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#1
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Going rate for feline dental?
I'm having a bit of sticker shock here... Meep is having some sinus
problems, and my vet is trying to talk me into getting a dental at the same time they look at her sinuses, due to the concern about putting older cats under anesthetic. They want over $600 for a "level 3" dental - that's just the dental, doesn't include the anesthetic or anything else - full cost would be well over $1,200. The sinus flush and xray, together by themselves is only about $200, but add on all the extra stuff, mostly related to anesthesia, and just the flush is about $700. Is this a reasonable cost for dental work plus a sinus xray and nasal flush? Or even just for the xray and flush under anesthesia? jmc |
#2
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Going rate for feline dental?
Suddenly, without warning, jmc exclaimed (5/9/2011 6:21 PM):
I'm having a bit of sticker shock here... Meep is having some sinus problems, and my vet is trying to talk me into getting a dental at the same time they look at her sinuses, due to the concern about putting older cats under anesthetic. They want over $600 for a "level 3" dental - that's just the dental, doesn't include the anesthetic or anything else - full cost would be well over $1,200. The sinus flush and xray, together by themselves is only about $200, but add on all the extra stuff, mostly related to anesthesia, and just the flush is about $700. Is this a reasonable cost for dental work plus a sinus xray and nasal flush? Or even just for the xray and flush under anesthesia? jmc Well, I called two local clinics to get estimates, without telling them what my vet's estimate was. Both were less than half the cost I was offered by my current vet. Even adding in a "we're tryin' to get your business" fudge factor, that'd still be hundreds less. And thus, the problem with choosing a vet with a clinic in an affluent area. They're a great vet, I quite like them, and have known for some time they're expensive. I just never realized just *how* expensive... until recently when I realized the cost of a regular hours visit to my vet is about the same as an after hours visit to the emergency clinic down the road... jmc |
#3
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Going rate for feline dental?
On Mon, 09 May 2011 18:21:11 -0400, jmc
wrote: I'm having a bit of sticker shock here... Meep is having some sinus problems, and my vet is trying to talk me into getting a dental at the same time they look at her sinuses, due to the concern about putting older cats under anesthetic. They want over $600 for a "level 3" dental - that's just the dental, doesn't include the anesthetic or anything else - full cost would be well over $1,200. The sinus flush and xray, together by themselves is only about $200, but add on all the extra stuff, mostly related to anesthesia, and just the flush is about $700. Is this a reasonable cost for dental work plus a sinus xray and nasal flush? Or even just for the xray and flush under anesthesia? jmc THe last dental I had done cost $160, including the anesthesia. This was for cleaning my cat's teeth, which had a lot of plaque build up. I paid extra, to have the vet use isoflurane, rather than ketamine for anesthesia. I did pay an additional $90, a week earlier, for a full blood panel, to be sure my elderly cat was healthy enough for anesthesia. You are being grossly overcharged, from what I have experienced. You need to find a new veterinarian. If a dental cleaning is done during another procedure, it should cost less, due to the shared expense for anesthesia. Instead, your vet is charging TRIPLE what my vet recently charged me. I know that my veterinarian is having a bit of a rough time, due to the economic downturn. Some clients have left, and some others have had to decline recommended services, due to lack of funds. My bet would be that your vet is experiencing the same reduction in fees, and is seeking to make up a huge portion of this loss, by grossly overcharging YOU. Ask your friends, coworkers, anybody else you can think of, for a recommendation. Call around to a few vets, and ask what a dental cleaning costs; get a total for all required services. This will give you an idea of what other charges might be, for other services. By law, your current veterinarian MUST transfer your cat's records to another veterinarian, though they are allowed to charge a fee for copying the records. Most vets simply send the records by fax, which takes only a few minutes. I have never had a vet actually charge me those 'copying' fees, however. Good luck with your cat. |
#4
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Going rate for feline dental?
