) you'd better believe I'd complain.

Hate to bust your bubble here...
NO vet I know of gets paid salary! There pay is based on number of clients, visits and type of work done for each visit. The same applies for dentists... That's why they give you follow-up calls every x-months to bring your pet in for a check-up.

I work a salary position too, so I know how much I'll get every year regardless of hours put in. When there is downtime at work, I would still get paid. The same does not apply for a Vet... no clients = no $.

[Bazooka Joe]

...
Would you work for the same pay if your employer called you in late at night to do the same work you do during the day?

Would you still be complaining about the costs if say it was a family member (not a pet) that broke something?


Hate to bust your bubble here...
NO vet I know of gets paid salary! There pay is based on number of clients, visits and type of work done for each visit. The same applies for dentists... That's why they give you follow-up calls every x-months to bring your pet in for a check-up.

I work a salary position too, so I know how much I'll get every year regardless of hours put in. When there is downtime at work, I would still get paid. The same does not apply for a Vet... no clients = no $.

No bubble burst, just figured I should answer your questions. I know they weren't directed at me, just offering a POV. Either way, the main point of this whole thread is that some vets charge excessive rates compared to other vets. They are professionals and deserve to be well paid, but I find it personally distasteful that some choose to stick it to you in emergency situations.

I just had my new dog spayed. I was quoted everything from $268 to "$1000, maybe higher". I had the luxury to shop around and find a price and professionalism I was comfortable with. In an emergency, I wouldn't have that luxury, and that's unfair IMO.

[Rocketo]

No bubble burst, just figured I should answer your questions. I know they weren't directed at me, just offering a POV. Either way, the main point of this whole thread is that some vets charge excessive rates compared to other vets. They are professionals and deserve to be well paid, but I find it personally distasteful that some choose to stick it to you in emergency situations.

I just had my new dog spayed. I was quoted everything from $268 to "$1000, maybe higher". I had the luxury to shop around and find a price and professionalism I was comfortable with. In an emergency, I wouldn't have that luxury, and that's unfair IMO.

atleast someone is understanding my point of view..

[Pete Jones]

Just be thankful you didn't have any exotics or birds to take to the vet.

There are very few board certified avian vets in the GTA. I think your only choices in Toronto proper are High Park or Links road. Both places have fabulous staff who know their stuff (getting a blood sample from a small bird will kill it if you don't know what you're doing) but but you can pretty much guarantee you'll be paying a premium for it.

But then again, it's all part of responsible pet ownership. You have to be prepared to pay (sometimes big bucks) at some point. If spending that kind of money scares you, then maybe you shouldn't be getting into pets at all.

--Pete

[Rocketo]

Just be thankful you didn't have any exotics or birds to take to the vet.

There are very few board certified avian vets in the GTA. I think your only choices in Toronto proper are High Park or Links road. Both places have fabulous staff who know their stuff (getting a blood sample from a small bird will kill it if you don't know what you're doing) but but you can pretty much guarantee you'll be paying a premium for it.

But then again, it's all part of responsible pet ownership. You have to be prepared to pay (sometimes big bucks) at some point. If spending that kind of money scares you, then maybe you shouldn't be getting into pets at all.

--Pete

sigh ..it's not about paying up when u have to..it's about them taking advantage of a situation where it's an emergency..so they pretty much can charge anything they want..knowing u will pay for it..without really even a hassle

[Stoe99]

Move to the US...then see if you are still complaining.

I broke my pinky finger back in grade school while on a school trip. It cost at the time $700+ USD for the doctor to examine the finger, an x-ray of the finger and a splint for the finger.



You think that is bad, when I went on a cruise my bros girlfriend was suffering from nosebleeds from the dry air. They gave her some kind of shot and stuffed some cotton in her nose. The Invocie made me cry laughing. $10 for the shot, $100 for the cotton in the nose!

[CheapScotsman]

sigh ..it's not about paying up when u have to..it's about them taking advantage of a situation where it's an emergency..so they pretty much can charge anything they want..knowing u will pay for it..without really even a hassle

So there are two situation in when a vet is needed (or any other "by the hour" professional) ... emergency and non-emergency.

We have the luxury in non-emergency situations to "check our pricing" before we buy ...

and we can get the same general info for emergency situations as well ... its called check it out NOW

Find out what the emergency rates are NOW before we need them then we will have both a place to go AND know the approximate costs (for whatever are likely scenarios for our pets: broken leg, pucture wounds, whatever) before we get there.

[Rocketo]

So there are two situation in when a vet is needed (or any other "by the hour" professional) ... emergency and non-emergency.

