the Cost of Non-Routine Pet Care

I am the owner of a 5 year old Golden Retriever. She has been the picture of health up until a couple of months ago. One day, I saw her drop to the ground. She was shaking, her body was rigid and contorting. Right away, I called her vet. I suspected that my dog was having a seizure. I witnessed a few more of these episodes before getting to the vet.

On the day of the appointment, I was to bring in a stool sample. The vet asked me many questions: Did the dog eat chocolate, get into any chemicals/cleaners or human medications, did she ingest anything that could have been considered poisonous? Did she eat raisins, grapes, onions, anything with artificial sweeteners? After racking my brain, I remembered that she has been drinking out of our fish pond (the pond had just been treated for algae. The vet agreed that this was probably the cause. I was to give my dog Phenobarbital (seizure medication) for a few weeks to see how she would respond. The vet performed several blood tests, took a urine sample, checked the stool and basically did an overall physical exam.

After all was said I done, I paid $155. The receipt showed that the blood work itself was $6 The office visit/exam was $38, the medication was $24, the rest of the cost was split between the urine and stool samples.

All in all, I was very pleased with the service that my dog received. The vet was easy to talk to, explained everything in terms that I could understand and assured me that even if my dog was epileptic, medicine would help control and minimize the severity of the seizures.

Even before we got to the clinic, the receptionist made an impression. She was very accommodating and sympathetic. The clinic has evening hours as well as weekend hours. Should your animal need overnight care, the clinic acts as an emergency hospital. I noticed the cleanliness and warmth of the office almost immediately. Each staff member was kind and courteous and very loving toward my dog.

From past experiences, I've noticed that with most vets, they are constantly trying to get you to purchase more services from them (shots, flea/tick preventatives, vitamins, etc.)

A good vet will not force these services down your throat. Know your pets' needs and what works for them.