A couple of years ago, I adopted a senior cat from the pound. I took him to the veterinarian, who told me that he was in the early stages of kidney failure and would need frequent blood work and urinalyses done. I was devastated and felt myself starting to mourn.
I did not have pet insurance and found that the frequent vet visits were not only traumatizing my cat but my wallet as well. When the vet recently refused to renew my cat’s prescription without a panel of tests that would run me $538, I decided to call other vets for a quote.
What I found out about my veterinarian shocked me.
My veterinarian was overcharging me and running unnecessary tests.
The first thing I did was call a friend who volunteers for a pet rescue organization for veterinarian referrals. I called the vets she recommended, and got quotes for the specific tests that my vet wanted to charge me $538 for. Twice a year. Plus bloodwork every 6 weeks.
One would charge $302, the other $284. I went with the one that charged $284, not just because of the savings, but because it was considerably closer, which is important when your cat is terrified of riding in the car.
When I arrived at the vet, my poor, scared cat had vomited in the carrier. This is how much he hates the veterinarian. But this new vet was different.
The new veterinarian took the time to go through my paperwork and explain the labs to me.
He said that while my cat was in the early stages of “kidney failure,” kidney disease is very slow to develop. It can take years. In the past two years, my cat’s lab work had barely changed. No significant drop in numbers. So for two years, I was prematurely mourning his imminent demise when he was doing fine. My previous vet had me believing that if I didn’t bring my cat in every 6 weeks for blood work that I was a bad “cat mother” and he could take a turn for the worse. (At least that was the implication.)
My cat was being over-tested.
The new veterinarian looked at all the pages and pages of lab work I had done on my cat and was horrified and disgusted. He couldn’t believe how much blood and urine was taken from this poor cat when the results were “statistically the same.” I asked why he thought the previous vet had demanded so many tests. His opinion: “For the money.”
This is extremely disturbing to me. Not only because I had dropped thousands of dollars at that vet’s office, but because it’s a fact that senior cats are often dumped at the pound because their owners simply cannot afford the vet bills.
Some of the lab work I was doing was not only unnecessary, but redundant.
This new vet explained to me that it was unnecessary to test both blood and urine. A blood test will reveal if there is a problem with the kidneys, so there is no reason to test the urine as well. How would I have known that?
I have been giving medicine that may be unnecessary and ineffective.
I have been giving my cat shots that run me about $350 for a 1 ml. bottle. I started out giving the shots every 2 weeks, but now am down to every 8 weeks. My previous vet swore these shots were helping but this vet said that this particular medicine helps “marginally at best.” I am going to continue to use up the bottle (even though my cat hates getting shots!) and see if I notice a difference once I stop.
The new vet’s recommendation?
I should bring my cat in for a check-up and “senior panel” blood work once or twice a year. Because he is an older cat, every six months is recommended, but a year is okay as well. Otherwise, only if there is a problem. (Definitely if he stops eating – that is always a red flag.) Since we did not run a urinalysis, the bill was even lower – it came out to $204. That’s $334 less than if I had gone to my old vet. And unlike my old veterinarian, I was not charged a “hazardous waste fee” for cleaning the poor cat and wiping down the carrier. The prescription was renewed and when the lab work came back the next day, I was informed that the numbers were actually better.
In addition to the savings, I got something that made me even happier.
I got the gift of realizing that my cat is not facing imminent death – he is doing fine! There is no cure for kidney disease. It is gradual in its progression and is common with old age. But it is nothing for me to worry about now. I feel like I can enjoy his company without thinking he’s old and going to die soon. And he is SO grateful that I won’t be shoving him in the carrier, taking him for a terrifying ride in the car only to be poked and prodded every 6 weeks.
What to do if you think your veterinarian is overcharging you.
- Ask for a breakdown of every charge and the name of every test or procedure that is being done or recommended.
- Call around to other local vets for rates.
- Research pet rescue organizations in your area and call or email them for vet recommendations. They tend to work with a lot of vets and while they can’t get you a discount, they know which ones are reasonable and honest.
- Don’t blindly trust authority – trust your gut. My instincts told me that my cat hated all these trips to the vet and since he was asymptomatic, I found myself questioning the reason behind them.
