Great visit at new vet!

[edzbird]

To be fair, our prices are so cheap because insurance is so rare - insurance does seem to knock up the cost of veterinary care.

I think this is very true. I think back to the olden days.... On top of insurance, a lot of vets encourage you to join their annual plan which pays for boosters, 2 health checks, flea & worm treatment. It seems an expensive way to pay IMO. I just stump up when we visit and buy flea/worm stuff on line.

 

[Charlie]

I like the fact that Ella was made to feel comfortable and time was taken but that was very expensive. My vet practise makes time for our dogs, calming time, treats etc. which is important to me. I pay £35 for yearly booster vaccinations, weighing and a thorough examination which includes, ears, eyes, teeth, listening to heart and a good feel all over for each dog. I never get worming or flea treatment from the vet as it is expensive, I buy that online and save a fortune. x

 

[Emily]

I just told OH about the vet fees overseas. I can't post his response on this forum ?

 

[Oberon]

Given that the fee you paid is normal for our part of the world (well, the city at least) I’d try to forget the price and concentrate on what a good vet he is. It’s the only road to sanity ?

 

[Emily]

Given that the fee you paid is normal for our part of the world (well, the city at least) I’d try to forget the price and concentrate on what a good vet he is. It’s the only road to sanity ?

Absolutely! I did mention to OH that flying Ella to another country for her vaccinations probably wasn't a viable option ?

 

[Charlie]

I agree with Rachael, it's far better to have a good vet that your dog is comfortable with than have an anxious dog for the rest of it's life every time it has to visit the vet as @Jennifer knows only too well. We are very lucky that our vet is very good and not too expensive with some treatments but with others they can be eye watering! Swings and roundabouts! xx

 

[Oberon]

Emily, after responding to your other thread I thought of a good ‘vet’ thing about living here.....we can get quality wormers like Milbemax over the counter whereas they’re prescription only in the UK. So, winning! ?

 

[snowbunny]

And Advantix and Advocate - both prescription-only in the UK but I buy it in bulk from a vet in Andorra (not mine) for only a fraction more than I could online. Fluoxetine, too, although that's from the pharmacy, not the vet. We can only buy one box at a time these days, but it's OTC.

 

[Ashley]

I find our vet expensive, but I know that it's because rent costs within the city are so high, it definitely impacts our fees. Friends pay much lower in other towns. This year, Quinn's annual included physical, nail trim, rabies shot, heartworm test + for 6 month preventative, bravecto (2 pills), kennel cough preventative and stool test and it cost around $600. That is about 347GBP or $617AUS. For a regular appointment, it's around $100 just to walk in the door. All meds are prescription, available at vet offices.

 

[Jennifer]

I'm so glad it went well with your new vet and Ella was happy with it. I agree with Helen (@Charlie) and Rachael (@Oberon ) A good vet who understands how stressful a vet visit can be for an animal and takes the time and cares enough to make friends and keep the animal as calm and happy as possible is worth their weight in gold in my opinion. Vaccinations and health check with my vet is £35 obviously that's x2 for me but on top of that I have to pay a call out charge for a home visit £95 (it's gone up £5 a year since murphy it was £60 for him) because my dogs are terrified of the vets due to treatment when they were pups. You wouldn't believe how stressed they get going. Having the vet at home doesn't stop them getting stressed because a vet is going to touch them but it's not as bad and it's over with quicker. The health check is none existent because the vet simply can't touch my dogs. Listening to their heart is as good as it gets. Yes you paid a lot compared to us in the UK but the important thing is Ella left calm and happy and so next time she goes to the vet she will go in calm and happy and hopefully not mind so much if she has to be poked and prodded. Like Helen said it's far better to have a good vet you dog is comfortable with than have an anxious dog for the rest of its life whenever it visits the vet. It makes life easier and a lot less worrying when your already worried if something is wrong.

 

[Lab_adore]

What you paid is normal for us. Good old “Australia Tax”.

Maxx hasn't had his annual of course yet, but when he had chronic diarrhea the vet checked him out, tested the 'sample' we brought and squirted some green medicine into his mouth. He have us a small bottle of same green medicine for us to give him over the next few days (and wasn't that fun...not). $90 but we were in with him for a long time and he answered heaps of questions and offered advice and didn't try to rush us out even though he had fitted us in on a fully-booked Saturday morning.

We haven't taken out insurance due to the high cost. We figure if we put that money into an account over the years we would have more than enough to cover just about anything

it's far better to have a good vet that your dog is comfortable with

We used to take our first dog to a big practice that was very clinical and impersonal. Then when he injured himself and had to be PTS we rushed him to this local guy who was just so amazing and compassionate. We said we would go back to him when we got our next dog...and we did! I'm glad it's normal and not just him as we have been quite shocked at what we have been charged so far.

 

[Xena Dog Princess]

What you paid is normal for us. Good old “Australia Tax”.

You guys have higher incomes over there so if you think about it you're actually winning

This year, Quinn's annual included physical, nail trim, rabies shot, heartworm test + for 6 month preventative, bravecto (2 pills), kennel cough preventative and stool test and it cost around $600. That is about 347GBP or $617AUS.

*clutches pearls, falls on fainting couch, reaches for smelling salts* I know that Toronto is obscenely expensive, but that's just . Do people just not own pets? How can ordinary people afford vet care?

 

[Lab_adore]

Crikey, I mis-read your post @Ashley. My brain moved the decimal point one step to the left! That is seriously expensive!!

 

[Ashley]

It's pretty crazy, and we actually go to a clinic just outside the city, as the puppy plan was significantly cheaper when we were looking around. When we moved one block away last year, Quinn's insurance went up $10/month because vet clinics are more expensive across a major intersection It costs approx. $100 to go in and see a vet for any issue. A follow up for the same issue is between $50-80. It's definitely a major consideration in getting a second dog for us!