Vet Issues

Cdn_Cuda · 01-10-2012, 02:33 PM

Just looking for some advice on vets. My current vet seems okay, but they seem to be overcharging or only giving the most expensive options. Kenzie was just under 50lbs when we got her fixed and it cost 700 CAD, but including the repairs to a hernia she had. This seemed a bit expensive, but I had past experience with the vet and the support staff are very nice.

Most recently we discovered a small funny looking growth on Kenzie, a wart in her mouth, CPV. We went to the vet for advice and the suggested dropped the dog off on a Friday for the entire day so they could do a local on her lower jaw, remove the growth and send it for biopsy at an estimate cost of $500 CAD. I was a little taken aback from the cost and the vet asked if we had insurance and then told us we should get it. My wife and I decided to do some research.

After doing research, cutting off the wart appears to be done only if necessary and that there is a variety of treatment options, including letting the dog's immune system fight it off. None of these options were ever given to us, just the most expensive and unnecessary one. Am I just being overly sensitive towards the vet or does it seem he's more interested in $$$ than actually helping?

Also, when selected a vet, any advice? There's several ones local, a few of which we've heard good things about.

Thanks for the help!

This has

angelas · 01-10-2012, 03:09 PM

Veterinary treatment in Canada is expensive.

I have also recently switched vets due to expense (and a new vet grad with attitude). My old vet cost $100 for an exam and rabies shot (no other vaccines). The price they quoted to titre for distemper and parvo was $500 each.

My new vet is in another town about 1/2 hr away and came highly recommended. Just before Christmas I took my little one in. For the exam, blood testing and a month's supply of Metacam cost $170. The same from the old vet would have been much, much more simply because of the city each is in.

onyx'girl · 01-10-2012, 03:21 PM

We were talking at training the other day and one of our group members said Canadian vetting is cheaper than US. She had procedures done in CA that ran much less than quoted locally. I guess it depends on where in Canada or the US you are, to get reasonable prices.
The Washington,DC area is very high worth travelling several hours away just to get hip/elbow x-rays.
I had to have a growth Sublingual Mucoceles removed from Karlo's lower mouth/tongue area and it ran about $350 with the sedation/antibiotics and biopsy. Sounds like the same thing Kenzie has? I opted to have it removed because I don't think growths in the mouth are anything to mess with. Karlo's was benign just as suspected.

Jax08 · 01-10-2012, 03:58 PM

How do you know it is only a wart? I don't screw around with growths. If it continues to grow, is suddenly there, or doesn't go away then cut it out and send it for biopsy. A friend lost her black lab to a very aggressive mouth cancer.

Rott-n-GSDs · 01-10-2012, 04:09 PM

I once got charged $750 for an e-vet to take an x-ray and then push a pop bottle top down into my GSD's stomach (it was lodged in his throat).

At the regular vet, it cost me $500 per animal to get my two cats neutered.

I expect to pay at least $200 whenever I walk in the door. Veterinary care is expensive... particularly in areas with more vets (oddly enough). Sometimes I think they all band together and say, "Okay, we're going to charge at least $XX for XXX procedure." Same goes for other things like vaccination protocols. Every single vet in my area does 2 year rabies despite the fact that WI and MN law says every three years. I had to fight to get my dogs certificates changed to reflect a 3 year schedule.

Veterinarians in rural areas seem to be more reasonable, at least around here. I also like rural areas that don't have emergency vets, because then the regular vet handles emergency care and it's usually a lot cheaper.

Example: my cat had a urinary blockage and we took him to the e-vet. They cleared the blockage, kept him overnight, and then I had to transfer him to my regular vet where they kept him for three days. The e-vet cost was $850, the regular vet cost was $450. A few months later, the cat blocked again. We decided to drive an hour to the rural vet. They cleared the blockage and kept him for three days. The TOTAL bill was $250.00 (including the initial emergency/after hours call).

Now, whenever we have a non-life threatening emergency, we go to the rural vet (about an hour's drive) rather than the e-vet (about a 40 minute drive).

Personally, I think most vets overcharge because they CAN. We're going to pay it, and they know it. In some rural areas, people simply will not pay thousands of dollars on their animals... not that they love them any less, but paying that kind of money is simply not done. As a result, vet costs are lower. Often, the technology isn't as good in rural vets, but the one I referenced in my example actually has BETTER technology than the city vets.

