Vet fees outrageous or justified do you think?

[TanishaEileen]

I recently adopted two bunnies from a lady who was looking to get rid of them. At the time she claimed it was because of her young boys, though now, a month after having them, i'm sure it is because she discovered they are both not girls and one is pregnant.

Not just that, but maybe she called the vet to see how expensive it was to spay and neuter and realized it was not worth it. I suspect that happens a lot and that is why there are so many bunnies at the shelters because people realize you honestly hafta be rich to afford to take care of your animals.

I called a vet shortly after getting them to arrange for spaying and she told me that I will be charged $300, plus a $75 first appt fee, per bunny. That is $800 to spay 2 bunnies you can buy from the shelter and pet store for $60.

The problem I really have is that technically I would still save AT LEAST 200 dollars, probably closer to 400 if I submitted them to the shelter and readopted, as they include spay/neuter in the fee and its $60 for bunnies over 4 months old.

Of course after questioning the shelter about it, I was informed there is no guarantee I will be able to adopt these same bunnies.

I've taken it like the vet knows this so they play on the love you have for your animal specifically and charge you outrageously for it. I just cannot understand that system. Isn't the goal to keep animals out of the shelters, and wouldn't making animal care easier on people who are not rich make a massive difference? I am not poor, but i'm a single girl. I pay rent, I make car payments, I buy all the necessities needed for my animals which include my dog, cat, and these buns that I love so much.

Anyway question: are vet fees/costs really justified enough for almost $400 a bunny just to spay? If so, why aren't we filling out financial statements at pet stores, and the shelter, so they can be assured that the animal they are adopting out will be taken care of? seems to me like it isn't just crappy animal owners that are the maincause ofoverpopulation and lack of proper animal care. At least, it seems like more could be done but someone somewhere just sees money signs?

It actually really bothers me and if I didn't love these buns and wasn't a total animal lover willing to do what I must, I would get rid of them. and I definitely wouldn't be paying the shelter to take them from me if I can't afford the vet costs, more like let them loose somewhere. So again, just makes me very frustrated that it is my love and decent nature that is being taken advantage of. Or again, are vets really so down and out they need to make $400 a bunny for a spay?

 

[MiniLopHop]

First of all, I'm very sorry the person deceived you about the rabbits. Hopefully she just didn't know what to do and was trying to get them a good home. It wasn't very nice. However, you would be shocked by the number of people who come here and had no idea they had a boy and a girl. It may have been an honest mistake.

Rabbits are considered exotic pets, so many normal vets will not, or should not, work with them. They do require specialised medical knowledge. This drives up the price because there are fewer providers even though rabbits are the third most popular pet. Various regions have higher or lower prices as well as from doctor to doctor. I would suggest shopping around. Be careful not to go on price alone because you need someone that really knows how to work with rabbits.

Sometimes if you ask at shelters or rescue groups they are able to help you with a discount coupon for spay/neuter from a doctor that they have created a relationship with. Ask other rabbit people in your area (there are regional sections of this forum as well) to see who they are taking their rabbits to.

From my own experience, perhaps this will help: I had a friend with a rabbit. Their normal vet for their cats would not see the rabbit and sent them to a local vet school. The vet school is well known and very good, but I don't think they are always realistic. At the initial consultation they said the rabbit, who was having tooth issues, needed a CAT scan and surgery that would run about $4,000 dollars! Whoa! This was a classroom pet that the friend is taking care of. No way in heck could she afford the recommended procedures. They started raising money at the school to try to save their friend. Luckily I talked her into getting a second opinion from my vet. My vet has pet rabbits of her own so she keeps up on the latest and greatest. She really loves animals and wants to make care affordable. They ended up doing x-rays and surgery. Total bill $600. That was reasonable and saved the rabbit.

Lesson to learn, don't always take the first price because there may just be someone out there that's even better at a lower cost.

Best of luck finding the best vets for your babies. Getting them both fixed will help them be even better behaved and healthy.

