As a loving pet owner, you want your beloved companion to be with you for as long as possible and be as healthy as they can be. You also know that preventative veterinary care is a valuable investment in your pet’s health.  If you’re wondering “how much does a vet visit cost,” we have you covered. We’ve talked about the costs of wellness care, and also how medical care for illness and injuries can quickly add up into the thousands of dollars. 

Now, let’s talk about how to pay for necessary veterinary medical care for your beloved companion. In a perfect world, we would all have limitless budgets to spend on our pet’s well-being. Sadly, that is often not the case. Here are a few ways you can be prepared for an unexpected veterinary emergency, and how to budget for the cost of routine wellness care. 

Savings Account/Credit Card 

Setting up your own pet savings account, or pet emergency fund can be a great tool for those unforeseen emergencies. How do pet owners create one? When you first bring a new pet into your home, you may choose to start a separate savings account for their medical care. Contributing $50 or more per month will really add up! 

Alternatively, some pet owners prefer to dedicate a specific credit card to their pet care expenses. This way, a line of credit is always available in case your pet needs an urgent veterinary visit and allows you to pay off yearly wellness care services on your own schedule throughout the year. It’s important to keep the card in a safe but accessible place so that you’re not tempted to use it for other purchases! 

Pet Insurance

What is pet insurance? Instead of placing money into a savings account every month, some pet owners elect to pay a monthly premium for pet insurance. By choosing the size of the deductible that is affordable for you, you can be assured that your beloved pet will receive whatever veterinary care they need throughout their life. This way, if something happens to your animal and they need medical treatment, your pet health insurance will help cover the emergency vet costs. 

Healthcare Credit Cards 

There are several credit card companies that provide lines of credit for health/veterinary care. Much like the more familiar credit card companies like Visa or American Express, approval for a line of credit with one of these companies is usually based on your credit history. You can apply for an account online and receive approval in as little as five minutes. Once approved, you can use the line of credit immediately—which makes them helpful during unexpected emergencies. 

These revolving lines of credit are accepted at many veterinary hospitals as a valid form of payment, and terms will usually include an interest-free period. However, after the interest-free period, the interest rates are usually very high—so make sure that if you use one, keep this in mind as you budget your payments! 

These healthcare credit cards can be literal lifesavers for your pet. If you are unlucky enough to have to seek emergency care for your furry companion, the veterinary staff may give you options that are accepted by their hospital (and even help you apply!). As an added bonus, you can also use some of these cards for your own medical or dental care (see the card’s conditions for more). From helping with emergency veterinary care to assisting with your own medical costs, this is a great option!

Friends/Family

Chances are, your adorable pet has met and stolen the hearts of many friends and family members. In times of need, some of these same people may be happy to help their favorite feline or canine through an illness. 

While none of us feel “good” about asking for a loan from a friend or family member, most people realize that when it comes to a pet, special circumstances can call for desperate measures. If you find yourself in an expensive critical situation with your pet, reach out to your pet’s biggest fans amongst your own inner circle—you may be surprised by how willing they are to chip in, especially if it would otherwise be a life-or-death situation. Collections from crowdsourcing campaigns have financed many pets in need of lifesaving care, so it is worth a try if you feel comfortable.   

What About a Payment Plan? 

When your pet is ill and the costs of testing and treatment start to pile up, it’s natural to ask if the veterinary hospital offers a payment plan. After all, emergencies happen all the time, right? Surely if anyone understands, it’s the veterinary hospital! 

Unfortunately, many veterinary hospitals have had to stop offering payment plans due to the low rate of success in collecting monies after services are performed. In-house payment plans used to be common in many places, but it was not uncommon for animal hospitals to have to write off tens of thousands of dollars a year in unpaid bills. 

Since veterinary hospitals have to pay for the medications, supplies, staff, and facility expenses (such as electricity and water) on a monthly basis, you can imagine that having multiple “open tabs” creates a cash flow crunch. The result? An increase in the price of veterinary care for everyone else, or alternatively, being unable to pay staff and keep the doors open. You can certainly ask, but please understand if your veterinary hospital is not able to establish a payment plan. 

Wellness Plans

For routine veterinary care, enrolling your pet in a wellness plan may make sense. These are available at some hospitals (but not all—ask your favorite local veterinarian if their hospital has a wellness plan available!). 