Cdn_Cuda · 01-10-2012, 06:25 PM

Thanks for the replies. To address the grow issue, The doggy daycare Kenzie attends spoke to us about it and said they recognized it CPV and the vet was fairly certain it was. We've been watching it very carefully. It's been shrinking and has never been larger than the end of pencil's eraser.

I have no problem paying for things that help my dog be healthy, but I don't want to get lead down the garden path either. I guess I like to have treatment options that don't involve cutting the dog. Kenzie hates the vet right now after having an allergic reaction and having to stay there for several hours. And addition unnecessary procedure would only make it worse.

onyx'girl · 01-10-2012, 06:28 PM

What was the allergic reaction from? Can you post a pic of the CPV(I'm assuming this is a papilloma)? I didn't think surgery was a protocol for that...

Karlo's cyst(not CPV) grew from the time I first noticed it, and didn't want to have it get more complicated. I think he was 9 or 10 months old when it was removed. I noticed it a month or two before having the procedure. I never took any pics of it.

Cdn_Cuda · 01-11-2012, 12:10 PM

Sorry, didn't have a chance to get a picture. And yes, I believe it's a papilloma. There hasn't been much of a change in the growth in the last few days and it's about the size of the tip of a pencil, so we're likely going to visit a new vet and see what they say.

I guess our best bet is to try a couple different vets and see how we like them before deciding which one to use.

Cdn_Cuda · 01-16-2012, 02:28 PM

Had a vet check on Sunday with a new different vet that came recommended from the doggy daycare we go to. What a difference. He took the time to properly approach MacKenzie, so the dog wasn't scared of him. The vet looked at the growth, which is quite a bit smaller now, and agreed it was likely a papilloma growth and discussed a variety of options that could be used to treat it. He was surprised when that the other vet recommended surgery and biopsy on such a young dog and explained the options for treatment and the benefits and issues associated with each. In the end he said it looked like it was just about gone and we had nothing to worry about, unless it started to grow again.

Needless to say, he is now are new vet.

01-10-2012, 02:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Cdn_Cuda New Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 14	Vet Issues Just looking for some advice on vets. My current vet seems okay, but they seem to be overcharging or only giving the most expensive options. Kenzie was just under 50lbs when we got her fixed and it cost 700 CAD, but including the repairs to a hernia she had. This seemed a bit expensive, but I had past experience with the vet and the support staff are very nice. Most recently we discovered a small funny looking growth on Kenzie, a wart in her mouth, CPV. We went to the vet for advice and the suggested dropped the dog off on a Friday for the entire day so they could do a local on her lower jaw, remove the growth and send it for biopsy at an estimate cost of $500 CAD. I was a little taken aback from the cost and the vet asked if we had insurance and then told us we should get it. My wife and I decided to do some research. After doing research, cutting off the wart appears to be done only if necessary and that there is a variety of treatment options, including letting the dog's immune system fight it off. None of these options were ever given to us, just the most expensive and unnecessary one. Am I just being overly sensitive towards the vet or does it seem he's more interested in $$$ than actually helping? Also, when selected a vet, any advice? There's several ones local, a few of which we've heard good things about. Thanks for the help! This has

01-10-2012, 03:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
onyx'girl Crowned Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: SW, MI Posts: 17,605	We were talking at training the other day and one of our group members said Canadian vetting is cheaper than US. She had procedures done in CA that ran much less than quoted locally. I guess it depends on where in Canada or the US you are, to get reasonable prices. The Washington,DC area is very high worth travelling several hours away just to get hip/elbow x-rays. I had to have a growth Sublingual Mucoceles removed from Karlo's lower mouth/tongue area and it ran about $350 with the sedation/antibiotics and biopsy. Sounds like the same thing Kenzie has? I opted to have it removed because I don't think growths in the mouth are anything to mess with. Karlo's was benign just as suspected. __________________ Jane~ Kept by Onyx, Kacie and Gideon v Wildhaus aka Karlo Last edited by onyx'girl; 01-10-2012 at 03:29 PM.

