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An expensive vet visit... Is the vet really this expensive?

P

promposive

Senior member
My dog broke a tooth and so I took him in to the vet, and they want to remove a mass in his mouth as well when they put him under to remove the tooth.
The initial visit cost $40 + $45 blood work, and here is the estimate they gave me on everything else... I normally don't take my pets to the vet unless it something really bad, and this broken tooth has suddently escalated to a $650 + vet visit...

Isoflurane O2, 1 hour $92
Surgicial Suite Setup/Hazardous Waste Fee $19.90
Mass Removal $32.50
Histopathology $88.00
Hospitalization/Med 1/2 Day $15.75
Laser Level I $46.50
Misc. Pharmacy $45.00
Anesthetic Induction $23.50
Dental Prophy I $37.00
Intravenous Catherization $30.00
Fluids IV, 1st Bottle $27.50
Preanesthetic Sedation $31.50
Local Anesthesia $20.90
Intraoperative Pain Control $22.30
Canine Tooth Extraction $16.80
Complimentary Nail Trim free...

Total Estimate Charges: $549.15
(Actual total may vary between $549.15 and $646.66)


Does it seem expensive to you, or is this about right? Anyone have any insight on pet insurance and what it would cover in this case?
 
That doesn't seem too bad.

Hell, when was the last time you could go to the dentist/doctor and get minor surgery for that price? It's not like it's any different in performing it on a pet. Malpractice insurance is probably cheaper for them, but most vets aren't out there getting rich. Most do it because they love animals.
 
I had my dog put under general anesthesia and had a mass removed from her jaw with a biopsy run on it last year. Tab on that was around $450. So your quote isn't that far out of line when you include the initial visit and the tooth extraction.

If you have an older, larger dog, pet insurance isn't cheap in the least. A quote on my dog (8 year old lab mix) was around $600 a year. Pets aren't cheap.
 
I dunno much about dogs but I had a horse that had a tooth removed. It was only $200 and he didn't need to be put fully under, just a local anesthetic and a tranquilizer and was done in his stall.
 
Originally posted by: Drakkon
I dunno much about dogs but I had a horse that had a tooth removed. It was only $200 and he didn't need to be put fully under, just a general anesthetic and a tranquilizer and was done in his stall.
Click to expand...

General anesthestic IS being fully put under.
 
Originally posted by: Slew Foot
Originally posted by: Drakkon
I dunno much about dogs but I had a horse that had a tooth removed. It was only $200 and he didn't need to be put fully under, just a general anesthetic and a tranquilizer and was done in his stall.
Click to expand...

General anesthestic IS being fully put under.
Click to expand...
doh i ment a local
 
Yes its normal
No insurcance wont cover it post diagnosis pet insurance works just like people insurance
yes take him back
 
That's a reasonable price. General anesthesia is expensive, not really any different for animals than people except animals are smaller and require more finesse.
 
Nope, not bad at all. fwiw - I've spent over $5k for one of my dogs in the last year.

And yes, Pet insurance would help. I use VPI Pet insurance and based on the level of coverage you select, it can cover upwards of 90%.

What's the mass? Was it biopsied?

I don't know how bad it is but if you do nothing it's possible for infection that will lead to death.
 
They do not know what the mass is and thats what this is for, to remove it and to send it off to see if it is cancerous. (+ remove the broken tooth)

My only problem is I dont currently have pet insurance, and the VPI Insurance say's that "Pre-existing conditions are not covered"... Could I just get the insurance, wait a week, then take him back?
 
You could probably skip the histopathology, unless you really want to know what the mass is.
 
Originally posted by: C0BRA99
They do not know what the mass is and thats what this is for, to remove it and to send it off to see if it is cancerous. (+ remove the broken tooth)

My only problem is I dont currently have pet insurance, and the VPI Insurance say's that "Pre-existing conditions are not covered"... Could I just get the insurance, wait a week, then take him back?
Click to expand...

I believe the policy doesn't take affect for 30 days. You'll need to check. And fwiw - the policy will cost you $200-300 for a younger dog and upwards to $600 for my 12 year old doggie.

Is the tooth broken down to the root? A couple of my dogs have broken tooths but b/c they're not down to the roots, I haven't done anything to them. The mass is a different story though.
 
I work in pet insurance.

It's not too expensive. Really depends a lot on the area you live in.

Insurance would never cover a problem that is already existing. There are always waiting periods, and if you lie, we have ways of finding out - mwa ha ha! (evil laugh)

No, seriously, so many people lie and try to screw us over. Insurance doesn't work that way. It can work pretty good if you get insurance first and then something really bad happens. Might want to consider it for the future. Like any insurance, if you have a big claim(s) you'll be happy you have it, but you also might never need it.
 
One of our little rat dogs almost died of what was presumed to be canine pancreatitis. The emergency vet hospital bill was over $1300...among other outrageous charges, the pricks charged us $32 for 1/4 of a pepsid every 6 hours...

Your bill, while ourlandishly expensive, doesn't seem out of the ordinary for the service.
 
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