- According to Consumer Reports, “If your pet faces a major health problem, ask your vet these questions before making any decisions: What are the treatment options? What are the immediate and long-term costs of each? What’s the prognosis for recovery? What will the pet’s post-treatment quality of life be like?”
How high are your vet bills?
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Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
I have been really lucky in the vet dept….I have had amazing vets over the years. Our family has had to move to different states because of my husbands job, so I have needed a new vet every few years. I research vets in my new area on Yelp.com. I have found people are pretty forward about sharing their personal experiences on there and I have not been steered wrong so far 🙂
Shawna, Yelp is a terrific idea!
My vet was dumping dead cats and dogs at the side of the highway. When I found out, I changed vets.
I adopted a 2 1/2 year old Bichon Poodle mix eight weeks ago. I took her to my vet and the first thing I was told is that all of Daphne’s back teeth needed to be pulled to the tune of $700. I was stunned. The dog isn’t even three years old yet. I took her home, and seriously contemplated having the procedure done. But, in the meantime, I changed the food she’d been eating to a larger dry kibble. She has to work at it to eat it, but she loves it. I checked her teeth yesterday and it appears that some of the tartar has been removed. The sad part of this is that my vet is the daughter of one of my best friends. I made an appointment today with a vet I’d been taking my dogs to several years back… just for an unbiased second opinion on Daphne’s overall health. I’ll be really curious to see what they say.
I am very curious too. Please report back! I don’t know which is worse – that your friend’s daughter might be ripping you off or that your new pet might need $700 worth of dental care! I’ve written about pet insurance before. I highly, highly recommend it.
I am very curious, too! Please let us know what the 2nd opinion is. I had a dentist tell me once that I needed 8 or 9 filling replacements (for me, not my cat). I went to another dentist who said that was unnecessary – there were one or two that needed to be taken care of now, but the rest we could just keep an eye on. A 2nd opinion is always worth it!
Hello, as a vet, can I just say that I’m really sorry to hear all that you’ve been through. It sounds as if all you’ve ever wanted to do was look after your beloved cat and the advice that you have gotten has been conflicting and confusing.
I did notice something strange in the story. The second vet said that your cat didnt need to have blood and urine tests at the same time. This isnt correct. When checking the kidneys, vets look at two enzymes (BUN and creatinine) in the blood. If they are high we do not know if this is due to kidney problems or simple dehydration without looking at the urine simultaneously i.e. you need both. A urine test on its own wont tell you anything other than there are signs of infection and/or the urine is very dilute/concentrate.
Just wanted to point out that the second vet sounds a bit mixed up, and maybe the first one was on the right track. Either way it does sound as if there was poor communication to you on both counts. I hope you have better luck with another veterinarian – most of us are in the job because we love animals. Yes, we make a living but it’s the rare bad apple that is out to price gouge.
Thanks for your expert insights!
You are such a liar! Veterinary students are given lectures called “Greed is good!” They are informed HOW to rip people off and are highly encouraged to do so. Almost all vets today overcharge by 300-800%, and they care more about getting rich then a animal’s welfare. It’s really sad how things have changed since the 70′ and early 8’s but soon as the food prices went up so ridiculously high in ’88, this entire country has become a glutinous monster.
I gotta say, I hate doctors, nurses and the witches who work for them (to do their bullying billing dirty work) and vets are NO different.
Homopathic vets do charge less however, use healing herbs, are much more moral and really care about your pet. If you can find ne of those you both will be better off. Needless to say these vets like these don’t put your pet on Zoloft (which is animal abuse) for the commission from the evil Big Pharma either.
70’s and early 80’s rather.
I agree with everything you said. I have a Toy Poodle from a Tijuana, Mexico puppy mill. She has all sorts of health problems. You wouldn’t believe the THOUSANDS of dollars I have spent, just on her teeth. A few weeks ago, she developed diarrhea. I took her to the vet, who has charged me $1000 for blood tests and a sonogram. Idiot then told me she has Pancreatitis and Protein Losing Enteropathy and wanted another $700 for MORE tests–no meds dispensed mind you, just $$$$ blown on bogus tests. I almost fell for it, then decided to treat her myself. She seemed to be losing ground, so I took her to a Specialty Pet Vet urgent care and they said her symptoms don’t even match the idiot’s diagnosis. So, I made an appt for the internist, to get a 2nd opinion and in the mean time, I am using Slippery Elm ($8 a bottle). I should’ve just used it in the first place and I wouldn’t be out $1200, for basically nothing. And this is not specific to one vet. Every single one I have used for the past 10yrs, has been a money grubbing liar and thief. They charge (and stalk you w/postcards, emails, text msgs) for useless “wellness visits,” but never diagnose anything. You then have to pay for another exam fee, even if your pet gets sick a month later. Those people have no conscience whatsoever.
