When Private Equity started buying up vet practices.

They screwed up snow skiing also.

I should have gone to vet school!!

I mean, did they not tell you how much it was up front?

You can always just do the job yourself and save a bunch of money. Why didn't you do that?

I take it you live in Austin? Drive to Fredericksburg or Llano and have a country vet look at it. Better yet call AgVet13 on this board and see if she can help you. She is in Dripping Springs.
Be aware she will try to sell you a lab puppy in the process.

Well damn. Maybe still try out in the country? Maybe Cameron or Mexia or the like?
Always think country vets are better.

A&M is likely the most expensive vet in the state. You'll get the best, but will pay for it.

Also, everything has skyrocketed in price in the last decade. Rent, utilities, insurance, labor and the vet has to charge enough to cover it and make a good salary based on the work it took to become a vet.

Seems like the new ones just to want to work from only 9-4 and only four days a week maximum and don't even think about needing them on Saturday or Sunday. So they gotta make a lot when they do something… at least that how our new Equine vet is.

Maroonedinaustin said:

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That was the estimate from the local vet we use for routine stuff.

I'm gonna call my dad's vet who will be more reasonable. His vet is an hour away hence the reason I didn't call there first.

I don't want to do the procedure myself because I don't have the ability to use local anesthesia.

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YouTube.

That made me laugh. Thanks.

The cost of everything has gone up, and the vet world is included. Labor and goods costs are the main driver of this. Most here would be shocked what the average vet salary is. Plumbers make the same. Without knowing all the details, I'm guessing that it would be under general anesthesia which is where a lot of the cost is. Anesthetic monitoring equipment isn't cheap, have parts that regularly need to be replaced, and the units themselves wear out. Same goes for the surgical instruments.
Every time I see an estimate that I'm like damn, then start going through all the items, I'm like yeah that all adds up. There's a particular surgery I do that people travel to our clinic for from all over the state and even out of state. We do more of these than any specialty or general practice in the state does. I had one that came to see us from Waco a few weeks ago. They were referred to a specialty hospital first and were quoted $10k. Ours was $1800-2000. That client couldn't get out of the exam room fast enough to get it scheduled up front. In non-emergent situations, it's okay to shop around. Just make sure you're comparing apples to apples too. Now I'm off to dinner to pay twice as much as I did for the same meal 5 years ago.

What costs me $450 at my local suburban vet costs me $125 at the small town vet an hour away.

Of course the waiting room is a wooden bench and an old cowboy cartoon on the wall. Not a boutique decor and fancy cushy chairs with candles burning.

I'll take the wooden bench.

I've used our area " small town" vet since he opened about 40 years ago. Along the way, he significantly enlarged the office after his son became a vet also and they have added two more vets to meet the local demand, which increased even more after the other local vet passed away. All good guys and I counted 24 vehicles in their employee parking area the other day. Many of the employees have worked there a long time.

Sure, service costs have gone up significantly, as have employee costs and All other costs paid by the business. Like any other small business, they need to make a profit. I have noticed a significant number of customers going there from nearby suburbs so I assume the pricing is better and/or they provide a better service. The business is open 5 days a week and every other Saturday.

I'll bet some complaining about service pricing have never owned and operated a small business. Employees and constantly rising prices can be a challenge.

Maroonedinaustin said:

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I appreciate the advice, but I'm actually in Waco. Moved area codes about 8 years ago.

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Which vet? We used to use TAMC in Waco- located headed out toward China spring. Her prices just kept going up, so when we moved to Woodway we switched to someone right off hwy 84. They were about 1/2 the price as the other one on everything.

I don't remember when, but there was a home game that had a WW2 bomber fly over that Ags could pay money to be on. The vet from TAMC was on it and got recognized on the field… I told my wife, welp that's where all the high fees went.

Is I'll say this tho. She was a great vet and took great care of our dogs. No service or care complaints. Just got too pricey for us.

Inflation Reduction Act going to kick in aaaaaany day now, then you'll all see!

Economics is going to kick in one of these days for more than just vet services. Wages just dont seem to be keeping up with inflation. When our 3 dogs pass away, if things keep on as they are, we'll probably just have one going forward. I joke with my vet that I want my name on one of the decorative rocks around his new pool as I've spent enough money with him over the years that part of that pool should be mine.

It's not just vet services as was mentioned. The reality is, unless inflation doesn't level off, we're all going to have to make choices on where we spend our money. Entertainment, travel and restaurants will be hit first but at some point we'll also be forced to delay or not do a recommended procedure at all for our animals with our local vet. Just economics.

Maroonedinaustin said:

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My Doberman has a cyst about the size of a marble on his front left leg. It's been there since we got him and hasn't grown, so we've left well enough alone. Well it ruptured and I took him in to have it removed.

$1200 to remove a dermal tumor!

Am I out of my ever loving freaking mind to think this is stupid? I was expecting a couple hundred bucks to lop it off and stitch it up.

Things I question:
$57.61 Surgical assistant
$43 37 Cardiac monitoring
$54 21 Surgical Pack Opening/Reautoclaving
$202.62 Histopathology

The histo is completed by A&M. I didn't think they charge for pathology.

When did vet medicine become so complicated?

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$200 for a histopathology? My vet wife says you got a deal actually because those are usually $300-400.

They charge what people will pay. Until enough say forget it, the dog will live, they will keep charging. Yikes. Similar to medical insurance, once people started getting pet insurance, they can keep charging.

chickencoupe16 said:

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The histopathology is totally optional. Definitely recommended but if you're looking to shave costs, that's a good start. You just can't be sad if you later learn the mass was cancerous.

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Even if cancerous, I don't think there's much that can be done for a 9 yr old Dobie. What's the advantage of knowing it's cancer? (Serious question, not being a smart ass.)

Well I do agree somewhat with you the pricing has gotten outrageous, but it has for everything right? The cost of maintaining a brick and morter clinic nowadays is astronomical.
But heres the deal we have to pay to play the game essentially. The days of a good ole cheap country vet that will do adequate medicine and surgery to save clients money are over. Society in general hates us country vets, the state board thinks we should all be at the same level of technology, staffing, facilities and blah blah as the Ivory Tower in College Station. So there we gotta pay for more equipment, better trained staff, and even more lawyers and insurance for when that 9yo Dobie unexplainably passes during surgery and the client blasts social media, message boards, file state board complaints or evens file a bs lawsuit.
So I as a "country" vet get it but at the same time I am living and practicing at a time where our hands are tied and the powers to be are forcing a more corporate mindset of care.

Gunny456 said:

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That made me laugh. Thanks.

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Laugh it up but I watch a lot of Dr. Pimple Popper so when our dog had a cyst on her back (that opened on its own), I squeezed out all the goo, pulled out the broken sac bits with a tweezer, disinfected the hole with chlorhexidine, garnished with neosporin and she is good as new with a flat svelte back.