On Mon, 09 May 2011 18:21:11 -0400, jmc
wrote: I'm having a bit of sticker shock here... Meep is having some sinus problems, and my vet is trying to talk me into getting a dental at the same time they look at her sinuses, due to the concern about putting older cats under anesthetic. They want over $600 for a "level 3" dental - that's just the dental, doesn't include the anesthetic or anything else - full cost would be well over $1,200. The sinus flush and xray, together by themselves is only about $200, but add on all the extra stuff, mostly related to anesthesia, and just the flush is about $700. Is this a reasonable cost for dental work plus a sinus xray and nasal flush? Or even just for the xray and flush under anesthesia? jmc THe last dental I had done cost $160, including the anesthesia. This was for cleaning my cat's teeth, which had a lot of plaque build up. I paid extra, to have the vet use isoflurane, rather than ketamine for anesthesia. I did pay an additional $90, a week earlier, for a full blood panel, to be sure my elderly cat was healthy enough for anesthesia. You are being grossly overcharged, from what I have experienced. You need to find a new veterinarian. If a dental cleaning is done during another procedure, it should cost less, due to the shared expense for anesthesia. Instead, your vet is charging TRIPLE what my vet recently charged me. I know that my veterinarian is having a bit of a rough time, due to the economic downturn. Some clients have left, and some others have had to decline recommended services, due to lack of funds. My bet would be that your vet is experiencing the same reduction in fees, and is seeking to make up a huge portion of this loss, by grossly overcharging YOU. Ask your friends, coworkers, anybody else you can think of, for a recommendation. Call around to a few vets, and ask what a dental cleaning costs; get a total for all required services. This will give you an idea of what other charges might be, for other services. By law, your current veterinarian MUST transfer your cat's records to another veterinarian, though they are allowed to charge a fee for copying the records. Most vets simply send the records by fax, which takes only a few minutes. I have never had a vet actually charge me those 'copying' fees, however. Good luck with your cat. Sounds about the same as my dentist charges for me. So, its just a racket...... |
#5
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Going rate for feline dental?
On May 9, 4:47*pm, Gandalf ingold1234(at)yahoo(dot)com (Gandalf)
wrote: Hi Gandalf I posted today on rpca that I hadn't heard from you in ages- wondered how you and Lorelei were getting on? Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs |
#6
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Going rate for feline dental?
On 5/9/2011 6:21 PM, jmc wrote:
I'm having a bit of sticker shock here... Meep is having some sinus problems, and my vet is trying to talk me into getting a dental at the same time they look at her sinuses, due to the concern about putting older cats under anesthetic. They want over $600 for a "level 3" dental - that's just the dental, doesn't include the anesthetic or anything else - full cost would be well over $1,200. The sinus flush and xray, together by themselves is only about $200, but add on all the extra stuff, mostly related to anesthesia, and just the flush is about $700. Is this a reasonable cost for dental work plus a sinus xray and nasal flush? Or even just for the xray and flush under anesthesia? Scarlett, my little one with chronic calicivirus, has had several dentals and they run just over $200 in total. That includes extractions if her gums are messed up from the calici. She's had gums grow almost over a tooth on a couple of occasions. The only cure was extraction. |
#7
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Going rate for feline dental?
I have to agree that this estimate is WAY too expensive. The last
dental I had was a few years ago, but I paid around $240. This included pre-op bloodwork and the entire procedure. I believe I paid extra for some antibiotics following the procedure. IMO, you need to find a different vet. Does Meep even need a dental or the sinus flush? What will the flush accomplish? I think a second opinion would be a good idea before putting her under for something that may not be necessary. Rene |
#8
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Going rate for feline dental?
On Tue, 10 May 2011 14:09:25 -0700 (PDT), Lesley Madigan
wrote: On May 9, 4:47*pm, Gandalf ingold1234(at)yahoo(dot)com (Gandalf) wrote: Hi Gandalf I posted today on rpca that I hadn't heard from you in ages- wondered how you and Lorelei were getting on? Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs Did you get my E-mail? |
#9
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Going rate for feline dental?
