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One thing I really struggle with is vet prices. I don’t actually have problems paying our veterinary bills, but I want to be a smart consumer and thus want to know if my visit was reasonably priced. When I first adopted Chihiro and Cole I took them to a low-cost clinic. After a checkup and any necessary shots I paid somewhere in the $50-$65 range.
I became disillusioned with the clinic for reasons I’ve expounded on before and started going to a veterinary hospital. Checkup and shot visits there cost around $90. I don’t mind paying $40 extra if that’s a reasonable, average veterinary bill, especially because the service is much better.
After all, my first experiences were with a low-cost clinic, so I can’t exactly think of that as normal. I just want to know if I’m paying a realistic fee or not. I’ve polled other vet owners in the area and that seems to be the case, so I’m content for now.
One thing that can sometimes drive up my bill at my new vet is prescription costs. If I bring my animal in with a problem that requires medication I’ll go ahead and let the vet office fill it. At first I didn’t realize there was any other option; despite its name I didn’t realize websites like Pet Meds could offer prescription drugs and it was news to me that many normal pharmacies will fill pet medications.
In fact, the realization didn’t come until Chihiro’s routine checkup this summer. She has a recurring rash-like condition that requires a certain ointment to treat it, and the vet’s pharmacy was all out. A month later I called and they still had it on backorder. Fed up, I had them just write me a prescription, and then I ordered the cream online.
Normally I don’t mind purchasing prescriptions from the vet because it’s easier, and in some cases (like with the ointment I bought online) it’s not that much more expensive. And it turns out that now, supporting vets in this way might actually help keep their overall costs down.
The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports that for many veterinarians, prescription drug costs account for about one-fifth of their income. Now with more national pharmacies offering pet medications (Target just launched one in most of its stories across the country), less customers are buying from their vets.
This might lead them to have to raise their overall prices. It’s a vicious cycle: I love my animals but I also should stay frugal, so on the one hand if I can get the same product for cheaper elsewhere, I want to. On the other hand, Target doesn’t offer veterinary services (at least not yet – imagine if they ever do!), so if buying pet meds from them means my vet bill goes up, then I want to purchase meds from the vet.
I guess it comes down to the local business verses chain debate. Or also, what the difference is that we’re paying. Maybe my vet bill will go up a bit, but still not more than the difference between buying the meds elsewhere or from the vet. I love my vet though and want to support them, so even though frugality is good if it means keeping my vet prices down and my loyalty there, I’ll continue to buy medications from them as much as possible.
What about you: do you purchase your pet meds from your vet, or do you fill them elsewhere?
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*(This image by Charles Williams is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
