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I went to the dentist today. My 2nd visit of the year. Earlier this year, I was billed for a deductible of about $60 or so. The rest of the visit didn't cost me anything.
I am taking one of my dogs to the vet tomorrow morning to have his teeth cleaned. Granted, he's been with me about 2-ish years and it doesn't look like he's EVER had his teeth done. The estimate? Somewhere between $450 - $550 (depending on what's needed).
What's wrong with this picture?
I am taking one of my dogs to the vet tomorrow morning to have his teeth cleaned. Granted, he's been with me about 2-ish years and it doesn't look like he's EVER had his teeth done. The estimate? Somewhere between $450 - $550 (depending on what's needed).
What's wrong with this picture?
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Phoenix
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Mon, November 2, 2009 - 8:09 PMThey DO have pet insurance if you're interested! You still have to pay the vet bill but assuming your dog isn't seen for a pre-existing condition, the insurance company will reimburse you for at least a chunk of what you paid.
I'm waiting for this to REALLY catch on and get big like human insurance is... but sadly with the economy the way it is right now, I don't see that happening soon. -
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Mon, November 2, 2009 - 8:22 PMGeneral anesthesia is probably part of the reason for the high price tag. If they are putting your dog under (they usually do), that's probably what's so expensive. Vet bills eat up a big chunk of change at times, I know. I have one giant dog and one pretty big dog. And eight cats. So I really do feel your pain. -
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Tue, November 3, 2009 - 7:23 AMFor that much, I'd sit on the mutts and have Hubby go after 'em with a toothbrush. D: -
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Tue, November 3, 2009 - 5:55 PMThe tab came to about $440.
They had to extract 6 lower front teeth (the ones in between the lower "fangs").
Poor little guy. He's not himself yet. He's happy to be home but he's still a little out of it. He'll be getting extra lap time and cuddles.
I know about the insurance. I work for an insurance company that owns a pet insurance company. If I truly knew the age of this dog (I don't, he was a rescue) and had a better understanding of what he is (sheltie mixed with WHAT?), I would. The ins. cos base their premium on age of the animal, breed(s), etc. and the premiums are all over the chart. Since my little guy (Curly, pic in my album) has bad teeth from puppyhood and I don't think has had a cleaning his whole life, hopefully the worst is over and we'll be able to get buy with special chews and maybe some manual brushing.
Right now, I have to soak his food to soften it cuz his mouth is still a little sore. Poor guy. -
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Tue, November 3, 2009 - 8:37 PMGlad your guy is doing relatively ok. Sedation leaves animals loopy and wall-eyed for awhile.
Dogs and cats usually get by pretty well without teeth once their gums heal up. I have a 12 year old rescue cat who is missing more than a few teeth and he does pretty well with dry food. Course he loves wet food, too. They supposedly can handle dry food without a tooth in their head. I call Oscar "Elvis" or "Billy Idol" because his lip curls where he's missing teeth. He has such an adorable snarl.
I always found that pet insurance was way too expensive for me. With all my animals, I find that it's cheaper to absorb the occasional big bill. My vet is pretty good about trying to keep my costs down, and he will usually let me postdate a check or make a couple payments if I need to.
Hope your dog recovers quickly. Once the anesthesia wears off and his gums heal, he'll bounce right back. -
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Wed, November 4, 2009 - 7:48 PMWell, it's day 2 and Mr. Curly seems more like his usual self...an attention whore. I think he's smarter than he looks cuz he's playing up the "isn't this hurt little pup so cute" thing like there's no tomorrow. But that's OK. If I had 6 teeth yanked out of my head, I'd wanna sleep it off and then seek attention too.
I've been dampening his dry foot with warm water, letting it soften a bit before I give it to him. He doesn't seem to mind. I just don't want to risk any irritation on such tender gums.
But he's so stinkin' cute! He was a rescue boy. I'm so glad he found his way here.
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Tue, November 3, 2009 - 3:34 AMthey make doggy teeth cleaning chew and toothpaste too
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Tue, November 3, 2009 - 7:06 PMSimply insurance vs. no insurance...
When I took my cat to get her teeth cleaned (I got her at the SPCA about a year ago, age unknown but probably between 2-3 yeard old) I noticed that the main cost is the anesthesia...not possible to really clean a cat's teeth without them being sedated. It was the first big vet bill I've ever had (first pet of my own) and while it was hefty--I think around $300 if I recall--I figured it was worth it since to have their teeth extracted later or let them come down with gum disease and the like a. costs WAY more to take care of and b. hurts them far worse.
It's all about preventative medicine!
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Wed, November 4, 2009 - 8:13 PMif he'll tolerate it you might try a warm salt water bath maybe with a sponge? to get at those germy germs in his teef-ies. -
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Re: There's something not quite right about this...
Wed, November 4, 2009 - 9:53 PMaww, I'm glad doggies okay:)
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