I love being at the vet when a giant tattooed viking-looking biker comes into the waiting area with a guinea pig or little purse dog, and meanwhile there's already some little girl in a princess costume with her snake.
What 950 dollars at the human dentist will cover for an impacted tooth removal:
One dose of oral benzodiazepines and local anaesthetic blocks - 150 dollars.
The removal and spinning down of my own blood serum to put back into the cavity the tooth was removed from - 150 dollars.
The time it takes to surgically remove one partially erupted tooth - 650 dollars.
What 950 dollars at the vets can cover for a (complex!) dog or cat dental:
A full physical exam and discussion with the owner - normally a 70 dollar appointment time slot.
A blood test to check for illness that may influence the anaesthetic quality, done immediately prior to the procedure in clinic - 150 dollars.
Pre-anaesthetic sedation including pain relief - 90 dollars.
Full general anaesthetic (GA) including monitoring - 450 dollars.
Full dental assessment for decay, pocketing, bone loss, and gingivitis - included in GA fees.
Full dental clean and polish to remove plaque and tartar - included in GA fees.
The removal of up to 16 teeth - around 8-10 dollars a tooth.
Post operative pain relief and rechecks - 30 dollars, free rechecks.
Just a bit of perspective. Vets aren’t money hungry, many of us are struggling to get paid enough to get by. We’re just trying to cover costs and keep the business open and fully functional for the best chance to give animals the medical and preventative care they need.
I finished my npl and placement yesterday so here’s free vet advice that everyone asks for
Insure your pets, in dogs and cats it is 100% worth it. And try to get to cover for the highest amount that you can afford. I can go into more detail about pet insurance if you want
Most flea treatment that contains ‘fipronil’ will not work, fleas have become immune to it. Often times only prescription flea medications will work or a seresto collar
If your dog is going in for a planned surgery, bath them the day before, make sure they go to the toilet the morning of and if your feeling like really making your vet nurses happy, cut their beard as short as possible.
Don’t breed your pet if you cannot afford a caesarean, ask for an estimate for one at your local and out of ours vets
If your male cat is constantly trying to pee but can’t, that is an emergency you need to take him to the vet straight away
If your rabbit or guinea pig stops eating or pooping that is an emergency you need to take them to the vet
If you have a deep chested dog and their stomach is swollen, they cannot lie down / rest, they’re salivating a lot and unsuccessfully trying to vomit, this could be an emergency you need to take them to the vet straight away
Euthanasia can be a kindness to some animals, I promis your pet isn’t angry at you for getting them put to sleep, they’re out of pain (mental or physical) now and you did the right thing
If your debating whether or not your pet needs to see a vet, just ring up and ask your vets
Your pet being overweight can be as dangerous for their health as them being underweight, check body condition scores and ask your vet nurse for weight advice if your not sure
H fronted dog harnesses such as Julius k9 harnesses can damage your dogs shoulders, especially if they pull a lot. Y fronted ones are safer.
Don’t get a new pet if you cannot afford routine vet bills, if you don’t have at least £100 you can spare for your pet to see the vet, you cannot afford that pet.
Vaccinate your pets, every year.
Try to have some sort of good dental health routine for your pet, dental sticks now and then don’t work. Enzymic toothpaste, plaque off, aqua dent, hills T/D do work.
Learn what pain looks like in your pet, search Glasgow pain score or ‘species’ grimace scale for more info. Remember, if you would be in pain in your pets condition, they are in pain and need prescribed pain relief.
Don’t give pets human over the counter medication unless you have specific instructions from your vet to do so. So many human medications can be toxic to pets.