General Care Discussion :: Vet Affordability - NYC

[shi000]

Hi all. I'm new to turtle care and would appreciate some advice on choosing an affordable vet in the NYC area.

I recently became the owner of two turtles given to me by a relative. Unfortunately, I could tell they hadn't been taken care of correctly and needed a veterinarian. I'm unemployed right now, so I did my research and found out the non-profit Humane Society of NY has an exotic animals specialist. Online reviews (mainly for cats and dogs though) led me to believe a visit would be fairly affordable. However, I was rather shocked at the bill at the end of my first visit!

For each turtle, it was $45 for the exam, plus another $70 for a basic check-up consisting of physical inspection, weighing the turtle, blood-work, and a vitamin a, d, and e shot. Another visit racked up the following charges: $50 blood work, $21 complete urine analysis, $26 stool parasite testing. Re-visit exams are $30.

As I said, I'm new to turtle care. Are these charges reasonable or should I look for another vet? Having never had a pet, I was surprised that a turtle's vet bill could cost more than a human's. The thing is, I'm not exactly sold on the quality of care of the vet either. If the difference is not huge, I would be more than willing to pay a little more to see a better doctor. Thanks.

[steve]

Overall, I think those prices are what I would expect from an exotics vet. I think $70-75 is the starting range for visits, without any testing. Whether or not those tests/shots were necessary is another story. Did you ask for all those procedures?

[shi000]

Thanks for the reply. I feel better knowing that the prices are reasonable.

I took them to the vet before I really had a chance to do my research on what to expect from a vet visit. So, I kind of blindly trusted the vet on which procedures were necessary. Looking back, I probably would have refused the vitamin shots and possibly the urine analysis. My vet said sometimes blood work doesn't definitively show signs of internal infection, and that urine analysis can offer a second point of reference regarding white blood cell count. Is this true? I would think blood analysis would be good enough.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Not sure with all the blood work, but yea. Seems like you got alot of work done a not needed probably. My vet always goes in steps and explains the prices for everything. If nothing seemed wrong just a little malnurished they would have talked about a correct diet and see you again in a week just to make sure that with you everything seems fine and is at a good weight.

Taken right from my vets website: At Exeter Veterinary Hospital, our goal is to provide superior care and service at a reasonable price. If you are ever concerned about the cost of your pet's treatment, please discuss it with the doctor. We will be happy to give you a cost estimate and outline your options. You may then choose the course that is right for you and your pet.