This morning was Oscar’s annual vet visit. Talk about sticker shock! On the way there, I told Vince . . don’t be surprised if the bill is over $300. I was shocked!!
The tech wrote it all up and then said “It’s $568.45. Is that ok?” I immediately said “NO! What can we take off?” The only things we could take off were a couple of things that were in the $20 range – the fecal exam and expressing the glands. Vince said “Just do it all!”
The vet doesn’t usually check Oscar’s teeth because Oscar has to wear a muzzle. Oscar was about a year old when he was neutered and while he was out, they cleaned his teeth. That was two years ago and the vet said, since he’s so difficult, let’s do it every two years and that’s this year. Today the vet asked if we wanted to have his teeth cleaned. I told him I’m able to brush Oscar’s teeth several times a week so I think they’re pretty clean but he has some broken teeth. He was such an aggressive chewer and he loved the yak cheese chews and we gave them to him until I heard what sounded like a tooth cracking. When I looked into his mouth, he had broken a tooth so we stopped giving them to him but the other day when brushing his teeth, I noticed there were several teeth that were broken.
The vet had us go into a room that had a big spotlight almost. He put Oscar on the table, had us open his mouth and, from a distance, he was able to shine the light and see in Oscar’s mouth. Yes, at least three broken teeth! Maybe we should have let Oscar destroy the house instead of giving him those yak chews!
Now he has to have those teeth pulled. The vet said I need to give him the tranquilizers. This time, I gave him half of one last night, then a whole one was 5:30 a.m. for the 8:00 appointment. The vet was very happy with Oscar’s behavior, though he wasn’t REALLY that good! Here’s the estimate for the dental appointment coming up in June.
Then I got home, checked email and Cooper has an appointment Thursday! Good grief!
Sally says
My son’s dog just had ACL surgery. Over $6,000
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Y’all are scaring me!
ginnyclyne says
Sounds just like the same amount I paid when I would take my Karlin into to the Vet. He had many dental issues so by the time he was 13 yrs old he only had 3 teeth left. My last Vet bill was when he passed away was $1815.00 and we left without a dog. I would gladly pay it again to have him back. My DH says we are too old to start with another pet and we do some travelling which was hard on Karlin because he couldn’t come.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Oh, yes, I’ll gladly pay it to keep Oscar in good working order!
Because we’ve had and have Dachshunds and they are barkers and panic when left alone in strange places, we made the decision if we’re going to have dogs, we’re not going to travel so we either go to a cabin on a nearby lake or go to my uncle’s where we can bring the dogs. I don’t think we could ever board Oscar (probably the vet wouldn’t even keep him!) but neither of us likes to travel so we’re good with staying home with our dogs.
vivoaks says
Wow!!! Now I’m really glad I no longer have pets!! I guess that’s why pet insurance is being pushed so much! I have a daughter who is a vet tech and I know it’s expensive to get a degree as a vet, but at that rate, not many people will be able to afford to keep a pet. That’s a shame!!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
The vets here are always backed up. I try to get the first appointment of the day because the longer Oscar has to wait, the more agitated he gets. We had an 8 a.m. appointment today but and I thought we were first but we waited about 40 minutes before we went to a room and then probably another 25 minutes in the exam room. There are three vets in the office and to get an appointment, I have to call several months in advance. I know most of the vets here aren’t taking new patients so they all seem to be busy.
Vet bills used to be reasonable but it’s definitely getting to the point that many people are not going to be able to afford pet care.
Dottie says
Poor Oscar. It is amazing how much vet care costs these days.
Rosalie in Texas says
I took my 15 year old dog in for a dental in December- I had asked for an estimate when I booked the appointment and the receptionist gave me wrong information. They pulled 23 teeth and no one called me to give me any idea of cost. Needless to say I was shocked when I got a bill for almost $1700!
I complained and was told that they had already discounted the bill – that it was actually $4000! I had used that vet for 25 years and I will not go back. I truly think that dental services may be needed but is the golden goose for vets. A one hour procedure should not cost that much. They are charging more than my dentist!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Oh, Rosie! That’s awful. I would have had a heart attack.
Nelle Coursey says
I know dentists vary in pricing, but Foxy has at least 4 teeth that need to be pulled and my dentist told me the total bill would be about $300 at the most! I love Fritz Speck, his daughter Logan and the young man working with them!
Deb says
We, too, had a vet bill for well over $900 – to have our terriers teeth cleaned, under anesthesia. She is 11 and we won’t do that again! We have brushed her teeth for YEARS, 3-4 times a week.
At the prices vets charge people won’t be adopting pets from rescue places or will adopt and then not take them to the vet. At least our pets over the years were well taken care of, just like yours – but it makes me cringe. We won’t get another pet after our dog passes (hopefully many years from now)….we can’t afford it anymore.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I’m not sure we’ll keep doing dentals at the price they are now. Oscar does need to get these broken teeth pulled because that can cause so many problems. I do keep his teeth brushed and for treats, they get a piece of that T/D Dental dog food, which is is supposed to help clean them.
I certainly understand that a whole lot of people cannot afford to be spending that much. We probably shouldn’t be!
Kim A Paventy says
Yak chews gave as a huge bill also several years ago, we only give them greenies, milkbones and Bully sticks now.
Elana says
My husband tells people, “if you have lots of money and don’t know what to do with it, get a dog!” We love our Treeing Coonhound, Annie, but she is pricey. She is beloved by all of us and keeps us laughing with her frequent whining and talking. However, she does cost a great deal. Luckily she is cute!!