What, exactly, is a wellness plan? Is it different from pet insurance? The short answer is YES, a wellness plan is very different from insurance! A wellness plan usually consists of a year-long contract with a monthly fee deducted from your bank account, or a lump sum paid upfront. The amount of the fee is determined by the total cost of wellness care that your pet needs over the entire year—sometimes including dental cleanings under anesthesia—discounted, and divided into monthly payments. In essence, wellness plans allow your pet to receive all of your veterinarian’s best recommendations for preventative care at a discount, and in a way that is more budget-friendly than a few large bills during the year. 

How Can AskVet Help Reduce Veterinary Costs?

We are glad you asked! Our vets, coaches and trainers can help you use your pet care dollars more wisely in several ways. 

Our personalized wellness care recommendations for your pet and access to 24/7 support ensures that all of your pet healthcare questions are answered and that your pet’s health is maximized with proven advice. 

Many times, a pet parent is unsure whether their pet’s symptoms justify a trip to the veterinarian, or if they can do something to help their furry friend at home. That’s where our veterinary team comes in! We are available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week to help in these exact situations. A quick chat with a veterinarian can help determine whether your pup or kitty needs to be taken to the emergency room immediately, whether a same-day appointment with your family veterinarian is needed, or if you can administer some simple home remedies and monitor your pet for other symptoms. 

Although seeking veterinary care for your beloved pet can be stressful—especially if they are sick—these tips can help lower the amount of stress that comes with the financial realities of obtaining needed medical services. Our AskVet veterinary experts are available to discuss all of your pet’s needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether you have an immediate need or are looking to improve your pet’s overall wellbeing, just sign in to your account and one of our friendly and knowledgeable veterinary experts will attend to your needs, no appointment required!

 

Whether you are thinking of adopting a new puppy or kitten, or a lifetime pet owner considering pet insurance for your furry companion, you may be wondering, “how much does a vet visit cost?”or “what is pet insurance?”. From routine vet visits for pet preventative care to those emergency vet visits, it is important to budget for your pet’s medical care. Like so many questions, “how much does a vet cost?” doesn’t have any simple answers—but we can help give you guidelines on what to expect regarding the price of veterinary services! 

Average Costs of Tests and Services

It is crucial to understand that a pet owner’s total vet visit cost will vary depending on the type of pet care that is needed.

• Routine checkups: $50 to $250
• Vaccines per shot: $15 to $28
• Physical exams: $45 to $55
• Dental Cleaning: $500 to $1,000
• Allergy testing: $200 to $300
• Spay/neuter: $300 to $800
• Fecal exam: $25 to $45
• Geriatric screening: $85 to $110
• Heartworm test: $45 to $50

Wellness Care & Preventative Medicine

Just like everything else, the cost of veterinary services varies across the country depending on the local cost of living. Additionally, the cost for preventative medications (such as flea/tick and heartworm prevention) is higher for larger pets, since they need a higher dosage based on their body weight. 

In general, though, you can expect to pay about $500-$1,500 a year for wellness care services. The amount you spend will vary based on diseases of concern in your geographic location, which vaccines are needed for your pet’s lifestyle, and whether you have a cat or a dog (cats need fewer vaccines than dogs do!). But for all of that money, what are you actually paying for? 

What if My Pet Needs Emergency Care?

As pet owners, it is important to be aware that accidents happen and your pet may need to be brought in for an emergency vet visit. A veterinary bill, especially if it is for emergency care, can be VERY expensive. The Emergency Vets USA has gathered the average costs of emergency veterinary care services, which has been listed below.
Average costs of emergency vet visits in the U.S:

• General consultation/exam: $100-$150
• General blood work: $80-200
• X-rays: $150-$250
• Ultrasound: $300-$600
• 1-2 day hospitalization: $600-$1,700
• 3-5 day hospitalization: $1,500-$3,500
• Wound treatment and repair: $800-$1,500
• Emergency surgery: $800-$2,500
• Oxygen therapy: $500

The Annual Wellness Exam

Veterinarians recommend that most healthy dogs and cats visit the veterinarian for preventative care at least once a year, and sometimes every six months. Wellness visits include a complete and thorough physical exam to identify any areas of concern for your pet before they develop into a larger medical issue. Your veterinarian will examine your pet’s eyes/vision, ears, teeth/mouth, listen to their heart and lungs, palpate their abdomen for any organ enlargement, and assess your pet’s skin, lymph nodes, and joints. Since our pets can’t talk to us, regular physical exams by your veterinarian are essential for picking up early clues of illness–even if the pet parent does not perceive that anything is amiss.

