At the risk of sounding like a bully, and "tarring all with the same
brush", both a good neighbor and I have run into the same "hook and
reel 'em in" attitude with a VCA hospital in Colorado. That being said,
we all know what "emergency" hospitals charge, just to let you in the
door, however, "VCA" hospitals, according to what I can dig up are
all part of a network which dictates what they charge and what their
procedures are. We had exactly the same situation as yours happen
with a cat at a VCA hospital, yet, I had a deathly ill horse who
spent 4 days on IVs and antibiotics at my equine hospital AND went
in on a Friday night, had round the clock tech attendance, multiple
blood tests, medications, and ICU stall presence, (he did survive,
incidently), and my bill was only slightly higher than yours.

Nancy Mitchell, Franktown, CO

[Posted in FML 7447]