Okay, I know this is pet related but this forum has a lot more discussion. We go to a local vet. Switched recently b/c told this vet is great & much cheaper than our previous Clayton Animal Hospital (whom we LOVED btw). Alright, here goes. We have two puppies. Wanted to get them spayed & neutered. They have a clinic in Raleigh for $40 a piece. However, both had extra dew claws that needed removing & only wanted to put them under once. So, called our new vet & asked the price of spay & neutering. Told $175 for the male since he weighs more & hers would be a little less. Made the appointment despite me thinking that was kind of outrageous just at that price. Went to pick them up Friday afternoon. Alright, I was expecting a bill of around $400 to $500 for BOTH puppies for the spay & neutering & dew claw removal. It was so bad, I thought I was going to pass out as well as the receptionist! Literally. I was pacing. It was horrible, horrible feeling. I've passed out before, have history of panic attacks. This was NOT helping any. What I thought was a diagnostic code was actually our bill. Nearly $1000 dollars!!! Yes, I said $1000. Now, my question is does anyone else on this green earth think that is totally outrageous?! Please as I really do need to make some major decisions here. And today, when some of their bandages fell off, we were distraught at what we saw on their legs. They did not just take out that extra dew claw as we thought they were. Looks like they amputated them. We would have NEVER have done that. Never did it w/ our other dogs. Just thought they were removing the claw. Guess we misunderstood. Now, vet called back. Well, receptionist did. She said she felt bad b/c it really looked like I was going to pass out & she said I looked totally shocked by the bill. You think?! If I call up and ask a price, I'm assuming it includes everything. Especially, since spay & neutering is so common place. Umm, no. Apparently, there are "extras" you pay for. My husband I'm told agreed to them. He said he didn't know how much they were. $60 for an E-collar to me seems excessive. I can make one from Lowes cheaper than that! Pain meds...extra. Laser....extra. Okay, the bill read like a doctor's office. See, the reason hospitals charge so bloody much is b/c you are not only paying for yourself but the folks who don't pay as well. A buffer if you will. That is NOT the case w/ a vet office though I think this place is seeing it that way. Anyhow, they called and said they'd credit us $50 for the bandages we were charged for. It was maybe $2.00 worth of bandages. I know, I buy them for my kids after surgeries. Doesn't take much to wrap up a puppy leg. URGHH!!! I do like this place & the people. Until now I had no issues and fees seemed reasonable. So far everyone I've discussed this with has said this is a total rip off. We are to go back tomorrow for a check of the incisions. What would you all do? Is this a reasonable price??? I knew it would be more than the clinic &that is why I called. But it wasn't this much when our previous dog, Bear, hit head on w/ a pick up truck. He went to the doggie version of the ER on a Sunday evening. His bill was $700 & that was extensive stuff happening there. Should I give this vet another shot? I'm just really torn right now as many have said I got ripped off. what do you think? Thanks for the input. Again, no issues w/ their qualifications or how they treat the animals. Just this whole incident has left a bitter taste in my mouth if you know what I mean. Stephanie--mom to 7
No. I'd never even heard of them. I won't give the name publicly. Not sure why but feel I shouldn't give their name on a public forum. Stephanie-- mom to 7
That is ridiculous. I feel pretty comfortable with our vet, but after reading that, I'll get an itemized estimate for any major procedures/surgeries.
Sounds like the vet we used for many years...then they told us we had to get our own stool sample in for the vet visit or they'd charge us extra, their prices doubled for the visit, and I won't even mention what the vaccination charges were! We had almost $400 for just a check up on two very healthy dogs!!!!! Last time we went there, that was for sure! We now love the one that was by Food Lion and just moved to their new location.
That is outrageous. Molly's spay with SNAP or something like that (mobile clinic) was $50. Supposed to be cheaper for a male dog than a female too. We were using Clayton Animal Hosp at the time and after all her other health issues, I simply couldn't afford what they wanted for the spay. I know they charged me out the wazoo when I had a cat neutered and declawed ($300). Had the same thing done at a vet back home in VA and they kept her for 3 days for me while I was out of town for $90. I have no idea what the disparity is in the pricing between vet offices. I'm using a different vet now and although it's inconvenient, the prices make it worth the drive. I'd be running that up the flag pole, $1000 is WAY too much in my opinion.
Request the Disciplinary Action Information record of the Vet. You can do that here http://www.ncvmb.org/assets/Discip.htm It's a good start to evaluate if you're not alone in complaining about them.
Like you, I would be very upset. I would expect the price that was quoted me to include everything we discussed.
I agree that the price that was charged was an outrageous amount for what was done, but abdulina did say somewhere in the post that her husband agreed to the "extras" they were charged for. Nowadays, if businesses can get you to agree to them ripping you off, they will. Maybe i read incorrectly, but it seems that someone agreed to the charges without even knowing what they were.
