how long for vet appts?

[Rukh O'Rorke]

need a new vet, one place I put in an appt for it will be a month out. 

$75 for exam - is that high? I quit this vet about 15 years ago because they were pricey, but the vet I went to after that passed away and no one taking over practice, all medical records lost. I've been doing a clinic for fixing and vaccines antiparasite stuff, and that was very affordable. Unfortunately, they don't do ongoing care, just the basics.

But with the month wait, will likely take this guy to the emergent care. Nothing seems critical, but i think it is somewhat serious and i don't want to wait a month in case it is.

[pooks]

So sorry to hear about your pup. Hope he feels better soon.  

I know my vet is cheap, but he charges $30 for the examination.  I am always there for something else (13 year old dog), so the final bill is always around $150 (shots, additional tests, meds).  I love my vet, couldn't imagine dealing with an older dog without him.  

ETA: Around here, most vets aren't even excepting new patients, so a month long wait for a new patient sounds about right.  If I have an emergency, my vet can get me in in 24 hours.  

[Rukh O'Rorke]

yes, getting in as a new patient is tough.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

$75 is about right but I'm usually taking her there for her annual check up.  It usually runs me closer to $175-$200 with shots and picking up heartworm pills.

Like everywhere else vet clinics are having staffing issues.   I don't think ours is currently taking new patients either and it's hard to get in as a regular patient.  I do know in an emergency though they will get me in as soon as they can.  When I called about Leonard they put me right in front of the line after discussing his symptoms with me over the phone.

The other one refused to even talk to me, said I had to make an appointment and that it would be two months out.  Yeah Leonard would have died before then.  Our current vet was able to extend his life another three months (turned out he had an aggressive tumor we didn't know about at the time).

Screw you Strobein vet clinic I won't use you again if you were the last vet on Earth.

Otherwise we have the pet equivalent of urgent care in the area but it is pricey.

[swamp]

May 20, 2022 10:44:57 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

need a new vet, one place I put in an appt for it will be a month out. 

$75 for exam - is that high? I quit this vet about 15 years ago because they were pricey, but the vet I went to after that passed away and no one taking over practice, all medical records lost. I've been doing a clinic for fixing and vaccines antiparasite stuff, and that was very affordable. Unfortunately, they don't do ongoing care, just the basics.

But with the month wait, will likely take this guy to the emergent care. Nothing seems critical, but i think it is somewhat serious and i don't want to wait a month in case it is.

My vet is a month out for a checkup/shots appointment, but they have room to squeeze in more urgent stuff for regular patients.   For true emergency stuff, I have to go to Syracuse, Ithaca, Burlington, or Ottawa. 

$75 is cheap.    I just paid over $200 for my dog for check up, shots, ear cleaning, and ear drops.   Labs who spent a lot of time in the water get ear infections. 

[Tiny]

My cats' vet website and phone intro says appointments are scheduled 4 to 6 weeks in the future.

Their initial first visit/exam was more expensive than follow ups and routine exam appts. That was above and beyond the other stuff done/ordered by the first visit.


You could always ask what's included in that first initial visit (I'm guessing more "vet time" as in face to face with you and less "vet tech" time.)

It never hurts to ask politely.


 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

May 20, 2022 13:42:43 GMT -5 swamp said:

May 20, 2022 10:44:57 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

need a new vet, one place I put in an appt for it will be a month out. 

$75 for exam - is that high? I quit this vet about 15 years ago because they were pricey, but the vet I went to after that passed away and no one taking over practice, all medical records lost. I've been doing a clinic for fixing and vaccines antiparasite stuff, and that was very affordable. Unfortunately, they don't do ongoing care, just the basics.

But with the month wait, will likely take this guy to the emergent care. Nothing seems critical, but i think it is somewhat serious and i don't want to wait a month in case it is.

My vet is a month out for a checkup/shots appointment, but they have room to squeeze in more urgent stuff for regular patients.   For true emergency stuff, I have to go to Syracuse, Ithaca, Burlington, or Ottawa. 

$75 is cheap.    I just paid over $200 for my dog for check up, shots, ear cleaning, and ear drops.   Labs who spent a lot of time in the water get ear infections. 

