Why are vets bills so high?

Probably because they know there are people like me who put their pet's health before their own. I know I cannot stand to see any of my dogs suffering. Actually their heartworm medicine cost more each month than my generic HPB medicine.

they go to lots of college and have lots of education bills They also have lots of expenses, and unless you have insurance for your pet it's going to be costly. but I would sugget pricing and seeing if you can find a different vet - if you live in a smaller town, you might want to see if a country vet might be a bit cheaper. Heck, going to my dentist is $90 bucks, at least I have dental insurance as well as health insurance.

I'm guessing you'd just have to find the right place to take them because I got my cat neutered and all his shots for under 50 dollars at this place I never knew about. I would suggest just looking or calling around.

The vet has to maintain a clinic just like a doctor does. Doctors usually work within a group setting and share some expensive equipment like X-ray machines, expensive testing devices, and operating rooms etc with a large number of other doctors. This cuts costs dramatically. A small vet clinic need to have there own of everything. Add to that they need to be able to treat many different species of animals and will need equipment for each.

I totally agree, vet costs are insane. In today's economy and people barely able to afford the doctor, I think because of the prices a lot of pets aren't getting shots or spayed like they should. Then on top of that you have the costs of stuff for fleas and if you have a cat or dog with allergies and have to buy special food, wow. My dog got in a fight one day and we had to take her to the emergency vet and it ended up costing almost 600 dollars. We managed to get it, the sad part was that we didn't have it and so what would have happened to my dog. Sent home with gashes on her neck, or put down, wait it costs to do that. It breaks my heart to think that we can't afford to take care of our pets without mortgaging the house.

Well as someone who will be graduating from vet school next year I would like to give my input. First off I do understand that owning a pet can be expensive, but trust me it is not that vets are trying to rob you blind. My father is a practicing vet as well and trust me we do not live a fancy life, and never have. First off medical equipment is expensive, there really is no way around it. So generally the more 'high tech' the clinic is that you are going to you will tend to pay a little bit more. If you are looking to keep costs down I would suggest looking for vets in smaller towns, their fees tend to be slightly lower, although many of them do not perform as many procedures in their clinic because they do not have the appropriate equipment. You also have to take into account that Vets do own the practice, which means that they must pay for the building, all of the staff, equipment and medications. And many of the costs are set by the wholesale companies who they get their products from. As with any other profession the more training that is required generally means that you make a higher salary. Most vets just do the required amount of vet school before going out to practice. But you also have the option to do an internship and residency, to become a specialist. In these cases you are going to pay more for the expertise which these doctors have. In short, I have heard of people who get their animals spayed or neutered for under $100. But, sometimes when things are too good to be true, that is because they are. Alot of these cases which I have read about have ended with hernia, or severe internal infections. My best suggestion is to not only look at the cost of a vet but also the quality of the care being given. I would call around and interview a few vets, often if you go into a clinic and ask for a tour (as a prospective client) they will give you one. And I would be skeptical of a clinic which was not willing to let you have a look around. If you are reading this and do not yet have a pet, I suggest going to a shelter. Most shelters have an adoption fee which includes up to date vaccines as well as spay/neuter, and which is much cheaper than buying a dog and then paying for these things separately. Hope this helps a little bit.