Are Vet costs rising in your area?

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Riverrose28

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I just had my vet out for routine coggins on seven, last year the cost per test was $27, plus the usual call out fee. this year the test has gone up to $36 per horse plus call out fee. I was totally surprised it had gone up that much in just one year. Have costs increased in your area of the World?
 
I've been so lucky that we haven't needed the vet out since last summer when we had some respiratory issues going on thanks to dust levels. The vet is scheduled to come out next month and I'm cringing at what the bill will be this year. Last year, I had 2 tested for coggins and 4 given a yearly exam and shots. The total bill was $460. Now we have 6 horses and I'll have 2 or maybe three tested for coggins.

2 years ago, my (then) vet charged $40. Last year, our current charged $35.
 
Yes, prices have increased sharply here in Vermont. Trip charge has gone up, cost of shots, cost of everything actually. My dogs' vet has also increased his prices. But then again everything is going up and vets have to pay their bills too.
 
Yes, vet calls out to the farm have risen. I try to haul mine in whenever I can to save money, but my time and gas anymore almost make it worth having vet come here. Vaccination costs have risen as well. This year I purchased my own IgG test kits to run myself. I can draw blood and examine placenta, so I plan to save on my post foaling charges this year when I can. Plus I give my own vaccinations. I do everything I can myself with 20 plus head of horses (both minis & full sized).
 
I feel so lucky that my vet costs have stayed about the same. My vet traded his big truck to a hybrid small car to save money and not have to go up on his costs. But even with that, I expect rising gas will still force him to charge more for his farm call later this year. We have 31 horses here so we really need him to come here and not trailer them anywhere. He has stayed the same on Coggins and other things he did earlier this year. We have a great vet and he tries his best to help us save money as much as possible. It would be nice if other vets mentioned on here could do that too.
 
Not really here... But we've always paid a lot! I think coggins/health certs are $175 here...
 
In 2010 vet fees here ran over $18,000, for an average of 11-12 minis. Last year (2011) my total vet fees were "only" about $7,000. So if I can keep the total bill down to $7,000, I will be a happy camper. I bet this puts your vet bills in a better perspective!
 
I usually try to keep costs down... I can vaccinate myself for $30, or the vet can do it for $200! Dental floats my vet is very good at, but he charges $375. I had an equine dentist last time, was just over $200 and just as good a job (thanks Brian Borg!)

Horse care is expensive, more so here... But at least I've got good professionals that helps to make it worth it!
 
Yikes! Well, we had a new vet clinic open up last year only 5 min from us. The vet that owns/runs it is fantastic and is the only vet that works there. Since the clinic is out in the middle of nowhere, she keeps her prices pretty low. Coggins and health are $40 and gelding is $100 with no farm call fee. She does travel all the way up to Canada though for farm calls so catching her is the tricky part. I have another vet 30 min away that also has great prices and is always around
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They can be very expensive here.

I called various vets within a 50 mile radius for a quote with regard to a hernia repair for a puppy. The quotes ranged anywhere from 180.00 to 500.00.
 
I have been looking into a coggins test and health papers because I'm heading to Otter Creek horse camping in May. The coggins is going to be $65/horse and the health papers $25/horse. The rest of the shots run around $125/horse and teeth floating is $50 for sedative and $65 for the float. I only need the coggins and health papers on one but shots and teeth checked on 6, 2 big and 4 small.
 
Know that I have rapped on my desk before replying! I'm lucky to have had about a year w/o the need of a vet call. Last we had a vet out was, I think, last Spring. Sometime before, they'd raised the farm call price to cover the increased costs of fuel, but their other charges did not seem to have increased. I have to say that I've never had the vets out and been alarmed at the bill. Not that I enjoy incuring one (and I'm sure the horses don't either), but when you figure how highly skilled and educated the vets are, that they come to your place at ALL hours of the day or night, and spend time helping you do something that may save something you love -- I'm always thinking the charge is less than it seems is fair. You would not get me out in the middle of the night to spend hours with a business relationship for the price our vets charge. I love our vets at Keswick Equine Clinic
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ours seem to increase every year - getting teeth floated is $200. per horse and you have to haul into the vets office
 
Yikes, Disneyhorse where are you? That is a LOT of money for a float. I use an amazing equine dentist who is a natural horseman and does it all without sedation. He charges $120 per horse now. I do everything I can myself so the vet hadn't been here for 3 years, but I needed a coggins on a sale horse and it was $45. Used to be $30. Now that horse has come up lame and I am dreading calling the vet out. Going to have my farrier look at her first!
 
My vet was just here today to do a few of the horses and the dog. Her farm call is $35 and that's stayed the same but her shots went up about $2 each, so that's not to bad.
 
Jill, I love my Vet team as well, I've been a client of theirs since 1977. I'm not complaining about the cost, but I must say it was a shock to me to have gone up that much in one year. Last year they started using e-vet which is you download the coggins and print out yourself, fill out give to the vet and they take the blood sample and digital pictures. You then download the results and print out yourself, You'd think it would save them some money doing it that way, but no, the cost went up instead. The health cert. are the same. Also I respect my vet team so much, all horses are stalled with halters on waiting for her arrival, necks are clipped and all are clean, she was in and out fo here in 30 minutes, no muss no fuss. I try to save money by giving my own vac.'s but by law I need those coggins and hadn't saved enough money, it was certainly a shock and I'm glad to know some of you guys are dealing with rising costs as well. Everything else has gone up except salaries so why not vet costs.
 
I could not believe how much my riding horses shots were when we just had the vet do all his work while he did the other horses at the boarding barn. I am so thankful the barn owner is ok with us giving our own shots (except Rabies) as long as he is there and is given proof because it will save us a lot of money.
 
They can be very expensive here.

I called various vets within a 50 mile radius for a quote with regard to a hernia repair for a puppy. The quotes ranged anywhere from 180.00 to 500.00.
Wow, I have a small animal vet that is local for the dogs and cat, then I use an equine clinic that is about 35 minutes away for the horses. The local small animal clinic fixed my mini Aussie's umbilical hernia when I had her fixed, as long as the procedure was done at the same time, I was told the fee would be minimal. It was an additional $25, the breeder was very honest about it and she discounted her price by $200 because of it. The total bill was around $175.

The cal fee for the large animal vet has gone up, they try to keep their fees competitive, the last float in February was a power float, the base fee was $80, wolf teeth extraction was $25 and sedation on top of that, any issues such as of cap removal, impacted tooth issues and so on run an extra expense. All said and done with the call fee the wolf tooth extraction, the float and sedation, it ran $190 and that was with a $60 call fee included. I love the vets at both clinics, ESP. The large animal vets, have used them for years and it is a huge plus that they do their blood work in their own lab, huge plus when you need quick results.
 

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