Do you realize what is happening in veterinary medicine now?
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- Опубліковано 9 чер 2024
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Dr Jones is hearing from pet parents who have spent in excess of $10,000 on veterinary care for their dog or cat. Dr Jones comments on the problems of veterinary affordability, and more importantly how you can help your pet by saving on veterinary fees.
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Veterinarians in my area are still insisting on us waiting outside. We sat in the heat for over two hours recently when my dog was having trouble breathing. This is the fifth vet she's seen in the last few months. Thousands of dollars and no one can diagnose. Her regular vet is "too busy" to see her and yet is upset I took her to someone else. It's gotten completely out of hand. They really only care about money. They raise prices, working half days and no longer see regulars on a urgent basis. They fill their time with routine wellness such as vaccinations, allergy meds and any other expensive products they can push. They complain about debts and student loans and then post their exotic vacations on Facebook. It's unreal.
See if you can do some research. Maybe dog is allergic to something.
So true where I'm at.
Don't trust d0ctors or V€ts NE more. Period! They 0nly make $ if yr animal (Or U) R sick ..so they make shur U R!
Oh my gosh, spot on! I can't even afford to pay for every day things, let alone a vacation, and they complain they need a living wage, but go out and buy the newest tech gadget, travel all over, etc. smh They don't know the meaning.
I'm so sorry.I totally understand
Also once my cat was sick and likely poisoned- frothing at the mouth,twitching and stiffening muscles, literally dying in my arms.
I didn’t have the 250 dollar consultation fee they ALL wanted and I called so many.
They ALL offered to put him down for free though.
How very kind.
I treated my cat with activated charcoal and saline in a syringe that I forced into his throat and stomach until he vomited and vomited.
He’s alive.
No thanks to them.
I can’t imagine a person who truly cares for animas, truly feels and loves them, could get into much less remain in that field for long. My sister got into nursing… the statistics are fairly obvious and well documented there (they are bullies.)
Straight up. At this point we basically just have to study veterinary medicine ourselves if we want to have a healthy pet and still pay rent. The only problem with that is getting our hands on the stuff only they're allowed to have... I'm sure there's ways around that too, though, if you're clever enough
JC Harris has two very good books on basics. "Secrets of a Vet Tech : the Guide to Low Cost PET Care When the Cupboard Is Bare" and Part Two. Same title with ...Low Cost Pet Care Guide for Pet Parents, Animal Shelters, Rescues, and Homesteaders. It's try at your own risk, but WAY better than nothing!!
@@mboaz4730 thank you 🙏
$250 to put an animal down in my neighborhood.
As a second generation retired veterinarian with over 40 years of clinical practice, I am very concerned about the way that we’re following the human MDs down the path of basically requiring pet insurance for folks to be able to access veterinary services.
This is the sort of thing I can use, the wedge can be placed left of center and I can imply a class gap between customers and non-customers until vets themselves lose allyship
Well, but the insurance is also expensive and often times does NOT cover the really expensive ones. So that's a scam too.
EXACTLY . Been going to our vet since 1996. Owner retired and sold about 3 years ago. Costs are astronomical now and there are ads for pet insurance everywhere. $400 to clean my cat's teeth? FFS! Not going to happen.
@@mandywalker3393 yah that's y pet owners these days lookup homemade toothpaste and do it themselves because u cant trust most vets anymore.
@@mandywalker3393 There are also kibbles that clean the teeth as the cats chews them. Yeah and I bet the use a toothbrush and toothpaste for animals.
The worst part i hate the most is people say get an animal specially if you are lonely. Specially the elderly. They cant afford to pay for vet bills. Its such a shame
My vet warned me watch out for vet clinics that are operated by large corporations. Apparently the corporations have been buying up vet clinics in Canada which allows them to charge excessive fees. Many people have no alternative and either pay or lose their pets. The greedy corporations know this and take advantage of the love people have for their pets. Support your local vet snd boycott the corporate vets.
Just like the greedy human hospitals
Yes - it's happening in the US too.
Same in Scotland. And the vets seem more heartless too.
Just like the medical community for human beings bc there are no longer private practices all corporate owned
Same in the US. Corps are buying up doctors of all types, schools, anything really. And the costs go up, quality goes down.
Dr Jones. You are 100% right. I have so many friends reverting to how things were 50 years ago in animal farm health care. If we can’t afford the vet we go to homeopathy. If that doesn’t work we prepare a grave on the farm. In my experience my small animal vet feels me out for how deep my pockets are . My large animal vet is soooo much on board with how it should be. He supports my efforts all the way ( Eye meds for a horse every 2 hours for 2 months) AM and PM. We recently euthanized our Labrador on the farm. Our small animal vet wanted us to bring her into town to do it. The farm vet cried tears with us when he came out to the farm to end her pain in her home without the trauma of travel. The small animal vet was vexed we didn’t haul her in. Dr Jones. You are a saint. Please don’t stop speaking up.
greed God Bless Dr J ( I wonder how long befroe he gets the chop on Yt) oh well let's speak unto the last day
I love what Dr.Jones is doing !
@@jennifersiagian pray that never happens
Cold blooded extortion…utilising Emotional Blackmail
For a very short period of time in my past, I was a cold-call sales person of vet laboratory equipment and supplies. I learned very fast who the true, empathetic vets were and who were in it for money and profit. I was surprised to learn that the small animal vets, and especially the one(s) in the highest income area(s) with the fanciest office(s), were the least conscientious, and the large animal vets who had older, more run-down but still clean offices in more rural areas, and who made "house calls" were the most truly caring ones who were not into it for the money.
It depresses me, no end. My dog died 2 months ago. I would love to get another older dog. I treat my animals like gold and could give one of the countless shelter dogs the best home they could ever imagine, but I realize that I will not be able to afford anything but the basic vet care.. I'm 66 and have had dogs my entire life - at one time I had seven and was always able to provide them everything they needed. Back in the day, you didn't have that terrible fear of the tests they order every time you walked in the door. Plus, the attitude has changed completely. I was giving my dog Phycox, which is an OTC hip and joint med. They told me they would no longer sell it to me unless they gave him a full work up. I got it on Amazon for half the price. My dog died at home, with me. I had an appointment to bring him in and I can guarantee I would have been into it for a grand regardless of the fact that he was at his natural life's end. Like everything else, dog ownership has become something only for the wealthy.
I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you're doing well.
Similar to what I've seen other people say here, after my pets pass, I will never have any others. Making sure they get all the proper care has become too expensive and too stressful. I try my best best but constantly feel that I'm failing. Especially after a couple very disheartening vet visits. Me trying to do the right thing for them has left me feeling guilty and taken advantage of :\ I just want them to happy and healthy.
My dad was a country vet and I’ve had pets all my life. But my current cat will be my last.
I thank God for old school vets like you 🕊
Thank you for your understanding and practical advice.
I wish I could find one near Denton, Texas. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Me as well. God is good.
@@MsMollah Google that information. :)
I worked for doctors like that they have retired or they are now deceased I treat my animals the best I can knowing what I know being a retired are vet. Tech. What I see now is brutal greedy truth no empathy no discount no breaks. I can see some increase but this is unreasonable I don't take my dog to the clinics anymore I gave them their own vaccinations and keep them healthy as they can. People taking out loans and pay for basic surgeries or unnecessary surgeries is ridiculous. Plus all your pets and try to stay away from the veterinarian. Try to stay with local low-cost spay neuter and Red Sea clinics and make large donations it makes a huge difference . We just had to get a new pups and make decision so far he has not been to a veterinarian and hopefully he will never l
. Bless all of your pets the cost of the drugs have not inflated that much that they treat normal maladies with 😢
I was a Vet tech for 28 years and the cost just kept going up and up, the old school Vets are the best. I worked with 4 great Vets that were old school they were great. They are retired now what a shame.
Veterinary Technician here and I work for a 78 year old!! He’s great and he’s been at the same clinic for over 53 years!
@@danielle1103 'Rock'
I worked for one of these"old s hool vets" and sometimes not a great thing.Trying to save clients money by not xraying fra tures and splinting or casting without xrays for proper alignment,well let me tell you that one ended uo with a totally screwed up leg that healed wrong and would have cost alot to correct,so owner ended up euthanizing this beautiful young shepherd😢.Sometimes you need to put some money out to get correct treatment.
@@finneganpupsavedbythebell Well, I recently had a cat xrayed, but since a broken pelvic bone that would heal with rest and surgery was not an option, they said that he might have swelling in his brain. Without informing me of the dangers, they said that he should be treated with Mannitol JIC. About four hours later they called to say that he was crashing and did I want them to try and resuscitate him, for an additional $350.00. I asked what his chances were of pulling through and was told "slim". So to avoid any more suffering, had them euthanize him. Apparently Veterinarians, as well as physicians, need to focus more on Informed Consent, instead of disappearing and having a tech have you sign the estimate. If you think of questions, not having the opportunity to research, you have to go through the tech that may or may not communicate what you're asking to the vet. They may or may not understand the answer or effectively communicate it to you before killing your cat with dangerous, unnecessary pharmaceuticals.
@@finneganpupsavedbythebell Bottom line: Integrity. Every person
Thank you for addressing this issue. Veterinary fees have become a real problem for many, and it results in shelter animals not being adopted by virtue of long term expense.
exactly.
my local shelter charges 200$ a dog because of required checkups and neutering. they also charge 50$ a day impound fee if the dog catcher catches your animal and you dont pick it up the same day.
You took the words right out of my head. Out of the 4 dogs I have had in my life, 3 were rescues from high kill shelters. I will never have another dog if anything happens to mine, since I can not afford vet care any more.
I was a vet tech and loved the job. My old vet I worked for was extremely low priced (I didn't make a lot either but I got to work with the animals and to me it wasn't about the money) but never turned anyone away...even at the chance of them not being able to pay because he LOVED his job and the animals, in fact he died going to a downed cow call at 2 in the morning because he was so weak from stomach cancer he fell down the stairs at his home. He was loved very much by almost all of his clients but told them like it was if the animal was too sick, he didn't keep stringing them along to get more money out of them. After he passed away new vets came in and raised his prices by 50%. People in this small town couldn't do it but loving their pets they did without so their pets could be treated. I am 68 right now and have a 9 yr old Golden and he will be my last pet, not because I'm tired of them (because I've had sooo many that I loved and when they died they took a piece on my heart with them) but because I am on an extremely fixed income and it wouldn't be fair to them if I should not be able to care for them as they needed. The ones that took over weren't in it for the animals...AT ALL. One was building his own experimental plane and I lasted with him for about 6 months till I saw him punch a beagle in the face that had been hit by a car and had a broken pelvis... thankfully the dogs owner was standing right there, I hope he sued because I walked out then and there. Nothing is like it was..it's hard to find a vet who is truly concerned for the pet as well as the client. Thank you Dr. Jones for being one of the "good ones"
Hello Julia
You sound like you have so much patios for animals
It's so sad. I have a 16 year old and a 7 year old dogs. They haven't seen the vet since my vet retired . The new vet charges too much. I searched the internet and self treated my dogs.
