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juliev's avatar
juliev
Explorer
May 08, 2013

Excessive Vet costs?

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?

46 Replies

  • Sometimes you pay extra for stuff you may not have needed; but the facility has on hand. I've seen vet facilities that rival human ERs for high-tech stuff.

    On the other hand, my own vet has a modest place in the middle of nowhere. And today, my Cattle Dog was going crazy itching/pacing/panting - so they squeezed me in between appointments, checked him over real well, gave me prednisone to stop the apparent allergic reaction PLUS did a needle biopsy on a strange lump that turned out to be a large cyst - and the bill came to $55. I sure wish I could find a medical doctor who treats ME as well as my Vet treats my dogs :-)
  • westernrvparkowner wrote:
    And what would be a fair price for that vet to charge? Don't forget to take into consideration their eight years of college, their internship time, their experience and having all their supplies and equipment available for immediate use. I am reasonably sure you could have paid much less if you had gone to the local day labor office and hired some guy off the street to work on your dog for a few hours, but you might not have gotten as good a result. Heck, could have gotten out some fishing line, a needle and a bottle of alcohol and stitched rover up yourself, that would have been nearly free. Maybe you should have asked about the charges before services were rendered and if you thought they were too high, take your injured dog elsewhere. You were 100% in control of the situation, if you feel you paid too much, it is your own fault. Calling out Banfield Animal Clinics for something you did is wrong.
    Professional fees are not about the few hours a doctor, lawyer, accountant or veterinarian spend on your needs, it is about the 100s upon 100s of hours spent to get to where their services can be rendered.
  • Sounds pretty high.... were there xrays or anything? How did they explain the charges?
  • Yeah, maybe you did get a bit of a rip job but that's the world of medicine today. Animal or human. At least you got results. I paid $700-800.00 for tests with no results for the problem.. For $160.00 another Vet found the problem and fixed it. Ya' pays yer money and takes yer chances. I would of been happy to pay the $800.00 for positive results. Just be sure they take out all the stitches at the same time. I had stitches in my head to remove a spot of cancer. I went back to have them removed but for time reasons and I heal fast, I went early. . The doc must of figured, he'll do as I say, so removed half and scheduled another expensive appointment. No way.. I plucked them out myself. Really, no big deal.. I don't like to be "ripped".. That was my last visit to that doctor.. I think, "sticker shock" is a way of life today... IMO...
    I hope your puppy heals well..
  • A. Yes your crazy

    B. Your dog loves you

    C. We're in the same boat, and would do all over again.
  • Remove the stitches yourself. Your niece could tell you how to do it properly, or google it. I hate getting ripped off, too.

    Cat Lady