 

[TanishaEileen]

As a side note,

I have called around to other places and found prices much cheaper, even if they are on the outskirts the city I live in. The boy is going in next week ata cost of $140, which is MUCH more reasonable and what I expected.

A part of me feels still a small anger towards the vets though, because it feels so wrong. I also get the feeling that the vet who was gonna charge $372 probably had very limited experience doing bunnies anyway, because when I mentioned the cost to the vet I am going to see even she seemed surprised and mentioned they probably do not want to do it.

So why offer it!! Bah. Very frustrating!

 

[TanishaEileen]

Oh thank you for that!!

I realize I should have looked around a bit more to begin with. When the first vet quoted me $372, it put me in a sour place because I was thinking, I can't afford to do both of them at the sametime, nevermind considering that about the shelter it really did and does frustrate me.

I looked at the recommendations on this forum though, now that I've realized I have a boy and girl and I need to fast track this spaying/neutering, and a vet near the city but not quite in it, is less than half the cost I was originally quoted.

I'm happy with that! I understand the procedure isof course notreally all thatsimple, butnow that i've found it much cheaper, I really think that vet who was gonnacharge $372is outrageous!

As for the lady, either way if she knew or not I am happy to have them! I have a strong suspicion that she lied to me though. I only say that because I have had them only maybe a month now, and Hera, the girl, gave birth 3 days ago.

I have never heard them trying to make babies, though I was very suspicious of Kale (formerly known as Kali) because she would kinda chase Hera, and sprays a lot! especially my cat, always stomping his foot.

I guess I get the feeling that when she realized what the situation is, that one is in fact a girl and one a boy,that is when she decided it was time for them to go.

Everything to do with the rabbits behaviour makes sense now though! I feel guilt because I did not know she was pregnant this whole time and I wish I had known, but i'm happy I can do what is best for them now. Such unique personalities!!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Frankly, rabbits are not cheap pets. The vet care can be expensive since most vets do not know how to properly treat and care for rabbits. Even those who might have a basic understanding don't really know everything to provide good care. An exotic mammal vet will have gone to vet school for an additional couple years to learn how to care for the different species. Many exotic vets also treat birds, reptiles, and other species that other vets won't touch with a 10ft pole.

I would be quite suspicious of a vet who charges much less than other vets in the area. Within a city, the rent costs should be fairly similar and things like taxes should be the same (taking into account the size of building and other factors). A vet does base prices to be able to pay staff, rent, supplies and other expenses. If the rabbit savvy vets in the area are charging $250 for a spay, but there is another vet charging $100, there is probably something up. Vets outside of a city might have lower rent costs and maybe other bills, so they do tend to charge a bit less.

I would far rather pay a bit more for a good vet that I trust than try to save a few bucks and end up risking my rabbits life.

I have a friend who tried to save some money on a rabbit neuter. She ended up going to probably one of the worst vets (from what she has said after the fact from talking to other people). That vet fasted the rabbits before and after surgery and the rabbit probably went around 24 hours without food or water. That could easily kill a rabbit. So while she might have saved some money, she could have easily ended up with a dead rabbit.

When I got Amelia spayed last year, is was around $380 for everything. That is the exam ($80), the spay ($268) and the pain medication ($20). She did well, healed well and is fine now. I have been using that vet for 6 years now. They really don't seem to cost much more than other vets in the city and offer great care.

I think that part of getting any pet is knowing what you are getting into. Most people do not realize what a rabbit spay or neuter will cost and in some places there really is no help with the cost unless you have a nice vet. When I got Tesla and Kraken, I did have in the back of my mind what it will cost to neuter 2 boys (probably over $500 for it all). I am not sure if I will get them done since they don't really have any bad behaviours expect for Tesla's humping and that is not too bad.

Just make sure any vet you use is rabbit savvy. Even those who will do rabbits might not know a lot about rabbits. Gather some important questions that you know the answer to and ask them. If you do not like the answers you get from the receptionist, then ask to speak to the vet. If you still don't get the right answers, then cancel the appointment.

