Well, Rascal is now a gelding

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Valerie

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Holy Smokes.....

I was quoted between $400 and $600.......so I thought, well, let's hope it's towards the 400 to 500 range....I mean, lets face it they won't be using as much

anesthetic as a large horse (this is was one of the vets told me last evening when I dropped him off)......so frankly when they told me the bill was $792.70

someone could have knocked me over with a feather..... I had to bite my tongue and not ask if he got a mani-pedi and a facial while he was there too!!!

They also handed me a baggie with his testicles in it & said, we like to give these to women to show their husbands, so they can make them squirm?......I showed them to Ken and he goes what the He**? It was interesting in that the "retained" testicle was soooo much smaller than the dropped one....they said it's too warm in it's environment for it to grow...... so that was odd...here I thought he was such a snot because he had these 2 Huge testicles....nope, just 1 huge one and one almond/brazil nut sized one.

Good grief......I am a little less than amused, frankly I am not sure how they can be close to $200 off of their High estimate. I said, uhm, that's not even close to what I was quoted, and the tech goes, oh well, sometimes it takes longer......? Hello? Also, they were supposed to contact me by 9:30 or so this morning and if not I could call them....well, they hadn't called so I called them just before 11 to check and sure enough he was fine....waking up fine and could go home around 1 or 2.....I said, well....I will come around 5....I have to work.

He is on stall rest/prison for 2 weeks due to the sutures, so hand walking 2x a day, for brief periods....and no playing, no trotting, etc, etc.....gets the sutures out in 2 weeks.....frankly I feel for the price I paid, they should come to the farm to do that, but they said if I don't haul him in, they would charge a farm call.......

Oh and then on our way home I look at the bill,.....I paid $500 cash (ok, so I figured, it will be around $500).....then put the $292.70 on my plastic, and darn it if they didn't run the wrong amount for the card.......they ran $272.70 not $272.90......so now it says I owe them $20 bal due......grrrrrrr....... now I have to go back tomorrow & get that paid. (I hate having bal dues...).....but I am going to drop off the gelding certs also so they can do them also.....

They also charged me $5.00 for 5 antibiotic pills they gave him and then another $11.70 for 45 more of the pills for me to take home?....what the heck?...$1.00 a pill there...it's just like aspirin at a hospital....oh and another $3.00 for a syringe?......again, uhm, I have syringes at home, not sure you need to charge me because you used one & sent it home with me.

The surgery itself was $475.00......so one would think they need to rethink their math skills before they give one an estimate.

Anyway, before everyone says I should have shopped around, I did.....and the vet I really liked said to go to this vet or she could recommend a place down in Oregon and frankly it didn't seem in anyones best interest to drive several hours for this surgery.

On the bright side, Rascal did not try to bite me when I got him in the trailer this evening (at the vets) or when I had to unload him at home or when I had to

give him his meds........... so I do have a good feeling about this.

Ok, I am done rambling now........thank you for letting me vent about this.....after we get his stiches out, we won't be using that vet hospital anymore, frankly I think they should have called me and told me the estimate was much higher than they said it would be, not that I could do much but go get more cash, but I still think they should have called me.
 
They should have given you a heads up about the price difference, but that's in the neighborhood of what I paid last year. I think it was $750-ish, and worth every cent LOL.

Jan
 
I am glad that it is done. Sad that it was so high. I know that Liz had it done a couple years ago and it was pretty reasonable. You really have to shop around.

I saw your little trailer hooked up and ready to go when I went to the feed store today.
 
Ugggh, Valerie, that's awful!

I firmly believe that the cost of the procedure as well as the extra stress on the horse is as good a reason as any not to breed a horse with one retained.

I had one done, too, and he stayed a week at my vet's clinic. The total price was something like $160. I saved the receipt because I was so relieved after having been quoted anywhere from $600-$2000 to get it done. His son, on the other hand, got "fixed" for $65 although he only stayed at the clinic for two or three days (only b/c we didn't have good indoor storage for him.)

I hope Rascal straightens out and heals up just fine. Same for your credit card!

Liz
 
I'm glad he's okay Valerie! That sucks about the cost. I want you to know I did try to reply to your email about him awhile ago but it bounced.
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Leia
 
That was quite a bill.

I have never gelded a mini but my two saddle horse colts were 185.00 each and our vet came to the farm and performed the surgery.
 