URGHH!!!! Can't take much more. Okay, went back for a re-check this morning. DH took them. We have the post-op sheet that has IN INK the appointment for Monday. Clear as day. They told him we were supposed to be there on Saturday to get their feet checked. They are saying the pups feet are now infected. Now, being that we deal w/ 5 to 6 surgeries w/ our kids on average every single year, we have seen infections. Serious infections. I saw clean wounds on these pups. I did not see infection or I would have taken them in earlier. Duh. I'm having my doubts on dx of infection. Gave them antibiotics for both pups which were $34 a piece. My kids are on anti's right now and theirs were $10 a piece. Hmmm. They told my husband to put e-collar back on our dogs. Okay, FIRST night home after surgery, pups took all four paws & managed to wiggle their way out of those collars. Honestly, don't know myself how they did it. Watched one of them while trying to stop her. No stopping her. It was coming off. this is the same puppy btw, who figured out how to open our doors last night! No joke. She also brought me her leash b/c she wanted outside. Yes, not a stupid dog. Can't say the same for the other pup. LOL. Anyhow, point is, we tried to keep stuff on them. They bit & chewed off all bandages. Ran around like crazy. We spent all weekend trying to stop them from playing. Drove us nuts. I know now, I will have to switch back to Clayton Animal Hospital. We loved them, they loved our dogs & I will say now, it was worth every penny. Expensive or not. And right now, they are not seeming that outrageous. thanks for letting me rant a little. I know others have had great experiences here. Shoot, that is why we switched in the first place. Right now though, for us, just not a good fit. I'm supposed to bring them in tomorrow for another re-check. Doubt it. Stephanie-- mom to 7
I would not take them bacK there. I follow this philosophy: if someone rips me off just once, they will not get another dime of my money. You should definitely find another vet.
[/QUOTE] I would not take them bacK there. I follow this philosophy: if someone rips me off just once, they will not get another dime of my money. You should definitely find another vet.[/QUOTE] Going back to the vet we loved for years & years. Worth the drive for us. If nothing else, worth the peace of mind. Calling Clayton Animal Hospital today & going back. I'm done here. Thanks for responses on & off the boards. I used to trust folks when they tell you something. Now, I know I can't. Must be in writing. I knew that, just really didn't think I'd have to use it at a vet's office. stephanie-- mom to 7
It depends. can they explain the jump in price? was there really a reason for it ? IE did something unexpected happen under anesthesia? If they can't explain it, then i would agree it's outrageous. Medicine is an art. It's not like going into the grocery store knowing the exact total you will come out if you only get certain items. In medicine, things happen that no one, not even the doctor, can predict. and if its something that NEEDED to be done, then the vet deserves to be compensated for his/her time, effort, skills, and supplies.
I'm guessing you have insurance? Your children's antibiotics should be through the roof without. $34 is not unreasonable for pets.
For future reference and some cost saving, ask your vet to call prescriptions in to your drugstore. One example would be a small bottle of amoxicillan at the vet is like $25, had it called in to CVS and it was a much larger bottle and only $11. Pills that were $4/ea at the vet, I got from CVS at $20 for 8 (dosage is 1/4 pill, so its a month supply). Its worth checking into. In response to the original problem, I'd plant myself in that reception area until someone took me through the bill line by line in detail and explained to me why I wasn't contacted when the bill was going to be double what was expected. Call another vet to get a quote on the same services and ask why such a huge difference.
Report them to the Better Business Bureau. I bet they might rethink those charges and give you some $ back! Just my own story, I had a sick ferret. Took her to an exotic animal vet in Raleigh and they charged me $250 just to x-ray her. I have a Mastiff that weighs about 100 lbs. I never pay more than $75 for his xray! Good luck to you. My heart goes out to you, thats just taken advantage of someone, in my opinion.
Did everyone miss the part of the OP where her husband agreed to the "extras" they were charged for? In my opinion, when you agree to services without getting a quote, you are agreeing to pay whatever price the business chooses whether it's outrageous or not. She can't just report people to the BBB because her husband didn't get a quote on the extras before agreeing to them. Her best bet is to stick with her plan of changing vets if she is not happy with the prices.
Did you miss the part where she was quoted and expected to pay around $400. What possible kind of "extras" would total $600. And those collars . . . they run about $4 at Petsmart for the smaller ones.
OH, and I would post the vets name all over the internet so that others can avoid the same problem. I would have never walked out of there having paid them $1000. Someone would have had some serious writeoffs!
:iagree: I wouldn't mind knowing which vet it was either,just so like Michelle said we can avoid them in the future! Paying $1000 for that is outrageous!
