The Vet Is Holding My Wallet Hostage!

[many houseapes]

As many of you here know, we've been having some complications concerning one of our dogs - Dakota. Miraculously, we have been able to afford the treatments -by the skin of our teeth.
Anyway- we went to the vets yesterday to start Dakota on his treatment to kill his heartworms & at first he wouldn't treat him b/c it wasn't on his record that he had the 7/1 shot. I informed the vet that I personally do those myself - (I get them at the feed store $4.99 & give the dogs their shots once a year). Welll....vet said that they didn't recognize that & said that they needed to be done at the vets for $22 a dog - so I had no other choice than to give them the okay to give both dogs the shot so we could get Dakota's treatment started. GGGRRR burns my butt. I have owned various dogs through the years & have always done the 7/1 myself without any flack from the vets until now - that was $44 extra dollars that I am going to have to replace from somewhere else that I don't have.
On the positive side- we had Asia tested for HW & she doesn't have them- thank goodness

[Darlene]

It wasn't just your wallet he was holding hostage. Time to find a new vet. Just like me changing docs because one wouldn't listen to me..it goes for anyone providing me a service and not doing it to my satisfaction.

[sdrjeolsen]

That stinks! I'd look for a new vet too.

[PAVallygrl]

I had a vet where I used to live who I was starting to think was "ripping me off". Anyway in September I brought my dog to a vet closer to where we live now. He gave her through check-up, looked in eyes, ears, mouth (told her "I know how old you really are by your teeth lol" but then agreed that due to her age (11 years YOUNG) it may not be a good idea to put her anastesia to clean them, that I should try to brush her teeth as much as I can from here on, then he checked her heart and said "heart sounds good" and basically gave her the "All Clear". However there was something about him, that I still can't put my finger on that I wasn't too thrilled about with him.


Soooo, when she had me up all night about 3 weeks ago coughing I took her back to the old vet. The old vet has been after me for quite some time to "clean her teeth" (despite her age), then all of a sudden she checked her heart with the stetoscope and declared "Does she have a Heart Murmor?" I responded "no" (but didn't tell her that we'd been to see another vet in the interim since our last visit with her.) Well, she really pushed the "cleaning the teeth" then bascially said once that was done the "heart murmor" may go away (really they go away just like that??). I asked her what the procedure would be to treat all this and how much - her response a flat out "You'll need $500 as soon as possible to clean her teeth alone." "Then after that if that doesn't rectify the "heart murmor" problem we will need to have an EKG done ($250) and X-Rays $275 each, and Blood Work (god only knows how much)." Can you say CHA-CHING!! ??

Well, needless to say I went out bought a stethoscope myself got on the Tufts University Vet Website where you can find audio clips of a regular heart beat in a dog and then one with a murmor. A regular one goes Lub Dub, Lub Dub, Lub Dub...with one with a murmor you'll hear a swishing in it. Well all I heard when I check my dog was Lub Dub, Lub Dub, Lub Dub....and NO swishing! I will make an appointment with the other vet closer to our house for an "Annual Checkup" and without telling him what this other vet said, see if he hears anything abnormal. I find it very hard to believe that in the space of 3 months she would "all of a sudden" develop a heart murmor.

I think it is disgusting that some vets take advantage of the "emotional attachment" people have with their animals. I would suggest anyone get a second opinion. I think my old vet wanted that $500 ASAP so she could make the payment on her Beemer.

[PAVallygrl]

BTW No more coughing. Guess she may have scratched her throat or something with the rawhide she had been chewing earlier on that night.

[many houseapes]

I've called around to the other vets & ironically- get this- the vet that I've been taking my dogs to is actually the lowest priced! Needless to say that after Dakota is in the all clear, I will be the one administering the 7/1's every year. I am waiting to hear the vet tell me the same story when I want to get the dogs' rabies booster -"we can't give your dogs the rabies booster unless you let us give them the 7/1's first"(sarcasm).lol

[PAVallygrl]

Yep, they definetly take advantage of the 'emotional attachment factor" Last summer I had the dog in one week for an infection on her paw, 2 weeks later she had an eye infection. The following week I made an appointment with the groomer. Groomer called me back to tell me she wasn't up to date on her rabies shot. Called the vet to get the shot and they told me they would have to charge a "Physical Exam fee ($50)" just to be able to get the shot. (WTH?) Meanwhile I had been in ther 2 times in the past month and not a word was said about her rabies being expired. Hummmm, that's why I initially looked for a new vet. What a racket!

