How much should a vet bill be?

[Sealhead777]

I have a small dog that got in a fight with a big dog last week. He was at the vets for one week. He required stitches and an iv drip with antibiotics.

I am away from Thailand working and my wife tells me the bill is now over 35000B.

The vet is in Maha Sarakham.

Is this a realistic price or am I being scammed.

It costs less to have my kids in the hospital!!!

[NCC1701A]

I don't have experience with a dog but that sounds crazy high to me.

 

my colonoscopy at Bumrungrad Hospital cost less than 35000. 

 

My cats vet bills run 400-1250 baht. 1250 was for lab tests, antibiotics, shots... 

 

Maybe the one week stay is the expensive part. Did you see how the bill was broken down?

 

7 minutes ago, Sealhead777 said:

Is this a realistic price or am I being scammed.

 

[darksidedog]

My initial thought is that you are being nailed mate.

One of mine got badly bitten a few months back, nearly died as one through the jugular.

That totalled out at about 6,000. 3 days in the vet.

My other got very sick with a blood infection that got into the liver and kidneys.

On a drip in the vets for 10 days. All up that cost 17,000.

Obviously, I dont know the damage inflicted or treatment for your dog, but it sounds very high.

[dick dasterdly]

It does sound far more expensive than would be expected for stitches and a week at the vet on an IV drip and antibiotics.

 

But he must have been seriously injured to require a week's stay at the vet, so perhaps it wasn't just stitches and IV drip/antibiotics?

Edited October 12, 2018 by dick dasterdly

[anon2736434]

I have been thru maybe 5-6 vets here and finally found one that charges reasonable rates and actually cares about animals. I def. wouldnt be going back after that ridiculous bill.

[anon2736434]

Another scam here is the overnight stay, my first couple of spay/neuters they stayed overnight (xtra charge of course) My current vet now does them in the afternoon and after they are stable we bring them home same day. IV's just like a hospital here in thailand always first thing they want to do whether you need it or not, but its a money maker. A shot and pills every day same outcome.

[user343434]

My Dogs had a proper brawl with a group of straying dogs 2 years ago. 

First we didn't realize it, they had a few scratches on the nose and one a cut above the eye.

4 days later both were laying under the shed and didn't come out in the morning.

(they are Bang Kaews so they are quite tough takers) 

I had to pull one of them out because he could not even lift his head anymore.

I was about to put him asleep but my wife was crying her eyes out so we decided to bring both to the Pattaya Animal Hospital in Sukhumvit road.

The holes in ther bellies were badly infected and they had to be under narcotics cleaned every day.

One was in the hospital for 8 and the other 32 days and the bill was 126.000 THB in total.

They were treaten from the best, min 5 nurses permanently checking on our demand.

So I think the price is pretty normal.

 

I an my wife love our dogs to dead so I would spend the money again if needed.. was worth it.. 

[Sealhead777]

Thanks. I’m pretty sure I would have taken him home after a couple days. I’ve seen the pictures and it didn’t look that bad to me. He’s a tough little jack russel.

I can’t grad Thai so I really don’t know what I’m being charged for. The 25000B was the tally a couple days ago.

[anon2736434]

Looks liked they charged you 1000 Baht a day (admit) just for the pleasure of your dog laying in a cage. Funny how most of the charges are either 700 or 1000 baht. Sorry but you got ripped off.

[dick dasterdly]

12 minutes ago, Notagain said:

Looks liked they charged you 1000 Baht a day (admit) just for the pleasure of your dog laying in a cage. Funny how most of the charges are either 700 or 1000 baht. Sorry but you got ripped off.

I agree.

 

I use an expensive vet here on Phuket because he's the best (IMO) on the island - and the 'hospitalisation' charges have never been that high.

[user343434]

We got the Info after the first body check what all has been done, blood tests, vaccination and so on.

 

The wounds were black and one of our dogs (Named Will) had a hole in the center of the chest where you could put a finger in and ending up in his upper front leg..  

Both got about 20 and 50 stitches, daily cleaning and washing out the wounds with antiseptics, vaccinations....

 

The first time Will raised his head, started weeping and waving his tail was about 11 days after we delivered him into the Hospital. (I tell you honest it was a tearful moment)

They made it a lump sum of 3000 THB day rate incl cage without food.

The Food they denied as both are trained not to accept food in any kind from strangers. (luckily Will fell in love with one of the trainees and made after 2 1/2 weeks an exception eating the liver pastry (I especially make for them to hide medications) out of her hands without chewing her fingers off. 

