veterinarians

[EAB]

Hi guys,
I was wondering if there are any of you who feel you've been overcharged by a veterinarian in the past, and also your general feeling on vets fees as a horse owner? Are they too high, too low, just right? Do you think you get what you pay for (a more expensive vet is better....)?
Could you PM me with any experiences you'd like to share? Thanks so much again!

[Dutchie]

Personally I think our four legged friends should get free health care like us here in Canada.. but heyy.. thats just IMO.


I find some vets are definetly cheaper than others..Im also finding the ones that are cheeper seem to do a more thorough job and are more genuine horse / animal people.. i've been finding clinics with higher prices are more hoity toity.. and are more there for the money rather than for the well being of the animals. Thats just my experience.

[*Giddy Up*]

Hmmm.... I think it depends on the individual vet- some cheaper vets are great, and some expensive ones are great.

I think with cost, it comes down to why are you paying a higher price. If it's because the vet you are using has specialized equipment or the vet him/herself has specialized training, well then I think that is fair to pay more for such services. Or, if you prefer a vet who is farther away, then I fully expect it will cost more for that vet to come out as they are paying more in gas.

However, if you have two vets in the area, approximately same distance and offering the same services I don't see why there should be a price difference, or if there is, why anyone wouldn't use the cheaper vet.

I don't think horses would ever be covered under health care. If that happened, every animal would have to be covered, which would place a huge burden on the health care system and would cost insane amounts in taxes.

[Dutchie]

I don't think horses would ever be covered under health care. If that happened, every animal would have to be covered, which would place a huge burden on the health care system and would cost insane amounts in taxes.

It was meant more sarcastic than anything..I know that would be absolutly insane, but.. I can dream cant I?

[*Giddy Up*]

Of course you can

[pmc]

One of the things I love about my vet (other than a wicked sense of humour) is the fact that he doesn't immediately zoom right to the top of the treatment scale. Unless it's an emergency situation, he'll recommend less expensive procedures/meds to try first and then giving that a chance to work before bringing out the big (expensive) guns.

That has saved me lots of $$ over the years, and has established a trust so that when he does recommend an aggressive/expensive treatment, I know it's because it's really warranted.

[Patricia]

I have been overcharged in the past. It was habitual when I was breeding and my bills were huge. I had to call in and discuss my bill almost every time. They hired a business manager and she scrutinized the bills. I would often be doubled charged or charged for things that should be included in the treatment. Often they even had me call back and speak directly to the vet. I was very uncomfortable about this. I found their practice became all about $$$ and the priority of animal care diminished. Well I call tell you during this time they lost many unhappy clients along with me. It came to my attention late last year this clinic decided to stop doing large animal calls and just focus on small animals as that is where the $$$ is. They covered an extremely large area and left their clients without care and little notice.

I left this clinic years ago when their focus changed. I have a great vet that comes in spring for routine stuff. He is over an hour away but the farm call fee is the same as the local vet. He is very patient with my nervous/afraid of men horse who is 1 out of 7 horses I own. He also does my small animals for a nominal fee way less than 1/2 if I were to go to a clinic. Example vaccinating my dogs and cats $35. He is a true animal lover and displays affection. He adopts from the rescues and humane society himself. I can call his office in the am for FREE consultation on an issue I am dealing with and how to treat. We determine if he needs to come out. In emergencies I use a local clinic about 20 minutes away. Only issue is I don't always get my pic of vets and they have many just out of vet school. Although, in an emerg they all know how to administer banamine and treat a colic issue.

[cnigh]

I didn't like the total a couple of summers ago when Beauty was worrying me and it ended up being worms. $250 vet bill for doing what exactly? Oh ya I bought 2 tubes of wormer from him. All the rest was him coming out and just looking at her - literally - did nothing else. Needless to say I will not be using that vet again.

Last vet bill was $273 for gelding my new baby. Worth every penny and the vet did an amazing job. My only complaint was there was no valume for me - lol!

Not too graphic a pic, but I def look like my best friend is dying - lol

[cnigh]

Just so you see my boy survied - lol!


He's all healed and already showing signs of settling down. Very playful boy though. He is pictured with his favorite toy on the property - the manure spreader! Many hours of interactive fun apparently.

[Patricia]

OMG...you look so distressed...LOL! I can't imagine taking photos of my colts gelding procedures. I didn't have any free hands or help.
I would say my expression would be one of focus. The last one we did was a handful and needed two doses of meds to put him down. We had to act quick because he didn't just sit up on his sternum he jumped to his feet. We still had to do his wolf teeth so acted quickly.

The price didn't go up much since gelding my last colt.

[cnigh]

Believe me Pat I had no idea she had a camera - lol!