 

[mdith4him]

We just neutered our boy and the total cost was $220. This was a vet in a county very close to D.C., so it was a very urban area (where you typically find higher costs on everything). Anyway, the fee covered the pre-surgery exam, the actual surgery, an overnight stay, plus take home pain meds. We'll be taking our girl to the same vet when she's old enough for a spay. Spays are a bit more, but it was a good price (can't think of it off the top of my head right now).

Other vets in our area charged between $130 (plus extra for meds) to $500+ (ridiculous!). Definitely look around and look up reviews on the internet.

 

[MarisaAndToby]

I called around within my city and prices ranged from 190 to over 400 dollars for my boy. I eventually wound up driving about an hour both ways to a smaller "farm town" vet, and only paid 95. They were very knowledgeable and included a pre-neuter check up and I had absolutely no issues with Toby following the neuter aside from one of the incisions not closing properly on his own, so I had to apply polysporin to the incision site a couple of times a day for several days.

Basically just call around, and it will likely be much cheaper to drive a little bit further. Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[holtzchick]

To give my input, I personally went to a vet that only charged me about $180 including a pre-exam and medication and an examination for a week later. Now the clinic I was at does not actually see exotic animals but the vets have 2 of their own clinics and are ER vets. At first I was kind of cautious because I had spoken with two rabbit saavy vets in the area that both quoted me almost $100 for pre-exam and $280-300 for the surgery. Although I wanted the best care for my rabbit, I decided to talk to the other veterinarian. When I brought in my bun for the pre-exam I thought I was going to be the one asking him questions but yet he was asking all the questions and was giving me some very very helpful information on bunnies which showed that he DID know what he was talking about and he did say he has done surgeries on rabbits before. I think it was the best I could have done at the time, Peter's surgery went VERY well, he ate the same day, he wasn't in too much discomfort and healed wonderfully.... Sometimes even if a vet doesn't regularly treat a certain animal doesn't mean they cant or hasn't treated that animal before. Always use your own judgment... As for the vet I have in my new area. He is ALSO an ER vet and is an amazing vet as well! People are referring clients like crazy, as well as exotics and he's definitely got specialists he is in contact with and is furthering his studies in exotics now.. I'm very confident with him.

Good luck with the spay/neuter!!!

 

[missyscove]

Veterinary care is expensive, yes, but imagine if you went to a hospital and were quoted $400 for an ovariohysterectomy, what a steal, right?!

I'm an undergraduate senior and aspiring vet student. It costs just as much and honestly takes more work to become a vet than it does to become a human medical doctor but vets typically don't make anywhere near what your doctors are making.

Prices certainly vary across vet clinics because in the end they're all businesses. They have to cover rent and pay their employees. Some clinics will offer services at lower rates but increase prices on their products, others will adjust costs in other areas. The clinics that charge more likely have better equipment like digital xray machines and impressive ultrasounds. No, you don't need those to do a spay, but when you're trying to figure out what's wrong with an animal that can't tell you where it hurts, sometimes the technology really can make a difference.

Often clinics will contract with rescues to offer lower rates. One good way to find a good vet for a spay or neuter is to find out what vet the rescues or shelters use because they likely offer both an affordable price and are experienced in the procedure.

 

[slavetoabunny]

My rescue offers $65 spays and neuters through our vet....who happens to be an exotic specialist. I've had rabbit owners drive 3 hours one way to take advantage of this. I have taken my own rabbits to this vet for the last six years and I would never go anywhere else.

 

[MagPie]

Also depends on what the area is like too. The prices I found for neuters in my area was $35 to $180. The $180 was at the exotic vet I normally take Harvey to. The $35 was having him neutered at my local SPCA, which always has rabbits for adoption. I took Harvey to the SPCA and he did great. Plus there are vounchers you could try finding too. I know my normal vet had them but I don't live in the same county so couldn't use it. My SPCA also had a vouncher, but really... $35 is a pretty good price even without a vouncher and I figure they could use the money.

