Vets that empty your wallet

Robert Nicholson said:
Pet vets are having to look at animals as if they were semi-human, the owners expect long life for their pets and are willing to spend big.
50 years ago, if your dog was sick and dying it got 50 cents worth of lead. That is not how things are now.
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That's a pretty narrow opinion Rob and I do agree a lot of people followed that practice and many still do or worse, they drop them off along side the road in the back country.

I can only tell you what most of my friends and myself did when our pets were in dire straits. We took them to a VET.

People are different, some don't like their animals and barely tolerate them. Most like them and treat them well. A few are cruel and should be treated in the same manner they treat their animals.

When it's time for my pets to meet their end, I do it myself, out of respect/love for my pet. They don't like visiting the Vet and it stresses them out. At the final moment of their lives, which they are almost always fully aware of at the time, making it quick and painless as possible, without the drama and mental trauma is the best option.

Just like human Doctors, there are good ones, great ones, and abject failures. I knew of one who lost his license because he was a closet Sadist.

They're human. Some are greedy. Most work for a clinic, either by contract or salary, just like your Barber. That's why they come and go so often.

We take on the responsibility of taking care of these creatures. Failing them is failing yourself.

Sadly, far too many people have pets and they don't know how to take care of them or can't afford to take care of them.

Many shelters across Canada are full of 2-4 year-old pets whose owners got tired of them, couldn't take proper care of them when they returned to work or could no longer financially provide for them.

I like dogs, cats, and other animals. They give everything they have to offer and deserve something in return, even if it's only respect.
 
Our dog had an ear problem early on and the Vet bent me over and gave it to me dry! So, I learned ...... take that special stuff to your pharmacist and have them look it over. Most medicines for pets are the same for animal and human, only different name, The ear infection thing has been dealt with effectively in our dog's case now for over 7 years. The "special meds" that the Vet overcharged for was just a mix of Polysporin and Micatin or some other anti-fungal. If my dog needs a prescription, I always ask that it be written or sent directly to the pharmacy.
He was sick last summer, turned out to be allergies but the vet prescribed something that would completely knock down his immune system BUT she prescribed a long course of Amoxicillin to prevent infection. I was in shock with the price, about $1.00 each for the Amoxicillin X 180 and I forget the other drug.
I got a 'script for the antibiotic and filled it for around $35.00.
I agree with the comment about Vets being more price friendly on the Prairies, just stay away from that Vet clinic on Pembina HWY in Winnipeg.
 
.22LRGUY said:
Boy, is this topic a sore one for me. Until I got a bit smart about it (a bit) I'd just take our cat(s) in and just believe what I was told and pay the bill. Still couldn't make sense of what I was being charged vs. the level of care, but I had to draw a line in the sand...and always be the one that deals with it vs. my wife. Not because she's not smart/capable, but the vet and their office staff play the emotional card and I think ramp it up if they see an opportunity.

When I woke-up to our oldest, sick old cat (almost 18) not moving, blood/urine everywhere this past summer I knew 2 things=he was going to the vet, and he wasn't coming back. I also knew there would be pushback from the vet who based on past experience....would spare no expense at trying to bring this cat back from the brink. Spare no expense of ours that is. Problem is, I saw that play out 2 years earlier too...x-ray, blood work, medication...then more blood work...then surgery..then recovery...then back for post-surgery care. I think I probably made 3 Audi A5 lease payments for him and that old cat barely scraped through. He went into this 2 years later and in way worse shape.

Of course, the suggested care was "X-ray, blood work to start....but it looks serious, surgery may be required". I think if I could have asked the cat if he wanted to re-live that misery....

Hard to believe all vets have the pets best interest @ heart all the time. $ talks.
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Reminds me of 1992 when my 4 year old male cat had urinary blockage. Brought him in to the vet emerge (biggest financial rapists around). They tested his reflexes by holding him a foot over the table and dropping him! He was limp when I brought him in and I explained that he couldn't stand on his own. They said they would do whatever they could and for me to go home and wait for the call. 4 hours later I got the call that he had died so I went in to pick him up and was hit with a $900 bill and told very pleasantly by the receptionist that I could not take his body in the garbage bag they had for him until I paid the bill in full. At the time I was fairly broke and had to borrow money from a good buddy to pay the bill and as I walked out the door in a lilting happy voice she said oh by the way sir you know you can't bury him within city limits. That experience left a bad enough taste in my mouth that I didn't get another cat until 2010 and that was only to help a friend who rescued a whole litter.
 