We have the luxury in non-emergency situations to "check our pricing" before we buy ...

and we can get the same general info for emergency situations as well ... its called check it out NOW

Find out what the emergency rates are NOW before we need them then we will have both a place to go AND know the approximate costs (for whatever are likely scenarios for our pets: broken leg, pucture wounds, whatever) before we get there.

you think it's that easy..most vets will tell u ..well we don't know the exam fee is x amount of dollars and then after that we can tell u the pricing...

by the time ur in there...u realy can't leave knowing u paid like 300 for examination and then going to another emergency vet and saying this needs to be done...they will still charge u the exam fee..it's mandatory

[CheapScotsman]

you think it's that easy..most vets will tell u ..well we don't know the exam fee is x amount of dollars and then after that we can tell u the pricing...

by the time ur in there...u realy can't leave knowing u paid like 300 for examination and then going to another emergency vet and saying this needs to be done...they will still charge u the exam fee..it's mandatoryWell, I had no problems (when I had a dog about 6 years ago) to get a list of fees from my vet ... and a quick list of fees for emergency type services as well (ie ... give me a rough if my dog had a simple fracture of his back leg ... or give me a rough if knee surgery is required). Sure they can't tell you the EXACT amount but I got a range.

[milhaus]

1) Avoid at all costs the emergency clinic. Unless the pet is in serious pain, or its life is in danger, don't go: you got hosed. I figure my vet would have charged you around $200.

2) Find a good, reasonably priced vet that you trust. There is one in the city, as far as I know. Blue Cross Animal Clinic, Broadview and Danforth, in particular, Dr. Tanney and Eaglesome.

Just as an example, my dog recently had cruciate ligament surgery. They charged me $1300 for the surgery, 5 days care, and the first month of medication. Everyone else was asking for a minimum of $2000.

[Dustbunny]

sigh ..it's not about paying up when u have to..it's about them taking advantage of a situation where it's an emergency..so they pretty much can charge anything they want..knowing u will pay for it..without really even a hassle

IMO that is the issue. Some vets will gouge, emergency or not but when it's an emergency it's unforgivable and in my experience some lay on the guilt and manipulation like crazy for no other reason than their own profit. No consideration to the stress or pain a pet may be going through, let's charge for x-rays, blood tests, whatever even if they are not needed and might cause more pain/stress. I've even had them try the 'if you really loved your dog' routine on me just to try and suck another $900 out of me for services which were not required (afraid I got him in trouble and was glad to do it).

My vet is great and I trust him totally. He never overcharges, he never over tests, and his office is packed every day he's open. He has to turn people away his office is so busy and has people driving in from other cities to see him. He has an office right in the middle of the city which he now owns outright and could have probably retired a long time ago as I bet he clears more money than the gougers. There is no reason to gouge and he's living proof. Give people someone they can trust to not take advantage of them and they will spread the word, keep coming back, and no marketing required. Gouge and the pet owner won't come back. Worse (to me) is the number of people who would adopt a pet if they didn't fear the extreme vet fees.

I have to say my vet has taught me a lot. After two dogs and various experiences, he tells me what is necessary and what isn't and why, so I don't get caught with the manipulations of some emerg clinics. You have to have some knowledge so you can ask questions and determine what is a gouge.

I know the key question to ask is 'how does this change treatment?' and if the answer is 'it doesn't' then we don't pay emerg or anyone else to do the test.

Example: One night my dog decided to have a very bad bladder infection (she always seemed to manage such things 5 minutes after reg vet office closed). I took her to emerg complete with a sample, and sure enough it was a bladder infection for which I bought some pills. Fine. Then Dr. comes out to inform me that the dog needed kidney function tests and x-rays for another $400. I asked what that would determine and they told me some very convincing stuff until I asked 'how does this change the treatment?'. Well it wouldn't. It was nice to know stuff, extra assurance that there was no kidney damage, but since bladder infections don't automatically mean kidney damage and since kidney damage would be a totally different thing to deal with and at that point a non-emergency, I told them no thanks. It was a simply a gouge. Just making money because my dog was there and they figured out what else they could possibly charge me for. Nevermind my dog was already feeling miserable and stressed, lets strap her to an x-ray table and draw a bunch of blood too. No consideration for the dog at all, just empty my wallet.

There are vets everywhere making money on yearly vaccinations which aren't necessary and have not even been scientifically verified to be safe, yet they go ahead as it's bread and butter income. There are vets selling heart worm meds in areas where the disease doesn't even exist and I recently heard of one offering a 12 month supply... in Canada...give me a break.. show me one living mosquito in this country this time of year. Those types of practices are not in the best interest of anyone but a vet who is gouging.