The area I live in is pretty well populated, but hasn't been doing too well recently.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

One important thing to note is that Alberta really does not have much in the way of help for rabbits. I don't know about Edmonton, but Calgary has no low cost vet care for rabbits. While the humane Society does have rabbits and they are spayed/neutered before adoption, they do not extend vet services to the public. A spay/neuter clinic for cats and dogs opened up recently by the city, but they do not do rabbits. Any spay/neuter events put on by rescues are for dogs and cats and are usually for the reserves and other higher risk area. So unless you can find a vet who might give a discount, there really isn't much help with vet costs.
While it is nice that other people can get low cost spays and neuters, it is just not an option around here.

 

[TanishaEileen]

Thanks everyone for your input! I get very frustrated considering how expensive it is to take care of animals. It even really bothers me how pet stores sell you products that are not good for your pets! I have read a lot about pine and cedar shavings, and yet they are provided at pet stores as a bedding option for rabbits. Not just that but the yogurt treats, etc.

I even read something the other day that suggested the coloured wood blocks they provide are no good. I have loads of them at home for my rabbits! Really bothers me.

As for vets, I understand they have their fees, though in the end they would not have a business if it weren't for pet lovers who fork out an arm and a leg because they love their pet! It does frustrate me that prices aren't really regulated either and the jump can be so big from one vet to the other.

The vet I have booked for this week for Kale (formerly known as Kali when I thought he was a girl) is going to cost me $140 for my man. I'm not sure if I will need extra meds or whatever but i'm prepared for that.

I did find the vet from recommendations made on this site and they have requested that I bring some food for when I pick him up at the end of the day so i'm going to take that as a good sign.

The lady I talked with also mentioned that it seems as if the other vet did not want to do it if they were going to charge me $372 (would have been $72 for the first time booking fee and $300 for actual spay- i'm sure they were cheaper for males though I didn't ask cuz I thought I had girls).

I'm not sure if that is true, but regardless I guess it did sort of make me sour just because of the massive difference it just doesn't seem like it could be justified!
I also posted on our Edmonton Humane Society page asking for recommendations and a lot of people posted other vets whose prices were closer to the $200 and under than $300.

Its not just when it comes to rabbits though it has to do with all animals. I have spent LOADS of money on vet bills for both my cats and dog and I knew that when I got into being a bunny mom I was going to be forking out at least a few extra dollars. I will pay, of course, but it still bothers me!

Also frusrating the shelter does not do it, because it is very hard to find any sort of bunny expert out let alone a vet who simply spays/neuters.

Anyway I will post feedback about the vet I have chosen, and if everything goes smoothly. If it does, Hera, my girl, will be going in next and I plan on getting both baby buns done as soon as they are old enough! even if I don't keep both, I feel like it is the best I can do for them.

 

[Junkie2]

Rabbits grow on you. I got Rabbi for free and have spent more money than I can count on her. Why? Because she's worth it. Honestly, I read that girls should be spayed for a better life (because they have a high cancer risk), but boys, not so much if you want to save some money. It just goes to show how research before deciding to adopt a pet, no matter what type, is very important. I would most likely be in your shoes if someone told me it would cost that much for a rabbit a few years back. Stick around here for awhile and learn how much fun they can be. It truly is worth it.

 

[TanishaEileen]

Hey thanks!

I know what you mean honestly I love them! I am the type of person though who can love any kind of animal, even if they hate me. Which my girl, Hera, right now only likes me when I have food! but I am gonna give her some time to come around and if not i'm happy just knowing she is happy, even if that means i just let her have fun without me.

Rabbits are really great! they are soo full of personality and both get along with my other animals really well. In fact Kale, the boy, is set on getting with my cat! which is really funny to watch! not just that but the other day he was in his cage and honestly upside down on his back, I thought he was dead. Till I moved closer and startled him and realized he was just lazing out! So funny though.

I know that vet fees are something to expect with all animals, not just rabbits, but again, just leaves me very sour how pricey things can be! I don't really believe they need to be so high, though I wouldn't completely blame the vet for this, though sometimes I feel they charge outrageously simply because they can.

I've had a lot of vet experiences, which includes many bad ones, which is why I get so frustrated with them. For those who are honest, and really in it because they love animals and want to provide a good life for them, i'm more than happy to be paying!! though I think a part of being a good vet is being affordable to all ranges of incomes.

