Did you confront them about the cost? I run a rescue and I always tell the person to take the animal to the vet and then get the vet to call me re treatment and cost. Normally i find that once they talk to me the vet cost almost halfs! The issue is most vets think resuces are larger organisations that can afford big vet bills, 90% of them don’t realise that this is not always the case

i would definitely call and talk to the vet in memphis and explain to them the situation. my sister worked for a vet and they used to cut costs for rescues and stuff. good luck!

So this was for xrays, ultrasound, biopsy and a few shots of pain meds, and they have yet to remove it – is that right? So if I do my math from memory for HERE (San Francisco Bay Area) – here’s what I would have had to spend with my rabbit-savvy vet

Exam $45 (and that’s cheap for here(
2 view xray – $150
Ultrasound – $150 (I really can’t remember the exact cost)
Anesthesia $85 Estimate (my vet charges $85 for the first $15 minutes, and $75 for each additional 15 minutes – so I can’t imagine the xrays taking more than 15 minutes)
Biopsy – really depends but I’m guessing $75
meds – $25
Waste Disposal $5

So that’s quite a bit of $$!

Now of course, there is no way for me to know if all of that was necessary or not – you could compare you last bills with the current, and discuss with the vet. It may have been that since this is returning they are trying to get to the bottom of it to help prevent another reoccurence. I am also thinking the only reason the vet did the ultra sound is because the xrays may have shown something that concerned him/her but couldn’t get a decent reading via the xrays, and decided to check the ultrasound to get a better idea of what kind of lump it was. To really get a full explanation though, I would just call and ask and ask if there was anyone to receive a discounted rate for your rescue.

I know here that rescues will sometimes get discounted rates with certain vets. Some vets here even donate their time/skills.

So take a deep breath and I’m sure you’ll get this figured out. Keep us updated.

Well, actually the ultra sound that I had done on Pepe was around $200.00 – it was a person who travels from vet to vet.

I think the best thing is to get a copy of the bill to see the breakdown. Anesthesia can really add up.

Honestly prices for vets vary greatly from city to city so I don’t know that for sure anyone was being taken advantage of. I would have had them get a breakdown of costs prior to any procedures because once it’s done, it’s done.

I don’t think the price for all of those procedures was really out of line, at least for where I live near NYC, but I can’t say if all of the procedures were really necessary. I would call the office and talk to them about the costs and the breakdown.

I think that’s a good idea about adding that clause – the owner should be responsible for the vet care. The rescue I used to help at asked on the application if the applicant was aware of what the costs for care including vet costs would be and it’s always good to discuss this in person at the adoption so that they really are aware since the costs anywhere for a chronic condition can really add up.

You can always ask on the application as well why they would return the rabbit to you (ie cost of care, allergies, divorce) – sometimes the answer to this can give you a little insight to the adopter as well.

Oi that’s a big bill to get saddled with unexpectedly.

I’m glad you were able to argue it down a bit. I agree-the metacam could have been givin orally for cheap. So that just stinks
Also vet prices vary a great deal. I’ve heard of a rabbit neuter costing less then 50$ (which is very cheap) and as much as 400$ -average spay/neuter around 200$ but again-it varies.

and as for my rescue, there is no way we can afford to cover something this big on any type of regular basis. a couple of instances like this, and we would go broke and have to shut down. so, i am adding a clause in our adoption contract about not covering any vet care after 30 days, strongly encouraging pet insurance (and giving out a brochure), and giving the person the option of returning the rabbit to me for care if they have expenses they can’t pay for. Not my first choice, but I’m not sure if there is a better solution?

Alot of animal shelters give 30 days free pet insurance-and this is a deal between them and the company. I’d suggest contacting some pet insurance companies and seeing if they’d like to do that program with you-so basically your offering the 30 days of insurance, at no cost to you; and the insurance company benefits because many people will continue the insurance afterwards. I’d say that’s your best bet.
And honestly it’s kind of you to try to look after vet costs after adoption-but that’s not feasible. I wouldn’t expect the shelter to foot the cost unless it was a condition they knew about and adopted to me anyways without telling me.
So I really think the pet insurance thing would be the way to go. When we adopted our dog, that’s what we got. WE didn’t continue with the insurance because so far in Canada it’s a bit of a ripoff, and doesn’t cover much unless you pay really high premiums and deductables. But I know there are many optiosn in the the US. I heard VPI is a good one-you could start by contacting them if they cover rabbits?