I think you misunderstood. the 75 is just to walk in the door. And they took cc info in advanced, so 75 just to make appt . They said I could swap out a different patient or get refund if cancelled before 48 hours.

so thinking this could be pricy after labs, imagining if necessary, etc.

[Ombud]

May 20, 2022 14:03:41 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

I think you misunderstood. the 75 is just to walk in the door. And they took cc info in advanced, so 75 just to make appt . They said I could swap out a different patient or get refund if cancelled before 48 hours.

so thinking this could be pricy after labs, imagining if necessary, etc.

OMG!! Here it's $100 for full shots inc rabies / weight / exam at feed store or $150 for their ER if more needed. But $300 at local vet. So yeah, I go to the feed store & their ER.

Hope your dog is doing better soon

[TheOtherMe]

The only reason I was able to get Amelia in earlier this spring within a few days when she was feeling poorly is that I had been a previous customer.  Yes, they are booking 4 to 6 weeks out for shots and routine visits.  I don't mind when I know they will work me in if it is an emergency.

I can not complain about the prices but it's rural Iowa and I compare the vet prices to Boulder CO.  I am not comparing apples to apples in that comparison.

Sister's dog's ACL surgery cost $400.  I was shocked to hear the cost.  

Other vets around here are taking wait lists so I'm glad Amelia could be seen because I had taken Lucy there.

[andi9899]

Check out the local humane society or ASPCA. They usually have decent prices. I think my vet is a little on the expensive side but he's good. I pay $40 for an exam and can get in right away, especially if they're sick. I'd look for a different vet if I were you.

[cooper88]

I got a new vet during the pandemic. The regular one was two months out on spaying my pandemic kitten, who wandered up and ended up staying. I called after she had been here a week and we were sure she was staying. Also, she was going into heat. I couldn't deal with the nonstop yowling and started calling around. I found a vet with a two week wait.

Cost for spaying and initial round of shots was around $200.

Cost for the dog's booster shots this year was around $35.

Anyway, normally they can get you in right away if it's urgent. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Just for info, this is a cat not a dog. Does that make any difference?

I think I’ll take him to the urgent/er care tomorrow. Too worried to wait a month. The er place you can make appt to get in a queue for not critical and then the text you when to come over, understanding you may get pushed out by critical cases.

[raeoflyte]

Very normal on wait. The industry is over stressed (pandemic puppies and kitties), under paid and poorly treated. Dh is a vet tech and we're waiting 3 months for gp, and 4-6 weeks out on specialists for our pets. His hospital charges $125 for a non emergency exam fee.

[CCL]

May 20, 2022 16:00:50 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

The only reason I was able to get Amelia in earlier this spring within a few days when she was feeling poorly is that I had been a previous customer.  Yes, they are booking 4 to 6 weeks out for shots and routine visits.  I don't mind when I know they will work me in if it is an emergency.

I can not complain about the prices but it's rural Iowa and I compare the vet prices to Boulder CO.  I am not comparing apples to apples in that comparison.

Sister's dog's ACL surgery cost $400.  I was shocked to hear the cost.  

Other vets around here are taking wait lists so I'm glad Amelia could be seen because I had taken Lucy there.

Shocked because it was so cheap? My vet charged $600 to clean and extract a couple of my little dog's teeth.

They book 4-6 weeks out for routine visits. If you want to see my actual vet (versus another vet in the practice) it's 8-10 weeks.

It costs around $180 for yearly check-up and vaccinations.

They are good, though, about getting them in quickly when needed. When my little dog was suddenly extremely anxious and having breathing difficulty I called them 5 minutes before closing time. They said bring her right over and our vet stayed late with her until she was better and able to go home.

They have also been wonderful during stressful end-of-life times, too. That's worth a lot to me, personally.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

For a well check it was two weeks out. However, we just scheduled with our vet with whom we’ve worked for ten years.
Today’s appointment cost $180 and included all of his vaccines. It also included diagnoses of being old and deaf as a doorknob. Bill the Dog will be 14 this late summer.