Try getting wormer for a 100+ lb LGD that won't willingly get in a vehicle let alone let a strange man handle them.
 
yeah Vet's are expensive. Still my dog has no wait times. She is insured and pays out of pocket for the remainder, gets very good medical expertise for living in Canada compared to the rest of us.
 
A lot of vets are vaccine/medication pushers. Our old vet put our border collie on that once a month flea/tick medication since she was a pup. After four years of the protein buildup in her blood she started having prolonged (45 min) episodes of involuntary twitching and flinching.

As it turns out, herding breeds carry a gene that makes them very susceptible to this sort of reaction to the flea and tick medication.
 
I love animals but when my 12 year old pit bull started getting sick and loseing weight I knew she had cancer due to all the lumps in her belly I put the rifle in my truck packed up a load of her favourite treats and food and spent the day with her at one of our favourite spots in the bush. It was hard on me I could not drive for hours because of the tears but in the end I knew I did the rite thing. I have a buddy who let his dog suffer to the very end whimpering and crying for months could not eat for the last couple weeks poor dog died beside him in the truck. I cursed him out and said I hope that doctors let you die same way when it’s your time
 
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Ungrateful said:
If you live in the country find a farm vet that looks at horses and cows they usually also have someone on staff that also looks at dogs and cats and they tend to not push expensive treatments or tests since they are used to farmers telling them just to put the animal down if it’s going to be expensive
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You are partially right.

ANY vet is able do large farm animals OR the very lucrative small animal pet care.

The reason that not all vets get into that very lucrative pet care is that it requires a large investment in equipment, rather like hospitals for humans.
But for those who make that investment, it's like buying Tim Horton's franchises. As in the ability to print money. Because for city people, cost is no object when Fido needs surgery.
 
I've been with the same Vet 'business' (which has been a small local clinic since it started) through 3 owners over the last 40 years. First 2 owners were old school, see them once a year for shots and if any issues come in and we will check it out. They were both kind hearted and very good at what they did as small animal vets, only asking to do further tests when it appeared they were required.

New owner is a new, young vet that seems to
1 - want to see the cat every 4 months for checkup and testing.
2 - run costly blood and urinalysis on each visit

I keep getting 'reminders' via text and email in which they suggest the health of my animal is in danger unless I make appointments.

Next visit due as far as I am concerned will be in May for yearly shots and general checkup.

Pretty sure I'll be moving on after the next checkup.
 
Most vets I have dealt with are scammers... always trying to talk you into unnecessary procedures for thousands of dollars. I have a friend that got talked into doing hip surgery on his 14 year old Labrador... $10,000 dollars gone, three months later, he paid $500 to have it pit down and cremated. Gross.
 
mbogo3 said:
I have an issue with a vet wanting to do a physical on my dog every time he gets chronic ear infections instead of just renewing a Surolan ear drop prescription for a condition this elderly dog will carry to the grave. I consider this vet an unethical thief. $200 to confirm the patient is indeed a dog and surprise has an ear infection. I'm sick of these parasites in this economy to boot. Looking into something else to treat the ear.
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Polysporin Pink eye drops from shoppers drugmart or walmart.
Over the counter and cheap. It's an antibiotic for eyes, similar to the stuff for ears.
Have used it on my beagle many times in the past bcz he's get the floppy ears.
 
MiG25 said:
Try getting wormer for a 100+ lb LGD that won't willingly get in a vehicle let alone let a strange man handle them.
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Any small town Feed/Farm supply sells that & a bunch of other 'pet' friendly meds..over the counter. & the Ivermectin can even cure the coof ;) lol
 
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I forget the exact numbers right now, but what a lot of you might not realize is that in the last decade or so most of the vets in Canada have been bought up by a small number of corporate conglomerates. They generally keep the vet office looking the same, with the same name, and often even the same doctors in the same staff, but the computer systems will change and all of their policies and regulations will change, and these corporations have perfected the art of how to generate profit most efficiently, which means they are experts at fleecing you. You almost don't even need to look at the corporate papers: one day you go to your regular vet and instead of acting normally, they are trying to suggestive sell you some new thing every 30 seconds and even though you say no to most of it, somehow you walk out the door with a bill for 500 bucks! The day that happens, you know your local vet has been bought out by the corporations.
 
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