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. After reading this statement by Laryssa, I thought I would share some information concerning certain vet practices. Pet hospitals and/or veterinarian services that are associated with WISE (World Institute of Scientology Enterprises) or Sterling Management Systems (another Scientology front) will have a higher cost of services for no reason. These companies help businesses use a 'Scientology based' management system. They actively pursue vets, dentists, orthodontists, chiropractors, physical therapists and other businesses that have an intimate setting with customers which can be lucrative by influencing the customers for extra irrelevant services. Certain training routines are taught to increase the effectiveness of a hard sale to the customer. Examples of training include talking in a forceful enough voice so that the target believes you are dead serious, and getting the employee accustomed to the idea of controlling and restraining others. Insisting on the requirement of numerous tests that are not needed nearly becomes a routine practice. Business owners find it appealing because it does increase profit, not only through higher costs to the customer but through charging staff for scientology classes as well. There have been discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuits by staff that do not give in to the pressure to take Scientology classes. I have lived in several different places with my ferrets. Las Vegas, Arizona, Cali and England. I have seen the varying costs of services from place to place. I've also seen the varying skill of the vets. I had a wonderful normal vet in Vegas who was far better than a ferret 'specialist' in California who advertises as one of the leading experts. The 'specialist' wanted to run every single test when one of my ferrets was sick, despite me informing the vet that my ferret had just had many major tests two months before prior to moving. I even had my previous records. I knew that the problem wasn't adrenal or any other major illness. The symptoms and circumstance didn't even point to that direction! We had just found in our new residence a wild mouse that had left fecal matter in an area where the ferrets ate and had water. The ferret in question liked to splash water onto the floor and then drink from the floor. I asked for fecal testing only, along with the proper medication. The vet tried to give me a guilt trip and implied that I was not only a bad owner, but that my ferret wasn't going to make it due to my decision to not do an ultra sound and other testing. Sure enough, the ferret was suffering from ecoli and some other bacteria. That saved me an extra $1500 of needless testing. Oh, I would also like to point out that the 'specialist' charged me for the disposing of needles, per needle, without telling me beforehand. Something in the $3 range. That was new to me and I haven't seen since. As Laryssa suggested, finding out the costs beforehand is important. I also try to avoid any vet practice that is associated with the above companies. Yes vets have a business that needs to make money. I understand that some industries are based on hard sale tactics, but I personally believe these tactics don't belong in a veterinary practice. I also have a hard time supporting practices that use these two companies due to the number of instances of animal cruelty by Scientologists to intimidate critics of the church. JPL [Posted in FML 6074]