$1000 for blood tests and a sonogram is CRAZY!! My cat is having multiple dental extractions next week (requiring general anesthesia) and the quote is less than that! I hope you are able to find a trustworthy vet. I do believe they are out there.
My heart gos out to everyone of you. Iam ill myself and on top of that fighting cancer in the pet. 1,000s. You wat to see a rip off situation wait till (GOD forbid)your pet gos down the cancer treatment road. L spar, vinblastin, L spar again, vincristine, Lomistine, denamarin, secrulafate, x rays x 5, blood work x lost count, and more. They have me on the hook for a cancer and they cant even tell me where its at. The pet is helping keep me alive. whats bad as well is that almost every local vet thinks their a pet onacologist if they can get the chemo meds. Now there is a dog sicker from the meds practicaly over night than the full of energy, wanting to play pet beforehand. with lymph nodes so bad that predasoin now must be tried despite the now black and tarry stools. Pets not in any pain so would like to give her into x mass if you could pray for us. Thank you
I’m so sorry! I hope both you and your pet recover quickly.
A pharmarcy has guidelines for levothyroxine as .1 mg per pound every 24 hrs or half every 12 hrs. My beagles have been given a prescription of the 24 hr amount at 2x’s a day. I asked for the past two years to use an amoun closer to .1 mg per lb, whcich has always been higher then their weight would indicate. In light of the description per 24 hrs, has he doubled the prescription for my 40 lb beagle by dispensing .5mg 2x’s a day.
One other part to my question is that he withheldthe prescription unless a T3 test was done every year. This seems overkill for the .1 mg per lb formula. Should i correct this, if so how?
Thanks So Much for this Forum!!
Nathan Sady
I think for the dosage question you should just ask your vet. It’s perfectly reasonable for you to ask for clarification on that.
As for the yearly T3 test, that sounds pretty standard to me. Your dog’s needs could easily change in a year, so it makes sense to check on an annual basis.
My dog has stage 2 renal disease. Every 3 months she has her bloodwork done to check kidney function values. The cost is about $85 each time ( now this is just to do bloodwork period, nothing more). Yesterday she went to the University of Pa for an annual reck. She was checked over thoroughly, blood pressure taken, FULL panel bloodwork done, heart listened to by a cardiologist because a low grade murmur was detected, 2 month supply of her compounded anacid, 2 month supply nausea meds for a total of $327.47. So yes this person was being ripped off.
My veterinarian is taking me to the cleaners I just want my cat to be healthy
I work for a living I saw to veterinarians in one month and I’m out $1100 I am desperate I have no more money
I took my dog in to have her eye looked at. It was puffy and irritated. I expected to pay the 45.00$ exam fee and get some advice and or prescription.turned out to be a 600.00$ foxtail. I feel abused and pressured by the staff but i dont know what else i could have done. I was cornered.
I’m so sorry that happened to you, George. I know how upsetting those enormous bills can be. I do highly recommend looking into pet insurance to offset surprise costs like that: https://bargainbabe.com/do-you-need-pet-insurance/. I hope your pup is feeling better!
