Excessive Vet costs?

[juliev]

OK, am I nuts or did I just get totally ripped off by Banfield Pet Hospital? My rat terrier, Annie, got bit by another dog yesterday afternoon. I took her to the local Banfield since that is the closest vet office to me. She required about a dozen stitches, plus some antibiotics and pain meds. They gave her a little bit of anesthesia so they could clean the wounds and place the stitches. All in all she was there for a few hours. Total bill (so far) was over just short of $1,000! Plus I have to bring her in next week to have the stitches removed.

I have a niece in CO who is a vet. I could have driven Annie to CO in our camper for less that what the local vet cost me.

Sorry, just ranting - but is this cost excessive or am I just crazy?

[Go_Dogs]

I agree that if the client is not satisfied, then there is a problem. However, medicine is not an exact science. In human medicine, there are many variables and judgement calls. We may not realize it as medical insurance covers many, (not all) of the costs.
We just went in for our annual vet visit and distemper inoculations. We ended up with a $338 bill for two dogs. The vet felt that Lucy had a mild bacterial skin irritation, and needed medicated shampoo. He also offered us a good deal on Frontline. I had been buying the generic version, but was not happy with it. I could have bought the Frontline online but for a few bucks more, I was happy to buy from my vet. He also gave me good advice on a few other issues. He gave the dogs a good exam, made me and them feel comfortable, (a vet that cringes when he sees a pit bull and a mastiff in the same room, doesn't inspire confidence), and told me not to hesitate to call him with any questions or problems. I do not feel in any way that I was 'ripped off'. When you choose to bring an animal into your life, you must accept financial responsibility.

[WandaLust2]

juliev wrote:
OK, am I nuts or did I just get totally ripped off by Banfield Pet Hospital? .....

Sorry, just ranting - but is this cost excessive or am I just crazy?

Did you get an itemized bill? You should know exactly what you paid for. My vet gives us one without asking.

This sounds excessively high to me for what the vet there did. They have such a bad reputation here for being overpriced I don't know one soul who uses them.

[ForestRiverTeac]

dturm wrote:
Always request an estimate in writing before agreeing to any surgical or involved lab or medical procedure. If your vet doesn't provide it or cops an attitude, walk.

Doug, DVM

I have to comment ...

My Lab, Jed, just went through pretty major eye surgery for a melanoma at an opthalmological (sp?) vet. I was given an estimate, swallowed hard, and gave the okay. Later that afternoon when I picked him up the bill was $700 higher than the estimate. Sure would have been nice to get a phone call to let me know.

Additionally, the vet found that the tumor was larger than she anticipated (hence, the higher bill -- more of everything in surgery), and she changed her mind about it being benign. If I'd known THAT I'd have told her to take the eye out. As it stands, I get to play the waiting game now to see if it returns to the eye, at which time I will have it removed.

I think the lesson here is communication. The vet should have been more communicative with me during the surgery, and I should have been more directive with her about the "what ifs". It's really hard to think of all the possible scenarios when you're in the throes of life-and-death decisions. But it's vital to try and keep communication lines open so that there aren't majorly upset people when it's all done.

[doxiemom11]

The hospital ER charges less than that to sew someone up! And with x-rays to go along with it. That is awful!

[happybooker1]

juliev wrote:
OK, am I nuts or did I just get totally ripped off by Banfield Pet Hospital? My rat terrier, Annie, got bit by another dog yesterday afternoon. I took her to the local Banfield since that is the closest vet office to me. She required about a dozen stitches, plus some antibiotics and pain meds. They gave her a little bit of anesthesia so they could clean the wounds and place the stitches. All in all she was there for a few hours. Total bill (so far) was over just short of $1,000! Plus I have to bring her in next week to have the stitches removed.

I have a niece in CO who is a vet. I could have driven Annie to CO in our camper for less that what the local vet cost me.

Sorry, just ranting - but is this cost excessive or am I just crazy?

I think you we're overcharged. I had a Shih Tzu who must've gotten into a tussle with another of my dogs & his eye was popped out of the socket. I discovered it the next morning which was, of COURSE, Sunday. Off to the E-vet we went. $800 later & the eye was removed & Zippy stitched up. That included IV fluids, anesthesia, surgery, and post-op care overnight.

[AZPops]

AprilWhine wrote:
Shouldn't the owner of the dog who bit your rat terrier be the one paying the vet bill?

+1 if yours was leashed, in addition, I would have filed a police report!

[sue_t]

Our vet removes stitches at no extra cost. Will you have to pay more to have the stitches removed?

[Jarlaxle]

juliev wrote:
Thanks Dr Doug!

