Veterinary Care Has Gone Up!

[Bocco]

Vets don’t pay for nurses! They use poorly paid vet assistants. Many don’t have a lot of equipment and send you to a bigger facility for X-rays, etc.

Is that an absolute? No vet anywhere ever pays nurses or assistants? I have been watching on Animal Planet a series called Dr. Jeff Rocky Mountain Vet. He runs a veterinary clinic, Planned Pethood Plus in Denver. I suppose he got a lot of money for being on Animal Planet, but it says he had a staff of 40 people. They did bone surgery and everything there. They would only have to send out for MRI's and really expensive stuff like that.

A lot of the people would come in and say they took their dog to their vet and were told it would take thousands of dollars and they would have to amputate the dogs leg. Planned Pethood would save the dogs leg with surgery and would only charge like $800 or something. He and several other staffers were always going out to Indian reservations and other places even in other states to help people with spay and neutering and vaccines and stuff.

One of his staffers was a vet at the Denver Zoo for awhile and was especially was good on exotic animals like lizards, snakes and things. One lady came in one time with a big fat Possum and couldn't keep him anymore. They managed to get the Denver Zoo to take it as an ambassador animal.

I suppose he was the exception and your average Joe Blow vet in town is like you guys say.

 

[Pepper]

If he weren't exceptional, he wouldn't have a TV show.

 

[debodun]

I don't like how vets try to shame you into agreeing for unnecessary and/or expensive treatments, tests and accessories. They make you feel as if you don't get them, you're a bad pet owner.

One time a vet told me my cat should be on a special diet cat food. He just happened to have a case of it in his office. I asked if I could just have one can to see if the cat would eat it, He said he only sold it by the case and it was like $80 or something in that range for 24 cans (this was like 20 years ago). Well, the cat wouldn't eat it and the vet wouldn't take the food back or give a refund. I've had other similar situations with x-rays, blood tests and medicines.

 

[Bocco]

From a different thread you said: "There sure are a lot of paranoid people on here that love to charge people as being "conspiracy thumpers." "

You just got here. I guess you never read "How to Win Friends & Influence People" Whatever, Bocco my man, it doesn't appear you are here for that.

Influence= the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others:

No, I didn't come here to influence anybody. I didn't expect to find any friends. I come here now and then just for the heck of it.

 

[HoneyNut]

I agree that vets seem to be pushing a lot of tests and maintenance medications (like flea control for indoor animals).

My cat is overdue for his annual appointment, but now I guess I'll check the costs first and maybe put him on an 18 month schedule instead.

 

[Remy]

I don't like how vets try to shame you into agreeing for unnecessary and/or expensive treatments, tests and accessories. They make you feel as if you don't get them, you're a bad pet owner.

One time a vet told me my cat should be on a special diet cat food. He just happened to have a case of it in his office. I asked if I could just have one can to see if the cat would eat it, He said he only sold it by the case and it was like $80 or something in that range for 24 cans (this was like 20 years ago). Well, the cat wouldn't eat it and the vet wouldn't take the food back or give a refund. I've had other similar situations with x-rays, blood tests and medicines.

I'm in agreement with this. It can be hard to advocate for your pet and lets face it, wallet, when dealing with vet suggestions. Juniper had the completely negative ultrasound for the blood in her urine. The vet stated it should probably be repeated in a year. For what? It was negative. Likely will be in a year. I think the ultrasound was necessary, but not another one.

I picked the foods my cats eat. Juniper likely has a fish allergy, so I read ingredients. I feed them a combo of hair ball control, Royal Canin (for Talia's inflammatory bowel disease) and Science Diet sensitive stomach and skin. The vet asked me why I picked that one and I said simply no fish.

 

[Remy]

I agree that vets seem to be pushing a lot of tests and maintenance medications (like flea control for indoor animals).

My cat is overdue for his annual appointment, but now I guess I'll check the costs first and maybe put him on an 18 month schedule instead.

I never see a flea on my cats. The vet said they will eat them. I know my cats don't have fleas. Talia now has some bald-ish, thin fur areas on her lower abdomen. The vet again said fleas. She's on prednisone, I think that is the culprit. Prednisone is a no joke drug and will likely shorten her life. But it's working, controlling her symptoms and to me that's worth it. And forbid it's actually an old and cheap drug. I don't mind lab work to check her kidney function once a year.