By the grace of God the are doing well.
Your dogs will quite likely live longer than those dogs with the 'gold standard' of care! Make sure you feed them the highest quality food you can...that will help a lot in keeping them healthy!! 💜
My cat got Bladder Crystals and almost died The vet prescribed Science Diet as his only food option. I wasn't aware how expensive it was. After investigating it I found out every can I bought the Veterinarian got a commission on the sales. I bought higher quality cat food and added apple cider vinegar and he's healthy than ever
just say no NO Whitecoats ( not including Dr J and see Dr Berg) vets and medical professional are on protocol gov't regulated and that is simple extort as they die. de population 2023
Just started this ACV for my cat who had crystals and he is also doing great
What are the symptoms for bladder crystals?
Which higher quality cat food did you buy? And how did you give your cat the AVC?
@@isakmar4602 inability to urinate is one
I'm glad someone is speaking about this. It costs more to take my cats to the vet than it cost me to visit my PCP.
This doctor is a gem of a human being and I’m glad to support him online with likes, views, and donations. My dog tore his ACL full tear and was limping. I took him to my vet and to the orthopedic specialist and they told me I needed surgery where they’d put a door hinge in my dogs bone. The cost was $11,000. But my dog was so happy and healthy and I couldn’t imagine him getting such invasive surgery. Well, I ran into one of your videos and you said surgery is ideal but if we have the time to let him heal in about a year scar tissue would build up and he’d walk again. Arthritis will happen but it also would happen w the surgery too. Well it’s been a year and while I’m careful to not let my dog jump up and down and run after balls, he is happy and walking on all fours like no problem. And getting stronger everyday. Thank you.
This happened to my golden retriever. Surgery was out of the question. Aspirin, time, and care resulted in a full recovery, but the vet actually tried to shame me for not going the surgical route. I changed vets after that.
Yep, we didn’t do the CCL TPLO surgery either, bilateral injuries 2 years apart. Good for you!! 👏🏽💗
My 18 month old Boxer was diagnosed with pneumonia. For months it would come and go. We were sent to a specialist vet when local vet didn’t know what was wrong. I was told my dog needed an mri to see what they believed to be a mass in his chest was. All the tests and treatment came with a price tag of $15,000. I only had $1,500 available on my care credit card. With our dog suffering to breathe we decided to euthanize our puppy. The doctor then called me to ask if I had an autopsy done after and was shocked to see I didnt because I couldn’t afford it. As I sat there hysterically crying while my dog was sick I called around to any facility I could find with an mri machine who did dogs. Not one of them returned my calls. An mri would have cost $2000 but in my town a human mri cost $200 if you don’t have insurance. Things are getting out of hand in vet medicine.
Hi, what happened with your dog? Were you able to get care for him?
@@katiescarlett5249they had to put him down (euthanize)
I'm so sorry for the loss of your puppy.
You were taken advantage of, I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Sounds like exploitation, because they know darn well people's emotions are involved.. they wanted to do crazy stuff to my dog... Back surgery that would cost 4000.. I said I'm not putting my dog thru that no way.. took him home, got on the internet, started studying, I got him healthy again. got his leggs running, I would drive my golf cart he would run alongside. When I first took him in he couldn't walk he was crippled.. I definitely did pray for him too..
Praise the LORD!
So true, the disease of greed has infected all forms of health care in the US whether for animals or people. I recently had a cat with an infection on its tail after a small injury. Our attempts at topical relief fell a bit short. I knew that she simply needed some antibiotics to boost healing (13 years old) which are about $9 if I could purchase online. We conferred with vet and she prescribed exactly what I had already deemed needed. The trip cost us $170 for about 10 minutes of "care". I hate to think of how many animals are going without proper care due to this gouging, shameful. The cat is doing great but they didn't even bother to follow up and see how she was.
It came to me in an instant.
We brought our kitty in for something of concern, I forget what. My esteemed vet's daughter was now practicing at his clinic and her initial approach was to throw every piece of expensive technology she could think of at the problem. I smelled a rat, including her misguided vet school training and the clinic's "profit above all else" approach.
High prices at my vet had been building up for quite a few years, with less and less of the common sense "country doc" approach and more and more of the "throw all we got at the problem and charge them big bucks for every last test".
I want the country doc approach back.
I really believe this is why there are so many animals in the shelters. People cannot pay these horrible prices.
The number one reason animals get dumped is behavior issues and time management, all the fault of the human who didnt understand what they were doing when they got an animal.
It certainly would account for a portion of owners who love their animals but just can't keep up with these price hikes in times of recession. It's sad that in the times we need our pets the most, some who fall on hard times have to add these losses to their burden.
In my area it is the economy and landlords won't rent to people with pets. Due to the competition for renting, those with pets have to choose between their own housing and keeping the animals.
Yeah, cost of care is never a reason animals are abandoned at my shelter. If they need basic vet care, we'll provide it to them for free to help them keep the animal. We don't want animals that already have a home clogging up our shelter, and we have 1-5 vets actively working on site at any given time.
We offer low cost vaccinations, microchips, spay/neuters, and provide free high-quality food for low-income pet owners, and I provide free in-home training and behavior modification services for owners with behaviorally challenged pets to try and help them solve the problem that made them choose to abandon their pet (I'm salaried by the shelter, so this is also provided by public donations to the shelter).
Shelters are getting better, but it's usually only local ones with private motivation and funding that actually are making a difference in communities these days, not branches of the HSUS or the ASPCA.
@@Nylak-Otter A lot of people don't know how to access low cost vet care. Or even that it exists. It's good your shelter provides it though.
You are not an old school person, doc... you are a beautiful human being who cares for others. MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU, PLEASE!!!
Sadly, it seems caring for others IS old school. Everyone in it for as much profit as they can get these days.
@@iExploderyup. its all about squeezing that bottom line for every last drop
I am in Europe and it is happening here too. I feel like in the past year or so my vet (who previously had reasonable rates) did some sort of coaching course or something because prices have DOUBLED in such a short time. The new invoices are extremely detailed and each little thing has a huge price tag. Also, she has started wanting us to come in more for follow-up appointments which never happened before (like, after treating a simple eye infection requesting us to come in again 2 more times "just to check" and having a large bill after each visit) We love our animals (and our vet!) and we aren't destitute, but we have decided that we aren't coming in for the these kinds of follow-ups anymore, unless things aren't developing well, and we are also actively shopping around for a new vet. Also, we want to start asking in advance exactly what the estimated costs are up-front. Things are crazy!
I've heard that some vets (and mds) want to give you an estimate of services which you Must Sign in Advance at your first appointment.
Prices doubled in Europe because Europe has chosen to make war against Russia instead of seeking peace.
You are SO right. I had a blood panel and routine yearly exam done on my 19 year old cat. She's been diabetic for about 5 years. Her blood work looked great for her age. But that didn't stop the Vet from pushing that she come back and get another diabetic "curve" done (she already had one years ago, and the vet a year ago told me just to monitor pees, poos, and eating. None of that has changed). Ya ok, she is doing great, and already at the end stage of life, and they want to suck me for a sugar "curve". This curve test requires an all day monitoring visit. Totally unnecessary. But then they ignored my concern about her teeth, the few ones she has left, to get any removed that needed it. I would rather have bad teeth taken out now while she is still healthy enough to handle anesthesia, than try to do it later when she is too ill. They didn't even want to discuss her teeth. But oh, they want to do another curve on her, and a re-check in 6 months.
I routine re-check for something like an eye infection should be minimal.
It's called being taken advantage of. Basically what every dentist ever does.
My 17 year old dog has cataracts in both eyes but only cloudy in one eye. My vet recommended a vet eye specialist who could do cataract surgery (which would have been a massive 4-5k.) I am so incredibly thankful for that specialty vet who said, based on her age, if it were her pet, she would not operate. One year later and my pup is still doing well and on affordable drops to help manage symptoms. We also finally got her to gain weight by supplementing her wet food with baby food. She's happy, energetic (walks about a mile a day which for a Chihuahua is impressive haha!), and friendly. My philosophy now is that; as long as she's having a good time, then she's here with us. Once she gets to a point where she's no longer happy and having a good time, we'll do the humane thing and help her pass instead of dragging out the inevitable with endless procedures and medications.
They never acknowledge that some things are natural aging, there is always the mega expensive treatment that you're an awful pet owner if you won't spend 5K in the last month of life.
I also have a 17 year old Chihuahua. They are special little dogs 🥰
Organic Castor oil. 1💧per 👁️ every night. Youre welcome. Works in 🙎♂️& 🙍♀️too
What kind of baby food was it which integridients?, and what kind of drops?
wat eye drops?
The cost at my vet doubled from what it was 2 years ago.
Yes it has just like food and gas and we can thank our incredibly incompetent government for it.
I recently had to take my German Shepherd to the vet for an infected wound. Was told he had a high fever and an X-ray would need done & blood work up.
x ray showed he had bronchitis, which really didn’t make sense since he isn’t coughing or showing any symptoms of it whatsoever. But okay…
Blood work came back perfect.
Was given antibiotics and medication for bronchitis.
Bill $800
My brother took his dog in for neuter, labs, vaccines, microchip and medication.
Bill $360.
Definitely changes where you live, so I’m going to a different area next time!
The cost of everything has gone up over the last 2-3 years...gas, hiring/keeping employees, etc. I own a small business and our costs have increased significantly. I try to absorb some of that and not mark things up any more than necessary, but evenso, our prices are WAY higher than they were 3 years ago...AND I'm making LESS money and doing MORE work then in the past. I hope things even out soon and go at least a little bit back to something reasonable.
jillzy1182, 7 months have gone by so you may never get to read this reply, but... having a four dogs tribe I am blessing colloidal silver (20ppm) for the many different infections it has cleared in next to no time, including infections to the cornea. Read up on it and give it a try!
