Utilizing More Than One Vet For Multiple Pets?

[Remy]

My response to OneEyedDiva's post made me think of this. I had to give up my vet a couple of years ago. Vets taking new clients were hard to come by. The one I go to with my calico is OK. One vet only in the office. Open mon-thur only. But sometimes they want to do things I don't like. Perhaps this is all over. But suggested my calico be treated for fleas. She is strictly indoor. My cats do not have fleas and those are chemicals. I had to treat my previous calico because she picked up fleas while staying at the vet.

My stepfather took his cat to a place that only treats cats and had his cat taken care of including dental. I had actually forgotten about this place and I liked them since I take my stepfather to his vet appointments.

I really do need to take my tabby in and get her established. Not sure if I should take her to this cat place only or keep going to the vet I'm going to. I'm not going to switch my calico because she is established there and they also have an ultrasound machine so she would not need to go to the emergency vet place if she needed another ultrasound. It was much cheaper there.

 

[Robb.hisself]

For me price is the deal breaker. If it costs me a fortune at one vet but the price for the same thing at another vet is more sane, I'll take sanity over status. I really can't fathom why there should be such wide variation in prices between vets for the same thing. And, yes I do ask how much. Those doctors who think price should be no issue I turn down flat.

My experience, be it for Vets or MD's, doctors think they are somehow above it all with respect to market or price competition. But, I still want to know why one charges more than another. I wouldn't buy anything else on just blind faith. So why medical care? I think people/patients just let doctors bully them.

 

[Blessed]

If I felt my dogs my dogs were not getting the care they deserve I would change vets. My practice has 3 doctors in the the group. They have all the animals needs covered from surgery, dental care, Xrays, in addition to normal care.

If I did not trust the care they received I would be looking for a new doctor. Part of my trust is Debbie. She is the older lady who answers the phone. She knows all my pets as if they are my children. She knows their names and history as soon as I tell her my name. She is as trusted as the vet. She knows if I am calling someone is sick and gets me in that day. I don't care about the expense, same thing as a human child, I do not care I just want them to be seen and feel better.

That said, I have never been overcharged for their care. It is expensive for medical care for a human or a pet. Trust me, if you have to take them for emergency care the cost is at least triple of what my vet charges. It gives me so much peace of mind knowing help is a phone call away if needed.

 

[seadoug]

We have a vet that is no more than 10 minutes from our house. We board our cats there and everyone knows them and their needs. Our cats never seem stressed at all when they come home. She and her staff are fantastic and caring, but it comes at a cost. Boarding is $37 per cat per day when we travel, but I know they are well taken care of and I'm not going to give a stranger a key to our house.

During his last boarding, the vet sent me a pic of a lesion on Andy's gum so they had to do a full cleaning of his teeth. (We've had it done with other cats.) It requires anesthesia. It was a jaw-dropping $900. Healthcare for the cats costs more than it does for us, but they are our "kids" so I'm willing to cut in other areas to afford it. We always adopt adult cats so the health issues show up earlier.

Even with the high costs, I'm not willing to shop around on price because they are worth it. They enhance our lives.

 

[Remy]

During his last boarding, the vet sent me a pic of a lesion on Andy's gum so they had to do a full cleaning of his teeth. (We've had it done with other cats.) It requires anesthesia. It was a jaw-dropping $900. Healthcare for the cats costs more than it does for us, but they are our "kids" so I'm willing to cut in other areas to afford it. We always adopt adult cats so the health issues show up earlier.

Even with the high costs, I'm not willing to shop around on price because they are worth it. They enhance our lives.

My stepfather paid about 1,200 for his cat. They did less extractions and root removal than they thought they might. And I never thought her teeth would look so good. They were actually black when she went in.

I'm not looking at the price either. I think it's pretty comparable in my area anyway. I'm kind of leaning to taking my tabby to the other vet where my stepfather is going.