![]() ![]() An exam takes time, uses equipment, and requires training. Without a full, comprehensive exam before receiving the shot, one cannot know if the pet is healthy enough. Vaccines are generally very safe, but there are some factors that increase the risk of reactions. Many of the low-cost clinics do not do a full, comprehensive exam before giving the rabies shot. If you want all of this in place to help safeguard your time, then the price goes up. We try to do everything we can to ensure that we see you when we say we will. Additionally, we schedule appointments in such a way to build in time in case of emergencies. ![]() We aren’t going to pack up and move to another parking lot so we have the ability to reschedule. We do this because we know your time is valuable. Usually we’re running behind because of an emergency (see “ What happens when I come in for an Emergency”) and we do our best to minimize your wait or reschedule your appointment. That’s less than 4 minutes per appointment! There is little that can be accomplished in that short of a time without putting every other appointment behind. One of the local ones reportedly schedules 16 appointments every hour. I’ve been to some of the local low-cost clinics and witnessed firsthand where people with an appointment wait 2-3 hours anyways. It is common to read about people who have waited in long line in a parking lot for hours to save $8 on a shot. Many of the low-cost clinics do not value your time. If you want a vaccine that’s the safest possible for your pet, then the price goes up. However, if your pet is one of the unlucky ones to have reactions, then having a better vaccine lessens those risks and can result in less-intense reactions. It should be noted that vaccines are generally very safe for most pets. Low-cost clinics often look only at the bottom line and pick a vaccine based on what best keeps their prices low. Often times this means we’re not buying the cheapest vaccines on the market. Simply put, safety is the number one concern when we pick vaccines. If you read the previous post, then you know I’m very “thrifty.”). ![]() Cost is usually one of the last things asked (and I usually do it. Many of the low-cost clinics pick a rabies vaccine based on cost rather than reaction rate. Spending more money may help lower the risk, but no amount of money will completely eliminate it! ![]() There is always risk involved in all medical procedures and even the most advanced hospitals with the most skilled staff experience complications. What is really at stake is what is right for your pet, for you, and for your pocketbook. Every clinic and hospital provides a different standard of care in order to meet the different needs found within the community. I’m focusing on the rabies shot to simplify things and because every pet needs one.įirst, let me get this out of the way, I am not implying that other clinics and hospitals provide sub-standard care. Once you know this, you will know what sorts of questions to ask and why these differences are so important. It is also important to note that while I’m focusing on rabies shots, what I’m saying it also applicable to other vaccines as well. In this second installment, I want to explore why the prices of rabies shots seem so different between different clinics and hospitals. I know I did not know about these differences before I started working in the field. I want to feature different services so that owners can educate themselves about what is important, and ask the right questions. Veterinary medicine is often this way too. While you may be able to get a four-door sedan from Kia and Mercedes, you’re going to find both vehicles are very different. While it may be the same title or named the same, what you’re getting is completely different! This more akin to buying a car. However, many services and items in the veterinary world are not fungible. I know if my car needs gas, I will go to the gas station with the cheapest gas. I understand that there may be certain attributes or brands that result in someone buying one over another, but most of the time we make our choice based on price. These sorts of things are interchangeable such as a gallon of milk, soup, paper towels, etc. In that article I discussed the concept of a “fungible” item or service. “Why is cost that here and cost this down the street?” I addressed this question in regards to spays and neuters before. Rabies Shots: Why do some places charge such different fees for the “same” service?īy Jim Young – Manager, Bellalago Veterinary Hospital ![]()
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