I thought the Banfields were franchises, didn't realize they were corporate owned. That explains a lot.

I did get an estimate, they quoted me $203.22 (and I paid that up front when I dropped her off). When I went back to get her they charged me another $752.00. They also pulled one of her teeth that was cracked (not with my approval!) and did a dental exam for which they charged me $300.00. I see online that the dental exam charges are supposed to include anesthesia, so I wound up paying for that twice - once included in the dental and another $260.00 for the anesthesia for the sutures. (I did not approve the dental exam or the tooth extraction- that had just been done about 6 months ago by our old vet) They claim that they tried to call me for authorization but my phone was in my pocket and never rang.

I also required about 25 stitches from this same incident. My stitches cost a total of $185.00, (no anesthesia) and that was at Mayo Clinic!

dturm wrote:
Banfield is a corporation, the individual vets most likely are employees and have little input as to prices, what is done, how it is done and charged and ultimate cost to you.

Just a couple of comments (I can't resist). There is no such thing as a little anesthesia. Maybe short in time, but invariably things that go wrong do so at the start. Many of the costs are the same whether it's 5 minutes or 60 minutes (preop blood work, catheter, induction drugs, inbutation,). About the only variables with time are related to personnel costs and inhalation anesthetic supplies.

That being said, last Friday I had a laceration in a geriatric patient with a severe heart condition that we thought couldn't withstand a general anesthetic. I did a local (very nice Chi believe it or not :B), cleaned the wound and placed about 15 staples. With pain meds and antibiotics she went home MUCH less that $1000.

Always request an estimate in writing before agreeing to any surgical or involved lab or medical procedure. If your vet doesn't provide it or cops an attitude, walk.

Doug, DVM

Did you pay with a credit card? If so, dispute the charge! You were, indisputably, ripped off.

[doxiemom11]

As stated previous I went to the animal hospital because granddog had been hit by a truck. She is a large 120 lb dog. All they did there was assist us in getting her out of the vehicle onto a stretcher, gave her a shot of morphine for pain and did x-rays. The vet on duty was a tiny 90 lb female who said they could do surgery, but she couldn't guarantee that she had the physical strength necessary to put the hip joint back where it belonged. We declined and contacted my vet who did surgery successfully. Cost of animal er visit with not much done - $800.00 Cost of my vet for surgery and aftercare - $450.00.

[juliev]

Thanks for your ideas, folks. I did send an email to Banfield Corporate, we'll see how they respond (if they respond). I also have 5 pets, but no one around here will give me a "family" rate. (In the Rochester area). For checkups and scheduled care I have been driving 80some miles to my old vet in the Minneapolis area. If I bring them all at once for shots or whatever, then she charges me 1.5 office visit and gives me a discount on the rest.

[BCSnob]

dturm wrote:
Comparing charges in more than general terms is meaningless, like apples to oranges.

Overhead costs at each vet clinic can vary greatly, even within the same community. Just look at the price of property (rental or purchase) for various possible locations of vet clinics (centralized in popular retail district vs. outskirts in industrial park). Overhead costs must be passed onto their clients in order to stay in buisness; the greater their overhead costs the more they must charge for their services.

Even human healthcare prices vary greatly for the same service.
One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000

We have used 3 vet clinics around our house. One in very popular retail district in a larger city in MD, one built on the vet's farm outside of a small town in MD, and the third on the outskirts of a small town in WV. Any ideas which one has the highest prices for common services?

[Go_Dogs]

" I would love to see your itemized bill and know what your dog needed surgery for and how long that surgery took."

My Sunny has had 3 knee surgeries, (Bilat ACL repairs, torn meniscus). The total was about $7200. Beau, the Great Dane had emergency gastric torsion surgery- $3000. When we brought Beau in, the vet had to send a waiting room full of clients home, so he could do Beau's surgery. He saved Beau's life. Sunny's surgeon made it possible for her to walk. I can't believe these miracles didn't cost more!

[JAXFL]

WandaLust2 wrote:

Any time you talk about anesthesia, you are looking at $400-$500. .

That is the price my dentist said for anesthesia to get my tooth pulled.

[dturm]

This is getting a little out of hand. Comparing charges in more than general terms is meaningless, like apples to oranges. The costs of doing business is so different from one state/local to another that specific dollar amounts don't easily compare.

Also, to compare anesthesia prices of a spay/neuter to that of a general surgery is doing a disservice to your vet. What we charge for those procedures in no way even covers our costs. You try to figure the actual cost for anesthesia (personnel time, use of anesthesia equipment, drugs). The actual costs (plus a reasonable return on investment) is actually closer to the $400 than the $40.

Doug, DVM