the vet

[mattkime]

took my cat into the vet today for a regular checkup. took 2.5 hours to get about 15 minutes of vet time. they seemed very thorough and nice (and thorough with tests...which is expensive) so i feel like i'm paying for and getting a higher level of service but somehow i don't trust them.

i'm tempted to go back to my former vet with the crowded waiting room. they were busy but got you taken care of more efficiently than the "fancier" place i went today.

ug.

[bik]

If it's a chain, RUN!

Lots of the local vets around me got bought out by VCA Animal Hospitals, a chain of about 600 locations now.

I went through a stretch where I couldn't go to the vet without spending at least $400.
"Regular check up? $400 please!"
"Your dog has diarrhea? $600 please."

The doctors remain very nice and caring, but there is an obvious big-business backdrop now, with profits playing too big of a role in the way they treat their clients.

I've now found another independent vet. Not as close, but worth the trip for the straight talk and fair prices.

[space-time]

bik wrote:
If it's a chain, RUN!

Lots of the local vets around me got bought out by VCA Animal Hospitals, a chain of about 600 locations now.

I went through a stretch where I couldn't go to the vet without spending at least $400.
"Regular check up? $400 please!"
"Your dog has diarrhea? $600 please."

The doctors remain very nice and caring, but there is an obvious big-business backdrop now, with profits playing too big of a role in the way they treat their clients.

I've now found another independent vet. Not as close, but worth the trip for the straight talk and fair prices.

ouch. that is more expensive than humans

[Onamuji]

mattkime wrote:
took my cat into the vet today for a regular checkup. took 2.5 hours to get about 15 minutes of vet time... i'm tempted to go back to my former vet with the crowded waiting room. they were busy but got you taken care of more efficiently than the "fancier" place i went today.

I go to a "fancy" vet.

I generally wait about 10 minutes for my 5-minutes-with-the-assistant-5-minutes-waiting-5-minutes-with-the-vet session.

If they made me wait more than an hour and there wasn't a big emergency to explain it, I'd use the time to find another local vet.

(There's a great one -- cheap, too -- about 5 miles down the road, but with traffic that's another hour blown on the car ride.)

[hal]

There has always been at least one really good vet that does house calls around here. Costs about15% more than regular services - worth every penny and then some.

[cbelt3]

We changed from a chain type vet to an old school practice in a blue collar neighborhood. The staff is ... Amazing. So loving and caring , and the animals all love them. And their cost is perhaps 1/3 of the chain. Sure , they don't have all the fancy stuff. So what ?

Find the local "country vet". You'll be very happy.

[Fritz]

we've had the same vet since he opened his practice. It's a 20 minute drive to his office.
every now and then I feel like there is a wtf moment.
I called him on one recently, he quietly agreed.

They are def the expen$ive variety, but here in the well pet populated burbs, they're all pretty close except a group practice. So far we haven't seen much of that, like the local MDs.
Just had Tonis pug teeth scaled and 4 pulled. $500. Worth it for not having the whole house stink like 5h1t. Yea, it was that bad.

The drs my wife a I use have definitely suffered from attention span since they bought or were bought into the group practice. Hard to find an indy dr here now.
I have (albiet stoopit) a method for doctors of any kind. If the waiting, restroom, office look like hell, I walk. I've found that anyone who doesn't keep up there outward appearance, prolly ain't do much better inside.

[Lux Interior]

We get the family discount at our vet (who is definitely on the high side for price) since my sister-in-law is a vet there. We basically pay for materials. Labor is gratis. It was a nice discount for one cat that had thyroid surgery. And it was nice when she was able to put our golden down while he was in the comfort of his home with the family instead of on a stainless steel table in the clinic (although it was really hard on her (the vet) since she was very close to the dog, too).

Very nice, modern practice with all the bells & whistles. But having the machine that goes "bing!" means they charge more.

[N-OS X-tasy!]

Fritz wrote:
we've had the same vet since he opened his practice. It's a 20 minute drive to his office.
every now and then I feel like there is a wtf moment.
I called him on one recently, he quietly agreed.

They are def the expen$ive variety, but here in the well pet populated burbs, they're all pretty close except a group practice. So far we haven't seen much of that, like the local MDs.
Just had Tonis pug teeth scaled and 4 pulled. $500. Worth it for not having the whole house stink like 5h1t. Yea, it was that bad.

The drs my wife a I use have definitely suffered from attention span since they bought or were bought into the group practice. Hard to find an indy dr here now.
I have (albiet stoopit) a method for doctors of any kind. If the waiting, restroom, office look like hell, I walk. I've found that anyone who doesn't keep up there outward appearance, prolly ain't do much better inside.

English, man, English!

[Fritz]

too much potty?