[taz157]

I scheduled a vet check-up appointment that’s 3 weeks out. The office visit itself is $55 plus annual vaccines cost and whatever else is recommended. For emergency visits, they have been very helpful with earlier though.

If I recall, you live in CA which is a higher cost of living than where I live so I would think $75 for the office visit (plus recommendations) is reasonable.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

May 20, 2022 17:02:55 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Very normal on wait. The industry is over stressed (pandemic puppies and kitties), under paid and poorly treated. Dh is a vet tech and we're waiting 3 months for gp, and 4-6 weeks out on specialists for our pets. His hospital charges $125 for a non emergency exam fee.

Thanks for the insider scoop!

Are you in a HCOL area?


125 is like what I expect a people specialist consult to be. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

May 20, 2022 20:05:45 GMT -5 taz157 said:

I scheduled a vet check-up appointment that’s 3 weeks out. The office visit itself is $55 plus annual vaccines cost and whatever else is recommended. For emergency visits, they have been very helpful with earlier though.

If I recall, you live in CA which is a higher cost of living than where I live so I would think $75 for the office visit (plus recommendations) is reasonable.

C_hicA_go

[Rukh O'Rorke]

May 20, 2022 19:33:43 GMT -5 CCL said:

May 20, 2022 16:00:50 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

The only reason I was able to get Amelia in earlier this spring within a few days when she was feeling poorly is that I had been a previous customer.  Yes, they are booking 4 to 6 weeks out for shots and routine visits.  I don't mind when I know they will work me in if it is an emergency.

I can not complain about the prices but it's rural Iowa and I compare the vet prices to Boulder CO.  I am not comparing apples to apples in that comparison.

Sister's dog's ACL surgery cost $400.  I was shocked to hear the cost.  

Other vets around here are taking wait lists so I'm glad Amelia could be seen because I had taken Lucy there.

Shocked because it was so cheap? My vet charged $600 to clean and extract a couple of my little dog's teeth.

They book 4-6 weeks out for routine visits. If you want to see my actual vet (versus another vet in the practice) it's 8-10 weeks.

It costs around $180 for yearly check-up and vaccinations.

They are good, though, about getting them in quickly when needed. When my little dog was suddenly extremely anxious and having breathing difficulty I called them 5 minutes before closing time. They said bring her right over and our vet stayed late with her until she was better and able to go home.

They have also been wonderful during stressful end-of-life times, too. That's worth a lot to me, personally.

I'm thinking she left out a 0?

Cost me about 5k to get a kitten's leg amputated, and that was after spending 3-4k trying to save the leg.

The vet did a fantastic job on that surgery, so glad we didn't have a regular vet do it. This was the surgeon at the emergency vet place. They are really fantastic, but the wait can be brutal if you pet isn't critical. Interested to try the appointment system this time.

Last time I tried that, we were waiting for forever, and eventually had to let the cat out of the crate.

[raeoflyte]

May 20, 2022 20:53:26 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

May 20, 2022 17:02:55 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Very normal on wait. The industry is over stressed (pandemic puppies and kitties), under paid and poorly treated. Dh is a vet tech and we're waiting 3 months for gp, and 4-6 weeks out on specialists for our pets. His hospital charges $125 for a non emergency exam fee.

Thanks for the insider scoop!

Are you in a HCOL area?


125 is like what I expect a people specialist consult to be. 

Denver metro area that has become high cost unfortunately.

[TheOtherMe]

No I didn't leave out a 0.  She paid $400 for her dog's ACL surgery.  The is a LCOL area but I was shocked at how low it was.

I paid over $600 for a major kidney surgery in 1980 or 81 in Boulder for surgery on my cat.

[Deleted]

May 20, 2022 20:58:20 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Cost me about 5k to get a kitten's leg amputated, and that was after spending 3-4k trying to save the leg.

I believe it. A friend posted her GoFundMe on FB after her doggie chewed up part of a rug and ended up with strands of yarn in his innards. She eventually talked a general vet (as opposed to a surgeon) to do the surgery to save money and the dog survived but a friend whose daughter is a vet said that's VERY complicated and stressful surgery.

I have contributed to GoFundMes but not to this one. Really? You couldn't afford this expense and you didn't buy insurance to cover it?