Do yourself a favour. Find out basic costs for x-rays, ultra-sounds, visits, standard meds (pain, antibiotics) and if you have an emergency you have some sense of what you should encounter beyond the consultation fee. Do some research when you are out walking your dog and speak with other owners to find out what experiences they have had at various emerg clinics so you know which to avoid next time. When you take the dog to the vet, ask what should have been required for that injury in the way of tests, treatment so you can see if you were treated fairly or not. Ask them what clinic they recommend and follow up with a question to see if they have any financial interest in that clinic (here some of the clinics are funded by many local vets so they make money if people use those clinics and oddly enough, those are exactly the emerg clinics that gouge... go figure).

Also, if you can, find out the strange fees/practices. I was charged 'transfer fees' of $25 each at one emerg. When I asked what that was it was the dog being taken in and out of the kennel for tests. This on top of the cost of having her in the kennel while she waited. Really, how much does it cost to open the kennel door and take a pet out to take them to the x-ray machine? Also, big red light, if they will not let you see or visit the pet if they have to stay over, get out the pet of there.

If you feel you were taken advantage of, go after them. Everyone told me it was not something that could be done when I was severely gouged (the $900 I mentioned) but I rattled their cage anyway and got my money back complete with an apology.

Just do the best you can to educate yourself so these vets who gouge don't make another cent off you. Support the ones who work to help the pet and work honestly and openly with you. Then you won't have to worry in an emergency as you will have a little more control.

[IronMac]

2) Find a good, reasonably priced vet that you trust. There is one in the city, as far as I know. Blue Cross Animal Clinic, Broadview and Danforth, in particular, Dr. Tanney and Eaglesome.

+1 from what I've heard from a friend (dogowner) and her numerous pet-owning friends.

[kuqdew]

Weren't you banned for posting something along similar lines last week?

No, I had a B40 quote in my sig.

Apparently, B40's post was OK but putting it in my sig was not

lol

[jpc82]

I've dealt with High Park Veterinary Clinic on Dundas near High Park and the VEC emergency clinic at Yonge & Bloor. Both are very high priced and run more as a business with low empathy (personal opinion). The first one never disclosed its fees until you checked out, while the latter has a large admission fee just for the convenience of being open 24 hours (i think around $250). I've also discovered that family run vet clinics which are not conveniently located are usually better cost & care-wise.

Look for clinics just outside the city like the Renforth Veterinary Clinic. Ask for fee disclosure for all the procedures that are going to be performed so that at least your informed. A good clinic should have their prices accessible to the public.

We just had to put down our parrot on New Years day. We originally went to High Park and ended up walking out on them. They were clearly about the money and Dr. Lane even had the balls to tell us our bird was dieing becuase we were nto spending enough money to do all the tests they wanted. We had already spend 2000 on tests and he wanted to run another test for over 1000 that MAY tell us what is wrong, but probably wouldn't. Also when we asked him why he told us the results from one of her tests showed up normal, yet another vet at High Park told us that they were splightly high, he told us that he is the certified avian vet "and that should be the end of that discusion". Also when my wife asked him a question about the test he gave us a very sarcastic answer and when we confronted him about it he told us it was dumb question and that since we don't have a medical background we wouldn't understand the answer.

We ended up going to the Britania Clinic and got much better care. Unfortunatly our bird was too sick and there was nothing they could even due and on New Years day we had to rush her to an emergency clinic to have her put down since she took a very sudden turn the the worst.

[Rocketo]

IMO that is the issue. Some vets will gouge, emergency or not but when it's an emergency it's unforgivable and in my experience some lay on the guilt and manipulation like crazy for no other reason than their own profit. No consideration to the stress or pain a pet may be going through, let's charge for x-rays, blood tests, whatever even if they are not needed and might cause more pain/stress. I've even had them try the 'if you really loved your dog' routine on me just to try and suck another $900 out of me for services which were not required (afraid I got him in trouble and was glad to do it).

My vet is great and I trust him totally. He never overcharges, he never over tests, and his office is packed every day he's open. He has to turn people away his office is so busy and has people driving in from other cities to see him. He has an office right in the middle of the city which he now owns outright and could have probably retired a long time ago as I bet he clears more money than the gougers. There is no reason to gouge and he's living proof. Give people someone they can trust to not take advantage of them and they will spread the word, keep coming back, and no marketing required. Gouge and the pet owner won't come back. Worse (to me) is the number of people who would adopt a pet if they didn't fear the extreme vet fees.

I have to say my vet has taught me a lot. After two dogs and various experiences, he tells me what is necessary and what isn't and why, so I don't get caught with the manipulations of some emerg clinics. You have to have some knowledge so you can ask questions and determine what is a gouge.

