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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
  
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | My horse that needs a myelogram has been having trouble getting into Sturgis Vet because of x ray machine issues. They quoted $1500. So he said he would refer me to CSU. They quoted me $2000-$2500. That is insane. Another small vet that has and can do them, thought around $950-$1000 but he said when it came to dealing with insurance I would be money ahead to go to a big time vet. I'm broker than broke from one thing after another going wrong and just want to cry over this whole deal   |
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 Ms. Marine
Posts: 4642
  
Location: Texas | So sorry that you're dealing with that...
I know when I had my dog neutered, one vet quoted me $460, another quoted me $375, and the vet I ended up taking him to charged us $110. It's insanely frustrating. Hope you find a solution! |
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 Ima Cool Kid
Posts: 3496
Location: TN | look at how much difference in price there is in hock injections.
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 It Goes On
Posts: 2262
Location: Muskogee, OK | A lot of factors go into it..
What type of equipment the facility has (for example: a 25,000 x-ray machine that clinic may charge $30-40 per view. Whereas a clinic that has a $60,000 x-ray machine which takes pictures with a little bit more detail may charge $50-75 per view.)
How many of the specific procedure (in your case-myelogram) does the facility do? The contrast material that is injected into the CSF space for a myelogram is not cheap- and needs to be completely sterile and usually has to be used in a certain amount of time. If a specific clinic does X myelograms per week they can use up an entire bottle and split up costs between patients. However, if another clinic only does 1 myelogram every couple of months they'll have to charge the client for that whole bottle of contrast.
Experience- referral/speciality type practices usually have increased prices due to the extensive experience and expertise the veterinarians have.
Anesthetic used- what type of anesthesia does the specific clinic use for the particular procedure? Are they going to just drop the horse like a castration and perform the myelogram under all injectable anesthesia, or will they also hook the horse up to a gas anesthesia during the procedure? This varies from clinic to clinic and is based on the veterinarian's preference and type of equipment available.
There is a multitude of other factors coming into play here, but I wanted to touch on the few that many people don't always think about.
Edited by barrelracingchick16 2017-07-27 2:05 PM
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It Goes On
Posts: 2262
Location: Muskogee, OK | horsingaround - 2017-07-27 1:13 PM
look at how much difference in price there is in hock injections.
It's always important to remember that all hock (or any joint) injections are not created equal. I know some veterinarians that inject just straight depo-medrol (cheap) into the joint and call it good.
It's important to know what your veterinarian is injecting into your horses joints especially in regards to comparing price. Generally the substances that are healthier for the joint are going to be heavier on your wallet- and a large portion of owners out there do not realize that and think it's more of a standardized thing. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
| Not all vets are created equal. Much like not all farriers are created equal...actually not even close.
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | Because a lot are privately owned and they can charge whatever they want....i drive 3 hours to my vet and pass a couple clinics on the way...we do use a local vet for minor emergencys but even she is an hour away...here is an example.1 vet- for float and sed 150$ plus the extra charge for hooks 70 a piece..so total was 290 and 2nd vet 150 float and sed...m |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| Free enterprise perhaps? |
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Veteran
Posts: 134
| I live close to OSU's vet school and their prices are always much higher than any of the local vets or even driving my non-horse animals to Tulsa for very specialized care. You would think that since they are a teaching hospital it would be cheaper but that is not the case... |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | wyoming barrel racer - 2017-07-27 12:54 PM
My horse that needs a myelogram has been having trouble getting into Sturgis Vet because of x ray machine issues. They quoted $1500. So he said he would refer me to CSU. They quoted me $2000-$2500. That is insane. Another small vet that has and can do them, thought around $950-$1000 but he said when it came to dealing with insurance I would be money ahead to go to a big time vet. I'm broker than broke from one thing after another going wrong and just want to cry over this whole deal
Not to steal the thread, but just wondered how Audie was doing  |
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Veteran
Posts: 150
| I think location may play a factor also? I live in a very rural area. My vet is beyond reasonable for shots and exams. I have a friend in Rapid City who pays almost triple for the same services. I'm sure the cost of operation is way higher there than here. They have to charge more to cover their basic day to day expenses. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| EagleJess - 2017-07-27 4:56 PM
I live close to OSU's vet school and their prices are always much higher than any of the local vets or even driving my non-horse animals to Tulsa for very specialized care. You would think that since they are a teaching hospital it would be cheaper but that is not the case...