01-10-2012, 04:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rott-n-GSDs Master Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: South Range, WI Posts: 999	I once got charged $750 for an e-vet to take an x-ray and then push a pop bottle top down into my GSD's stomach (it was lodged in his throat). At the regular vet, it cost me $500 per animal to get my two cats neutered. I expect to pay at least $200 whenever I walk in the door. Veterinary care is expensive... particularly in areas with more vets (oddly enough). Sometimes I think they all band together and say, "Okay, we're going to charge at least $XX for XXX procedure." Same goes for other things like vaccination protocols. Every single vet in my area does 2 year rabies despite the fact that WI and MN law says every three years. I had to fight to get my dogs certificates changed to reflect a 3 year schedule. Veterinarians in rural areas seem to be more reasonable, at least around here. I also like rural areas that don't have emergency vets, because then the regular vet handles emergency care and it's usually a lot cheaper. Example: my cat had a urinary blockage and we took him to the e-vet. They cleared the blockage, kept him overnight, and then I had to transfer him to my regular vet where they kept him for three days. The e-vet cost was $850, the regular vet cost was $450. A few months later, the cat blocked again. We decided to drive an hour to the rural vet. They cleared the blockage and kept him for three days. The TOTAL bill was $250.00 (including the initial emergency/after hours call). Now, whenever we have a non-life threatening emergency, we go to the rural vet (about an hour's drive) rather than the e-vet (about a 40 minute drive). Personally, I think most vets overcharge because they CAN. We're going to pay it, and they know it. In some rural areas, people simply will not pay thousands of dollars on their animals... not that they love them any less, but paying that kind of money is simply not done. As a result, vet costs are lower. Often, the technology isn't as good in rural vets, but the one I referenced in my example actually has BETTER technology than the city vets. __________________ Luna, GSD (11/22/08) Nova, GSD (07/01/07) Apollo, Rottweiler (06/28/08)

01-10-2012, 06:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
onyx'girl Crowned Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: SW, MI Posts: 17,605	What was the allergic reaction from? Can you post a pic of the CPV(I'm assuming this is a papilloma)? I didn't think surgery was a protocol for that... Karlo's cyst(not CPV) grew from the time I first noticed it, and didn't want to have it get more complicated. I think he was 9 or 10 months old when it was removed. I noticed it a month or two before having the procedure. I never took any pics of it. __________________ Jane~ Kept by Onyx, Kacie and Gideon v Wildhaus aka Karlo Last edited by onyx'girl; 01-10-2012 at 06:31 PM.

01-10-2012, 03:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
angelas Elite Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: East Central SK Posts: 1,459	Veterinary treatment in Canada is expensive. I have also recently switched vets due to expense (and a new vet grad with attitude). My old vet cost $100 for an exam and rabies shot (no other vaccines). The price they quoted to titre for distemper and parvo was $500 each. My new vet is in another town about 1/2 hr away and came highly recommended. Just before Christmas I took my little one in. For the exam, blood testing and a month's supply of Metacam cost $170. The same from the old vet would have been much, much more simply because of the city each is in.

01-10-2012, 03:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,320	How do you know it is only a wart? I don't screw around with growths. If it continues to grow, is suddenly there, or doesn't go away then cut it out and send it for biopsy. A friend lost her black lab to a very aggressive mouth cancer.

01-10-2012, 06:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
Cdn_Cuda New Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 14	Thanks for the replies. To address the grow issue, The doggy daycare Kenzie attends spoke to us about it and said they recognized it CPV and the vet was fairly certain it was. We've been watching it very carefully. It's been shrinking and has never been larger than the end of pencil's eraser. I have no problem paying for things that help my dog be healthy, but I don't want to get lead down the garden path either. I guess I like to have treatment options that don't involve cutting the dog. Kenzie hates the vet right now after having an allergic reaction and having to stay there for several hours. And addition unnecessary procedure would only make it worse.

01-11-2012, 12:10 PM	#8 (permalink)
Cdn_Cuda New Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 14	Sorry, didn't have a chance to get a picture. And yes, I believe it's a papilloma. There hasn't been much of a change in the growth in the last few days and it's about the size of the tip of a pencil, so we're likely going to visit a new vet and see what they say. I guess our best bet is to try a couple different vets and see how we like them before deciding which one to use.

01-16-2012, 02:28 PM	#9 (permalink)
Cdn_Cuda New Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 14	Had a vet check on Sunday with a new different vet that came recommended from the doggy daycare we go to. What a difference. He took the time to properly approach MacKenzie, so the dog wasn't scared of him. The vet looked at the growth, which is quite a bit smaller now, and agreed it was likely a papilloma growth and discussed a variety of options that could be used to treat it. He was surprised when that the other vet recommended surgery and biopsy on such a young dog and explained the options for treatment and the benefits and issues associated with each. In the end he said it looked like it was just about gone and we had nothing to worry about, unless it started to grow again. Needless to say, he is now are new vet.

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