It took a double dose for an 1100 lb animal to get him down, but then he snored through the whole thing.

Thank God it was textbook once he was down.

I still have to get his wolfteeth out, I can only feel one though. Next visit shots & teeth - gonna be at least $300 - $350 ish. This will be the third time I do this, so I won't be so terrified - lol!

[Patricia]

:oops: Believe me Pat I had no idea she had a camera - lol!

It took a double dose for an 1100 lb animal to get him down, but then he snored through the whole thing.

Thank God it was textbook once he was down.

I still have to get his wolfteeth out, I can only feel one though. Next visit shots & teeth - gonna be at least $300 - $350 ish. This will be the third time I do this, so I won't be so terrified - lol!

Why didn't they do wolf teeth at the same time? Saves so much $$$. Only have to sedate once. I can't imagine shots and teeth costing that much?

[cnigh]

Thats about what it cost to do Beauty. But that included a powerfloat. I think its crazy how much it costs.

[fusspot]

My former vet stopped doing horses too, so I've had a new vet for 2 years now. Took a bit to get to know her/them but I'm very confident with her now. My filly had a swollen hock last spring and the vet x-rayed and we started with DMSO etc to get the swelling down. I loved that the vet called me the next day to see how she was and then followed up again a few days later. It's nice to have a good relationship with my vet because I know she'd be there in a minute if there was an emergency. I have heard of vets refusing to come out to people when they don't use them on a regular basis. Other than the hock incident I only need the vet once a year for shots and floating. I'm not what you would call a money maker for them, but I am totally confident in knowing she'd be right here if needed. That makes me rest easy.

Cnigh, your boy is gorgeous..just lovely but I'd get him a new toy. That manure spreader in his paddock makes me shudder.

[cnigh]

Yup the manure spreader has to go. The farm is a work in progress. It used to house a sheep farmer and the place was destroyed. We have been slowly bringing it around for horses. There is still lots of stuf to get rid of, but we need a tractor. I pray he doesn't hurt himself on it, because for some reason he's drawn to it.

Thanks for the compliments on Bakkir. I can't wait to see what he sheds out to look like this year. I think he'll be keeping his black points including his dorsal stripe. Can you believe he was a bay?

[cnigh]

Well another vet bill $104.48. Three nights ago Bakkir choked on his dinner. He was hanging his head trying to cough up the blockage and a huge amount of saliva was draining out of his nose. He was struggling to breath and I really couldn't help him. I called the vet, of course by the time he got there Bakkir was much better. But after the scare I really appreciated having him checked over.

I also had the bump on his left knee looked at. He jumped the fence between paddocks a few times before he was gelded and joined the herd. Vet gave him a clean bill of health and the knee vetted clear with a flexion test. The bump is just a fluid filled bruise that I can sweat down with DMSO. The joint itself is not afffected and there is no heat or pain in the knee. He never took a lame step.

So I am not too upset with the bill as the vet visit was at the end of business hours (5pm ish). The peace of mind that night was priceless.

[aw333]

Okay, I'm a little biased as a veterinary technician but here goes.

First, I totally agree that some vets are in it for the money, and some just love animals. At the end of the day, we all need to put gas in our trucks, pay the bills and order more supplies. It's a common misconception that vets are really "raking it in." Equine vets are especially stretched. Some people don't like the idea of a "cow-vet" coming to see their horse, but really, Dairy Farms bring home the bacon and can help decrease the need for really high call fees.

I like that where I work we are happy to give you options (conservative treatment vs. gold standard) but also tell you when we think only the gold standard will give your horse a fighting chance. We try if we can to give you advice over the phone, but sometimes it's really hard without seeing the horse. People's descriptions are often misleading/vague/exaggerated so sometimes it's better to pay that mobile fee just to make sure that we are giving you the right advice.

Just to give you all some of what we see from the other side:
We hate when people call us at 4:30 on a Friday to come see a horse RIGHT NOW that has been sick for two days - be considerate.
To save us time, and you money. Have your horse easily accessible while you are waiting for us to arrive. Nothing beats paying for the vets time while you chase your horse around the paddock.

I really love my job and all the people I get to meet. I also love newborn foal checks

[Leena]

I am just fed up at vet checks time. They all come and assume I am a potential lyer who is going to screw the buyer.
The joke is that among them, they don't look at the same place, find lots of wrong things but things found are not the same from a vet to the others.

I am seriously considering having a vet coming to evaluate my youngstock, make a few X-Ray and find some educationnal tools for me.

Anybody did this ? Is this worth ?

[EAB]

Can anyone who would like to share their experiences with vet fees, good or bad, PM me? I am writing an article on the topic and would love to hear your comments.
Thanks!!
Liz