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Beesley has his first vet appointment on Thursday afternoon. Dun dun dun!
Having never had a pet before, I have no idea what to expect! My first question is, how expensive should I expect the visit to be? The office has a visit fee of $48, but is that all inclusive of what gets checked out with my dog? Or, do they start at $48 and charge extra for every little thing they check out on your dog? Beesley's been having a few indicators of health issues (loose and sometimes bloody stool, scratching one ear), so I'm wondering if the $48 covers the vet checking those two issues or if I'm going to be stuck paying a $300+ check-up fee.
Anyone have any recommendations for Banfield care at Petsmart? I've heard not so good things about them, but they seem to be the most convienent.
Lastly, if you have pet insurance (I received one month free from the shelter), how does that work? Do you pay for everything up front and then submit a claim to be reimbursed? Or does it work like a human office visit, where you don't pay for anything out of pocket?
Any other suggestions or advice would be much appreciated!
Here's a new pic of my little guy posing with his favorite toy
In my experience, $48 covers the exam. The vet will weigh your dog, take his temp, look at the ears, eyes and teeth; check body condition, fleas, and stuff like that is normal 'exam' stuff. Bring a stool sample so the vet can run a fecal to check for parasites (that will cost extra, as will any deworming meds) and so will any ear drops/wash. Your shelter care insurance may cover that. I had it with my dog but I totally forgot about it during my first visit to my vet with my puppy. The vet should know. My vet gave me my exam free - they always do with adopted from shelter animals. I had to pay for tests/medicines.
As Hanna said, they will check him out but after that, they charge for everything they do - fecal sample, any shots, meds. My vet doesn't take checks any more, either!
Just like for people doctors, the $48 covers the exam. You'll pay extra for tests and medication. Since your dude is still a puppy, count on paying for immunization shots this visit.
My dog is not a puppy, and is current on all his shots, so I don't have to worry about those costs. Thanks for your answers, everyone. Me and my checkbook (or debit card) feel better
Just as a side note: for a fecal sample....how do I put this??? Um....the 'fresher' the better. Just collected is best. If you can't get a 'fresh' specimen, then put it in foil and then in a baggie or two and in the refrigerator.
Just as a side note: for a fecal sample....how do I put this??? Um....the 'fresher' the better. Just collected is best. If you can't get a 'fresh' specimen, then put it in foil and then in a baggie or two and in the refrigerator.
I can just picture the looks I'm going to get when I pick up my dog's mess from the ground and I put it in my pocket to save for later. One of the down sides to living in a condo complex
Beesley has his first vet appointment on Thursday afternoon. Dun dun dun!
Having never had a pet before, I have no idea what to expect! My first question is, how expensive should I expect the visit to be? The office has a visit fee of $48, but is that all inclusive of what gets checked out with my dog? Or, do they start at $48 and charge extra for every little thing they check out on your dog? Beesley's been having a few indicators of health issues (loose and sometimes bloody stool, scratching one ear), so I'm wondering if the $48 covers the vet checking those two issues or if I'm going to be stuck paying a $300+ check-up fee.
Anyone have any recommendations for Banfield care at Petsmart? I've heard not so good things about them, but they seem to be the most convienent.
Lastly, if you have pet insurance (I received one month free from the shelter), how does that work? Do you pay for everything up front and then submit a claim to be reimbursed? Or does it work like a human office visit, where you don't pay for anything out of pocket?
Any other suggestions or advice would be much appreciated!
Here's a new pic of my little guy posing with his favorite toy
I can't tell you for sure what it will cost you, what will happen and how your insurance will work, but I can tell you how our vet does things. Our vet would charge $50 for the visit (and it was either $60 or $70 for an emergency visit) and that covers the basic stuff. If the vet needs to get a fecal sample, you pay some for that, if your pup needs any shots or meds, you will pay some for that, etc. I'm sure they will also suggest you buy some flea/tick stuff and some heartowrm stuff. We bought our Frontline Plus and our Heartguard from our vet, and we would get 6-12 months worth of each at a time.
I would assume, since he's a puppy and this is his first vet visit, they will want to know what shots he's had, and they will want to give him any other shots he needs (If I remember correctly, at the vet most shots run about $12 a pop). I would also assume, because of the runny/bloody stool, they will want to get a stool sample (Which shouldn't be too expensive. I want to say we payed $5 for stool sample, but that almost sounds too low. Maybe $10?). And as for the ear scratching, I would assume they will check out his ears (Which they do in the regular exam anyway.) and probably prescribe some ear drops and/or antibiotics.
Again, every vet has different prices and does things differently, so I can't tell you how much everything will cost for sure, but if there's nothing seriously wrong with your pup, I'd bet that your visit will cost around $100-$150, give or take some depending on how many shots he needs and what is going on with his ear and stool.
As far as the pet insurance, I don't know about that for sure either, but I'd assume that it would be the same as a human that has insurance going to see a doctor. You will just have to pay whatever they don't cover. Also, do you know if there are certain vets that will or will not take that insurance? Is there a list of vets that will except it? Again, I don't know how that works, all vets could take that insurance for all I know, but just to be safe, if you haven't already, you should check that out and see if there is a list of vets that will take that insurance.
Anyway, I hope this helps, and I hope your pups first vet visit goes smoothly for both of you! Good luck!
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