I’m not entirely sure of the difference in oral vs. injectible metacam but I doubt that oral metacam would be strong enough for a surgery – it’s a NSAID – an anti-inflammatory – you should ask the vet what the difference would be and why oral vs. injectible instead of just assuming that oral would be okay.

Always the cost of having a doctor administer a drug is way more than doing it yourself as well…for instance if I have my vet do sub-q’s, it’s $25.00 if I buy a bag and do it myself it’s $20.00 – I suppose they have to build in other factors when they administer anything since it’s all the cost of doing business.

When I adopted Rucy from HRS, they told me of her previous jaw abscess history and that though it has been fine for a while now, they said I need to be aware of it as there is a possibility it could return. I got a copy of all of the health/vet records so I could give them to my vet. I knew it would be my financial responsibility. The one catch about that though is I could not insure her because she had a pre-existing condition. However, the insurance did say that if the abscess did not return in 2 years and I had a vet verify her health, that I could get the “pre-existing” dropped. (I don’t know if that is still part of their policy)

A clause in the adoption contract is a great idea. Of course, you have to be upfront about any past health issues and educate them on what may recur. Typically, a rescue is not going to pay for medical issues after an adoption is completed, but I agree that if the new family can’t afford the vet costs, the rabbit should be returned and surrendered to you. That is when you have to make the tough decision if it is something that you treat, or is it not possible for you to treat…

You really do a great job. I know you do it because you care and you want these little guys to have the best life. Hugs for you!

Yikes, I can imagine that was quite a shock to get that bill. I’ve only been a bunny slave for a couple of years and the first thing I found out was how much their medical care can vary. I live close to the medium size city of Waco, and the only vet that did spays had a fee that started at $450 and that was without pain meds.

The rescue in Dallas put me in touch with their vet in Dallas who only charged me about $150 total, kept her all day for observation and sent us home with a full week of pain medication. AND called several times during the next week to find out how she was doing and answer questions. I had to take a day off from work and leave at 5:30 am to get to Dallas by 7:30 am but it was well worth it.

I adopted my Toby from the Waco shelter knowing he had dental problems and would need his front teeth clipped every month. Before finding Dr. Erving, I used several vets who charged me from $45 to $65 each time. Dr. Erving is the only one in the area who treats a lot of rabbits and she does it for only $15 and I feel that he gets a mini checkup each time he goes.

I think the idea of them returning the rabbit to you if they can’t afford it is the best option, too. What is your website?
I agree that having the vet contact you before doing the tests would probably help.

Posted By bradforde on 12/15/2009 03:42 PM 
I know I should have insisted that the rabbit be brought down here to my vet. Lesson learned, and next time I do an adoption, I am definitely adding that medical clause AND insurance info!

That might be another thing you can encourage too – where possible, have the rabbit seen by your own vet if needed in the 30 day period.  You may even be able to organise something thru your vet re discounts for the adopters. 
Hope the New Year brings some of those dollars back your way!
 

Or if it came down to it, within the 30 days you could agree to COVER UP TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT (like the $200 you were expecting to pay). The new owners would be responsible for the remainder. They would have to pay the bill, provide you the receipt and then you could send them a check for the agreed-upon amount… Just another idea…

I didn’t read all of the replies, and thankfully my bun has never had anything like that happen to her. However, I can tell you this. My vet, where I’ve taken my cats for jeeze, 10 years? My vet wanted close to $400 for a spay. A run of the mill spay. Nothing special, all that included was the spay and bloodwork, no meds or anything. That’s right down the street from my house. Our area is very…old money, if that makes sense. I called around and found a place that offered spaying, blood work, and post op meds for around $150. They were in the boonies, but the 30 minute drive was worth it.

I’m only familiar with salivary tumors in people. In people, they have to be removed, even if they are benign, b/c they are not going to go away and they could cause damage to the salivary glands or nerves. In bunnies I’m not sure, but I’m guessing they’ll want to remove it. Is that what the vet is recommending?

I’m not entirely sure of the difference in oral vs. injectible metacam but I doubt that oral metacam would be strong enough for a surgery – it’s a NSAID – an anti-inflammatory – you should ask the vet what the difference would be and why oral vs. injectible instead of just assuming that oral would be okay.

BAH! I didn’t even think of that-Sarita your right-oral pain killer would not suffice for surgery-it would have to be an injection *Facepalm* Your right

it’s a benign salivary tumor – anybody have any experience with this type of thing?

Sorry not at all Hopefully someone does. Beka’s explanation for people though sounds right-I’d imagine it’s very similar.