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I would want to know the track record of the vets there. How good are they? I am not saying they aren't good, but I don't look at the fees first: I look at the reputation among people I respect, people I know who are intelligent and take great care and have high standards for their pet care.
The vets are all fairly young so it would be hard to find out anything about them. Where do you look to find out about the vets you use? Googling brings up nothing on them.
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To be fair, and I know you are a very loving - and conscientious pet parent, from your previous posts - I realize you were ONLY focusing on the fee and are, I am sure, careful whom you use as a vet, too! <s>
Fees are important when you have more than one or two pets. Also, when my pets come home from the vet with fleas, that tells me something. So does the fact the vets come and go on a regular basis. If you have any way of finding out the background of Veternarians, please share that information. When I ask the people I know which vets they use and why, I get all different kinds of replies. They all use different vets. So that is no help. Paying through the nose is no guarantee your pets will get the best care. I learned that many years ago.
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By the way, our fees here in our local (excellent) vet practice - and in the not so great local practices as well - are double yours, at least, but this is metro NYC. (I am not in Manhattan, am in an area with houses,etc.)
I'm from Brooklyn and Queens so know NYC fairly well.
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Rabies shot is $33. First visit is $64, annual well care, or sick visit is $89. Just for starters. Our vets are really good, however, and most went to Cornell (but I had a jerk - he deserves that word - of a vet who went to Cornell, so I am not saying his school counts for everything).
I know what you mean. I worked for years in an Aminal Hosp in Queens. All but one of our vets was from Cornell. One was from a vet school in PA. One thought he was God and was canned fast. One was rude to everyone including the clients. He left right before he was canned. Those prices are unheard of where I live in TN.
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We just took a kitten to a board certified orthopedic surgeon, who went to a top vet school and trained in surgery at the top teaching hospital, and, more importantly, is widely respected by other vets. Just to say "hello" and have him take a look at her, no tests, was $190. But he is fabulous and cured the problem. (More money and tests later.<s>)
It depends what the problem is as to where and to who I take my cats to.
Every time I leave my vets office I have to shake my head. It's getting unreal what the bills are. I'm familiar with some other practices in the area - any that are worth their salt (and many that are not LOL) charge just as much if not more. I think it's just industry wide that the charges are becoming so high! I have some bills from years ago filed away and over the last 5 years ago, the price for the same items has more than doubled. Just sad.
Vets, like others, are going to make as much $$$ as they can. They will charge what the traffic will bear.
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I KNOW that technology has advanced yadda yadda. But a fecal and a rabies vacine are the same - why are they SOO much more? I don't get anything "new" on a standard exam - why is that nearly double? Let me pay for the bigger and better - not stick it to me for every little thing.
All those little things are were much of their profits lie. That $30 rabies shot costs a vet no more than $1 or $2 including one-use syringe. Some vets cheat by giving only half the dose to two animals thereby really making a profit. A shot of penicillin that costs the vet .50 will cost YOU $10.00. Heartworm meds and the 'mectins (Revolution among others) are among the cheapest drugs out there and look what they charge for them! It's not only shocking but sickening.
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This is why so many people are relinquishing animals to shelters and why fewer people take pets in for standard wellness visits. Pets are not seen until owners notice they are really sick now and sometimes it's too late or too expensive whereas it may not have been if a standard visit and routine testing wasn't so expensive it was cost prohibitive. ((getting off my soapbox now!)
Vets, like others, are going to make as much $$$ as they can. They will charge what the traffic will bear.
All those little things are were much of their profits lie. That $30 rabies shot costs a vet no more than $1 or $2 including one-use syringe. Some vets cheat by giving only half the dose to two animals thereby really making a profit. A shot of penicillin that costs the vet .50 will cost YOU $10.00. Heartworm meds and the 'mectins (Revolution among others) are among the cheapest drugs out there and look what they charge for them! It's not only shocking but sickening.
Sadly, this is so true.
I really don't think that anything other than a tiny minority of vets would knowingly only use half a rabies shot on an animal to save money. As much as I am upset over the MAJORITY of local vets I have had, for various reasons of incompetence, or, lack of caring, or outright neglect (in one instance, and he went to Cornell), I think that even these vets don't cheat on the size of the dose. I really don't.