That is pretty spendy and I would feel exactly as you do: I want the big picture/worst case up front please!

Your description and visuals did give me a laugh though, thanks for that!!
 
There is an old Dutch/German thing about throwing your boy's "boys" on the barn roof above his stall. Something about good luck and having a horse with a long healthy life? It's okay if an animal carries them off, but if one falls off, you need to throw it back up on the roof.

I don't know when this came about, and I just about
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when I first heard it, but hey who cares, we need all the luck we can get. What else are you gonna do with them?
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Carolyn
 
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Wow, that is a pricey surprise! But as you say, what could you do? They have your hrose as hostage!

I think it was a stupid, adolescent thing to do to send the testicles home in a baggie with you.

My vet does the deed on the lawn in front of the office. The testicles are thrown out on the grass, and, mysteriously, disappear in an hour or two. Local wildlife, I am sure.

I had a colt that took over 2 years for both to decend. One was regular sized and when the other finally showed, it was the size of a small nut.

Hope recovery goes well.
 
Sorry your vets weren't more accurate on the cost! I had a double crypt done over a year ago and a single done a few months ago. Both times the cost was just under what my vet quoted. Almost $800 for the double and almost $600 for the single. The thing I didn't like was they also charged me for the after care such as checkups and suture removal. I always think that should all be included in the up front cost. So the first time I was a little suprised at the extra charge, but now I know that that stuff isn't included and keep that when they quote me a cost.

Edited to add I agree it was silly to bag up the testicles for you!
 
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Wow, that is a pricey surprise! But as you say, what could you do? They have your hrose as hostage!
I think it was a stupid, adolescent thing to do to send the testicles home in a baggie with you.

My vet does the deed on the lawn in front of the office. The testicles are thrown out on the grass, and, mysteriously, disappear in an hour or two. Local wildlife, I am sure.

I had a colt that took over 2 years for both to decend. One was regular sized and when the other finally showed, it was the size of a small nut.

Hope recovery goes well.
I agree, stupid and adolescent to send the testies home with you.

Unfortunatly, when they quote you a price for having the testies removed, it is the operation price and not everything else. Vets are getting very creative with their bills now. Charging redicules prices for a pill or syringe. I paid 2 years ago $700 to have the same operation that you just had on a horse that I purchased for breeding and showing. Unfortunatly, the seller did not stand behind her horses that she sold.
 
My POA colt was a crypt, and my regular vet told me $1200 and UP! So I don't think your price was out of line, but them not quoting the full cost wasn't right.

(I did call around and used another vet who charged me MUCH less than my regular vet though)

Jessi
 
Hey Valerie, I think you and I both talked about this whole deal awhile ago... I ended up taking Blue to Doc. Briskey and only paid $70 for him and had no issues what so ever with him. Didn't take him long to find those lil peanut size testis either. I was amazed. I don't regret taking him there at all.
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And like I watched the whole thing too... I moved down here to CA and got my Shetland and had to have him gelded and the lil snot costed $400 to do him. Talk about pricey!!! Anyhow wow thats gross I would have died seeing those testis in a bag...
 
Wow that is a pretty big difference from the original quote.That was an unwelcome surprise I am sure.

4 years ago we drove our 2 year old 4 hours to the nearest hospital that would preform the surgery and it was 600.00...not sure what it would be now. Like you we were just glad it was done correctly and our boy recovered with no complications.

Hoping your boy has a speedy recovery.
 
Wow, I have been in veterinary medicine for 27 years. I have also worked at an veterinary emergency clinic. We always give estimates, which I believe we are obligated to go by. At the emergency clinic, for instance, if we had a case that became critical and needed additional care, we always called the owner about added expenses. In the case of your cryptorchid horse, I do not agree with the added costs. If your vet felt he couldn't give you an estimate without first seeing your horse, then they should have said so. If not, they should have honored the original estimate. I dont think it is fair/good medicine to give a low and high end estimate, then to go and charge you that much more. And in answer to the statement that they have your horse; by law, you cannot hold someone's animal if they dont pay their bill. Not very many people know that.
 
Hi all.....

