I am taking care of a stray cat who badly injured his paw. I took him into the closest vet yesterday— they are really great but they’re owned by VCA and run on the expensive side. The vet thinks the paw *might* be broken but can’t tell without $300 in x-rays. I’ve already told her I’m on a fixed income and my budget for the office visit is $75, so no x-rays. She wants to do a Covenia shot and sends me home with a small bottle of Chlorahexiderm 2% flush. She waived the cost of her office visit (for which I am grateful) but they charged me $25 for this little bottle of Chlorahexiderm. I’m mentally noting “that’s too expensive” but I’m also busy with arranging a follow-up appt and getting out of there before a bad thunderstorm hit.
I didn’t know what Chlorahexiderm was until I looked it up. It’s a common antiseptic that Amazon charges $20 for a gallon of. I’m furious! I get that there’s a retail markup on meds purchased at the vet but this is outrageous. When I called and talked to the office manager, I got 1) well, the dr. didn’t charge you for a visit and 2) we have to pay our techs/assistants an hourly rate (really? So you’re overcharging on the meds instead of paying them out of your operating costs??!!) and finally, “that’s just what corporate charges”. I’ve placed a call to corporate and I feel guilty for picking this fight because the vet DID waive her fee but by the same token, she could’ve explained what the heck was in the small bottle and tell me it was far cheaper to purchase elsewhere.
Am I wrong here?
I didn’t know what Chlorahexiderm was until I looked it up. It’s a common antiseptic that Amazon charges $20 for a gallon of. I’m furious! I get that there’s a retail markup on meds purchased at the vet but this is outrageous. When I called and talked to the office manager, I got 1) well, the dr. didn’t charge you for a visit and 2) we have to pay our techs/assistants an hourly rate (really? So you’re overcharging on the meds instead of paying them out of your operating costs??!!) and finally, “that’s just what corporate charges”. I’ve placed a call to corporate and I feel guilty for picking this fight because the vet DID waive her fee but by the same token, she could’ve explained what the heck was in the small bottle and tell me it was far cheaper to purchase elsewhere.
Am I wrong here?