I took my cat to the vet today and was very disappointed I was happy with the vet visit being $45 for a check up exam but then they tried to charge me $185 for blood work when the cat only had a sore throat I asked for antibiotics for her that I couldn’t afford the blood test but they refused they said that I had to have the blood test or they wouldn’t give me any antibiotics now I know that their blood test center is there cause they don’t send it out and I was very disappointed and angry because I really think that it was a waste of money first of all because I know cats never been outside and this is first time she’s ever had any kind of sickness like this she wasn’t throwing up she didn’t have diarrhea she just wasn’t eating Like she used to and I was concerned so I took her in and so they did the blood test which cost me $185 on top of the $45 and then they wanted to also do a leukemia test which would’ve cost me $85 and then after they did all of that excluding the leukemia test because I know I did not take it or I did not have them test her for that after the bloodwork was done and then They tried to tell me that they wanted 20 my gosh there’s a load of list there’s a giant list would would cost me $1200 and I asked him I was concerned because I had no idea what was wrong with her when they told me they wanted to do all the stuff on her and I was concerned so I asked him what the blood does say was the blood test what happened is she sick because I was willing to pay $1200 I really was I was willing to do it so save my cats life I had to but I mean I really can’t afford it especially right now during Covid so I asked him you know what was wrong with her and the guy said oh nothing there’s nothing in her blood tested we just want to keep her overnight and give her fluids and vitamin C and this is the only thing that was wrong is she had a little information in her mouth inflammation in her mouth I was like I didn’t say nothing I just said no that’s OK but I was pissed I was so pissed I was furious I couldn’t believe they were trying to keep my cat overnight and then I was Supposed to go home and give her some kind of shots is it was unbelievable so I told them no that’s OK I just want the anabiotic’s for being around animals all my life taking care of animals all my life and studying them and studying animal behavior and practically going to a veterinarian school I was just couldn’t believe it I just couldn’t believe it I was not very happy about it but I was kind of upset very upset Really because here she is having this blood test which I knew she wasn’t you know had any underlying cause she just had a sore throat it’s just ridiculous how is someone who doesn’t have the money for the stuff that we’re supposed to take her animals to the vet and they freaking rape us on the price they freaking it’s just they rip us off so bad you don’t want to take your pet I mean you just make your pet sicker I mean I just I don’t I don’t understand how a veterinarians can act like they love your animals and care for your animals and they tell you just bring your animal to the veterinarian and everybody on social media says take your cat to the vet take your cat to the vet I’ll take your dog to the vet take your dog to the vet you need to see a vet I need to see a vet when all they do is charged you out rages prices and it is just ridiculous I just I can’t even believe it I just can’t even believe it I am very unhappy about it very unhappy and I can’t believe I mean it for someone who has one Who has a lot of money it’s no problem for them but for people who don’t and just want their animals to be well and they just don’t even care they it’s a joke I just I can’t believe it I still can’t I am just so frustrated today about it all and then I think that they purposely made me wait out in my car for three hours almost 4 because I said that I did not want to take the blood test and I and I acted kind of mad because they wouldn’t give me any anabiotic’s So yeah I am very disappointed with the service that I got today.
And the vets are liars they are they’re liars and they want to rip you off and they want to take as much money as from you as they can and they don’t give a crap about your pets like they act like they do but they don’t and the workers who work for them they don’t give a shit either they all they do is treat you like crap they can’t understand your situation it’s it’s a joke I mean and then for them to tell me that we don’t know if we’re going to take your pet no more if you get upset or if you act the way you did well I’m sorry but I was upset I was angry and I was upset that and I just feel like they ripped me off. I took my cat Tonto there and he had swollen lip noirs on his jaw And they prescribed him amoxicillin and probiotics I didn’t have no blood test he didn’t have no blood test I’m not really sure how much the vet bill was I think it cost 115 something like that but for some reason this time they wanted to do bloodwork on my cat Athena I mean I I was I’m sorry but I don’t know if it was a different vet or if there’s other vets that work there but I just feel like I got ripped off so I ended up getting out of there paying $285 which might sound cheap but to me I feel like I’m ripped off I feel like it was ridiculous and I’ve never in my entire life thought that a vet Would charge me for a blood test $185 I mean explain it to me then I just I feel like that test might’ve cost them $10 and they charge you a ridiculous amounts are not very unhappy very very unhappy
veteranarians are assholes , like doctors are for people, , try to do deep research and find safer ways for our pets, , and safe things to boost there immune system, also people should never use anything but clay litter for cats, , would you wipe your ass or rectal, with silica, or other dangerous crap?, i dont know why anyone , believes these so called animal vets, thier all in it for money and profit, just like the doctors. and thier flea and tick stuff is super toxic to all cats and dogs livers., there are other ways, if you love your pets, its no inconvience. ive seen true miracles, when real holistic remedies are found and gods prayers
I’m a teacher in Oklahoma on a modest income (obviously) and took my rabbit into the only “exotic” vet open I could find on a weekend, after calling several others during the weekdays prior. All exotic animal vets during the week told me their exotic vet was at a conference, so I’d have to try back. My rabbit developed an abscess in his jaw, which is common in rabbits, and he had surgery for the same thing two years before, which cost $250 give or take.