I'm a retired veterinary technician who has been out of the field for about 5 years. The rise in costs of medical care for pets, which seems to have occurred during/after the pandemic, is like nothing I've been aware of in the 25 years I worked in vet care. I just paid a little over $600 for annual exams and vaccinations for my two cats, for gods sake! It's pretty mind boggling to me.
I'm curious if the rising costs have anything to do with trying to drive people to buy pet insurance. I've noticed a LOT of vets are pushing it these days. Just like with human medicine, once insurance companies get involved, it all changes from care/quality of care focus to a money focus.
@@bigd7481 speaking as an ex-vet tech - it's vets trying to recoup medical school loans. And techs average less than $15 an hour in the US. Highest I ever got paid was $12 - and I was told it was because we couldn't afford to pay me more without gouging the pet parents. It's an absolute garbage system for everyone involved. I make more money now as a dog bather than I did as a vet tech.
ETA: Vet school can be just as expensive as human medical school, and both are equally difficult in their subject matter - but no one is willing to pay the prices for medical care for an animal like they are for a human. This leads to resentment in a lot of vets for working just as hard as human doctors but never making the same kind of income or even struggling and working multiple jobs. One of the vets I worked with at Vetco was still pregnant and working 50+ hr weeks by picking up shifts on weekends with us to make ends meet.
@@bigd7481 I believe this is the case. Pet insurance and/or the credit cards they sign you up for in the office.
Having been in the medical field for over 25 years and being a pet parent for over 40+ years- I think it is insurance. I see it everywhere now and they was never the case. We just took in an abandoned kitten after the stray mama cat was no longer around. The vet said the kitten was fine at noon when I took him in; by 7pm, he was in respiratory distress and had to be euthanized. $216!!!
What happened to compassion? They knew I rescued this sweet baby in hopes to make his life better, then they gouge me- when my husband asked what happens if we can’t afford it, they said they’d just let him die, eventually. I didn’t have the extra money but input it on a credit card - I could let my kids hear him cry another second.
My vet growing up, only “charged $5 for for this back in the dat; and if someone didn’t have it, he just did it. He had an emergency fund for such occasions; probably because he didn’t have every new shiny machine. It’s sad; I feel like if we have pet insurance, we are better off; I also say it’s insurance because 20 years ago, Pet Insurance was roughly a little less than my annual visit and vaccines, so it touted as being “worth it in case of an accident’
I have indoor cats and didn’t get it. Now, 20 years later and they same insurance is over $900/year, yet has the same coverage.
@@sm598catI’m so sorry for the kitten and you and your family. It’s sad that vets seem to only care about the money, but the welfare of the animals they treat.
Thank you for speaking so truthfully. Had my 14-year-old, beloved Great Pyr/lab euthanized at home a few months ago...$750 including cremation...but I was so grateful for the wonderful, caring vet, who specializes in home euthanization, and who came to help me on a very stormy night. MY vet clinic of 20 years had refused to refill her arthritis meds until I brought her in for her routine rabies vaccine (She was a house dog and was never around other dogs nor off leash when outside.) I was unable to get her safely in and out of my car (110 pounds and arthritic), so vet held up her arth/pain meds for a couple of weeks before relenting and filling "one time only", pending a rabies shot. Being without her meds for a couple of weeks exacerbated her condition, and she quickly deteriorated and was unable to stand/walk. I felt so betrayed by the clinic I had trusted. The same vet 1 1/2 months ago said they could not see my cat when she was seriously ill. (Note: My bill has ALWAYS been paid at time of visit.) They told me to "call around". Found a vet who was accepting all comers...extremely overworked and stressed. Two visits with blood tests and one prescription cost over $700. My kitty is old and will not last much longer. I have decided that I can no longer afford to care for a fur baby, and after mine is gone I will not adopt again. Having fur babies has become a luxury available only to the wealthy. Sad. Very sad. For us lonely old people who need and love them, and for the babies who need and love us. Very depressed by this. Breaks my heart.
It is heartbreaking and depressing.
@@humansareokay6870 It is. Didn't realize how my life has been enriched by my special babies until I had to accept that it would not be financially feasible to adopt/care for another...nearly 8 months she's been gone and I can't shake the feeling of overwhelming loss. Traditional veterinary care is contributing to senior loneliness by making pet ownership impossible for us. Plain and simple.
Horrible. I'm sorry about what you've been through.
I just went through this horrible ordeal with my sweet kitty. He had polycystic kidney disease. To find that out I was charged $2,500. I went to 3 different vets in total and one specialist. They all charged me crazy amounts of money just for a 10 minute “look” at my cat. The specialist drained his kidney cysts for an additional $500 and the draining of the cysts made him worse. They told me it would cost $2,000 more to remove the cysts. Two days later when I called back to book the procedure they told me the actual cost would be $7,300. I declined. I could not afford that. Who has that kind of money?!? They already sucked $3,000 out of me at that point. A month later my cat became constipated. 4 days went by without a bowel movement. Then he stopped eating and threw up 9 times within 20 minutes. He was suffering. I hopped in the car and back to the vet. I asked them to give him an enema and help relieve him. The vet instead said he needed to do more tests. They x-rayed him again. Took his blood again. Urine test again. Ultrasound again. Then charged he $1,066.72 and told me he needs to be euthanized either right now or no later than tomorrow and for that plus cremation it was another $1,000. I’m retired on a small pension. I had to take out a loan to pay for this. I knew my cat was dying. I did not need duplicate tests to tell me this. These vets are the greatest scammers I’ve ever come across. My poor kitty died the next day and I was left with huge bills that I’m still trying to pay. After this experience I decided I will never have a pet again. I am learning to live without a pet. It’s hard but I should be ok in 6 months. It’s a shame because many animals need homes but who can adopt an animal knowing they would not be able to afford treatment should something go wrong? These people only care about money. They don’t care about animals. Absolutely not. They use the love we have for our animals against us. Poor Frisco lived in pain and they gave him nothing to relieve his constipation. They just performed unnecessary tests and told me to end his life right now after stressing him out more. I will never go through this again because I will never own a pet again. It is extremely stressful caring for a sick animal that you love so much. Then you’ve got the stress of taking out loans at high interest rates and doing without necessities so you can pay the loans back while these vets are taking in thousands and thousands for very minimal work. The first vet told me my cat had cancer which he did not. What I experienced was horrifying.
I am so sorry you went through this and I agree with you 100%. They are the most vicious because these animals are often our children and best friends.
So very very sorry you and your kitty had to go through this. Hope you are able to cope. 🙏
@@evamarklund4834 Thank you I’m getting by. I have waves of extreme sadness and I miss Frisco’s company but each week is a tiny bit better. Time heals all wounds.
I'm so sorry for you and your beloved cat. The guilt and grief, anger and frustration can really eat you up inside. I'm going through a similar aftermath realizing my poor cat was suffering for so long with no help from vets. It's horrible. I hope you find peace. You were a good mom.
@@Hibernia2324 Thank you and likewise. I hope you find peace too. Things get better with time but it takes a while.
Plus they’ve struck a deal with the pet food companies that they support. Just because the dog food is expensive doesn’t mean it’s best.
Exactly!! It is such a ripoff
Had horrible experience with our elderly dog getting aflotoxin poisoning from expensive kibble;she survived but has kidney failure. I feed her freeze dried Dr.Marty now and she's made it past 14y and cancer 🦮Grace is amazing 😍
Now the cat food
I am a former vet tech (who did the inventory for our practice). Vets have NOT "struck a deal" with pet food companies. They simply make a profit from the pet foods they sell--exactly like every other store that sells pet foods. P.S. @micheleharris6851, just to be clear, your dog didn't get aflatoxin poisoning from any brand that a vet clinic normally sells (Hill's, Royal Canin, etc.).
@@horsepanther
If you look into this further, the companies you mentioned give large “grants” to vet colleges.
You are absolutely correct! I have a strong distrust of veterinary medicine now. I spent almost $5000 to diagnose my 13 year old blu healer with Cushing disease. My vet kept telling me each test would diagnose it, but it didn’t. After all this, we started her on 1/4 strength medication, increased it to 1/2 strength 2 weeks later, and she hemorrhaged and died. What wasn’t told to me is the survival rate between treated and untreated dogs is pretty much the same. I put an animal I loved through a bunch of scary and painful tests only to have her die a horrible death.
:,(
You did what you thought was best. Bless you for loving your pet. ❤️ I’m sorry for your loss.
My Deepest Condolences for your loss 💙
This happened to me last December, my mini wiener dog was put through numerous test, paid close to 4000.00, put her on medication which cost 100.00+ per week, with ongoing blood test, she passed at home within 3 weeks of her diagnoses. She walked into the house and collasped, tried CPR on her but to no avail, also a hemorrhage.
I had my 20 year old cocketiel pass less than an hour before my dog passed.
I love my pets, but I think I am done rescuing animals. I have treated many pets with successful outcomes at home.
I have had to make decisions to euthanize pets due to the cost of Vet treatment cost. Market Place did a episode on Vet services, and how they are trained at conventions, it's an eye opener.
FYI: You can request a written prescription from your Vet, some pharmacy's will fill it in Canada, saving 90% of the cost.
Condolences to you and goddamn the callous vet. Taking advantage of people when they are emotionally in panic is disgusting. Your pup knows you loved them and that you tried ☮️
My poor cat in 2019 became jaundiced and when we noticed she was brought into an emergency vet. She stayed there for 2 weeks as I poured money I truely didnt have trying to save her.
Tests couldnt determine what was wrong, she was on a feeding tube but they couldnt feed her because the food just sat in her stomach.
When the primary vet seeing her went on christmas holidays, the vet that replaced her gave me the hard truth. He said realistically there is no real course of action. She passed away that night.
I spent 10k because the first vet kept pushing for treatments that were doing nothing and in my stupidity I made my baby suffer and die alone, when the best course for her would have been to put her down peacefully with us by her side.
I will never make the mistake I made with her again.
They did the same to my mother's dog three years ago and she is still paying off the credit card.