Can you possibly look for a vet in another town nearby? Big difference between the two that I have gone to recently - First office visit is $50, the 2nd guy Office Visit is $35. They are 18 miles apart. See if that can help by looking in another town nearby You may be surprised at what you find.

[PAVallygrl]

Oh here's another one. I've tried ordering my heartworm pills for which you need an Rx from your vet, from 1800PetMeds (difference of $25) and they wrote back to me and told me that the vet REFUSED to release the Rx to them! Hows about them apples!??

No problem getting the Advantix Flea Medication (difference there about $30) but couldn't get the HeartGuard through 800PetMeds.

Yep, it's a racket.

[AmeliaM]

The vets are pretty good here. Some will let you purchase the shots the and you dose the animals yourself. Heck we had the shots to dose our burm for a lung infection. He just had my fiance do the first one in front of him instructing and verifying he knew how to do it correctly.

[cissylu]

a lot of the vet`s are a rip off like some
dr`s.
Yrs. ago had one to tell me my dog had heart worm`s and it would cost 200;00 to treat her.
I din`t have the money, she lived 10 yrs. longer.

[Sari]

a lot of the vet`s are a rip off like some
dr`s.
Yrs. ago had one to tell me my dog had heart worm`s and it would cost 200;00 to treat her.
I din`t have the money, she lived 10 yrs. longer.

I wouldn't say a lot of vets are a rip off. Sure, SOME of them are not ethical, but I highly doubt the majority are like that.

You have no idea how frustrating it is, unless you've worked in the field, to see how people refuse to treat their pets properly (not saying anyone on this board, just people in general). It's insane! And then they complain, oh it's so expensive. Well, yeah, if you'd brought your pet in 3 months ago when the problem started it wouldn't be life threatening now. Grrr...

[M55FF]

I had a dog once who got heartworm, now with my current dog I give it heartworm meds religiously and now after 7 years, no problems with that with this new dog.
The other dog had the heartworm and the the resulting liver problems and then it went crazy a few years later, then broke its back jumping off the porch to chase a bird. I finally had to put it to sleep.
Now I do the heartworm meds religiously, they don't cost too much ( a few dollars a month) and will save you $$$$ vet bills in the future.
Sorry about your vet costs... my other dog cost me quite a bit too. I learned my lessons the hard way with that heartworm.

ps, where I live, its 800 dollars to treat heartworm.

[mombottoo]

A few years ago, well quite a few now we had 3 dogs. Princess ended up having heart worm, but with the treatments costing what they did (even back then) I told the vet we had to test Misty first (Kane had already been given the all clear) and then I would decide about the treatment for Princess. I was more attached to Misty and could only afford at that time to treat 1 dog. Well Misty was given the all clear and Princess had her treatment to the tune of $350, which I felt was a small price to pay to get her healthier.

She lived for another 10 years and none of the dogs ever acquired heart worms again...luckily.

I think your vet is wrong not to accept the fact that you administer one of the required shots yourself. I used to give my dogs that shot and our vet never had a problem with it.

[nancycg56]

DH and I only adopt special needs dogs so they all cost us $$$$$ but they are so worth it

We just a adopted a heartworm positive Jack Russell and we are about 5 weeks into the treatment. He had both doses a day apart and has been crated for 4 weeks ~ which is not easy with a Jack, LOL! Yesterday we had a good report from our vet so we can now go on leash walks. Four more weeks and we should have the all-clear I just have to keep an eye out for the coughing since he did have a little setback a couple of weeks ago. He is really trying his best but raring to go.

I don't know who his owners were before but I would love to lecture them on the importance of heartworm medication ~ it's so simple to do and I know there are vets that will work with you if you can't afford it ~ I used to work for one that did exactly that. I know you can also buy one pill at a time at some vets.

I LOVE our vet ~ she is very up front and tells me exactly what it's going to cost. So far we are up to $1,000 with this dog's heartworm probs but I knew it would be at least that much going into it.

Good luck with your pups!