[CCL]

May 20, 2022 20:53:26 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

May 20, 2022 17:02:55 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Very normal on wait. The industry is over stressed (pandemic puppies and kitties), under paid and poorly treated. Dh is a vet tech and we're waiting 3 months for gp, and 4-6 weeks out on specialists for our pets. His hospital charges $125 for a non emergency exam fee.

Thanks for the insider scoop!

Are you in a HCOL area?


125 is like what I expect a people specialist consult to be. 

$125 for a people specialist? A specialist visit can easily run $450 around here.

[Spellbound454]

Swapped vets during the pandemic. They had no skeleton staff, they just completely closed... and my dog was 5 months late for his parvovirus, leptospirosis and flu shots.

The vet I moved to is cheaper and better. (Spent a couple of hours researching and looking for recommendations) They were able to see my dog straight away.

I just go annually tbh, flea and worming stuff just get from the clinic... but they are there if something goes wrong.

[raeoflyte]

May 21, 2022 3:30:21 GMT -5 CCL said:

May 20, 2022 20:53:26 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Thanks for the insider scoop!

Are you in a HCOL area?


125 is like what I expect a people specialist consult to be. 

$125 for a people specialist? A specialist visit can easily run $450 around here.

I wonder if she's thinking copay for a human specialist.

[steph08]

I can't remember our vet's checkup cost off the top of my head. It used to be $25 for a visit for a long time. It might be $30 or $35 just for the visit now.

I live in a rural area in PA, and our vet is cheap. A spay or neuter is usually less than $150.

Our beagle had to have an eye removed because of glaucoma. I didn't ask the price beforehand because it didn't matter - she needed it out and it was getting done. The bill was $97. And she had to stay overnight as well.

I think my in-laws paid around $1k at the same vet when their dog needed ACL surgery.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

May 21, 2022 3:30:21 GMT -5 CCL said:

May 20, 2022 20:53:26 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Thanks for the insider scoop!

Are you in a HCOL area?


125 is like what I expect a people specialist consult to be. 

$125 for a people specialist? A specialist visit can easily run $450 around here.

I maybe haven't been to the doctor in a while....maybe I will continue not to.....

[Cookies Galore]

My crotchety but cheap vet retired in August 2020 so I switched to the one in town, finally. I have two cats and stagger appointments (January and July) so I have less stress getting them there and less sticker shock. Just checked the email from my January appointment and it was $200, $65 of that was the exam fee. Everything else was all vaccines.

[susana1954]

My vet didn't used to take appointments except for boarding and grooming.  You showed up and took your place in line.  

Penny's yearly is about $200 as well, which includes shots/tests and six months worth of heartworm and flea/tick preventatives.  She hasn't been sick since I got her.  

[Cookies Galore]

May 20, 2022 20:58:20 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

May 20, 2022 19:33:43 GMT -5 CCL said:

Shocked because it was so cheap? My vet charged $600 to clean and extract a couple of my little dog's teeth.

They book 4-6 weeks out for routine visits. If you want to see my actual vet (versus another vet in the practice) it's 8-10 weeks.

It costs around $180 for yearly check-up and vaccinations.

They are good, though, about getting them in quickly when needed. When my little dog was suddenly extremely anxious and having breathing difficulty I called them 5 minutes before closing time. They said bring her right over and our vet stayed late with her until she was better and able to go home.

They have also been wonderful during stressful end-of-life times, too. That's worth a lot to me, personally.

I'm thinking she left out a 0?

Cost me about 5k to get a kitten's leg amputated, and that was after spending 3-4k trying to save the leg.

The vet did a fantastic job on that surgery, so glad we didn't have a regular vet do it. This was the surgeon at the emergency vet place. They are really fantastic, but the wait can be brutal if you pet isn't critical. Interested to try the appointment system this time.

Last time I tried that, we were waiting for forever, and eventually had to let the cat out of the crate.

You have a tripod, too?!?! Both my boys are tripods, but I adopted them after their surgeries. Thanks you, shelter donations! I donate to ACCT Philly's surgery fund each year now because they gave my boys a new life.