Wel that’s what trusting professionals gets you. Like all the other people who turn their brain off and trust experts
I'm so sorry that happened to you :(
Last year, my 5 year old cat started getting crusty discharge from his ear. My vet said it was a bad bacterial injection, gave me ear drops, and sent me home. It cleared up, but came back 2 weeks later, along with a large lump right under his jawline. My vet presumed it was lymphoma, but couldn't biopsy it in office due to the proximity to his thyroid, major arteries, etc. I was referred to a local surgery clinic for biopsy. They milked me dry, 1st with a consult appointment - $350 (did nothing but look at him and feel it). They had me come back a week later for the biopsy, but instead did a few xrays and bloodwork (another $500). I asked why they didn't do the biopsy, and they gave me the excuse they need diagnostics first to see if it's spread, etc. Why worry about that when you haven't even done a biopsy to see if it's cancer cells?! Then I had to bring him back for an ultrasound, $500. Then they told me the doctor who does biopsies is on vacation and couldn't schedule the biopsy for almost 2 weeks! So they wasted almost 3 weeks of critical time to do unnecessary tests, totaling over $1400, and wanted me to wait 2 more weeks for the biopsy. I never took him back. I was furious. They wasted valuable time while the lump grew, they traumatized him with multiple visits, shaving him, poking and prodding, and by the time they were done, I was broke.
I talked to my vet, who told me even if I did chemo, I'd be lucky if he made it another year. He said it wasn't worth putting him through stress of traveling 3 hrs to chemo appointments, the money, etc, and to just make him comfortable while treating with steroids.
I turned to Dr Jones and other holistic info online. He started steroids, I gave him CBD oil, fenbenzadole (Panacur), mushroom supplements, etc. The lump disappeared in 2 weeks, and he was the healthiest, happiest he'd been since he was a kitten. My vet couldn't believe how good he looked. It started in February 2022, and in September, he started being congested, having ear infections and the lump came back. I had to let him go November 16. I felt I failed him, and asked myself over and over "what if I only did more". My vet was compassionate and said "when I first saw him with the lump, I doubted he had 1 month to live, probably less. He lived 9 months because of your care. I don't know what you did, but you did more than chemo would've. Never blame yourself.
Some vets are all about $$$. They couldn't care less if you have to take out a second mortgage to pay for their bills. I'm still paying off the vet clinic fees. It's made me rethink calling a vet for any little symptom, or even vaccinating yearly. I'll never forget how that clinic treated me and failed my cat.
So sorry to hear about your experience Renee, how is your cat doing now?
@@normankenneth01 Thank you for asking. He started having severe congestion in September that was managed with a Covenia shot every 2 weeks. In November, he had severe breathing problems and X-rays revealed cancer had spread to his lungs. I had to put him to sleep. RIP my little Fuzzy.
@@rovan26 so sorry for your loss my friend. Accept my condolences
@@normankenneth01Thank you! ❤
Wow, what a stressful journey you went through. I went through similar trauma with my dog at the veterinary dermatologist. I agree with your vet that you did a fantastic job with your care. RIP to your precious cat.
It is not just the fees, here in the uk the emergency vet refused to treat a dog as he was £200 short for an emergency c section when a pup got stuck. He had to phone his mum at 2am to get her to transfer the money before they would treat the poor dog.
I had a cat who got sick during covid lock down. It was death by 1000 cuts. I ended up paying from start to finish $25K. And each time I was told she would be ok if we did this or that. In the end I had to put her down.
It is so very painful to lose a member of your family. Especially when you did everything possible to save them. I am so sorry. 😢
@@dmm29 Thank you. She was an awesome cat.
So sad. I'm so very sorry for the loss of your sweet cat.
@@benton-benton Thank you.
You own your practice. This is the way things were for decades but now investors who aren't even veterinarians are buying up veterinary practices and those who work for them get their orders as to how much they should charge and as you say it's the 'gold standard' procedure and fee. For 40 years I had vets I trusted. They were caring, their fees were reasonable and they were so experienced. After they retired I've ended up switching clinics several times. It's not solely a question of cost but also one of shoddy care at these investor-owned clinics. On taking my 5 year-old cat in for his regular checkup I was told he needed dental cleaning. Then I was told he needed 2 teeth out. Then I was told he'd need several extractions. The price of care kept jumping. I agreed to have his teeth cleaned but noted I'd have to wait for anything more. During the cleaning, under anesthesia, he stopped breathing because he was administered the wrong drug by a very young, inexperienced vet. I learned that drug should never be used in cats. I switched veterinary clinics and when I later took the same cat to a new clinic they said his teeth were fine!
One of the biggest problems with vets now is the gatekeeper mentality. I run a farm and often know exactly what my animals need but cannot access the medications without first paying an inspection fee... its messed up.
My vet will refill my dogs Apoquel a few times but then they will tell me she needs a "Wellness" checkup to continue the prescription. That cost's $70 and they spend about 5 minutes checking her out. Quite a scam they have going.
Back in the day, I had multiple horses, ponies and dogs and back then you could buy vaccinations, wormers, even anti-biotics and pain meds from a catalog. The vet lobby changed that. It doesn't take years of vet school to give a shot.
That is because it is illegal to prescribe medication without a doctor + patient relationship dude. That is not gatekeeping, your vet is following the law.
@@Lushfan That is because you cannot prescribe to a patient without a current physical exam within the year of the prescription. What if you just want apoquel without an exam and we miss a tumor in your dogs abdomen and the apoquel is making it worse. Everything is a "scam" and "unnecessary" to pet owners until it is not. I just had this same situation with an owner insisting we give her dog a blood transfusion due to his anemia diagnosed by another vet. She thought I was wasting her money insisting on xrays of the dog to confirm my suspicion of splenic and or liver based cancer. A transfusion was not going to fix anything and THAT would have been a real waste of her money and would have prolonged her dogs suffering. We went to school for a reason my guy, and that reason was not to scam you. Show some respect and try to be a bit more appreciative that people choose to ignore how unsavory and miserable YOU are in order to help you pet.
Yeah and that would be perfectly fine if vets wouldn't charge over one hundred dollars just to look at the animal @@worrell3831
Veterinary Technician here and it’s no surprise we don’t make very much money... I work for a 78 year old Vet. He’s very old school and very reasonable!! A lot of clinics are not taking new clients.
Keep in mind inflation is awful! People can’t afford very much these days..
The vet places make tons of money. The woman who owns the vet we go to, i have watched transform for years. Walking out with her new huge boobs, face fillers and expensive car, and shes not even a real vet. I hope her over large porn star boobs were worth animals suffering.
Glad you work for a good one; sometimes being around good humans is worth more than $. Our wonderful old school vet just passed away. He was a great human being w/such compassion and good common sense. Had to take my dog to a diff vet to have neutered - well over $600, which didn't include iv, or any extras. Oh wait, they clipped his nails for free.
Thank you, and the Vet you work for, MUCH APPRECIATED ❤
@@bmac5242They clipped the nails for free because the apprentice technician had to practice...😊
It’s crazy I went to vet tech school spent a ton of money found jobs were only paying 10$ an hour in city even I never ended up doing it because I couldn’t live on that . We need vet techs so I agree paying them I know the work it takes it’s a lot we need more emergency care
It's also terrible that huge corporations are buying veterinary practices. The VRC clinics that are everywhere was bought by the Mars Corp. What do they know about vet medicine unless dogs eat Mars bars.
The quality of dog food is also going down. It's so hard to know what to feed your pet nowadays.😥🐕🐾
Make it yourself. Dr Jones has excellent food videos.
Last summer, my cat started bleeding profusely from his mouth. Tried to go to his vet. Unbeknownst to us, she had quit and sold the practice! We got no notice. So now that we were not clients with anybody, we couldn't get in. Even the emergency services kept telling me it was a dental thing and dental things are not emergencies. This was July. The earliest anybody could get him in was October. Eventually, he bled out until he had a seizure. Then the seizure was considered urgent enough we could go in as an emergency. It was face cancer. So, we had to euthanize him. But he suffered, slowly bleeding out, for 2 weeks. I don't know if I will ever have a pet again. I am an animal person, and it hurts so much. I still cannot believe that this is the state of veterinary medicine.
Dealing with this right now. I have a cat who needs to be neutered and when I took him to the veterinarian my other cat sees it was a mess. Found out I was overcharged after the fact (when checking my bank account the next day) so they flat out lie at this place apparently - not surprising, but still... I just want this little guy to have the best life he can. Lost my full time job last year and struggling already but add insane vet costs on top of that for just a wellness check - they wanted to schedule more wellness checks first before going ahead with the neutering, it's awful. Something needs to change, this isn't about helping pets anymore, it's just a money grab. Sickening. These evil corporations are getting more and more control of more and more aspects of everything and it's just so discouraging and depressing...
I have a 14 tabby..I can't afford to take her to a vet. I watch your videos and treat her as best I can no major illnesses so far) But if she becoms seriously ill, she will have to be put to sleep. I am 70 yrs old on SS and get most food for me from a food bank. But tabby gets premium food, wet/dry, special litter...She had a rough start, her last years should be as comfortable as possible.
The veterinary practice we used for more than 12 years was purchased by the large, well-known vet company. After that, the old time vet ways went down the drain, fees were out of sight and they never had an appointment available for an emergency - even after we had been a client of that practice for more than a decade. We had enough! Finally, we took our dog to another practice operated by just two wonderful, caring veterinarians. We are so glad that we did because she was well-cared for during the last 7 months of her life. There is no way we would have been treated properly in her final days by this corporate vet company that only cared about money. We will be always grateful for the care she received and we were so glad that we stood up to the corporate entity that is ruining veterinary medicine. Thanks to Dr. Jones for unveiling these deceitful practices.
That is exactly what’s happening.
Soon solo Vets will be far and few 😿
This hits home so hard, I started to cry. I’ve been waiting 6 years to hopefully get my disability benefits. Currently in federal court. I have no money. My one dog is about 9 I believe. She has this small type of what looks like a skin tag on the inner side of her leg. It’s actually quite larger now. I can touch it and move it and squeeze it gently and it doesn’t bother her. I cannot afford to see any vet at all. The costs are enormous. I can barely afford dog food for them. Ugh. You’re so right
The costs of pet food are ridiculous too when you look at the ingredients.
I've worked with Animal Rescues for 20 years. I get calls all the time from people looking for money to save their pets. I had a guy call who had a cat with a fish hook stuck in him and the vet wanted an insane amount of money to just get it out. Its very sad what has become of veterinary medicine over the years. I remember 10 or 15 years ago going to a veterinary office and seeing my first pamphlet sitting on the counter for animal health insurance. I shook my head because I knew what was coming next and it has now come. Veterinarians are starting to act like hospitals and figure what the heck its insurance money so why not charge an insane amount of money.