I've run into this issue as well with our state vet school. And I always expect the actual charges to be significantly over the quoted price. I think the issue there is that they have to keep track of everything so precisely, whereas a privately owned clinic doesn't do that. For example, I got charged for a box of latex gloves, and I'm thinking did they use the entire box and isn't that typically figured into the cost of doing the procedure? And my example of the privately owned clinic is that I have been quoted a price on a procedure, but when the actual bill was tallied up and they were a couple hundred over, they wrote off that extra amount.
I'm not saying one place is better than the other, I just think that this is possibly one of the variables for the pricing differences. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | I sent you a PM |
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| Sad reality unfortunately. When my dog broke his leg the local veterinary teaching hospital only 20 miles from me wanted at least $4,000 to fix it. Friend of ours is a vet and a 5 hour drive away - he looked at the xray, said he could fix it and he'd take a zero off the price, it ended up being $550 but still, kind of a big difference and well-worth the 5 hours drive. Good luck and I hope you can get your horse what it needs. |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Chandler's Mom - 2017-07-27 9:21 PM wyoming barrel racer - 2017-07-27 12:54 PM My horse that needs a myelogram has been having trouble getting into Sturgis Vet because of x ray machine issues. They quoted $1500. So he said he would refer me to CSU. They quoted me $2000-$2500. That is insane. Another small vet that has and can do them, thought around $950-$1000 but he said when it came to dealing with insurance I would be money ahead to go to a big time vet. I'm broker than broke from one thing after another going wrong and just want to cry over this whole deal Not to steal the thread, but just wondered how Audie was doing
Not good. Highly suspect compression, there are just things he can not do that a normal horse can. Scratch his nose with a hind leg, nip at a fly past his rib, eat off the ground. I haven't even seen him lay down since May when this nightmare started. He goes in to CSU the 7th to do the procedure that will check for compression. She mentioned being in touch with the insurance during the procedure that way if they find compression they can euthenize while under general anesthesia. I mentioned this to the adjusters as well, just so I know we are on the same page, and that they are ok with the euthenasia. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| I'm so sorry. I hope the outcome is better than expected.
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 To the Left
Posts: 1865
Location: Florida | Have you priced human tests? The same test can vary by thousands of dollars depending on where you go. The bigger the "group" the more it costs. |
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 Loves to compete
Posts: 5760
Location: Oakdale, CA | overhead..............payments on land, equipment and employees make a huge difference. |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | wyoming barrel racer - 2017-07-28 2:30 PM
Chandler's Mom - 2017-07-27 9:21 PM wyoming barrel racer - 2017-07-27 12:54 PM My horse that needs a myelogram has been having trouble getting into Sturgis Vet because of x ray machine issues. They quoted $1500. So he said he would refer me to CSU. They quoted me $2000-$2500. That is insane. Another small vet that has and can do them, thought around $950-$1000 but he said when it came to dealing with insurance I would be money ahead to go to a big time vet. I'm broker than broke from one thing after another going wrong and just want to cry over this whole deal Not to steal the thread, but just wondered how Audie was doing
Oh I'm so sorry; that's not at all what I hoped to hear. . . I pray that they don't find compression and you don't have to make that terrible decision |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 865
| All about overhead and profit is what dictates the charges. Med's direct cost the same to all vets. So if you go to an over the top clinic with high overhead expect to pay big prices. With that being said, it is important to go to a vet that will utilize the latest techniques and incorporate the best mix of medications into the injections. None of their training or expertise comes for free folks. |
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Expert
Posts: 3147
| Drugs are not the same price for every vet. There are different companies making the same drug with different prices. Plus the more drugs (same drug) bought at one time the cheaper the price. |
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How can vet procedures vary so much from one clinic to another?