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blacknbluebird OP t1_j72w6kt wrote

Reply to comment by FrankieHellis in Reasonably Priced Vets? by blacknbluebird

Ha maybe we do! I’m curious if the cost and quick visits is normal. This is my first dog and first vet, so my baseline for prices is just the wild ranges of estimates I can Google.

Looks like for an annual visit (physical exam & worm check) with routine vaccines for rabies, lyme, Bordetella, influenza, and distemper it’s about $425.

My quality concern started because I realize they missed the leptospirosis shot this time even though it was in her chart. The visits are so quick I worry more might get overlooked at later visits.

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FrankieHellis t1_j73c6p1 wrote

So even in human medicine, in a group practice you need to request someone you know or suspect is a good provider. I go to our vet because I love the owner, but I have to request her specifically or else I get someone else. The place is owned by husband and wife (different surnames though). Their kid is a vet now too and he has the same last name as Dad. If I want to request Dad, I have to be super specific or I get the son because they do have the same surname.

I know we pay about that for all the vaccines, maybe even more. I can tell you exactly in 2 weeks, as we have a visit coming up. I hate that they push so many vaccines these days, but they say it is because the corresponding diseases have been identified and vaccines have been created and it Is a good thing. Can’t really argue with that, I suppose.

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[deleted] t1_j73h6tz wrote

[deleted]

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FrankieHellis t1_j73jfdw wrote

Even your link lists 4 “core” vaccines, plus Lyme (which I think is important in this area), Bordatella (which we have to have), and Leptospirosis, which we might skip this year. I don see where we have been over-vaccinating our dogs. I will continue to research though.

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FrankieHellis t1_j73dcuo wrote

Also… just try a different vet in the group next time. It is a personality thing. Some vets have them and some don’t ;)

That said, if there is a cheaper place, I would try it. I just don’t see how some posters here are getting that list of vaccines for what they are remembering. I’d be willing to bet maybe they went and got a rabies booster or something and not the yearly exhaustive list.

I know routine well visits and vaccines are pretty quick, but for concerns, our vet has spent lots of time with us. Vet medicine is like people medicine these days - you have to stay on top of your providers so things don’t get missed. It’s a sad state of affairs, but nevertheless it is true.

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blacknbluebird OP t1_j73fb0k wrote

Thanks for the reply! I’ll keep that in mind when looking at new vets. The current vet I take my dog to is just one vet, not a group. There are a couple of vet techs to assist, but that might also be a factor in why the last few visits felt very rushed even when I did have questions.

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anxiousoryx t1_j74wkkp wrote

This is an odd thing but many independent vets now are owned by consolidator groups. They keep the same name and everything but the location is owned by a corporate “partner” behind the scenes. It’s virtually impossible to tell without outright asking the practice manager or DVM unless you know the group they are part of. Then the corporate consolidators are backed by financing groups.

So yeah, it’s a lot more complicated than it used to be and way more like human medicine than it used to be too.

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