Tooth Abscess - Charged too much? In Michigan-

[Standingonthefringes]

Well, my dog needs to have an abscess on his tooth removed, or basically, a doggy root canal. The vet wanted to charge me about 300.00$, unfortunately I don't have the estimation paper right now so I'm not sure of the exact cost. They also suggested I have my dog neutered at the same time, in order to save money, because doing so separately would increase the price of both surgeries. Combined, both surgeries would be 500.00$ on the "low end", or 600.00$ on the "high end". Could anyone tell me if this is too much? I don't necessarily believe I would be compromising quality if I stayed with this vet, or went somewhere else, either, as I'm not incredibly familiar with this clinic.

Thanks for the help!

[Marybelle]

That sounds about right.  At least from my experience.  And yeah, doing both surgeries at once will save you money, for sure.  Plus, it's generally safer, since the dog only has to go under anesthesia once.

[Standingonthefringes]

Just checking, thank you (: I think I still want to do a few calls around, just to be sure.

[Marybelle]

Yeah, it never hurts to double-check other vets.    Just because the price sounds right for my area doesn't mean it'll be right for yours. 

[Ratwings]

That sounds quite reasonable. The vet I work for would charge at least twice that (although he does tend to over-charge).

[tsk_n_such]

Sounds right to me as well, though it would probably be more at my vet. I know a dental alone (I imagine your dog will get a dental cleaning along with the other dental work) is several hundred here. If you can, I'd have the neuter done then as well, so as to limit the amount of times he has to be put under anesthesia.

[fearlessella]

I work at a vet in MI.  Our neuter runs around 100$.  Our base price of a dental is about 140$.  This does not include pain meds, antibiotics or teeth extractions.  I think the price you were quoted is ok.

[Kati33]

Whenever you "price shop" veterinary procedures, you really need to find out what all is inluded. A $100 difference could mean your dog isn't getting constant monitoring under anesthesia, no IV line, no IV fluids, no pre-op bloodwork to ensure they are healthy prior to the procedure, etc. Ask for a breakdown of the prices- you may be surprised. And remember- you often get what you pay for.

[LastEchoes]

Sounds very reasonable to me.