Brought kitty to a new vet today after not eating for a couple days and drooling this morning. The vet said several, perhaps many (couldn't check them all without sedation), teeth are loose, including the front canines. The vet tech printed the below quote to extract the teeth and I just want to know if they're in the ballpark price-wise. The estimate lists are said to be on the upper end so I don't get sticker shock. This is in the SF Bay Area so prices are probably higher as well.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Loose teeth and does this cost estimate look right?
- Thread starter biomanz
- Start Date
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2015
- Messages
- 3,368
- Purraise
- 5,177
Um wow I would only expect this if they had to remove several teeth. Jesus. My cat got 2 teeth removed and it was under $1k for sure. We're located in Dallas.
They are charging you to put your cat under, for the medication per minute, to monitor the medication per minute, to put in the IV, to set up the fluid bag, and another anesthesia related fee for a dental block? I've had numerous experiences with cats having surgery from multiple places, including on of the top vet oncology centers in orange county california. None of them listed out in that much detail and also charged that much for the basic putting the cat under part. Plus do you realize the vet is expecting to extract 15 teeth minimum but possibly all the teeth?
I would definitely want a second estimate to compare. At least a full explanation about exactly what they are planning. Like what is a dental bone defect treatment? It sounds like the vet expects it to be periodontal and yeah, full extract is normal. But what bone defect treatment are they going to do on the whole mouth that costs less then yanking out a loose tooth? I am confused with their pricing model in general I think is my problem.
I am in LA/Orange County part of Southern California and I would expect a full extraction to be the low end of your estimate, not the high end. $2000-2500 range maybe.
I would definitely want a second estimate to compare. At least a full explanation about exactly what they are planning. Like what is a dental bone defect treatment? It sounds like the vet expects it to be periodontal and yeah, full extract is normal. But what bone defect treatment are they going to do on the whole mouth that costs less then yanking out a loose tooth? I am confused with their pricing model in general I think is my problem.
I am in LA/Orange County part of Southern California and I would expect a full extraction to be the low end of your estimate, not the high end. $2000-2500 range maybe.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Sorry, by high end, I meant the vet tech said this should be all possible costs I "may" be charged with. Still, I'm a bit suspicious of the admin costs - adding everything together except only $100 for the actual extractions, it's still running about $2400.
My regular vet couldn't provide the whole cost breakdown probably since it was close to closing time. She only said it could be as much as $2000 but didn't say how many teeth that could be. Their earliest appointment would be in April so that's off the table, anyway.
I'll try calling another vet for an estimate.
The price of dentals varies widely by the area you are in. Here in Columbus OH the most I have paid for a dental was around $1,500 and that was with 5 extractions. I have seen prices on this site for far less then that with several extractions.
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2018
- Messages
- 6
- Purraise
- 2
Our cat had 9 teeth pulled last May (no canine, just the pre-molars and molars) - the total came to about $3100, not including the pre-dental blood work and initial consultation. The dentist is in San Carlos, CA. He is a board certified dentist, so the charges were higher than our regular vet's estimate, but we were told that going to the specialist would reduce the time under anesthesia and possible complications.
.
I would suggest RUNNING, not walking away...........as far as humanly possible, from those folks.
The manufacturer of the drug Convenia, and the manufacturer of the drug Metacam, each state in the FDA-mandated drug package insert that these products are not to be used in combination.......not to be used together/at the same time/concurrently in cats. So, when licensing/approving them for use in cats, the FDA has stated they should not be combined. Despite that, your estimate indicates they will be injected before surgery.
In addition, modern feline dental surgery guidelines indicate that antibiotic therapy is inappropriate unless there is active infection present. On top of that, the appropriate antibiotic for oral infections is clindamycin. Convenia is indicated for external skin infections... Dr. Lisa Pierson speaks to this in this article: https://catinfo.org/convenia-worth-the-risk/ (about 1/4 down the page, "Dentistry and Antibiotics")
Whatever the cost, I wouldn't allow my cats to be (even) seen there.
Is there a feline-only Veterinarian nearby?
.
I would suggest RUNNING, not walking away...........as far as humanly possible, from those folks.
The manufacturer of the drug Convenia, and the manufacturer of the drug Metacam, each state in the FDA-mandated drug package insert that these products are not to be used in combination.......not to be used together/at the same time/concurrently in cats. So, when licensing/approving them for use in cats, the FDA has stated they should not be combined. Despite that, your estimate indicates they will be injected before surgery.
In addition, modern feline dental surgery guidelines indicate that antibiotic therapy is inappropriate unless there is active infection present. On top of that, the appropriate antibiotic for oral infections is clindamycin. Convenia is indicated for external skin infections... Dr. Lisa Pierson speaks to this in this article: https://catinfo.org/convenia-worth-the-risk/ (about 1/4 down the page, "Dentistry and Antibiotics")
Whatever the cost, I wouldn't allow my cats to be (even) seen there.
Is there a feline-only Veterinarian nearby?
.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Thank you very much for the info! The tech there did print the estimate, probably in hurry before closing, so the Convenia and Metacam could've been a (big) mistake. The antibiotic is worrisome, though - they gave Convenia during the initial exam since "in case" of an infection in his mouth and because he's in pain. That was a bit of a red flag to me tbh.. They're going to "fix" the estimate tomorrow, but I'm probably going to a cat-only vet nearby or another highly-regarded vet. I'll be sure to watch for the drugs you mentioned.
I can believe it in Los Angeles, especially if this estimate is from any type of a specialized hospital. When one of my dogs had a toe amputated three years ago, the low estimate was $2600 and the high estimate was $4000. I declined a couple of services listed on the estimate such as an ultrasound on the abdomen to see if any cancer were present which saved about $500.
I definitely encourage you to look for a less expensive hospital if you are able to find one that you are happy with. Declining certain services might also be an option.
I definitely encourage you to look for a less expensive hospital if you are able to find one that you are happy with. Declining certain services might also be an option.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #10
Just an update: brought him to another vet and the cost for full mouth extraction was much more reasonable - $1700! But needed to do a chest xray for an extra $150 but still feel relieved it wasn't mid $2000. Only 3 teeth were extracted and didn't need to extract the front which the other vet said was loose - really suspicious of them now. A week of antibiotics and pain-relievers and will see how he does.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2017
- Messages
- 444
- Purraise
- 1,127
The cost seems very high to me. I don't live in that area so maybe that is normal but when Max had tooth resorbtion he had 6 teeth removed , a cleaning, and an overnight stay. It was about $800.
- Joined
- May 10, 2019
- Messages
- 153
- Purraise
- 172
I had a cat get 3 teeth extracted this week actually. At our vet, the pre-surgery bloodwork and the anesthesia are the most expensive parts, and the actual teeth pulling is $12 per tooth! With an antibiotic shot, pain meds, teeth pulled, bloodwork, anesthesia, it was $350. I live in Northeast Ohio. I also had a cat get a tooth pulled at the same vet in 2017 and it was around the same price. I would get a 2nd opinion. See attached picture of our bill quote.
