Why Veterinary prices can range so much

[Hankmacaw]

And having a vet for a decade is very helpful...Dr. Orosz didn't charge me for all the help to see if we could do a "magic bullet" for Hachi to buy her some time.

Having a vet for a long period of time (19 years now with Dr. Driggers) is very positive. They take more interest in your bird and you. I always get a lesson and corrections on false beliefs when I go to Dr. Driggers.

A small world. Dr. Drigger's wife and Dr. Orosz have been friends since school and she is one of the Dr.s he consults with when I bring him a complicated bird medical problem. He said to me one time, "At least you never bring me something boring". I didn't know whether I liked that or not - probably not.

 

[suileeka]

My vet does charge more to see their ABVP avian specialist, which I think is understandable. (The non-specialist is very experienced with birds.. I've seen both vets frequently and am happy with both.) I've had three birds there this month. two for check-ups and one for an injury.

Cost breakdown:

Visit 1 (two birds for check-ups wih non-specialist)

Bird 1:
Comprehensive Exam $96
Complete Avian Profile/Liver Function $117
Cholesterol (Lipid) Screening $20
Fecal Exam (Direct Wet Mount) $25.45
Gram Stain (2 sources) $53.00
Avian nail w/ Exam. - Courtesy $0.00

Bird 2:
Multi pet Exam $64 (this discount is why I always try to bring in more than one at a time)
Complete Avian Profile/Liver Function $117
Gram Stain (2 sources) $53.00
Avian beak trim $0.00
Avian Nail w/ Exam. - Courtesy $0.00

Visit 2 (one bird with board certified specialist)
Comprehensive Exam Avian Specialist $130.00
Avian Nail w/ Exam - Courtesy $0.00
Metacam $22.50
Clavamox $39.20


I live in a fairly high COL area and don't find this too dissimilar from what I pay at the vet office I use for my cats. (When I lived elsewhere, my vet prices were about 1/3 of what I pay here!) I've also found my bird vet to be generous to me in trying to reduce my costs when it comes to things like surgeries.

 

[rocky'smom]

Ok I kept some of Rocky's vet bills. Intial exam $120, blood work $100, skin scraping $200, sedation for the scape $100, slide prep $75 , plus about another $100 in meds $695 total. Only to have redo it all over again becuz grad student found it not to be his cup tea and threw away all the results.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Only to have redo it all over again becuz grad student found it not to be his cup tea and threw away all the results.

What?!? How infuriating!!!

 

[Mizzely]

Ok I kept some of Rocky's vet bills. Intial exam $120, blood work $100, skin scraping $200, sedation for the scape $100, slide prep $75 , plus about another $100 in meds $695 total. Only to have redo it all over again becuz grad student found it not to be his cup tea and threw away all the results.

Are they going to charge you again??? That seems unfair!

 

[rocky'smom]

I was recharged for all but the office call. The one nice thing is having family member as your vet. It is how I started volunteering at the clinic to pay off my vet bills. It is barter acct., for ever hour I work I get paid a certain amount that goes into my account and is held for future vet bills. For making forging toys fir the birds at the clinic, I get paid a flat fee that also goes into the account. I like my volunteer job alot, I get to work with a lot of different types of birds, from littles to the big beaky ones.

 

[rocky'smom]

I wish more vets would do something like this. I believe more ppl would be able to afford vet care and be willing to take their critters to the vet.

 

[Mizzely]

Heck I would like it for a lot of things! Barter system would be a boon to a lot of people. I know money was meant to sort of replace that but I would love to do some bartering to get my car fixed!!

 

[Princessbella]

Bella just had her vet visit about 2 months ago. The bill was $120 for an exam with a fecal smear. I do have insurance but I didn't use it for the wellness exam. I pay $20 per nail trimming at the boarders and it is usually have it done during a boarding.

 

[Milo]

I wish more vets would do something like this. I believe more ppl would be able to afford vet care and be willing to take their critters to the vet.

The problem with a barter system like this is that the vet can't buy supplies or pay employees (or themselves) with this system. I said it before and I'll say it again, it is not your vet's job to subsidize care for your pet. It is the OWNER'S responsibility to make sure they have the necessary money to care for the pet they bring into their home.

 

[MixieMoxie]

The problem with a barter system like this is that the vet can't buy supplies or pay employees (or themselves) with this system. I said it before and I'll say it again, it is not your vet's job to subsidize care for your pet. It is the OWNER'S responsibility to make sure they have the necessary money to care for the pet they bring into their home.

As someone who worked in the field for 15 years until a career ending injury amen.

A routine dental on my 135 lb Rottie is going to cost 2x to 3xs more for the same exact procedure then it will for my 17lb Scottish terrier. Why because he is bigger and will need larger amount of drugs and medications. Everything for the Rottweiler is going to cost more because he requires more due to his size.

A specialist who went above an beyond a standard education is going to cost more.

A a large clinic can buy medications in bulk and recieve a discount, where as the average veterinary practice cannot.

If you want a practice able to run avian blood work in house that will cost extra because those machines are more expensive and the average small animal practice does not run enough exotic blood work to spread out the costs of the testing materials across multiple clients. So most send out bloodwork...

I could go on and on.

 

[Milo]

As someone who worked in the field for 15 years until a career ending injury amen.

A routine dental on my 135 lb Rottie is going to cost 2x to 3xs more for the same exact procedure then it will for my 17lb Scottish terrier. Why because he is bigger and will need larger amount of drugs and medications. Everything for the Rottweiler is going to cost more because he requires more due to his size.

A specialist who went above an beyond a standard education is going to cost more.

A a large clinic can buy medications in bulk and recieve a discount, where as the average veterinary practice cannot.

If you want a practice able to run avian blood work in house that will cost extra because those machines are more expensive and the average small animal practice does not run enough exotic blood work to spread out the costs of the testing materials across multiple clients. So most send out bloodwork...

I could go on and on.

Not disagreeing with you at all, I want to add that if a blood count is necessary that has to be done by hand by someone who is trained in avian and reptile hematology. Even running small mammal blood can be a challenge if there are abnormalities.