Poodle wrangler Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 To all those good vets out there, thankyou Many of us appreciate you very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 I don't even look at the prices. We have two clinics in our town. I tried one and after many visits with different animals I lost confidence in him. I then went to the other local vets and I really like them. I have no idea if one is cheaper than the other. I don't doctor shop for myself based on price either. is that abnormal? Judging by what most say I don't think I am an average consumer through? I like building a relationship with any vet that treats my animals. It must be a relationship based on trust. I have to feel confident that they are doing the best they can and that they are prepared to investigate and delve into issues with my dogs. I also like them to discuss different treatments and strategies with me. I don't just defer to them every time. I give input and I discuss the particular health issue. I don't tell them what to do though because I respect their knowledge and skill. They also respect that I am an independent thinker and I will not just agree to everything and anything unless it is reasoned and explained to me. I guess in short they can up sell me if they like but I will not buy unless I think it is worth it or needed. It's my choice in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Anne, yes you have raised a good point. My vets know I am a well educated person when it comes to my animals and potential issues. I do my research, I also don't agree blindly to things, I question where I feel I need to or if I don't understand something. My vet -ex boss- once told me as a client I am a bit scary because I am knowledgable and not afraid to question and pull them up to explain something. He said it was good though as it made sure they were on the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffez Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 I think what adds to this problem is that pet insurance in Australia sucks, its expensive and coverage is restrictive. I had a chat with my vet the last time I was in and she agreed with me that we have one of the most poor value pet insurance in the world. I'm not sure whether its possible to lobby this at all to get the premiums down and be comparable to world standards. My family in USA insures their dog for $200-$250 a year! This includes rebates on annual checkups and injections. My pet insurance comes to about $600 and has a book full of restrictive terms and no rebates on the annual checkups and this is just normal cover (not premium). For two dogs it comes to $1200+. Vet costs in Australia are pretty high if you compare with overseas. My family in the States had to take their dog in for an emergency visit for a bee sting which set them back US$90. I thought this was cheap, a friend of mine had the same problem in Australia and as soon as she set foot into the emergency, it was already $220 for consultation. Then the meds and hospitalisation sent the bill close to $1000 in just one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 I think what adds to this problem is that pet insurance in Australia sucks, its expensive and coverage is restrictive. I had a chat with my vet the last time I was in and she agreed with me that we have one of the most poor value pet insurance in the world. I'm not sure whether its possible to lobby this at all to get the premiums down and be comparable to world standards. My family in USA insures their dog for $200-$250 a year! This includes rebates on annual checkups and injections. My pet insurance comes to about $600 and has a book full of restrictive terms and no rebates on the annual checkups and this is just normal cover (not premium). For two dogs it comes to $1200+. Vet costs in Australia are pretty high if you compare with overseas. My family in the States had to take their dog in for an emergency visit for a bee sting which set them back US$90. I thought this was cheap, a friend of mine had the same problem in Australia and as soon as she set foot into the emergency, it was already $220 for consultation. Then the meds and hospitalisation sent the bill close to $1000 in just one day. I'm in a relatively inexpensive area of the US and those prices sound absurdly low to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 I think what adds to this problem is that pet insurance in Australia sucks, its expensive and coverage is restrictive. I had a chat with my vet the last time I was in and she agreed with me that we have one of the most poor value pet insurance in the world. I'm not sure whether its possible to lobby this at all to get the premiums down and be comparable to world standards. My family in USA insures their dog for $200-$250 a year! This includes rebates on annual checkups and injections. My pet insurance comes to about $600 and has a book full of restrictive terms and no rebates on the annual checkups and this is just normal cover (not premium). For two dogs it comes to $1200+. Vet costs in Australia are pretty high if you compare with overseas. My family in the States had to take their dog in for an emergency visit for a bee sting which set them back US$90. I thought this was cheap, a friend of mine had the same problem in Australia and as soon as she set foot into the emergency, it was already $220 for consultation. Then the meds and hospitalisation sent the bill close to $1000 in just one day. I took Harper to the local vet when she was stung by a bee and was swelling up horribly - total bill $75, which included the consult and 2 shots... but I got her there before the swelling became serious enough to require emergency hospital treatment. Still took nearly 7 hours for her swelling and hives to go away, and I had to stay home to observe her closely and make sure that it did go down. Emergency clinics are extremely pricey - often a couple hundred just to walk through the door BEFORE you even get to see a vet... but if my dog needed that sort of care, then price wouldn't be my first concern... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liath Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 We used to go to a very well known Vets franchise until my girl needed her baby teeth taken out. They quoted me over 600-00 for the removal of 2 teeth and kept asking me if I wanted her desexed at the same time. I kept telling them she is a show dog so No. In the end they had asked me so many times I felt they would desex her anyways. They also said they would shave her front leg, that there was no way around it. I rang the local vet who had operated on my other girl, their quote was 1/3 of the price. Took her down 2 days later, in the end they found 5 baby teeth that had not fallen out, they didn't charge me for the teeth removal, only the anaesthetic cost. Best part was they didn't shave her leg because she is a show dog. Vets need to take into consideration what the customer wants to, not just their own hip pocket. Yes the well being of the dog comes first but its the little things that make a huge difference. In the past 2 years I have heard of so many good stories about these vets and so many bad ones about the other vet. Glad I changed. Pays to shop around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Jesus. Some of your vets rule! The local one here is lovely, she's really nice and talks frankly but she's medically pretty useless IMO. 2 x $70+ appts for a mucky eye. First one was told 'he's too lively to handle' as he was licky and happy, wash it with salt water and come back if it doesn't fix up in a week. Second time I took him for an hour run before so he was less wound up, she gave me a $20 misc cream. I asked what the cream did and what she thought it was and she said 'could be anything really' and wouldn't put dye in it to check for abrasions, though she mentioned it both times, because 'it would just end up everywhere' We don't go there any more, as lovely as she was she just gambled things and ignored my concerns. I know Gus can be a PITA being a big happy puppy but I imagine it could be waaaaay worse! Turned out to be a major pain in the bum to get rid of the infection after all that as it had run rampant. I almost wanted to call in and express my sadness at the service but never did. I just let her keep sending me vacc reminders... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsjustmyopinion Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I think again its a business but you do have to shop around my vets dont upsell but others do and prices really vary from vet to vet I was quoted $49.90 for a micro chip from another vet My regular vet i use charges $28 i think its reasonable but i would never pay that high price for the same thing if you own a few dogs ask for a discount on vaccinations i did and i get a discount you dont know if you dont ask! I use the same vet all the time they know my dogs and have that relationship with them my dogs are comfortable with my vets too thats the main thing :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsjustmyopinion Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I think again its a business but you do have to shop around my vets dont upsell but others do and prices really vary from vet to vet I was quoted $49.90 for a micro chip from another vet My regular vet i use charges $28 i think its reasonable but i would never pay that high price for the same thing if you own a few dogs ask for a discount on vaccinations i did and i get a discount you dont know if you dont ask! I use the same vet all the time they know my dogs and have that relationship with them my dogs are comfortable with my vets too thats the main thing :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) We used to go to a very well known Vets franchise until my girl needed her baby teeth taken out. They quoted me over 600-00 for the removal of 2 teeth and kept asking me if I wanted her desexed at the same time. I kept telling them she is a show dog so No. In the end they had asked me so many times I felt they would desex her anyways. They also said they would shave her front leg, that there was no way around it. I rang the local vet who had operated on my other girl, their quote was 1/3 of the price. Took her down 2 days later, in the end they found 5 baby teeth that had not fallen out, they didn't charge me for the teeth removal, only the anaesthetic cost. Best part was they didn't shave her leg because she is a show dog. Vets need to take into consideration what the customer wants to, not just their own hip pocket. Yes the well being of the dog comes first but its the little things that make a huge difference. In the past 2 years I have heard of so many good stories about these vets and so many bad ones about the other vet. Glad I changed. Pays to shop around. The one thing that irritates me is the big deal made over shaving of the leg. I have shown my dogs with a small shaved patch on their leg because it means that the IV line has gone in aseptically. And I would prefer that to the risk of infection- I am not so fussed about blood being taken without clipping. I would actually be more concerned about what else they are not doing ie do they actually have an IV line in while the dog is anaesthetised or are they inducing off a needle. I think the biggest problem is that it is lay people judging vets and sometimes it is not possible to understand why vets do things like clip legs unless you understand the risk of infection, aseptic techniques and the importance of having an IV line in place if something goes wrong with an anaesthetic. Edited October 1, 2013 by Jumabaar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Our primary purpose of shaving was to ensure a good view of the vein. We shaved surgical sites to prevent infection, not injection sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) Our primary purpose of shaving was to ensure a good view of the vein. We shaved surgical sites to prevent infection, not injection sites. I was talking about an IV catheter not an injection with a needle. We do almost full sterile prep for catheters that are to be left in for more than a couple of hours. We have created a direct and open entry for micro-organisms into the blood stream and the aim is to keep the area as clean as possible. We generally just clip and disinfected the area for a short stay catheter- the risk is less because there is less time for infection. It is actually very similar to a surgery site, the longer the surgery the greater the risk of infection, and once again the primary defence (the skin) has been breached. I think it is just more common and less fuss is made about it but these infections can be just as life threatening! Edited October 1, 2013 by Jumabaar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Maeby Fünke Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I don't feel ripped off by my vet at all. She has actually been very generous by letting me have an account that I can pay off. I would only feel ripped off if I was getting a poor quality service. Money is no object when it comes to my pets but good service is a must! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I have seen dogs shown with a shaved patch. I would prefer a shaved leg than an infection. I have said things such as - if possible could you chave as little area as possible (my vets are rather clipper happy and the nurses will shave huge areas at times) sometimes it's possible sometimes it isn't. The vets here don't upsell to me but do suggest things and we decide the best course of treatment together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymatejack Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 (edited) delete Edited October 5, 2013 by mymatejack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Vet costs in Australia are pretty high if you compare with overseas. My family in the States had to take their dog in for an emergency visit for a bee sting which set them back US$90. I thought this was cheap, a friend of mine had the same problem in Australia and as soon as she set foot into the emergency, it was already $220 for consultation. Then the meds and hospitalisation sent the bill close to $1000 in just one day. Be thankful we don't live in the UK. My sister recently took her old cat to the vet. Consult was 90 pounds & the bill with some tablets was around 280 pounds Roughly double that for australian dollars. No tests or procedures. It was less than that here for my old dogs dental with full anaesthetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santo66 Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 Overheads have a lot do with it too. Our vet told us off the record their rent on their premises was 8K per month......the ripping off begins from above unfortunately and gets passed down the line in many cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cali Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 (edited) I have to say, vets don't really up sell to me... quite the opposite, they assume I have no money and only offer the cheapest option lol its actually kind of annoying because I do my research first and I want to follow a specific path, but they don't even offer it to me because it isn't the cheapest option so I have to talk it out of them..which I really hate because I am a very shy person! I was going back and forth between 2 vets for a while, and I have been slowly pushing all my stuff back to the first clinic I was using, I am just dropping that second clinic entirely after I lost Misty. the first clinic is NOT cheap, but they are great, they don't push anything, they suggest things that they think may HELP, but go through everything it would entail and don't talk down to me if its not an option for me. they know I prefer a holistic approach, and they know I do my own research first so they always ask me what I have already tried and what effect it had etc.. the second clinic is way cheaper and very convenient(its walk in) but they have 1. ignored my serious concerns in favour of the less serious ones(ie "he has diarrhoea, he is collapsing at random, and having seizures" "oh he has diarrhoea? ok, give him this enzyme" "uhhh what about the rest of it?" "ya ya, whatever, diarrhoea, he will OK") 2. told me it was critical my dog get $1000 surgery immediately, took her to vet #1 for a second opinion, was told she MIGHT need surgery but to try "this" first..it worked.(to be fair, the vet was not a holistic one, and the what I was told to try first by my preferred vet was a holistic approach) 3. kept my dog over night after surgery when she was doing better, refused to allow us to bring her home despite admitting nobody it at the clinic overnight, we finally gave in and she suffered a graft failure overnight while nobody was there. Edited October 6, 2013 by cali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 I have to say, vets don't really up sell to me... quite the opposite, they assume I have no money and only offer the cheapest option lol its actually kind of annoying because I do my research first and I want to follow a specific path, but they don't even offer it to me because it isn't the cheapest option so I have to talk it out of them..which I really hate because I am a very shy person! I was going back and forth between 2 vets for a while, and I have been slowly pushing all my stuff back to the first clinic I was using, I am just dropping that second clinic entirely after I lost Misty. the first clinic is NOT cheap, but they are great, they don't push anything, they suggest things that they think may HELP, but go through everything it would entail and don't talk down to me if its not an option for me. they know I prefer a holistic approach, and they know I do my own research first so they always ask me what I have already tried and what effect it had etc.. the second clinic is way cheaper and very convenient(its walk in) but they have 1. ignored my serious concerns in favour of the less serious ones(ie "he has diarrhoea, he is collapsing at random, and having seizures" "oh he has diarrhoea? ok, give him this enzyme" "uhhh what about the rest of it?" "ya ya, whatever, diarrhoea, he will OK") 2. told me it was critical my dog get $1000 surgery immediately, took her to vet #1 for a second opinion, was told she MIGHT need surgery but to try "this" first..it worked.(to be fair, the vet was not a holistic one, and the what I was told to try first by my preferred vet was a holistic approach) 3. kept my dog over night after surgery when she was doing better, refused to allow us to bring her home despite admitting nobody it at the clinic overnight, we finally gave in and she suffered a graft failure overnight while nobody was there. This reminds me of a story a vet told me. They had a 'clearly poor' woman come into the clinic she had many dogs and they were never in great condition and they were quite an expensive clinic, so they would cater to her needs and offer cheap options, and recommend she go to the welfare vet in the area. Eventually she stopped going to this clinic. A while later the welfare clinic got a large donation from a wealthy client..... You guessed it- the poor woman was not so poor, she just didnt feel the need to parade it around. Her sickly dogs were strays she picked up to bring back to good health. Vets shouldn't judge people. Some will add to their to their mortgage or cancel overseas holidays that they have been saving for 10yrs for to save their geriatric pet and you cant tell unless you give them the opportunity to decide for themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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