The thing that you have to keep in mind, and I don't disagree with your overall thesis that vet care is way too expensive, is that even our totally non-profit, financially strained facilities such as the award winning, totally magnanimous, high quality, feral cat and rescue cat loving Humane Society in NY, these places must charge above the cost just to pay for salaries, staff benefits, brick and mortar costs, etc. And for the many that they treat for almost nothing.
I also feel that my local vet practice, (at last, an ethical and highly competent practice - I didn't know that they existed before LOL!), which charges as much as anyone I know, also offers really wonderful, careful, high quality care. With better staff than I have ever seen elsewhere.
The vets are all fairly young so it would be hard to find out anything about them. Where do you look to find out about the vets you use? Googling brings up nothing on them.
Fees are important when you have more than one or two pets. Also, when my pets come home from the vet with fleas, that tells me something. So does the fact the vets come and go on a regular basis. If you have any way of finding out the background of Veternarians, please share that information. When I ask the people I know which vets they use and why, I get all different kinds of replies. They all use different vets. So that is no help. Paying through the nose is no guarantee your pets will get the best care. I learned that many years ago.>>
<<I'm from Brooklyn and Queens so know NYC fairly well.
I know what you mean. I worked for years in an Aminal Hosp in Queens. All but one of our vets was from Cornell. One was from a vet school in PA. One thought he was God and was canned fast. One was rude to everyone including the clients. He left right before he was canned. Those prices are unheard of where I live in TN.
It depends what the problem is as to where and to who I take my cats to.
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Originally Posted by =^..^=
Vets, like others, are going to make as much $$$ as they can. They will charge what the traffic will bear.
All those little things are were much of their profits lie. That $30 rabies shot costs a vet no more than $1 or $2 including one-use syringe. Some vets cheat by giving only half the dose to two animals thereby really making a profit. A shot of penicillin that costs the vet .50 will cost YOU $10.00. Heartworm meds and the 'mectins (Revolution among others) are among the cheapest drugs out there and look what they charge for them! It's not only shocking but sickening.
Sadly, this is so true.
I wish I could tell you a good way to get a vet!! I can't at all! We kissed a lot of toads before we found the right ones and even they have some things to be desired, but are basically very competent and ethical also and I have not had any mistakes made by them which I find truly amazing,given my previous experience with 3 other vet practices that I left, one after the other.
I found this one by having to show up in an emergency on a Sunday. I was amazed at the young lady vet. I went back to her...and back.. and found that everyone loved her for her competence combined with her ability to get the story straight from you and to know you and how you will do things. She gets it about your lifestyle, your life demands and your intelligence and knowledge - and lack of it. She is able to discriminate between what you do well and know and what you don't. A walking miracle. I never found anyone as good before. And she is only in her early 30's. The other vets there told me that they love having her there. Her appointments are always booked pretty solid and other pet parents I respect told me that they love her, too.
Lots of vet practices are becoming chains. That's a bad thing because the focus is more on profits. Basically, vets have come to realize they can charge more. It is like so many things in this country, too much focus on poor values - greed. Not enough on good values - making a fair living while bringing something positive to the table.
I found this one by having to show up in an emergency on a Sunday. I was amazed at the young lady vet. I went back to her...and back.. and found that everyone loved her for her competence combined with her ability to get the story straight from you and to know you and how you will do things. She gets it about your lifestyle, your life demands and your intelligence and knowledge - and lack of it. She is able to discriminate between what you do well and know and what you don't. A walking miracle. I never found anyone as good before. And she is only in her early 30's. The other vets there told me that they love having her there. Her appointments are always booked pretty solid and other pet parents I respect told me that they love her, too.
Just luck!!
Luck! There you go. Not only is this new Animal Hosp' my cats go to now lower in price than the old place (where we took the dogs), but the same vets are working there for the past 3 years I've been going there. They may have worked there since the first smaller hosp/office, owned by the same Vet, opened. The other place, expensive and known for it's rude receptionists and high vet turnover proves that you don't always get quality because you pay more.
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A shot of penicillin that costs the vet .50 will cost YOU $10.00. Heartworm meds and the 'mectins (Revolution among others) are among the cheapest drugs out there and look what they charge for them! It's not only shocking but sickening. 
Not only is this new Animal Hosp' my cats go to now lower in price than the old place (where we took the dogs), but the same vets are working there for the past 3 years I've been going there. They may have worked there since the first smaller hosp/office, owned by the same Vet, opened. The other place, expensive and known for it's rude receptionists and high vet turnover proves that you don't always get quality because you pay more.