My grandfather was an MD from the mid 1930's to the 1990's and he said the healthcare industry changed so much in that time. He said people used to go into medicine to help people, by his retirement his younger colleagues were solely in it for money. He believed the widespread adoption of insurance was what ruined the industry, it drove prices up, introduced new legislation and enabled a new competitiveness amongst pharmaceutical companies. I see the same thing happening in veterinary medicine now. A few months ago my 15 y/o diabetic cat had an episode of hypoglycemia, his sugar was very low, too low to correct at home so I took him to an emergency vet (as it was after hours for my local vet). 24hrs later I was allowed to bring him home and my bill was $1,700. They charged $60 for every time they tested his sugar and they were using a typical home diabetic test kit, they tested him 12 times. It was $650 just to be seen and the rest is what they charged for the dextrose injection. Even with the emergency office call, my normal vet wouldn't have charged over $300 for that.
Emergency care is the magic formula that allows vets to rack up prices... I've seen it happen many times myself...
When my dog was hit by a car, the emergency vet would only do an ultrasound to check for bleeding and give some pain meds unless we signed an 8k estimate for surgery. Took him home and brought to my normal vets who helped him right away with a 600 estimate for non surgical starting treatment with an x-ray to see the fractured pelvis and check for fragments I think. Surgery would have been around 2k estimate starting.
I'd say the treatment totalled 1400-ish with pain and antibiotics plus various staples for his foot and more staples a couple weeks later near his anus when he chewed a scab off and opened a huge gash that showed the pelvic bone and more staples 2 days later when he finally pooped and popped half the first staples out. They didn't charge for the 2nd set of staples nor the last checkup to remove them. They also gave us high fat wet food to put some padding back on his legs so the pelvic bone wouldn't stab through the healing scab.
Every vet and tech at his normal local vet was rooting for him and treated him like their own.
@@calamity0.o ...Which goes to show the wisdom of finding a vet you can trust, professionally and financially, BEFORE an emergency arises.
About 30 years ago, my cat was diagnosed with diabetes. First vet told me to euthanize.
I went to another vet who taught me how to do injections, and how to check his blood using a regular glucose meter. I used the spring-loaded puncture pen to prick a blood vessel on his ear where there's less pain receptors.
He never got any infections or scarring from that. When he needed glucose because his sugar was too low, my vet told me to smear corn syrup or honey on his gums. That worked every time!
His insulin cost $10 a month, and my favorite pharmacist at Walmart gave me free insulin needles for my "son". That was their policy back then for human patients, and this nice pharmacist also had a diabetic dog so she also shared valuable information with me as well as encouragement.
My cat lived another 3 years, died at age 18. He was happy and relatively healthy until his last 3 months when he had kidney failure. My vet taught me to give him infusions of lactated ringer's solution, a procedure that took about 30 minutes and would have been very expensive if done at the vet's office. My cat calmly sat on the couch with me while I stroked him so it wasn't traumatic.
I was able to share my knowledge and experience with my older sister when her cat was diagnosed with diabetes, and she took such good care of him that he lived 4 more years. I'm glad she had a good vet who helped her care for her cat herself, also.
@@LazyIRanch That's what veterinary medicine USED to be all about, back when vets got into the business because they had a vocation, not because they were looking to rake in big bucks. The vets from back in the day would weep at what we have now... But to be fair, to remedy the situation, a whole lot in society has to change first..
Dr. Jones, here in one of the counties in our state, a K9 jumped into the back of the patrol car and injured two of his discs, so the news station featured his story because the surgery and care were going to be over $10,000. A donation was started and fortunately, enough money was raised. The K9 is reported to be okay, but the average pet owner does not have this type of funding or opportunity to raise this kind of money. This is really getting out of control.
My daughter is a veterinarian, does not own the clinic, but to just get my dog's teeth cleaned would be over $1,400! I don't live in her town, so several years ago it cost me $800 where I live. That was a financial burden on me, and maxed out a credit card. I am so saddened to know I will never be able to afford another fur baby again.
Wow that's more than a regular doctor
Exactly. I adopted a 16 year old cat that my nephew left at my sister's house. She didn't want him, never took him to the vet, but grudgingly kept him in case my nephew wanted him back. He didn't. I started advocating for his care despite being a low income senior. I rehomed him and got a vet credit card to pay for his care, 2 visits a year, plus thyroid medicine, nutritious food, etc. I hadn't had a pet of my own since age 21, but I fell in love with him and he needed to be loved and cared for. He is now 19 and the vet is impressed with his blood work. Each semi-annual vet checkup is around $465. I have to find a way to get the balance down, so I can continue to have him checked. When I had a childhood dog in the 1960's, a vet visit was $25.00. I never want to lose my cat, but when he goes, I can't afford another companion. Animals should not only be for those who can afford $$$$ vet care. They should also be for anyone wanting to give them a loving home.
I am a Vet Tech in TX and the Doc I work for is the cheapest around. .We are so busy our visits are 25.00 with vaccines and dentals usually are only 120.00.. He is the last of the old school Vets. I stay because I wouldn't be able to afford Vet care anywhere else.. But one can educate yourself and treat your own animals....you don't need a vet to trim your dog or cats nails..🐕
Yep, I just paid $1300.00 to have my dog's teeth cleaned and a cracked one removed, they took out a couple more little ones that didn't need to go and they lied to me about accommodating her severe separation anxiety. The last dog that I had a dental cleaning for cost me $350, it was 10 years ago.
@@Rebecca-qx1etI hear ya! One of my dogs went in for dental cleaning & to have a bad molar removed, quoted price: $350. They ended up pulling 7 teeth (you sign b4 the cleaning) I ended up paying $850, with pain meds. Makes me wonder if she really needed those other teeth pulled.😮
Oh, my goodness, I am so happy to have found this channel. I have watched with horror the outrageous increase in costs of vet care in the last decade or so. I believe there is a connection with the timing of these increases and the advent of pet "health insurance" into the market, along with the credit cards that the vet offices sign you up for.
I consider myself a compassionate and responsible pet owner and yet have been pushed into incurring debt that I could not afford by a vet who shamed me into it, in front of other vets and vet techs, by saying, "this is the cost of responsible pet ownership." I am in a FB group where vets answer pet owner questions. I can't count the number of times vets have told people the same thing I was told and follow that by advising the person to relinquish their pet to a shelter if they can't afford the expensive treatment. Many have done so, and my heart breaks every time, not just for the person but for the pet, already ill, now faced with the trauma of separation from their humans. It's ruthless and cruel in my opinion.
ETA in that same vet FB group the vets ALL reprimand pet owners for feeding anything other than a select few commercial brands (the most expensive, of course) but when I read the ingredients, they all start with corn--one, a very well-known brand, is ONLY corn followed by a massive list of man-made supplements. They also tell pet owners, usually in all caps, to stop reading ingredient lists. (!!)
My dog was diagnosed with an aggressive thyroid tumor. My vet gave me a rundown of the potential treatments, what they would cost, and how much time they’d likely buy for me. I opted in the end to not treat her, and enjoy what time I had left with her without putting her through a lot of invasive medical procedures. She was very timid, and it would have been very traumatic for her. Though the vet estimated she had 6 months, it was nearly 9 months before she showed any real signs of having problems, and she died quietly in her sleep while I was still struggling with the decision on whether or not to put her down. The thing is, I have a vet that will go through all the options, the pros and cons, and the costs, so you have the information you need to make a decision, rather than pushing immediately for the most expensive and high tech solution.
I am sorry for your loss.
I had to make that decision as well. My girl was going to need three surgeries at least and round the clock care, lose her teeth, some of her face and an eye. On top of the Cushing Disease she already had…
@@marylhere it’s one of the hardest decisions one ever has to make. And it’s not one that anyone can help you with, because no one knows your dog like you do, and it’s a difficult balance deciding what’s best for both of you.
My elderly dog is the last pet I'll ever have. The normal vet bill was $500 annually. The prices are so high that you can't help but wonder if it's not a reason so many animals are abandoned recently. It's heartbreaking.
Indeed , it's one thing to pay your help well to keep up with other profession's ? , trouble is as a machinist my wage'$ have gone no where in 25 yrs and the poor folks running the machines we build work for half that again.
Yes. Well said!
You don’t need to go to the vet annually, vets for the most part are a scam so are the shots. We owned dogs for over 10 thousand years before we had vets, and they did just fine.
I just owned my last dog as well. There is no such thing as an annual check up with a worm check and vaccination. Every visit requires a full work up, and it is absolutely the reason why older dogs are dumped at shelters. Also the reason I never go to the dentist.
@@Automedon2 Dentists are GREEEEEDY. When I broke a tooth off due to a fall they wanted US$1500.00 to extract the rest of the tooth. Needless to say there are ways to kill the nerves and they come out easier than you think.
My old vet went corp. A sr. dog checkup is $165.00 plus bloodwork fees. A healthy older pet runs $350.00 for a 15-20 minute visit.
Oh my gosh. That's insane.
Our vet sold out, too! Then, he took over a rural clinic & sold that one to corporate several years later! Now, these clinics are "hospitals!" 🤑
Standard business model…we’re being soaked!
I've definitely noticed a big change in the vet experience myself over the last few years. We followed a veterinarian that we had a good relationship with to a new clinic and everything was great for quite a while. Over the last few years though we've noticed prices going up drastically, the quality of care declining (having to wait almost an hour to be seen with an appointment that had been made months ahead of time), more errors that *we* had to catch, incorrect tests being done requiring us to stress our pet yet again to get the correct one done (got charged for both), wanting to run every test under the sun every time the pet is seen, etc, etc.
We finally tried a different local vet and the difference is amazing. The wait after we arrive for an appointment is no more than 10 minutes, he seems to truly want the best care for the pet vs padding the bill with tests and prescriptions, and the prices are much better.
If your vet is making you question if they care more for the size of the bill than the welfare of your pet, shop around!
Thank you for making a video on this. I have multiple fur babies; large and small needs. The veterinary care we receive is top notch and I recommend them to anyone who will listen. Their prices are the lowest in the area, they do not turn people away, have funds for people who need help, etc. Despite it all, I’ve never met or seen anyone walk away feeling defeated. It’s a blessing to have them and for you to bring awareness for animal owners to be diligent in their efforts. Your videos show your compassion, dedication and willingness to empower pet owners. Thank you for being a positive resource in an ever-changing medical environment. 🌻🤗
Your vet sounds great. Where are you located? I have cows & cats
@@michelleb5453 the land of Green Bay Packers lol
Dr. Jones. I have been a licensed vet tech since 1999. I was fortunate enough to work for a very skilled vet surgeon. He was a pioneer in TPLO surgery. A physical exam and radiographs were all he needed for diagnostics. Never an MRI. No matter what was wrong with an animal we always made up an estimate and helped a client who couldn’t afford “the gold standard” options so that their animal could be treated and they wouldn’t have to mortgage their house to pay for it. We were like a family and we were all committed to helping the pet and the pet parents also even if we had to put in a little extra for a little less $$. Unfortunately he died and his wife (also a vet) did not have the same commitment or dedication so most of us moved on and it has been so difficult finding another practice like that one but I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work there when I did. Too bad all vets weren’t of the same mindset.