On May 9, 3:21*pm, jmc wrote:
I'm having a bit of sticker shock here... Meep is having some sinus problems, and my vet is trying to talk me into getting a dental at the same time they look at her sinuses, due to the concern about putting older cats under anesthetic. They want over $600 for a "level 3" dental - that's just the dental, doesn't include the anesthetic or anything else - full cost would be well over $1,200. *The sinus flush and xray, together by themselves is only about $200, but add on all the extra stuff, mostly related to anesthesia, and just the flush is about $700. Is this a reasonable cost for dental work plus a sinus xray and nasal flush? *Or even just for the xray and flush under anesthesia? It will vary by the area. I know the vet closest to me is double what a lot of other vets charge. I have had two dental surgeries done in the past year (same cat). Both surgeries included the bloodwork, anesthesia, pain medication, etc. The first surgery pulled two teeth and had 3 xrays. It was $700. The second surgery had one tooth pulled and 2 xrays. It was $a little over $600. Overall, the first one seemed great, and the second one really bothered me. After the first one, Quinn was immediately eating dry food with enthusiasm,. and I had never seen her eat hard food. I had her for about a year and a half before that. She was obviously improved. That was May of last year. By August, I could see that the problem was returning. We did several vet visits working on the problem, and from talking to people at cat shows and searching online, it was looking like maybe I should get all her teeth pulled. It was looking like stomatitis, and the problem would just keep coming back. I asked for an estimate to get all the teeth pulled, and I was told about $1200. I saved up, scheduled it, and found out after she was awake that they only pulled one tooth and cleaned the rest. They claimed that they never understand that was what I had asked for, and they didn't feel it was a good idea. That may or may not be true, but clearly she was not as good after the second surgery. She picked up dry food a couple times and dropped them. She wanted to eat it but could not. And they only did 2 xrays even though it takes 6 xrays to see all the teeth. Most dentists agree that the problem starts under the gumlines, and the only way to know is by xray. A cat with dental history should have all teeth xrayed. I don't know if the vet was incompetent, or if they figured that the next bad tooth would be new money, so better to not find it right away. My old vet retired 2 years ago, so this was not my long time trusted vet. I ended up changing to a new vet, recommended by a friend who fosters cats and goes to the vet a lot. The new vet is also reluctant to pull all the teeth, but agrees that all teeth should be xrayed the next time she is under anesthetic. And she will pull any tooth that hints at looking bad. She also found right away (a week after the last surgery) that Quinn's mouth was inflamed on the roof of her mouth and at the back of her mouth. We have been using prednisolone to work on the inflammation, and she is doing better, though she only eats dry food randomly. My sister took a cat in for dental surgery last month. I have yet to see the itemized bill, but I think it was around $600 and her cat had 4 teeth pulled. He had an abcess, so his teeth were in bad condition. I would ask around with your cat owning friends for recommendations for a good vet. I am really happy with my new vet. She looked at more than just Quinn's teeth, and she has also recommended some training tips to help with some of her behavior at cat shows. She had reacted in pain when it hurt, but then expected it to hurt, so continued to react badly. I really liked that she was willing to try a mild anxiety medication to see if that helped (it did, so it wasn't just a pain issue at shows), and she gave training tips. And the last vet visit was a total mystery. She reacted in pain at the show, sometimes to her right ear, and sometimes to her back. At the vet's office the very next day, she was happy and friendly, and showed no pain reaction at all. She checked the ears very carefully, and she dug at the places that showed reactions the day before. She couldn't find anything. She said it could be an attitude thing, or it could be a rare nerve issue causing random sensitivity. The test is an mri which is very expensive, but the treatment is steroids, which we had just reduced for the mouth issue. So, we increased the dosage again, and she told me to start a journal of her medication dosage and her behavior at shows. We could use that as a guide to see if the medication is truly helping. And she has been doing better. |
#10
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When my cat got teeth problem then i was told by my vet doctor about a tooth paste which is good in teeth and gums problem.I do not know more about this .You must get a vet too.Here i do share with you that :
"PetzLife and ProDen". It can be uses in all pets like cats,dogs,rabbits and pigs. |
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