This vet I ended up going to gave me an estimate of $700-900! I felt awful, and felt like I was going to have to make a terrible decision, as I’d just spent $1000 a few weeks earlier trying to save my rescue boxer, only to lose her to what we think was a brain tumor.
I told them the vet as much, and he said he could try not to do the X-rays which would save a couple hundred dollars.
The next day, I wait to hear how he’s doing, what’s going on, and no one calls. So finally about 3-4pm I call and he’s about to go into surgery. I say great fine and wait to hear more. They say he’ll be ready for pickup by 5-6. I get there and the bill is $952! Way more than even the highest estimate and the vet was acting like he was going to reduce it from the lowest estimate, making it less than $700! But I feel like what can I do at that point? The surgery has been completed-they went ahead and took the X-rays without my consent and did other procedures again without my consent nor calling me.
I felt trapped.
They say it was a bad abscess but he didn’t have any broken teeth in there like they thought, yet after going home, I notice there’s a charge on my bill for a tooth removal. Charged us over $50 each for two different liquid antibiotics so that’s another hundred bucks and I know that didn’t cost anywhere near that amount. They don’t use dissolvable stitches on my rabbits face/neck area and set two post op appointments for us to come back in 5 days and 12 days.
A weekish later when I bring him back, the vet comes in and sort of looks at him-I don’t think he really even looked at the incision area to be honest, and says see you next visit. I was under the impression we were getting the stitches out..but nope.
Okay, that seemed like a waste of time, but whatever. It’s a post op, so we try to leave, but the tech kind of blocks us and acts like she really has to check something on her computer and says “hmm..so that’ll be $52 for a check out fee today.” I about crapped my pants. I said “FOR A POST OP??” I mean, I’ve never paid for a post op appt for myself or my pets and certainly when that amount of non work was done.
She sees I’m going to have an issue with it and goes “oh um..no never mind you’re all good.” I’m pretty non confrontational but at this point I can pretty well tell this place is a scummy joint so I ask about the charge on my bill about the tooth removal, and now she says he did have a tooth removed! What the heck!
It feels like there’s no recourse for these shady businesses and I truly don’t understand how they sleep at night.
Ugh, what a terrible situation. I’m so sorry you (and your poor rabbit) had to go through all that. I wonder if a regular emergency vet sees “exotic” animals like rabbits? Just wondering for the future. I hope your rabbit is on the mend!
What a nightmare! That is unreal! I feel your pain because I only recently spent quite a bit of money at the vet on my daughter’s hamster. A couple of years ago, I had to take a cat to the emergency vet – a cat that we had had for only one week when it came down with saddle thrombosis, which is fatal. It was unexpected and pretty traumatic. I had just recently had to deal with my father dying and getting his ashes back so when the emergency vet asked if I wanted the cat’s ashes, I couldn’t think straight. I just could not deal. So I said no. About a week later, they called to tell me that I owed them for the cremation, regardless of whether or not I would be taking the ashes home with me. There was zero compassion. It was just about the money. Which I did not pay!
My Doberman puppy swallowed a sock and it got stuck in his large intestines. The vet told me if I didn’t come up with $18,549 in about an hours time that he would die. They also told me that if I tried to transfer him to another hospital that he would die before he got there. I drained all of my finances and borrowed money plus financing and came up with the money. The surgery took one hour and Buster Brown is back to good health. But I know I was ripped off on the cost of this procedure and not sure what I can do about it at this point. At least my dog is alive.. but this is insane. I have the full story at savebusterbrown.com
Wow, I am so grateful your dog is okay. I don’t understand why they couldn’t give you a payment plan! Geez! My sister’s dog swallowed a metal coil and the surgery was also over $18k. Unbelievable!
Jaime, I highly recommend looking into pet insurance! I posted about it here. My dog has eaten so many socks (literally, I have lost count) and insurance has saved us every time.