I know the key question to ask is 'how does this change treatment?' and if the answer is 'it doesn't' then we don't pay emerg or anyone else to do the test.

Example: One night my dog decided to have a very bad bladder infection (she always seemed to manage such things 5 minutes after reg vet office closed). I took her to emerg complete with a sample, and sure enough it was a bladder infection for which I bought some pills. Fine. Then Dr. comes out to inform me that the dog needed kidney function tests and x-rays for another $400. I asked what that would determine and they told me some very convincing stuff until I asked 'how does this change the treatment?'. Well it wouldn't. It was nice to know stuff, extra assurance that there was no kidney damage, but since bladder infections don't automatically mean kidney damage and since kidney damage would be a totally different thing to deal with and at that point a non-emergency, I told them no thanks. It was a simply a gouge. Just making money because my dog was there and they figured out what else they could possibly charge me for. Nevermind my dog was already feeling miserable and stressed, lets strap her to an x-ray table and draw a bunch of blood too. No consideration for the dog at all, just empty my wallet.

There are vets everywhere making money on yearly vaccinations which aren't necessary and have not even been scientifically verified to be safe, yet they go ahead as it's bread and butter income. There are vets selling heart worm meds in areas where the disease doesn't even exist and I recently heard of one offering a 12 month supply... in Canada...give me a break.. show me one living mosquito in this country this time of year. Those types of practices are not in the best interest of anyone but a vet who is gouging.

Do yourself a favour. Find out basic costs for x-rays, ultra-sounds, visits, standard meds (pain, antibiotics) and if you have an emergency you have some sense of what you should encounter beyond the consultation fee. Do some research when you are out walking your dog and speak with other owners to find out what experiences they have had at various emerg clinics so you know which to avoid next time. When you take the dog to the vet, ask what should have been required for that injury in the way of tests, treatment so you can see if you were treated fairly or not. Ask them what clinic they recommend and follow up with a question to see if they have any financial interest in that clinic (here some of the clinics are funded by many local vets so they make money if people use those clinics and oddly enough, those are exactly the emerg clinics that gouge... go figure).

Also, if you can, find out the strange fees/practices. I was charged 'transfer fees' of $25 each at one emerg. When I asked what that was it was the dog being taken in and out of the kennel for tests. This on top of the cost of having her in the kennel while she waited. Really, how much does it cost to open the kennel door and take a pet out to take them to the x-ray machine? Also, big red light, if they will not let you see or visit the pet if they have to stay over, get out the pet of there.

If you feel you were taken advantage of, go after them. Everyone told me it was not something that could be done when I was severely gouged (the $900 I mentioned) but I rattled their cage anyway and got my money back complete with an apology.

Just do the best you can to educate yourself so these vets who gouge don't make another cent off you. Support the ones who work to help the pet and work honestly and openly with you. Then you won't have to worry in an emergency as you will have a little more control.

well played...which vet do you go to?

[Dustbunny]

Well I'm in Calgary, so even though people travel to get to my vet it may be further than you want to go. Ask people you see with dogs where they go (if they are happy) and you'll find a good vet. There are lots of them out there who are primarily interested in the wellbeing of the animal. That is how I found my vet (after going to one who wasn't working out). Also ask if you are at a groomers, good pet store, or anywhere you see pets and pretty soon a name or two will come up more often than any others. Pet owners are the experts and even in a large city it's pretty amazing how fast good reputations travel so you'll find someone by asking around, getting on a local pet forum and asking for names, etc.

BTW, never go by who advertises as advertising costs, and costs have to be covered by the clients. IMO the really good vets don't need to advertise or put out glossy brochures. If they have to advertise their reputations aren't speaking for them. Same for the shiny fully decorated offices. Someone is paying for that too. You want to find a busy, working office where the people sitting and waiting are raving about how much they love the vet, how the vet is always fair and solves the problems without added expenses or stress.

[Just Confused]

My cat's breath smells like cat food.

That's funny. Best comment in the thread!

I'm not a pet lover (although my kids have two cats I inherited) I can't even stand going into petland store to buy their litter because of the stink of animals. So on the subject of vets I don't begrudge them their fees. They have to put up with smells like that all day every day.

[felix]

So on the subject of vets I don't begrudge them their fees. They have to put up with smells like that all day every day.
Not to mention putting up with dog/cat bites, stabbed by needles, lifting heavy dogs, etc. For this reason vets and vet students/assistants take a lot of vaccinations that other people normally won't need. That's why you see a lot of vets and assistants with scratches all over their hands and wrists. It's from cats that aren't very cooperative at the clinic.