It’s called the human condition. That’s why I don’t got to the get because he’s close by. I drive a half hour to get to my vet.
My dogs scheduled for tplo. It’s $9500 on his back left leg. Yes we have insurance but we still will have to pay $5600 due to things they don’t cover.
@@deecawford Shocking
@@michelemaliano7860 I drive to Palmer Alaska and I live in anchorage. It’s about 45 min drive
@@deecawford Are you in Canada?
The costs are out of control. I miss my old school vets who could treat anything for reasonable costs, but most importantly with compassion. I have changed vets so many times since my old great vet clinic closed. I am constantly shocked at their attitude towards their pricing. I am retired and am caregiver to my husband. We have 2 dogs, but I doubt we will get any others after these guys die. It is too expensive.
Thank you Dr. Jones. It is really heartbreaking how expensive vet services have become. Thank you, for once again showing how much you care about animals. God bless.
is it really? Seems to be a trend among the majority of people out there. "I don't get enough for what i do, give me more!" Its the circle of life these days!
@@Hundr_ Yes it really is. And it's not just the visit cost, in my area its $57.65 for the visit for one pet and $102.40 for two pets. As reported, 'According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for veterinarian services are 236.95% higher in 2023 versus 1997.'
Thanks for this video. I just subscribed. Last year, I paid over 10k to have my dog treated for lymphoma. We followed the CHOP protocol and I even drove 6 hours round trip once a week or every other week to a vet med school for chemo. It was significantly cheaper there than in the next big town over. I even started the protocol again this past December when she relapsed. I don't regret it-- I got to spend one more wonderful year full of adventures with her, and she was just barely 5 years old when she passed. However, I will not ever do that again. What I was quoted and what the treatment actually cost were EXTREMELY different numbers. I love my vet staff... but never again.
Our vet school, Purdue University, is unbelievably expensive!! Their excuse is that they don’t want to compete with local vets!!
@@cheshirecat2363 that's just crazy and unfortunate because UC Davis is the same way now. they used to be great for nearby ranchers and pet owners alike. Today they nickel-and-dime you for everything too. Their bill is rarely less than $300.00. I spent almost $1,000 for my last routine neighborhood veterinary visit, and this is not counting the price to fill the scrip for flea and heartworm preventive meds, which is another few hundred$$$. I remember the old days. 20-50 bucks for a real check up from muzzle to tail: shots, worm test, nail clip as needed and the vet even knocked some tartar loose off my cat's teeth a couple times! There was no itemized list. It was all bundled into an exam that was considered a standard office call.
Good subject. Every time I see the vet it is minimum $200 and that is just walking through the door and coming home with a common allergy medication Atarax. Vaccines are expensive, flea and tick meds are expensive, lab work etc. I am a senior with a limited income so this can be a huge worry. How much debt do I go into for my beloved rescue dog? It isn't that I don't care about my pet, but seriously I can't afford dental care for myself let alone my dog.
One suggestion that might help: they give the pets way too many vaccines. You might want to cut that out. I even heard a veterinary radio show out of Ohio State University say the same thing.
Flea and tick meds: Ask your vet about you getting it from Chewy - if your vet will cooperate with the prescription. It's less expensive.
It's horrible what they are doing to the most innocent on earth - the animals. All they care about is money.
I hope you can keep your dog. It would be a real shame if you had to give him/her up. It would be a nightmare.
@@benton-benton Thank you. I have already done the research on vaccines and he only gets the absolute basics for that reason. I will keep him for life as I always have done with my beloved pets. However I won't get another once he is gone. He is about 6 or 7 now. Not sure because he is a rescue. I find alternative treatments if needed before calling my vet. This channel very helpful for that. I make his food from scratch so no commercial dog food. He does get the chewable tick and flea treatment and the topical heartworm. Really that is the best I can do for him.
Passionné de Chiens , j'ai été l'heureux propriétaire et conducteur de 3 Chiens ( 2 BB Ter et 1 BA) et ce depuis 1984 .J'ai pu donc constater la hausse des prix alimentaire et vétérinaire . Aujourd'hui les soins vétérinaire sont devenus exorbitants de plus je me pose des questions sur la qualité de l'enseignement de la médecine vétérinaire en France . A ma GRANDE déception ceci et d'autres raisons mineures me font renoncer à prendre un 4 ème Chien . Salutations de France ⚜ ⚜ ⚜ .
I don’t believe I would even get in my vets door for $200
@@redeyedmongoose2963 That is the starting fee to be seen and it goes up from there. I only have one pet now but I have seen a huge spike in office fees over the last few years. I live in Canada but always heard it was cheaper in the US to see a vet. Not sure if that is true anymore.
You are the guardian angel for pets ❤
Totally agree with this, Dr. Jones. We have a 13-year-old JRT who is now diabetic and we're finding the diagnostic fees are insane.
Our dog had a torn acl and the vet wanted $3700 to fix it. I found an old vet and he hooked us up with a prolotherapist. We did 4 treatments and rehabbed him ourselves. He healed up with no more acl problems.
Sadly having a pet is cost prohibitive and after my old boy passes, I will not be adopting again. He's 13 and his health is going downhill. Thanks for your honesty.
I am in the same boat with my 14 year old girl:)
what kind of issues?
@@stelpenn6678 Thank you for asking. It's Cushing's unfortunately and it's a slow process.
@@beholdheiscomingonthecloud5526 I'm sorry to hear that. Wishing you peace.
@@LisaSimplified so sorry 😔
I was just discussing with a woman in cat rescue in NYC yesterday, how unbelievably high her bill for very minimal care for a kitten was recently. It was astonishing to me how many people thought $3500 for an exam, IV fluids and 6 hours of observation was reasonable. That is utterly insane!! I can't afford more than a few hundred dollars for most vet visits and even that is a stretch, but I don't love my pets any less than anyone else! My very special cat had to be rushed to the emergency clinic in the middle of the night on a Sunday morning last year with what turned out to be a fully blocked ureter. The clinic wanted me to pay $1200 UPFRONT for them to simply put a catheter in, give him a round of IV fluids, and watch him for 24 hours. I literally only had $600 to my name (which I needed for bills) and as I tried not to tear up and I told them I just absolutely don't even have $1200 and that I didn't want my cat to die! He was in so much pain and at risk of fatal kidney damage! So they reworked the treatment plan, took the last $600 I had, and put a catheter in him for an hour, then removed it and sent us home. They literally just drained off the urine so he wouldn't be in pain, and sent us home with the urine crystals still in his bladder, knowing he would just fill right back up and it was still the weekend. Sure enough, by Monday morning we were right back in the same situation and I had to go to work. While I'm at work, I'm frantically calling every veterinarian within an hour from me to see if I could find someone who would work with me. Remember, I had ZERO dollars to my name and a very sick cat still. One vet that couldn't help me, did give me the name of another about 45 minutes from me who would help me. They only charged me $75 to keep him for 4 days, in which they put a catheter in, and gave him IV fluids to flush the crystals out and made sure he was peeing properly again before sending him home on a new diet. $75. They were also appalled at what the emergency vet did, as was I. I don't know how they could get away with charging me only $75, but I sure am glad they did! They get all my veterinary business now and they have been wonderful to work with on every issue. As long as they are around (and have been for several decades) I know I don't have to worry about not being able to take my babies to the vet when they really need it! Sorry for the novel, but these prices are out of hand and put veterinary care completely out of reach for most people, with no regard for the poor animals.
I hope you left, or will leave, the emergency scam center scathing reviews on all social media platforms and places like Yelp and google. That’s absurd. They act like everyone has an extra $10k just for pets for emergency care.
You did great with your cat. I admire you.
Thank you, Dr Jones. Yes you are 100% right. I wish that there were more honest vets out there. Everything in the vet world is about making $$$. I have never seen a vet help someone who couldn't afford care for their pet. It should be the law like it is for people that a pet must be treated regardless of if the owners have the ability to pay or not. I always said that if I could live my life over. I would of went to Vet school and help animals and their owners by offering them very low-cost care or free care, and if I was a millionaire, I would build a large hospital for pets and have a team of vets and techs available 24/7.
Vets have to pay for drugs, bandages, xray machines, their staff, their buildings, etc. etc. not to mention their student loans--it costs a fortune to go to vet school. They also have to make a living.
In California, and probably all over, there are companies that specifically train vets in “revenue enhancement”. When you are in your 70’s and 80’s as we are, your personal revenue just doesn’t “enhance”. I’m so grateful to our small office vet who continues to provide us with affordable care. We had to leave a larger office (of 20 years!) when one of those companies provided “training”, right down to convincing the female vet assistants and receptionists to all start wearing makeup, I kid you not! Prices went through the roof!!!!!
Many of those companies are backed by Scientology investment, too. They have invested hugely in buying practices and veterinary management consulting.
@jadedandbitter That is so creepy! I’m glad you told us that! It’s becoming more important all the time, for many reasons, to try to stick with an independent small veterinarian office.
The vets today care more about money than the animal its heartbreaking.......
ask God He will provide He will make for us a way.. Job 12:10 and God bless Dr J for speaking Truth
The outrageous vet costs, is why I told my 8 week old kitten, "Don't ever get sick, or if I can't help you, that's the end." My kitty lived to be 16 years old and never got sick, not once! 😎😁😃👍👏 In the end, she was basically fine...ate well, moved well, just slept a lot, until, one day, she never woke up. Peaceful. No suffering. No pain. I am so grateful.
Ha ha I used to tell my dog, "Remember, you have to live forever, and be happy & healthy the whole time." He did a pretty darn good job, until the last few weeks when he was sick and ultimately had to be euthanized. So traumatic to lose him, but I too am grateful he had a long, mostly healthy and pain-free life. 🙂
@@horsepanther Sorry for your loss, losing a pet is never easy. ❤
This will be extremely controversial, but I once had a dog who died at 15 having never been to a vet once until he was euthanized. No neutering, no vaccinations. He ate what I ate all his life. When he died, apart from a greying face his body was like a 2 year old, trim and still fully muscled. Never sick one day in his life.
