Off topic - Dogs that don't chew
My wife has this drowned rat she loves on. His breath smells like rancid fish, he is mean as hell and he bites people if they pick him up. He is a Chihuahua. This dog was originally black and now he is gray so he is up there in age. 10 maybe? My wife hates the vet so she does her own shots from the feed store and he has never had the need to go to the vet. I made the decision to take him in and have his teeth cleaned. They are going to have to put him under. He goes for his meet and greet with the vet next week and then they will set an appointment to clean his teeth. I hate being taken advantage of at the vets office so can you tell me what to expect charge wise and what I should say no to?
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Why don't you look up what
Why don't you look up what are typical charges and talk to the vet?
I did about $300 for all of
I did about $300 for all of it. Once they get you in there sometimes the price goes up. I want to know what to turn down like I do at the car dealer when my truck is being serviced. I had hoped someone here works in a vet office.
Do you remember about how
Do you remember about how much?
Me too. 12 teeth pulled last
Me too. 12 teeth pulled last month. Breath rancid hot garbage. $800 . Rat terrier who is 14
That was what I was looking
That was what I was looking for. No to the ear tests. Thanks
Does your wife know you are
Does your wife know you are taking him?
You need to make sure you know his correct age. They may not do it if he is too old due to being put under.
$300.00 is about right if they don’t have to pull a lot of teeth.
She bought him 4 yrs ago from
She bought him 4 yrs ago from a man who was selling him on Facebook. I think his owner died and her son didn't want him. How old is to old to be put under? We don't know his actual age. If he needs lots of teeth pulled what would the cost be? Yes she knows but she doesn't want me to. She is afraid he won't wake up.
Blood work is already
Blood work is already included in the quote they gave me over the phone. I was just wondering about extras once you get in there.
You think $300 is to low to
You think $300 is to low to include the blood work and tooth removal?
Yes.
Yes.
The vet should be able to
The vet should be able to give you a pretty close idea of his actual age. Hopefully, you are visiting a vet on a referral from another pet owner who trusts him/her/the veterinary practice. IMHO, most people who are in that field are pretty good, compassionate, empathetic people.
You might want to mentioned to Dog Mom that LOTS of bad things including significantly decreased life expectancy can come from tooth infections.
Maybe that will help you change her mind.
Mine that I took this week
Mine that I took this week for cleaning are 12 and 10 years old so once the blood work is done prior to the cleaning he should be good to go. They might get you an antibiotic to start him on before the cleaning is done to prevent the toxins from the cleaning that are released in to his blood make him sick.
They didn't mention
They didn't mention antibiotics so I will ask.
The vet is not out to gouge
The vet is not out to gouge you. The veterinarian is a highly trained professional who is trying to care for your dog. If s/he recommends antibiotics and pulled teeth and anesthesia and other medications (bad breath can be a symptom of other diseases), then either trust their judgment or take the dog to a second vet for a second opinion. This will not save you money as you will have to pay the second vet but it may give you more confidence that your animal is not undergoing unnecessary procedures.
Anesthesia is highly likely if the dog has not been trained to have his teeth cleaned which can easily be done at home on a daily basis. Without that training, the dog won't tolerate the procedure and will need the anesthesia.
Bad teeth can kill your dog from infection. He may be grumpy and bitey because he is already in pain. I commend you for taking him in.
I made the mistake of going
I made the mistake of going to banefield in previous life and they gouged us on puppy shots and anything else they could think of. I paid over $600 for the first 3 sets of puppy shots. This vet comes highly recommended and I am told she is fair. The office visits for the 3 vets I called are only 30/35 so I'm not worried about a second opinion. 2 said the price ranges from $150 to $300 and another said $150 plus $25 for each tooth pulled. I decided to use one of the others.
Don't go to Banfield. Don't
Don't go to Banfield. Don't go to Petsmart for anything but merchandise like toys, food, etc. Don't go for services. Find your own vet that you can be happy with. Someone who does not work for Petsmart but has their own practice like a human doctor.
If you went to Banfield I can understand your wariness.
I do believe the prices you were quoted are quite low.
Banfield is not the normal vet experience. They work for a large corporation and it's a very corporate experience. Find your personal vet and get very, very different service.
ETA: Don't go for training at Petsmart or boarding.
My vet said teeth extraction
My vet said teeth extraction is about three times as expensive as teeth cleaning.
Depends on if they need
Depends on if they need extractions, damage to gums, etc. I just took two of mine in this week and it was $922 for two of them, one had an extraction and one had to have the gums cut back but if this little dude has never been in there might be a lot of work to be done. My dogs have their teeth brushed 4x a week for their entire lives so other than having their breed traits of mouth issues they are golden, one is a Pomeranian and the other is a Boxer.
all dogs need dental care and
all dogs need dental care and it can be very expensive especially if the teeth were neglected. small dogs are notorious for having tiny rotten teeth.
i agree that a vet is a professional and should be paid as such. if you did not have insurance youd see what human doctors charge and its far more.
if your wife loves her dog so much then why has she neglected to take care of his teeth? if she loves him so much, ask her that.
rotten teeth in animals leads to all kinds of illness, like with people. the heart can be damaged from bacteria from rotten teeth.
your wife is abusing her "loved" dog by neglecting his dental health.
if your wife hates the vet, she needs to find one she likes and can trust and respect.
i feel sorry for the little guy. you may calle him a drowned rat but you are the one who is really looking after his well being.
+1 on not going for commercial pet store vets for vet care, boarding or training.
Mine get a dentastick and a
Mine get a dentastick and a large rawhide bone daily and weekly brushings. My rather stubborn American bulldog would prefer never but both the dog's teeth are in excellent shape. Almost 4 years old.
It kind of depends on where
It kind of depends on where you live. For us, it is right around $300 for a teeth cleaning for cat or dog. That includes pre-blood work, the cleaning, antibiotics (if needed) and pain medicine (if needed). If teeth needed to be pulled, it was an additional $5 to $15 per tooth. It has never been anywhere near what others have said it costs.
I would take any recommendations that the vet gives about removing teeth. If they need to go, get them out, otherwise they'll cause problems down the line.
It sounds like a reasonable
It sounds like a reasonable vet. I understand your skepticism. Where I live, their are several neighborhood vets that try to upsell. For example, I had a friend that took hers to one of these and they wanted to do surgery on her boxer's eye for 2k. Vet made her feel guilty that she didn't have the money. I sent her to my vet who treated her fur baby with eye drops and Benadryl. His office is in a small but clean home- not the ritzy offices of some of these vets.
I actually dated someone whose brother was a vet. Dad was a MD and I remember the two of them talking about the money made from rich people loving their pets.
Go for the visit and trust your gut. That wet rat is lucky that you're taking him to get his teeth cleaned. Poor little guy- with rancid breath.