Yes, I was quite "surprised" by the end total. I guess what really irked me was that this vet clinic came out to geld Rascal back in March and said, yep, he's a cryp...so let him heal up (the vet had done an incision where she "thought" a testicle could be..ended up being a fat wad.....but they did geld my other stallion on that visit, so they didn't charge me for them cutting Rascal up....but then I had to go buy antiobiotics because where she cut & didn't sew up, he started swelling and it was traveling up from his groin area up the belly underside....so I took action & got him on antiobiotics and yes, they didn't cover that, I had to pay which I thought, ok, I will let this go, because hey, I didn't think it looked like the right place for a testicle, but hey, I am not a vet and this one supposedly worked with a large mini farm down in Southern WA or on the Oregon border, etc.....(I guess I should say the vet I had at this clinic I truly loved, but she had a baby & also hurt her back, so she left the practice).....anyway to make my long story, even longer it appears.....we got Rascal through the whole first ordeal & I talked to several mini people and they said, you know he is just turning 2, see if it drops later. At that same time, in March the same vet and vet tech (because I called the clinic also to verify the price) said his cryto surgery would be around $400.

So I thought, ok, I have money set aside for the horses, so the price really wasn't the object at that time, because I figured ok, I have read up on and talked to alot of people and they said, don't sweat it some horses drop late...... which I was willing to wait. .....but then Rascal became much more aggressive and started striking along with his nasty biting habit and the last time the farrier came out he ended up on Rascals' back.....(yes a mini rodeo, literally)....so I talked to my husband and we talked to another one of our horse friends and she recommended another vet in the area........got her to come out and again, (now mind you this was just last month, so I have let a few months pass, just to hope he would drop both)......and she tried and tried and tried to find both

testicles and nope...not happening. So there goes another vet bill and nothing to show for it.....but hey atleast I got another opinion and I did actually like the 2nd vet better than the first. Bad part was she said to go back to my first clinic to have the Senior vet or she could recommend someone in Oregon.....well with the price of fuel and dealing with a horse with a nasty attitude, it seemed the best alternative was to go with the local place....and again, I called to make the appt and again asked the price and this time they quoted, oh between $400 and $600.

Fast forward to now.....we got it schedule and done and the night we dropped him off the on duty vet again quoted (and the quote is on the paperwork I filled out...$400 to $600)......... then to get the bill for $792.70.......and the testicles in a baggie?....... anyway, it's over and I may call and ask them why they

bother to do the estimate and have me sign it when I dropped him off.......on the bill I got after the fact the surgery itself said $475.....so one would think they should atleast know the surgery price, or am I wrong in my thinking?..... the surgery should be a base amount & then meds, etc would be tacked on to that?.....

Well, I am happy to hear I am not off my rocker here .......I am sorry some of you have been quoted higher....and darn jealous of those that paid less....Liz, it sounds like you got a steal of a deal!!!

I am still glad I did it, and Rascal has only tried to bite me once today....which sounds bad, but hey, before it was constant biting and he only reared once.....and no, not good, but I also know part of it is he is couped up in his stall and he doesn't like hand walking, and because he was so nasty he didn't get a lot of one on one....so that will change.

Courtney, glad you guys got moved ok.........keep in touch.

Leia, sorry I didn't get your email, I have been thinking, oh no, I offended her and gosh I sure didn't want to do that.
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Ok, I am off my soapbox now.....thanks everyone for your input.......and I guess I forgot to add, we did not bring the baggie of testicles home...Ken gave it to one of the helpers and said, I don't know why you guys gave us this, but can you throw it away?.....he said, if they want to see squimish, they should come to work with him sometime...(hubby is Sgt of Evidence....so he goes to all sorts of scenes, etc...)..... he goes uhm, little testicles are not going to make me squimish......haha. Gotta laugh, or you'll cry.
 
I paid $500 for a colt in tack, simple surgery. I was quoted $1200 or more to do a crypt here in Va. . I had a crypt surgery done on a colt several years ago that went up into the $2k range. You just never know.
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Wow that cost you a lot !

Now I'm betting if breeders had to pay that price BEFORE they sold the horse they'd be making sure their lines were NOT "retainers". This is a good argument for breeders making sure they don't breed late droppers...'cept sadly the purchaser pays so I guess nothing will change.
 
Valerie, I think you got off easy! It cost me more than $1800 to get Danny done, he had retained one.

Esprit is on his last week as a stallion, but his will be straightforward...his are big and all there!
 

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