Tweet
Me and my husband got a dog right after we got married. We paid $400 (cheap as they tend to run more near the one grand pricetag) for a pure breed shih tzu.
He's nine now. He's a loved member of my small family which now includes a one year old son. I am just venting right now at the expense and emotional toll having a dog can take with health issues.
I know many people have much worse stories, and I know taking on a dog is a financial commitment, and I know a vet is in business not a charity. I have paid for thyroid tests and pills. I have paid for 3 surgeries to remove skin tumors. I have paid for antibiotics and office visits for his chronic skin, ear and eye infections. I buy him ultra premium food and also cook him so fresh food daily. I have bought countless $10 cans of natural treats(funny thing about some of the expensive dog treats is they cost more than frech meat which he loves) lol
My point is that dogs are expensive. I have only been to this one vet during his life, but I did visit another one that advertised a free office call (it was inside a national chain) They wanted me to get hundreds of dollars of tests though. I felt they wanted to overtest my dog(how am I to really know though?) to charge me and I wan't sure which ones were really neccessary. I went back to his regular vet b/c he was cheaper even though this place gave me a lot of time.
My other point is that I had my last bad expereince with his vet today. The place is cheap. The waits can be two hours b/c people come from 2 hours away to get the cheap prices. The trade off? LONG waits and less than brisk unattentive service(he spends almost no time with you and gets angry if you ask questions). I paid only about $200 for a tumor to be removed from his skin 1.5 moths ago. It came right back bigger. I went in for a follow up visit. Vet walked in, didn't greet me or my dog, told me he could remove it again(another surgery) after looking at it. I asked him what could happen if we didn't remove it. He ignored me as he typed on the computer and walked out. The assistant came in to tell me I could leave. I asked for a quote for the next surgery. He came back in , and I asked him again what could happen if I didn't have it removed. He said angrily "Look, I can't get into the what ifs or buts, I already told you I could remove it." I sat there in disbeleif and said to my dog "Geez Lucky anyone would ask a possible scenario" He turned around said "I spent time with you so I am charging you for an office call." I said "I called and I was told there would be no charge" He repeated what he already said. I said "Charge what you want. I'm not coming back here anymore" I go tmy records and left. I'd rather pay more for some attention than pay him less for basically nothing in a grossly overbooked place that disrespects me.
He's nine now. He's a loved member of my small family which now includes a one year old son. I am just venting right now at the expense and emotional toll having a dog can take with health issues.
I know many people have much worse stories, and I know taking on a dog is a financial commitment, and I know a vet is in business not a charity. I have paid for thyroid tests and pills. I have paid for 3 surgeries to remove skin tumors. I have paid for antibiotics and office visits for his chronic skin, ear and eye infections. I buy him ultra premium food and also cook him so fresh food daily. I have bought countless $10 cans of natural treats(funny thing about some of the expensive dog treats is they cost more than frech meat which he loves) lol
My point is that dogs are expensive. I have only been to this one vet during his life, but I did visit another one that advertised a free office call (it was inside a national chain) They wanted me to get hundreds of dollars of tests though. I felt they wanted to overtest my dog(how am I to really know though?) to charge me and I wan't sure which ones were really neccessary. I went back to his regular vet b/c he was cheaper even though this place gave me a lot of time.
My other point is that I had my last bad expereince with his vet today. The place is cheap. The waits can be two hours b/c people come from 2 hours away to get the cheap prices. The trade off? LONG waits and less than brisk unattentive service(he spends almost no time with you and gets angry if you ask questions). I paid only about $200 for a tumor to be removed from his skin 1.5 moths ago. It came right back bigger. I went in for a follow up visit. Vet walked in, didn't greet me or my dog, told me he could remove it again(another surgery) after looking at it. I asked him what could happen if we didn't remove it. He ignored me as he typed on the computer and walked out. The assistant came in to tell me I could leave. I asked for a quote for the next surgery. He came back in , and I asked him again what could happen if I didn't have it removed. He said angrily "Look, I can't get into the what ifs or buts, I already told you I could remove it." I sat there in disbeleif and said to my dog "Geez Lucky anyone would ask a possible scenario" He turned around said "I spent time with you so I am charging you for an office call." I said "I called and I was told there would be no charge" He repeated what he already said. I said "Charge what you want. I'm not coming back here anymore" I go tmy records and left. I'd rather pay more for some attention than pay him less for basically nothing in a grossly overbooked place that disrespects me.
Comment