Average Vet Visit Price

[kaylayuh]

I was just at the vet and never realized how good the base price is. I was wondering what you pay each time you take your bird to the vet.

[patdbunny]

My input - I have in my mind that it'll be apprx $200 for diagnostics to find out what's wrong, if anything. If it ends up being something "simple" like bacterial infection, fungal (not including aspergillosis), parasites, minor splinting/bandaging then I have in my mind I'll get off easy with it all costing $500 or less. Anything more major such as surgery or repeat follow up visits or something difficult to diagnose I have in my mind it'll cost apprx. $2,000. Necropsies alone w/ all the lab work ends up around $200-$300 and sometimes there's no definitive cause of death.

[kaylayuh]

My input - I have in my mind that it'll be apprx $200 for diagnostics to find out what's wrong, if anything. If it ends up being something "simple" like bacterial infection, fungal (not including aspergillosis), parasites, minor splinting/bandaging then I have in my mind I'll get off easy with it all costing $500 or less. Anything more major such as surgery or repeat follow up visits or something difficult to diagnose I have in my mind it'll cost apprx. $2,000. Necropsies alone w/ all the lab work ends up around $200-$300 and sometimes there's no definitive cause of death.

California really is expensive. Even if the vet had insisted on stool samples and x-rays when I went, we would have barely hit the $200 mark. For all three birds well bird visit, including swabbing, stool samples, and blood work if necessary, the cost is still barely over $300.

Are you planning on sending your daughter to veterinary school?

[patdbunny]

Are you planning on sending your daughter to veterinary school?

I WISH! She has no interest whatsoever. She actually sayz she's not a "bird person". What is WRONG with that kid?! I'll settle for her marrying a vet.

I'm actually looking into doing my own bacterial cultures and sensitivity. I've been keeping birds long enough that I can recognize little things like candida, broken bones, etc. that I might be able to treat myself. Building a rapport with a vet's a good thing. I can call up his office and tell them I need nystatin and I can just go pick it up. I don't usually take the animals in for the minor stuff so my vet visits rarely are in the under $200 category. I don't take my kid to the doctor for a minor cut either. That's what band-aids and cookies are for.

[kaylayuh]

Are you planning on sending your daughter to veterinary school?

I WISH! She has no interest whatsoever. She actually sayz she's not a "bird person". What is WRONG with that kid?! I'll settle for her marrying a vet.

Threaten to take her out of the will unless she becomes and/or marries a vet! And doesn't she have a bird?

I usually just do well bird visits to make sure everything's okay. The other day was actually the only emergency vet visit I've made for one of these three, and hopefully it'll stay that way. If I had someone show me how to do swabs myself, I would probably do it. But I don't have anyone to teach me, so I guess that's out of the picture.

[patdbunny]

;) And doesn't she have a bird?

She has two actually - Ducky (sun conure) and Sam (tiel); and she's waiting for my fiery rosellas to breed and for a rosey bourke.

I think the "I'm not a bird person" comment came from Ducky destroying her favorite earrings yesterday.
She called him a booger in her blog:
http://idea87960.blogspot.com/2011/05/h ... stery.html

[kaylayuh]

I think the "I'm not a bird person" comment came from Ducky destroying her favorite earrings yesterday.
She called him a booger in her blog:
http://idea87960.blogspot.com/2011/05/h ... stery.html

Unless the earrings were in her ears at the time, she can't really complain!

Also, Avian Biotech seems to be able to do a gauntlet of disease testing with one of their blood cards. I'm thinking that would be just as effective as swabbing, except maybe in the case of parasites.

[patdbunny]

Unless the earrings were in her ears at the time, she can't really complain!

It was in her ear. He walked up her arm and snapped the decorative part off the post in one bite.

[kaylayuh]

It was in her ear. He walked up her arm and snapped the decorative part off the post in one bite.

I'm so glad I don't wear earrings.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

FWIW, my walking-around numbers are pretty much the same as Roz's... and it doesn't matter if it's a bird, a cat or the horse! The office visit alone is something like $50 plus any diagnostics, vaccinations, whatever.

Earrings... I try to remember to take them out before I handle the birdies but it doesn't always work that way. When I first had Scooter, that was his favorite thing to do, run up my shoulder and pull off my (huggie style) earrings. Forunately the thrill seems to have gone.