Vaccinations and Boosters

Along with the physical exam, your veterinarian will recommend vaccinations to prevent contagious (and often deadly) diseases. These recommendations are tailor-made to your pet’s age, lifestyle, and geographic location. Some infectious diseases are more common in certain parts of the country, while others are not encountered often enough to justify a vaccination in an individual pet unless they travel to another area. 

Routine Lab Testing 

In addition, lab testing is performed to screen your pet for certain infections. For dogs and cats, a fecal exam is recommended at least once a year (and often every six months). This test looks for the microscopic eggs of intestinal parasites, which can infect your dog or cat when they nose around and lick the ground outside, or eat bugs and other undesirable things (including dead animals!)!  

A blood test to screen your dog for heartworm infection is also recommended every six to twelve months. Heartworm disease is a parasitic infection as well—but this worm lives in the heart and lungs, and can cause heart failure and death. It is transmitted from dog to dog by mosquito bites, which we all know are impossible to prevent! Fortunately, there are safe and effective medications to prevent an actual infection from taking place—and your veterinarian will discuss these with you.

Blood and Urine Testing

Bloodwork to evaluate your pet’s internal organ function is also recommended at least once a year, and sometimes every six months if your pet is older or has an underlying condition that needs more frequent monitoring. Wellness blood work evaluates your pet’s red blood cells, white blood cells, blood sugar, electrolyte levels, kidney enzymes, liver enzymes, and more. A urinalysis will provide further information on your dog’s kidney function, hydration status, and bladder health. If something is not normal and requires further investigation, you will be glad that the condition was caught early enough for your veterinarian to intervene and help your precious pet. 

Annual Dental Cleanings

A dental cleaning under anesthesia is usually recommended once a year as well, depending on the level of tartar and calculus build-up noted at the time of your pet’s physical exam (see our article on “Everything You Need to Know About Dental Health” for more). This expense varies on the type of anesthesia used, the size of the patient, and whether tooth extractions are needed. Typically, price ranges for this procedure alone can range from $500-$1,000—or more, if extractions are necessary.

Flea, Tick, and Heartworm Prevention 

The last piece of the wellness care puzzle is year-round flea, tick, and heartworm prevention. (Note: in some colder northern climates with few mosquitos, your veterinarian may recommend heartworm prevention only part of the year.) These preventatives help keep your pet healthy, happy, and comfortable by preventing the transmission of diseases by ticks, fleas, and mosquitos. 

There are many options available and in various weight ranges for pets of all sizes. As always, medications for larger/heavier dogs are more expensive than for smaller dogs—because the amount of active ingredients is higher. Check with your veterinarian for their recommendations for your local area.  

What About When My Pet is Sick?

While most pet owners can budget for the cost of routine wellness care, many live in fear of unexpected emergency vet bills. Knowing how to pay for vet bills can be a complicated situation. Vomiting and diarrhea are some of the most common reasons why an ill pet needs to see a veterinarian. Testing to identify or rule out causes of these symptoms can include bloodwork, radiographs (x-rays), and more—and add up to another $600-1,000 or so, depending on your local cost of living and the type of equipment your veterinarian has available. 

For more serious medical issues requiring hospitalization at a 24-hour hospital, costs can quickly approach a thousand dollars (or more!) per day. That may sound like a lot, but this lifesaving care is provided by doctors and staff who are extraordinarily well-trained and well-equipped with the latest in lifesaving care at their fingertips to help your pet. Consultations with different specialists, such as a surgeon or cardiologist, can often be coordinated at these facilities if your pet needs them, too. 

Emergency surgeries are often performed to remove objects from a pet’s intestinal tract (such as string, pieces of toys, socks and other items they swallow!), or if a pet has a life-threatening abdominal injury or bleeding tumor. These surgeries can quickly approach $5,000-10,000 in costs, but often are the only way to save your pet’s life in a true emergency situation. 

