Vet Exam Expensive??

[mrw5641]

so I took my cat to a vet and seems absurdly expensive can anyone provide insight on the costs?

I am more curious to the blood work price it seems way out of line.

Exam(Saturday) $48
Blood work (CBC, Superchem, T4, FT4) $295
Fecal analysis $65
Depomedrol injection ($45)
Composure Pro ($27)
Total $480

 

[GoldyCat]

There's a huge range in costs from one location to another and from one vet to another. You could call around to other vets in your area to ask their rates just to see if the one you went to is about the same.

When I got most of my cats I was living in a small town with only 2 small animal vets. One charge slightly more than the other, but I thought both were reasonable. A few years ago I moved to a larger city, with a lot more vets, and got quite a shock the first time I took a kitty in for a routine check-up and shots. The vets here charge 2-3 times what my old vet did for exactly the same services and meds.

What you paid lands somewhere in between what I've paid the two different vets.

 

[Willowy]

That is VERY high for the blood tests. The other charges seem normal (well, a fecal is usually less than that but it's not totally out of bounds). Call a few other vets in your area to ask what they charge for bloods.

 

[mrw5641]

I agree I emailed a few vets in the area to get some cost analysis so when I call them back and ask them to explain why it's so much I'll have a baseline... Maybe I'll get some money back??

 

[1 bruce 1]

I agree I emailed a few vets in the area to get some cost analysis so when I call them back and ask them to explain why it's so much I'll have a baseline... Maybe I'll get some money back??

Maybe, maybe not.
From now on (no matter what vet you use) ask for an estimate for all services before they're performed so you can get a ball park break down on what you'll be paying for what, and question things before.
What type of hospital is this and where is your location (if you don't mind my asking of course). If it's a big corporate hospital with a huge team and 24/7 emergency services, you're probably going to pay a but more for using a clinic like that (these clinics can be very very good, but are not inexpensive to run and the diagnostic tools and equipment is even less inexpensive, so overhead is much higher than the single vet running an appointment within hours place that will send you to the above clinic in case of an after hours emergency.)
JM2C

 

[LTS3]

I just looked at my cat's recent bills. CBC is $67.62, chemistry panel $87.89, T4 $33.29, renal panel $65.55. This is a full service vet hospital with a 24/7 ER in a large urban, high cost area.

Most vets are able to give you an estimate of costs so you can decide if you want to proceed with the tests or procedures or not.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I just looked at my cat's recent bills. CBC is $67.62, chemistry panel $87.89, T4 $33.29, renal panel $65.55. This is a full service vet hospital with a 24/7 ER in a large urban, high cost area.

Most vets are able to give you an estimate of costs so you can decide if you want to proceed with the tests or procedures or not.

I dug out a recent cat CBC here and (with a thyroid and urinalysis thrown in as a senior thing) it was $135. Very fair IMO.
OP please give the vet a friendly call. Perhaps there was a mistake.
Side thought: Some places do charge more for Saturday time slots, I guess it's an "extra service" thing. I don't agree with it, but some places do that and since it was mentioned on the bill..?

 

[Azazel]

Vet care is expensive. The prices you list sound normal.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Normal where I live. That bloodwork included a T4 and free T4. Free T4 is an added charge from my vet and not included with standard bloodwork. My vet charged me an extra $ 74.00 just for the Free T4 test.

 

[BelSognare]

Vet costs can range ridiculously and seemed to be based on location/office type.....and sometimes for no good reason at all!

I really like my current vet. She charges $40 for office exams.

One major aspect that I like about my vet, is that she's cost effective and experienced. She doesn't tag on a bunch of unneeded expenses. She's very much to the point. Some vets in my experience aren't like that or mindful of costs...

Your costs, however, seem relatively standard to me. Maybe just slightly more expensive. The major costs in your blood work was likely the thyroid test. That test can be very expense.

I'd call the vets near you and see what they charge. Also consider reviews that have may have been left online (check facebook as well). A cheap vet may also offer low quality care/knowledge...Lastly, keep in mind if they do emergency vet visits. If not then make sure to research emergency vet hospitals in-case the time comes you need to utilize one. Scrambling to find one in the moment, is not fun and I have been in that situation....

 

[xcourtney3]

My vet charges $85 for a senior panel, which is complete blood work plus T4, urinalysis and SDMA. I'm not in a tiny town but not a huge city either. I guess I'm lucky lol

 

[lutece]

I am in an urban area. Vet costs here for similar services are higher than what you paid. Even the exam alone would be at least $120 for one cat.

 

[sabrinah]

I got a senior panel for $260 when they were having a deal on bloodwork. I felt it was pretty reasonable so I stayed with that vet, but it turns they like to charge things by time. By the minute to be exact. It gets unreasonably expensive very quickly at that clinic.

 

[vyger]

To put things into perspective, a local "people clinic" here has what they call a birthday special. It is a complete blood work up with all the standard tests that you can get done once a year. Don't need a doctors order or request. Just show up at the lab and fill out the consent forms. They send you the results. It costs $120.00. It includes the thyroid tests and everything else. And you don't have to be old, pregnant, poor, or sick to get it. They consider it to be a community service.
Hmmmm, I wonder if they would do cats?

 

[posiepurrs]

It depends on location, if the vet is independent or part of the chain of veterinary hospitals. It sounds like a reasonable charge based on my experience with my present vet. When my former vet was taken over by a veterinary hospital chain, prices doubled on almost everything. I had a spay scheduled there and they were going to charge me $700 (a young cat too!) so I called another local vet (the one I use now). He did for less than half of that.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Bruce makes a good point about "corporate" vets being more. I understand all practices are a "business", but I have found sole practitioner vets to be less costly than "chain" vet hospitals.