@@Automedon2 Awesome! Vets, doctors and dentists, do way more harm than good, imo.
@@funshine817 Weird how the more you go to the doctor, the sicker you are. They are dying to get you on the pharma merry-go-round then they can treat the side effects with more drugs.
Lost my sons puppy recently, took the pup to the vet and the vet refused to make payment arrangements and see the dog. Send them home with an admonition " your dog really needs to see a vet" the dog held on through the night and died half an hour before we could start calling the people that would provide financial assistance. The puppy was born in our home and my son cared for that sweet pup for ten weeks. They knew the dog was very sick and they did nothing.
My husband’s EMPLOYER (one of the largest and oldest companies on earth…) actually offers PET INSURANCE. And we are honestly grateful. With 2 great danes it has paid for itself many times over. We live in a rural area and out vet also offers an ambulance service for a VERY reasonable fee within an hour radius where they are. Wonderful, so caring, and incredibly patient (animal) focused. From the receptionist to the techs to the vets- everyone is focused in giving every animal a positive experience there. Just amazing. Wish my human doctors cared as much about their human patients.
I'm so glad you're addressing this topic because this is something that I think about A LOT, especially as someone who adopted a special needs rescue dog. There are so many animal-loving, goodhearted, well-intentioned folks out there who would LOVE to have a pet, but they don't because the sad reality is that they can't afford the vet bills. We have a serious problem with so many cats and dogs in need of adoption and it's beyond sad that the cost of caring for animals has made it downright unaffordable for many to bring one home! This breaks my heart!!! 💔
There are many good vets but I'm finding the majority I've seen lately are scumbags and pathological liars. High pressure sales when your animal is sick is a traumatic combination.
Yep. We make a good salary but have two kids in college. We would like to adopt another dog, but with the vet prices in our area, probably won't. They are outrageous!
I told my brother the other day that there's no way to be a pet owner where we live. Vet care is so expensive, and here you can have animals seized if you can't afford things like annual dental scaling, our vets can report it as inadequate care to the authorities. I know I can't throw $600 at cat dental care annually, especially given how expensive all the other care is too.
@@backyardbreeze112 I'm with you, except I only have one left in college. I just lost my diabetic dog and the past year of decisions vs the expense was really difficult. I would like to adopt another but I can't risk taking on the expense again. I started thinking that owning a dog is only for the rich!
I rescued a special needs shih tzu... & With every passing year find it harder to afford the vet. Especially as I went from working to retirement.
It's damn awful.
This is how I found you. I had no resources to pay for a torn ACL so I treated him with other methods and he recovered. It took longer but it worked.
I am using your treatment for a cyst because my vet wanted to cut off the ear tip rather than treating the cyst.
You have been a great help.
It cost almost the same amount for a checkup for my pet cat as it did for me at my family doctor. I couldn't believe the cost of having him neutered, just under $500, it was a two month wait to get him neutered at a lower cost facility and they still wanted $130, I couldn't wait because he started marking in the house. Three years earlier I had my female husky spayed for $20.
I have a neighbor who was told her dog needed X-rays for her dog’s kidney and then told her that her dog might need surgery for kidney stone. She was so upset cause she could not afford it. They put her dog on a different diet and antibiotics and the dog recovered from a urinary tract infection which was not kidney stones without any further complications! Thank you for all your great advice and tips! I share all with her and we’re grateful for your expertise!❤
Yes, this is a very real scary thing happening to pet owners. Many times tests and drugs that you only get the financial total when going to pay. All vets now ask for payment on the day. Many vets here assume you have insurance. I friend paid $10,000 for 2 operations on her dog and sadly he passed away from an infection - she then 6 months later wanted to get another dog - and here is another issue happening - to get a pup people are asking from $1800 to $4000. Or the rescue dogs, I prefer are also $500. Ok we understand they are now passing on the vet costs. So as we go forward, many people especially the elderly are not getting companion animals because they cannot afford it. This saddens me greatly. Thank you for your vlogs and pet care solutions.
Yes! I can no longer afford a pet. I want to adopt but they call your vet & grill them to make sure you're giving all the vaccines and extras which I believe much is toxic. 😢
Rescue a free one from craigslist. They will end up in a shelter or worse at the end of the day. I have 2 free dogs from ads, both are wonderful.
@@FLgardener67 Yes, Craigslist!! The solution when you are tired of the "background check" and pages of paperwork they put you through. I got a wonderful boy dog, a few months ago from a Craigslist ad. Email, and a two minute exchange in the Home Depot parking lot.
that's mind blowing, MIND!!!! blowing. Had to go the vet yesterday bc my dog was pretty sick. Instead of the old vet I met a young vet who did a really decent anamnesis and diagnosed her carefully - the vet clinic is now owned by a company. She got 5 shots, including Vit B12 which is pretty expensive over here, I got a bunch of drugs to take home with me,. She reacted strangely to one shot, so I went back, she was diagnosed carefully (again). Today I called to ask a question I forgot yesterday and repoerted back how my dog is actually doing. Costs in total: 98 Euro and 71 cents. Neither the call nor the "turn around bc the dog is showing strange symptoms" were billed.
I noticed prices started going up when Pet Insurance was introduced. Thank goodness my dog has been healthy. He'll be my last now. I've been out priced.
I used to work for an old school vet. I took my animals to him until he retired. I tried 4 different veterinarians after that and none were near as good as he was. For one, all the new vets had fancy offices they had to pay for so they were expensive. Also, they were multi-vet practices and it was difficult to get in to see the same vet all the time. There were a lot of various issues. It's been 15+ years and I am still looking for a good vet that doesn't overcharge and/or do unnecessary procedures and/or is halfway competent. Another issue I've noticed is the push for people to buy pet insurance. If we think taking our animal to the veterinarian is expensive now...just wait until the insurance companies are involved in everything! Stay away from pet insurance if you can!
If you read the fine print on those pet insurance policies, they are only for very young animals like puppies and kittens.
That is terrible, terrible advice to stay away from pet insurance. Pet insurance can easily make the difference between life and death for your pet. All it takes is one major illness or injury and you'll be faced with a choice between coming up with several thousand dollars or euthanasia. I am a pet sitter and recently had to take a client's dog to the ER when he suddenly became unresponsive). The estimate for the initial 24 hours of care was $3,200, and they didn't know how many days of care he'd need, or whether he'd survive. (Luckily, he made a miraculous, extremely fast, full recovery! Still don't know what caused his blood pressure to drop dangerously low.) About 6 years ago, my cat became deathly ill after aspirating something during a dental cleaning, and if I had not had insurance I would have had to euthanize him. Instead I was able to give him the critical care he needed long enough to recover. The total was over $11k. It turned out he had a hidden heart condition and therefore also required follow-up medication, cardiac ultrasounds, and specialist visits--I don't even know how much that added up to. Same thing when my dog suddenly went into kidney failure, and had extremely high calcium, and other mysterious problems--although ultimately we were not able to save him, I could afford to help him feel a lot better and do the diagnostics to try to figure out what was going on and give him a chance. I forget the total for his hospitalization but I believe it was somewhere around $4k. Just research and choose pet insurance very carefully; Healthy Paws or Trupanion are good options.
@@horsepanther Good for you. But I have looked around. At what age should you get pet insurance? That cutoff age is typically between seven and 14 years. It's also more expensive to insure an older dog. That's why many experts typically recommend that you start insuring your pet when they're still a puppy or a kitten.May 6, 2022
@@horsepanther Just wanted to add to this that after a certain point it's actually not cost efficient to use most pet insurances. As @barqu1636 mentions, these insurance companies want young healthy animals. They will increase rates on healthy pets for no reason (sometimes drop their coverage too) and many will double triple quadruple their monthly rates when you move or your pets turn senior (and I mean drastic increases for long time customers, not new enrollees). There are definitely cases where the better option is to either have a low-interest credit card devoted entirely to pet medical costs OR have Care Credit. Once a person is paying $100/200/300+ a month to an insurance company, it's better to just save it and use that towards medical expenses. My general recommendation for people is to have pet insurance when their pets are young and then switch over to Care Credit when they turn senior.
@@horsepanther you are saying how much it could have been, but not how much it was with the insurance. How much a year in fees.
I believe that there is a direct correlation between the gross inflation in fee structures at many vet clinics and the number of private practices that are selling out to private equity investment groups. I was forced to leave our long term vet clinic after the doctor/owner sold to private equity. The quality of care declined, the staff were miserable and prices skyrocketed. When private equity takes over a clinic, only one thing matters- squeezing every last penny out of the clients and maximizing profit margins.
I agree! 🤑
Thank you for saying what needed to be said. I've always taken my pets to a locally owned vet clinic... until a national chain bought them. Suddenly it was increased prices and, "Do you know about our easy pay plan for regular exams and immunizations?" Needless to say, I changed vets. Great video.
Thank you for the video. Recently my old vets retired he’s a good veterinarian for the whole town. We love him but now someone bought his practice and jack up the price 3 time more than he use to charge us 😢 we’re small town not many people can afford anything this day
I haven't been to the vet since 2019 and I'm not planning on going any time soon. We've been through urinary blockages and broken tooth, worms, fleas, tummy problems, weight loss... Everything can be helped at home if we're prepared and the most important thing is not to get your pet in trouble in the first place with poisoned food and toxic drugs.
A lot of prescription meds make the animal worse. My pets got worse after bringing them to the vet. One has a stroke after his cocktail of vaccines. The other is still fighting a respiratory infection she got at the vet 5 years ago. I only started going annually so I could adopt future pets because they check vet records but I got denied anyway because I didn't have a fence!!! I live in a state where adopting a pet is like adopting a baby.
I agree 100%, the costs of veterinary care have gone through the roof after adopting the same solutions offered to humans. The problem is that, while humans often have health insurance that pays for all or most of the procedures, most pet owners do not have insurance for their animals and must decide between helping their pets, let them suffer, give them up or euthanasia. As you perfectly explained, now Vets insist in doing costly procedures in order to diagnose, all or nothing, contrary to how it was done 10-20 years ago.
Last year one of my dogs, a 8 y/o Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix, had an initial bout with pancreatitis and filled the floors with bloody vomit and diarrhea. He was taken to the ER and the resulting bill came up to $800. The same dog had dental cleaning and two extractions in May and the bill came up to $1,500, but as my daughter works as a Vet technician at that clinic and has our 3 dogs under a care plan (not insurance), I only had to pay $350.