We all know our pet’s love is priceless—but sometimes, these unexpected costs can be daunting. See our article on “Tips on Paying for Vet Care” for more about how to handle an emergency situation that we all hope NEVER happens to your pet. As always, it is better to be safe than sorry! 

Spaying/Neutering

A special case to discuss in any conversation about pet health care costs is spaying and neutering your pet. Most pet owners in America decide to have their dogs and cats “fixed” to prevent certain diseases later in life, and to prevent unwanted pregnancy (along with some behaviors influenced by the sex hormones, such as urine marking by male dogs). 

The cost of spaying and neutering varies widely depending on both your local cost of living and the quality of anesthetic drugs and anesthesia monitoring involved in your pet’s surgery. In addition, it is often more expensive to spay or neuter a larger/heavier dog than a smaller one—since all of your pet’s anesthetic and pain medications are dosed by their body weight. You are literally “paying by the pound” for medications throughout your pet’s life! 

Spays and Neuters at a Low Cost Facility vs Full Service Vet Clinic

While some non-profit facilities offer discounted spay and neuter services of only a hundred dollars or so, this procedure is more expensive at a full-service clinic. Why is that? Well, there are many reasons for this price discrepancy—even though the end result (a spayed or neutered pet) is the same.

A veterinary hospital usually has more staff assigned to your pet’s well-being before, during, and after anesthesia than a non-profit can afford. Also, many shelters and humane societies forego additional safety measures—like pre-anesthetic bloodwork, and IV fluids during the procedure—for apparently healthy pets, in favor of reducing costs. While the veterinarians at shelters are extremely skilled surgeons and fast at the procedure, sometimes these safety measures are truly necessary—and we don’t always know when they will be needed in an individual pet ahead of time. In case of a rare anesthetic emergency, proper monitoring equipment, plenty of staff, and access to your pet’s veins for life-saving medication can mean the difference between life and death for your pet. 

There are other factors differentiating the level of care your pet receives at a low-cost facility versus a veterinary hospital.  For instance, if there is a problem after surgery, such as an infection or incision issue, low-cost facilities generally do not have the ability to follow up with your pet and instead refer you to a local family veterinarian. Finally, at a full-service veterinary hospital, there are no charitable contributions or government funds subsidizing your pet’s surgery—so the pet owner is responsible for the cost.

For these reasons, you can expect to pay $300-800 or so for your cat or dog’s spay/neuter surgery at a private hospital. It may surprise you to know that, even at these prices, there is often not a significant profit to be made from these surgeries at a veterinary clinic. Spaying and neutering is considered so important to your pet’s health that veterinarians sometimes even lose money by providing these much-needed surgeries! 

Pet Health Insurance

Investing in pet health insurance is a great way to help cover your expenses as veterinary costs, emergency treatment, or even prescribed veterinary medicine can be costly. Picking the appropriate pet health insurance plan with the best coverage will not only benefit your pet, but will also allow you to save money in the bank!

The Bottom Line

While the cost of veterinary care can definitely add up, it’s worth thinking about your personal budget for both your pet’s yearly wellness care needs—to try to prevent a more expensive problem down the road!—and to have a plan in case your pet has a true emergency.  Your AskVet team is here to help you maximize your pet’s health, and determine when a vet visit is truly necessary. 

Our AskVet veterinary [professionals are available to discuss all of your pet’s needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether you have an immediate need or are looking to improve your pet’s overall wellbeing, just sign into your account and one of our friendly and knowledgeable veterinary experts will attend to your needs, no appointment required!

 

Sources:
https://emergencyvetsusa.com/average-cost-of-emergency-vet-visits/

 

Written by:

Allison Ward, DVM
Dr. Allison Ward grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and started working in veterinary hospitals when she was 14 years old. After graduating from veterinary school in 2011, she completed a small animal rotating internship in New Jersey, followed by a neurology/neurosurgery internship in Miami. After completing this advanced training, Dr. Ward then moved on to general small animal practice. Dr. Ward’s professional interests include feline medicine, neurology, and pain management. Her passion for educating pet owners carries over into her work with AskVet, and she loves being able to help pets and their parents at all times of the day (and night!). She currently resides in sunny south Florida with her two cats, Larry and George.