 

[farmerchick]

my two cents:

calling around will find you a better deal, all though generally most vet care fees practically highway robbery.

i have been quoted $500 + medications for a spay for a rabbit at the vet clinic i always take my other animals too, but at a place just outside of town their spaying fee is $240

same with spaying and neutering cats as i am coming to find out. the clinic i always took them too charges $400 to spay a cat but at this clinic just outside of town its only $199

sometimes the price IS worth it. the clinic that is cheaper is a bit of a drive, and i find the staff there are in too much of a rush to really listen to you.... and also i had a bad experience spaying my last rabbit there. they kept the poor thing waiting all day with all the barking dogs and didn't do the surgery until 5pm (they told me to drop her off at 9am) then the next day they told me she was eating fine and i get her home and the cone on her is so big she couldn't possibiliy eat. made me wonder if she ate at all the whole time she was at the vets?

i think that vet prices don't need to be so high and is the number 1 reason that there are so many abandoned animals. sometimes i think its just for money i've had some vet experiences that made me feel like i just threw money in the garbage. but i have also met some really caring vets who you can tell they really have you and your animals best interests at heart.

 

[Kitty88]

Wow, vet bills must be cheaper in Canada. Between my guy getting neutered and my little girl's upcoming spay, it'll already be about $1200. And that's not including the bill for Kashi's bout of stasis, and the bill from two months ago when Gracie developed head tilt. But they go to one of the best rabbit vets in NYC, and I always trust that they will recieve the best care possible from a very experienced vet. His prices are sometimes steep, but he usually doesn't charge for follow up visits, which is a nice break.

I called the office the night I realized Gracie was tilting, and he actually went in early the next day to see us at 9:00 in the morning because he was fully booked that day, but knew what an emergency it was. He checked her

 

[ZRabbits]

Kitty88 wrote:

Wow, vet bills must be cheaper in Canada. Between my guy getting neutered and my little girl's upcoming spay, it'll already be about $1200. And that's not including the bill for Kashi's bout of stasis, and the bill from two months ago when Gracie developed head tilt. But they go to one of the best rabbit vets in NYC, and I always trust that they will recieve the best care possible from a very experienced vet. His prices are sometimes steep, but he usually doesn't charge for follow up visits, which is a nice break.

I called the office the night I realized Gracie was tilting, and he actually went in early the next day to see us at 9:00 in the morning because he was fully booked that day, but knew what an emergency it was. He checked her

Some times for experience you pay a little more. That's good. Long as you feel comfortable with the Vet, and obviously he has shown he's there for you, it's a win/win situation. Forget the money, your bunny is worth it.

My rabbit Vet charged me $350 for my two boys to be neutered. Dr. Joe called me right after the operation to let me know what occurred. He made sure when I picked my boys up that all the instructions and medication was waiting for me. Plus with a list of back up specialty vets that he trusted. He doesn't have hours on certain days and weekends so he wanted us to have emergency numbers of vets he trusted. He went way out of his way to make sure we had all that we needed for our boys. Plus gave the boys their first nail clipping for free. Just as a courtesy.

If you feel real comfortable with a Vet, stick with them. I'm finding that rabbits are getting very popular, especially in cities, and this will bring more Rabbit Vets, which could then bring the cost down.

K

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Kitty88 wrote:

Wow, vet bills must be cheaper in Canada. Between my guy getting neutered and my little girl's upcoming spay, it'll already be about $1200. And that's not including the bill for Kashi's bout of stasis, and the bill from two months ago when Gracie developed head tilt. But they go to one of the best rabbit vets in NYC, and I always trust that they will recieve the best care possible from a very experienced vet. His prices are sometimes steep, but he usually doesn't charge for follow up visits, which is a nice break.

I called the office the night I realized Gracie was tilting, and he actually went in early the next day to see us at 9:00 in the morning because he was fully booked that day, but knew what an emergency it was. He checked her

It might be that your bills were more expensive. New York seems to be expensive for everything.