One of my three (now gone) CKD cats’ kidneys finally gave up and she became very ill (after being on the expensive Int. Protocol for over 2 years, which extended her life). At a different ER they wanted to keep her for 3 days to ‘stabilize’ her, at a cost of over $1,000/day, although she would deteriorate again after coming home. What was the point, if her labwork results indicated massive deterioration? I opted for letting my exhausted, 17 y/o sweet kitty go to rest. The bill: $700+ for labwork and euthanasia. After she passed the Vet still wanted to do a totally unnecessary necropsy, which I refused as it was clear why my cat had became so sick.
Another Vet charged $25 for a 1 liter bag of lactated ringers during the worst of the pandemic, when the diminished supplies were allocated to human hospitals and Vet practices. When I managed to secure a case of 12 bags of the same brand the cost was $28 per case. How could the Vet charge $25 for just one bag??? This was highway robbery in plain daylight. The same Vet was charging $280 for each 7-dose bottle of Epoitin, I can’t imagine how little he paid for it.
Too many animals are going without basic and advanced care due to the exorbitant costs and something should be done about it, for everyone’s sake.
Vets are definitely getting greedy, but health insurance is one of the main reasons human medical care costs so much. The majority of the medications used for animals were first approved for people...and they were 1/10th the price when sold by vets, which shows just how much they are marked up for us. It's greedy and insulting ALL the way around.
Wow, you just confirmed a suspicion I had about the ER visit I made last year for my Chihuahua. She was vomiting some strange white foam. They checked her and even did a scan on her to see if she swallowed anything but she didn't. Because she was strung up on drugs she was panting more than usual but the vet wanted her to stay overnight to "stabilize" her. $1,200+ each day. In the end I was charged over $4k only for them to not know what was wrong. They think she just had a bout of pneumonia which it wasn't because she's been breathing just fine. And ever since the ER visit she hasn't been the same. They did more harm than good.
Vets have no overseeing enforcement. They can do what they want and charge what they want. Most are criminals.
I am so greatful to have found your channel, Dr Jones. I am disabled and am trying to slowly build a homeopathic first aid kit for my dogs and cats. I've rescued them all, managed to find low cost spay and neuter for all them, and I know I'm giving them a good and happy life despite not being able to afford veterinary care. I am now increasingly confident that with your videos I can keep them healthier for longer. Thank you for all you do, Dr Jones. God Bless.
I recently brought my two dogs to the vet for their wellness visits. The bill was over $600! Drugs like Bravecto is in the hundreds of dollars. I've been a pet parent for over 40 years and I've never seen anything like this before. Living in the south now, I never thought bills down here would rival or surpass that of the north. I hate the idea of having to decide whether my dogs could live without some of the preventative medicine. It's getting to the point where I can't afford it anymore, and then what do I do?
During the economic downturn, it became obvious that pet parents wouldn't spare anything for them. That's when prices started to rise. Then came the pandemic, and between the new delivery-based services and overspending for pet products, the moneyed corporations took notice and asked themselves how they can further exploit the masses and grab more of their money.
This is the result.
Make your own natural tick, flea repellents. Those preventive heartworm pills are dangerous anyway. My dog got very sick from them, so went natural
The gold standard as the only standard was prolific in San Antonio and I went broke trying to keep my senior dogs properly cared for when stationed there. The vets never listened, hated it when I asked questions, and were very pushy about unnecessary vaccines, surgeries, tests, and more. They had no issue resorting to guilt trips, fear mongering, and shaming if I didn't go with their suggested care. I went through EIGHT clinics within two years and never found anyone who could give the care I sought at a price that was reasonable. They sure had some fancy ass clinics, though.
You nailed it. That's what I'm finding too. Fortunately I used to work for a good vet so I know when veterinarians are full of bull...it has saved me a ton of money, but not all are so fortunate.
Took my dog to VCA Specialists in Tustin, CA for a problem that was handled but he got pneumonia and each day they said that if I didn't pay thousands more he would die. In a little over 3 days the bill was more than 15K and he died when I told them I'd have to take him elsewhere.
I am very sorry for your loss. Poor baby.
Those vets where just wringing every penny out of your bank account by not giving you any other choice.
I have a rescue Maltese just prior to covid breaking out he had to have all bar three teeth removed that cost was $900. Toward the end of covid a friend had two bad teeth extracted from her Moodle's mouth and cost was $1,600.00. This has not been a gradual cost but these rises happened all in a short period of time due to the fact that more people were getting pets during lockdown. I call it price gouging.
I have had at least 1 pet every year of my life for 64 years. I did Animals rescue for 30 years. The change in Vet care in Canada means that I will never get another pet.
Even if you are insured, if the bill is over £500, my vet expects the payment upfront.
Your channel has saved me alot in vet bills because I followed your common sense approaches to dog care and nutrition. Were it not for you Dr. Jones I'm sure I'd have dropped tons of money at my local veterinarian's. Thank you so much!! ❤
I paid $400 for an ear infection for my golden retriever when I found the same medication on Amazon for $12. I also paid $500 to be told to give my dog a bland diet to help with his diarrhea. Unbelievable
This just happened to my friend who spent thousands on her Yorkie who had pancreatitis (severe). They wanted to do all of these tests before checking his fever. It was 104. One vet suggested pancreatitis, and the other wanted to run a bunch of tests, which I understand, but there goes her vet bill...
You are so important to us ‘regular folks’ who can’t afford a $10,000 bill. It makes me sick that vet care has gone the way of medical care…down the tubes and all they care about is the almighty dollar. I’m a retired RN and I can say with authority the medical healthcare is not about caring for the patient…it’s about bringing in more money…so sad.
It's rediculous what's happening. I took my rescued cat in the Drs were in their white coats.Would not let me go in the room with my cat and it was just a check up!!! The Vet came out shaking saying the cat hissed at me! I said " it's a feral rescue" 500 dollars later!
I can't do any more rescues
I just lost my best friend of my life. My Baby Cat. She was 13. She started to get sick and I called around to the local vets here. They wanted to do an "examination" first which cost hundreds of dollars with multiple unnecessary injections before they would even consider seeing her for the primary illness. I kept trying to find help that I could afford without all the extra stuff. Most were by appointment only and booked out for weeks. I did not have that time. She died in my lap on Sunday.
Most vet care clinics around here cater to the rich only. Their prices are insane and out of reach for average families that live around here.
I believe her life could have been extended a bit longer, even a couple years, if the vets around here cared about saving lives instead of pumping up their wallets.
My 17 year old cat is my second rescue and my last. Having a pet now is a luxury.
Pet insurance is just as high as human health insurance. I couldn't afford it for my pitsky named Amazing Grace. She is in heaven now and I'm still making payments on 600$ bills. I now have a papillon, named Amazing Baby, she'll be 1 on the 24th, all 6 pounds of her. I did discover that if you have Walmart plus they are offering free pet insurance for telecalls to a real vet. For only $14 a month it will also cover any and all pet emergencies at any vet of your choice. That's a great deal cause you never know what they're liable to get into or get hurt. It also covers any diagnostics and medications. As much as I don't like dealing with the big box companies, I do subscribe to Walmart plus to get my groceries delivered since I'm a senior widow with no one to help me so this vet deal is extremely important for my Papillion. God bless all the furbabies and those who love them 👑🙏🏻💞✝️🐾🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯
Hi Dr. Jones. My mother has a cat that had been fed dry kibble since she got her as a kitten. The kitten had already been started on dry kibble before Mom got her. Mom wasn't into doing a lot of research on internet and like many pet owners, had trusted the foods that stated complete nutrition, real chicken etc etc. on their bags. Mom took her cat to the vet 2 years ago and she was told to get the cat's weight down. Mom told the vet what she was eating and was told that was good but to cut back the amount. Unfortunately, the food had 30% carbohydrates and Mom didn't realize that was far too much for her cat to be eating. Even after some weight loss by reducing amount...the cat still got diabetes. Vets need to educate their clients more about needing higher protein diets for cats. I'm not sure how much vets are paid to represent various products...but I find it disturbing that even the higher protein kibble that was sold at a ridiculously high price by the vet to replace the other...was still over 20% carbohydrate (probably from the ground corn filler). Mom did not realize cats need much fewer carbs until I had researched it all for her this past few months. Just like human food...packaging can be very deceiving.
So Dad to charge high fees and not provide education on nutrition. Same as medical doctors. Only DRUGS, MORE DRUGS and expensive tests. I won't get another Dog. It is sad that all the shelters are packed. Rescues are full and charge alot too.
cats have no enzyme to digest carbs, they are pure carnivore: only protein and fats.
You are so very correct. A few years ago I had an 18 1/2 yr Persian. His appetite had declined and he was losing weight. He also, I believed had arthritis. I tried to make an appointment at his regular veterinarian. I was told his doctor was on vacation but I could have him seen by one of the other doctors. When I brought him in, the doctor was very professional. She did a good examination, drew blood and because she felt a mass she did an X-ray. His lab work was ok, no renal or hepatic disease. His cbc did show so minor abnormalities. She wanted me to take to have a MRI then possibly exploratory surgery. I told her,no. I reminded her of my cat’s age and told her my goal was to keep him comfortable. I would not put him at his age through surgery or chemotherapy if it was determined he had cancer which I felt was highly likely. She left the room but shortly returned with a c/d of his X-ray for me to take to the specialty clinic. I told her again what my goal was and ask if she could give him something for his appetite and for pain. She said she wouldn’t prescribe anything until she knew what was wrong with him. I was shocked. I stopped on the way out and asked if I could see a different doctor the next day. When I brought him back the doctor review everything that had been done the day before and she examined him. I explained what my goal, as my pet’s guardian was. She said she understood and would work with me. She agreed if he was her pet she would do the same. In my opinion the first vet was “a company vet” pushing labs and diagnostics that weren’t going to prolong my pet’s life.
Another issue I've experienced that greatly increased my dogs vet bills is that the family vet refers us to a specialist for almost everything. Vets are becoming more like human doctors with liability worries affecting care. An example- one of my dogs has IVDD and had 4 back and neck surgeries when he was younger. The local vet doesn't want to touch him, except for a basic yearly physical and labs. They refused to do a dental on him because they are afraid of injuring his back when positioning him during the procedure. They referred us to a university vet school hospital, which is further away and MUCH more expensive. I have no problem paying for his care and paying extra for the best care when needed, but the university vet doesn't do anything differently than the local vet would, they are just extra careful when moving him. The university recently decided to stop doing basic dentals, but they are making an exception for us otherwise we wouldn't be able to get a dental done.