Would you call this excessive overcharging?

Question

Last week, I took my 15-year old cat to the vet as he's gotten very thin. I was afraid he had diabetes. The bill was $33.00 for the examination, $22.00 for a urinalysis w/Sedimentation and $51.50 for CBC w/profile. All together $106.50. All the tests were negative, and I was told if they tests were negative, they'd then do a thyroid test.

Today I get a bill in the mail from the vet for $50.00 for the Thyroid test; $19.50 for Urine Protein; Creatinine Ratio; and $35.00 for Culture & Sens. MGH., totalling another $104.50. All negative, which is good since the only one I understand is the thyroid one. This is a very small town, I just don't see how they can bill me so much for simple tests that basically tell me that my 15-year old cat is just old. Is this billing a bit excessive?

I don't mind paying a normal price for necessary tests, just don't like paying $211.00 to find out the only thing wrong with my cat is he's old and probably has bad teeth, I already knew that. I'm just guessing on the bad teeth, but quite honestly can't afford to even think about getting his teeth cleaned, they have to put him under to do it, and with these prices it could cost hundreds, not to mention with his low weight I'd be afraid of the effect of the drugs on him anyway. Wouldn't tick me off so bad, but with 3 cats and 2 dogs, and having used the same vet for years, it shouldn't cost more to tell me my cat doesn't have diabetes or a thyroid condition than it did to put my old dog to sleep when he couldn't go on. People should not have to be rich to be able to take care of their animals. Health care in this country is a joke, but I honestly didn't think it extended to pet care, but aparently it does.

Answer 1

It isn't really fair how they have run tests without asking you first.

In future I would ask about what tests will be run, and how much the tests will cost. If they can't tell you, take your cat somewhere else.

For what tests they ran, the costs are fairly accurate so I would not think that they overcharged you. However they should have asked before running the tests. If I was you, I would pay the amount for the Thyroid test, and not pay the others, stating that you did not request these tests.

Good luck! :)

Answer 2

Sounds like a very reasonable vet visit. I've worked at several different clinics, including emergency and I'm really surprised to see there are still clinics as inexpensive as yours. The overhead costs of a veterinary practice are huge and most vets don't make as much money as you might think. Most of the clinics I worked for were charging considerably more then you were charged and they were struggling to get by.

Also, the tests your vet performed seem reasonable considering your cats age. Basically shows that the doctor eliminated kidney, liver disease, diabetes, thryoid and a variety of other problems common in geriatric cats. The only one I'm not sure about is the culture and sensitivity. That usually isn't performed unless the cat has a UTI or something along that line and to see what antibiotic the bacteria responds best to...but I guess it can also be used to see if there is some kind of bacteria infection in your cat that isn't showing up on tests?

I also had a cat that was extremely thin around that age and her tests came out clean. She ate very well and just couldn't seem to put on weight. There is another special test that relates to the thyroid, but I don't think doctors use it very often. I had it performed on my cat after all the other tests came back normal...and even that was negative. More then likely, she is just old.

I know it seems like a waste now that you find your cat is healthy, but what if something was wrong? Would you feel cheated then? The only way to find out if these underlying conditions are there is to run these tests. And unfortunately, your cat is at an age where lots of underlying conditions tend to make an appearance.

Now if you had gone to a human doctor and had all those very same tests done, you could easily triple what you paid.

Answer 3

Those prices are not too high. Some of those tests are not really that necessary. Remember that most of these prices are determined by the LAB that runs the tests. The CBC/profile/thyroid are all very necessary for a cat with the problems you mentioned. The $35 for a culture and sensitivity is half of what I charge... but not sure of its necessity in your case.

Answer 4

Each simple test has a cost to it and what you quoted doesn't seem overly expensive to me. You are lucky it wasn't more. Vet bills can add up quickly.

For the person who mentioned about Canadians not realizing how expensive health care can be - I'm not Canadian, but I know several Canadians with some health problems - the government may pay or subsidize their health care costs, but the tradeoff is the availability and quality of equipment is something most Americans would be shocked. I know of one poor fellow who has cancer and has waited weeks and sometimes months for tests we may only have to wait a few days to get scheduled for.

Answer 5

That sounds about right. Just because pets are smaller doesn't mean the bills will be tiny. It sucks, but particularly as pets get older it's good to have about $1000 set aside for pet emergencies. For instance, my boyfriend's cat was just found to have diabetes. It's probably cost him something like $700-800 in tests, hospitilization, glucose testing to get him stablized on insulin.

And I just brought my guinea pig to have a small tumor removed from her back, and that was $247.

When I bring my cat it for a yearly check up, shots, and teeth cleaning it usually runs in the neighborhood of $210.

It's just part of the price of taking good care of your animals.

Answer 6

No, it is not excessive. Unless you vet has a fairly complete laboratory in his office, he has to send the blood samples, urine samples, etc. to a lab that also does work on human specimens. They charge what they charge. Thanks for taking such good care of your cat. He's given you 15 good years. If you average it out over the years he's cost you very little, it doesn't amount to very much per year of love.

I had the same problem with one of my cats, a senior. I tried senior formula food and it didn't help. Started feeding him the kitten blend of dry food. He not only gained back the weight he lost, but he looks fabulous. Even the appearance of his fur is more like when he was younger. Just like people, as they age, their digestive systems become less efficient.

Answer 7

I don't think this is excessive for these tests. Tests can be expensive. I just spent $60 for pre-operative bloodwork on my kitten before having her spayed. About six months ago, it cost me over $100 for blood tests on my 7 year old cat. This was just a routine part of a geriatric exam to make sure she had no underlying problems. I don't know that all your tests were necessary given the age of your cat but if these tests were done, then the charges are fair.

Answer 8

That is pretty much normal. I have two 14 yr old cats and they have started losing weight. Since all of their test were negative like yours my vet suggested I put them on Science Diet Kitten Food. I feed dry food and I always have. If yours has problems chewing dry food soak it in organic low sodium chicken broth first. I found that mine devoured the food this way and they have gained some of their weight back. I also would use the Missing Link Supplements for cats or dogs and sprinkle this on top of tuna juice or chicken broth. The Missing Link has coat conditioners and makes their coats soft and shiny. You can get the Missing Link products on line at PetSmart.com....

Answer 9

Yes that is a bit big of a bill just for someone to tell you that the cat is getting old, my mom had that done on her cat she had an abbsessed tooth one time and we didnt know what it was nearly 300 dollars just to find out what it was plus 50 bucks for some amoxicilian this is why we dont go down to the vet if the cat has an abessed tooth we just give it a half of the amoxicilian pills that we have and it will save 350 dollars. Not only that but they wonder why people dont have there animals go to the vet they charge so much for a visit its not even worth all that hassle, if they lowered there prices i would go i have 7 animals they refuse to lower there prices i refuse to take my animals. I would make a complaint and put your foot down that bill is a little to high

Answer 10

I have gotten so fed up with vets wanting to run every test imaginable! The cat is old. Cats lose weight when they get old. The vet could have asked you a series of questions first to determine if there were any grounds to run those tests. They're just trying to be thorough, but it's gotten out of hand!