I've worked at vets and yes, there are many who do actually have high
costs from various things.
But remember this is a business. There are both sides - along with
legitimate costs, there are also established vets raking in profit who
are not repaying anything anymore, have all their equipment they could
ever want or need and it's paid off, who have a private practice that
is very lucrative, and don't often give any handouts or discounts.
It's hard to think of vets as business minded, but most are, and even
when the vet isn't, if they're not in private practice for themselves,
there is a vet manager who makes sure discounts or handouts are not
given.
Once I had contacted a vet who agreed to buy a case of vaccines they
never carried, for the ferrets, and the case cost around $35 at the
time. I told her that my vet could do it, but that they didn't have
an account with the company and so it would be a minor hassle. So we
ordered the vaccines and then the vet charged me $130 for the case.
For no reason. I paid it, crying (I didn't have the money) and never
went there again.
Of course I've also been charged outrageous prices for saline solution
and LRS at other places. Thankfully, finding a vet that works with you
who realizes you are a rescue or rescue-related, is usually possible -
so you end up being able to order supplies at a lower cost, instead of
paying for one bag of LRS at the cost of a case. *sigh*
Did they need to charge me $130 for a $35 order? To make the account
took three minutes of phone time, and shipping was included with the
$35. No. I can understand a markup, but this was terrible and
unnecessary.
It's hard trying to find the vets who are not in it for the money,
but well worth it when you do. Try to look for vets before you are
in trouble. You should do this anyway, but finding a vet who does
not require money down to do a surgery is key if you don't have a big
savings. Just one week of medical care for a ferret can range from $200
to $5,000 depending on your area and vet and what's wrong, of course.
Some vets love to take control from you and run every test in the book,
and others will listen and only do what you ask, keeping the bill
lower. Find out before hand...
Laryssa
[Posted in FML 6073]
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