It’s every pet owner’s worst nightmare: a true medical emergency. Your dog or cat has ingested something toxic, or been injured in an accident. As you’re driving your beloved pet to the veterinary emergency hospital—or to your trusted family veterinarian—your thoughts are racing. “Is my pet going to be okay?? Is she in pain? What would I do without her??” And the question that none of us want to think about: “Am I going to be able to afford what she needs? How much does a vet visit cost? ” 

When trying to pay for an emergency vet bill as a pet parent, there is nothing like having financial assistance set aside in case your companion animal needs emergency care. A pet emergency fund lets you focus on your pet’s well-being during a true medical emergency, without many of the financial worries that complicate the cascade of emotions when a beloved pet is ill or injured. While nobody enjoys spending money, the peace of mind that comes from knowing your family companion is able to get the life-saving healthcare she needs is truly priceless. 

For some pet owners, that peace of mind comes from having pet insurance with an affordable deductible, and it is important to understand what is pet insurance and what it will actually cover. However, for other pet owners, it makes more sense to have a dedicated pet emergency fund to cover unforeseen accidents, illness, or injury. 

Common Pet Emergencies

You might think that just because you are a loving, attentive pet owner who follows all of your veterinarian’s pet preventative care recommendations, an emergency just can’t happen to your pet. We SO wish that were true! Unfortunately, some things are just out of our control (similar to our own health sometimes!).

The most common symptom that leads pet owners to bring their cats and dogs in for urgent treatment is vomiting and diarrhea. While most pets suffering from these common symptoms just need help controlling their nausea and diarrhea, these signs can also be the tip of the iceberg that indicates a severe illness. Testing such as bloodwork, a fecal exam, radiographs (x-rays), and even an abdominal ultrasound is often recommended to look for some of these more serious conditions—and the costs of testing alone can quickly add up. 

Other common, potentially life-threatening symptoms that lead pet owners to an emergency visit are straining to urinate and the inability to urinate, difficulty breathing, collapse/weakness, loss of appetite, and limping (often a strain or a sprain, but sometimes due to a broken leg or a torn cruciate ligament—known as an “ACL tear” by all you sports buffs!).  

Of course, this list of possible reasons for an emergency visit wouldn’t be complete without all the animals who are hit by a car, attacked by another animal, or who ingest something poisonous.  In these cases, diagnostic tests are even more important to identify your pet’s underlying medical problem and/or injuries and to determine the proper course of treatment to save their life. 

Treatments and interventions, such as emergency surgery and prolonged hospitalization, are often necessary and add to the cost of a pet emergency. 

Pet Emergency Fund

As you can see, the cost of emergency veterinary care for your beloved companion can quickly add up. Veterinarians always communicate with pet owners the benefits and risks of performing or forgoing certain tests, and of performing certain treatments in each patient. However, not knowing how to pay for vet bills is a tricky situation for both the pet owner and the veterinarian alike. The sad reality is that most of the time, decisions are made according to financial limitations, and not necessarily what is the best medical care for the pet. 

Veterinarians are used to working with pet owners on a budget—we do it all day, every day!—but having an emergency fund can give you the peace of mind that you are able to authorize the best medical care for your pet without having to weigh the pros, cons, and possible outcomes based on finances alone. 

If you decide that pet insurance is not right for your family, it makes sense to set up a bank account or obtain a credit card that is to be used ONLY for pet expenses and emergencies. Some pet owners prefer to deposit a certain monthly amount in a pet savings account, or to fund it all at once when they obtain their pet—and not use the funds for other expenses. See our article on “how much does veterinary care cost?” for more on how much you think you need to budget. 

AskVet Can Help You Determine If You Have A Pet Emergency

Our veterinarians are here to help you identify what qualifies as a pet emergency 24 hours a day, seven days a week! We can help you decide if you need to go immediately to an ER or if you can wait to see your family vet. 

As you can see, AskVet is here for your pet’s daily needs, as well as when you need us the most—in an emergency situation. For most pet owners, it is sadly not a case of “if” but WHEN a pet emergency will happen—and our Care Squad is here to help you during these difficult times. 

We are available to discuss all of your pet’s needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether you have an immediate need or are looking to improve your pet’s overall wellbeing, just sign into your account and one of our friendly and knowledgeable veterinary experts will attend to your needs, no appointment required!