 

So 3200 THB (200 was reduced because of the food I brought) per day was for a very intensive care and I must say it was worth it. In my eyes a totally fair price as they are real Doctors like in a human Hospital.

They did a lot of work incl 3 weeks every day narcotic to be able to clean the wounds. 

Beside Will got in the first week also a brain stroke they fortunately got under control in the Hospital, (only a hanging ear is left and sometimes he is a bit of a clumsy fruitcake now...)

 

Edited October 12, 2018 by See Will

[Jeffrey346]

My dog was at the Vet for 7days. The bill came to B6000.

They charge 200/day for overnight stay the rest was for services.

 

Yesterday I took my cat to the Vet as he was coughing. Blood test and meds B1000 all in.

 

[dick dasterdly]

Just now, Jeffrey346 said:

My dog was at the Vet for 7days. The bill came to B6000.

They charge 200/day for overnight stay the rest was for services.

 

Yesterday I took my cat to the Vet as he was coughing. Blood test and meds B1000 all in.

 

I wish now that I'd kept my various vet bills...., but I'm pretty sure that at my expensive Phuket vet, the daily cost for board on an IV drip was somewhere between 300-500 bht per day.

Edited October 12, 2018 by dick dasterdly

[natway09]

Hospitals are the same . Some of the very high priced ones in Bangkok are just money making machines.

I settled for middle of the range at Bangkok Hospital & found that they actually care for you

Caveat Mentor

[how241]

I am guessing 6-8000 baht.... 35,000 baht sounds high but first rate places do charge a lot.

[meinphuket]

My dog suffered from ticks, their removal & saline drip and a 5 min drive to drop the dog home THB 7,700.= Outrageous. This is in Chalong, Phuket near the circle.

[Guderian]

The vet I use in Pattaya charges 300 Baht/night for a routine stay with no special care and 1000 Baht/night for the doggy equivalent of intensive care. Of course it depends on what mecicines they had to use and if there were any complicated procedures, but as a ball park figure I'd have expected 15K Baht at most for a one week stay.

[khunPer]

Vet prices are high in Thailand. Where I live, a southern island, they charge 8,000 baht for a small operation and a few stitches, all done in a few hours, so when the dog is awake, it's ready to be picked up. Control visits are normally charged from 500 baht to 1,000 baht. I can see a human doctor for less...????

 

If I compare, I can imagine a week inpatient in the range of 35,000 baht being the price. I would also feel ripped off paying that, but presume there's not much choice without a government vet clinic.

[anon2736434]

Vet prices are cheap in thailand if you go to an honest one that doesn't see a a falang atm walk in. Like I said before it took me 4 or 5 rip off ones before I found a good one. I recommend him to everyone I know with pets and they all go back to him. Very good honest vet.

[connda]

฿3,500 or ฿35,000?  If the latter, you've just been taken for a ride my friend. 

My vet in Lamphun would have charged you maybe 3500 THB for the care and the stay. But she is a Thai vet catering to a Thai clientele.   For comparison, I just had my female cat spayed.  Removed her uterus, two layers of stitches, anesthetics, an IV drip, and a one night stay-over  - 1320 THB.  I believe she charges us 250 THB per night.  I've had three female dogs spayed by her and I tend to leave the dogs in her care up to 3 nights and the bills for the dogs was around 2000 THB per dog.  The cat was different.  I think they are more sensitive to being separated and alone, so we brought her back the day after her operation. 
Don't kick yourself.  Not every vet is ethical.

Edited October 12, 2018 by connda

[rwill]

my local vet charges 300 baht per day for leaving the pet there.  like others have mentioned you are being charged 1,000 per day plus some other charges each day too.  What is DF?  Dog Food?(joke)  perhaps drip feed(IV) for another 1,000?  And on some days you are being charged 1,000 for the doctor checking the dog (the part in thai says do/work dog).  Those are crazy charges no matter what.

 

If it was the other dog at fault for the attack it's owner should be responsible for the bill.

Edited October 12, 2018 by rwill

[DJ54]

We take our dog to same vet every time a husband and wife team.

They talk it over with the wife and then in English tell me procedure,cost etc.

 

our Pom Pom had to be operated on when having babies. The bill

was maybe 6,000 went the morning and once the dog was out of

sedation and able to breath properly called us to pick her and the puppies up. Including milk and syringes to feed the puppies. 

 

Open everyday 8-8

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

It depends very much on the hospital.

 

I go from time to time to Chula Hospital for small animals - which has a good reputation and is cheap.

 

But recently I visited the pet shop in new Tonglor Per Hospital (old hospital but they moved to a new location). I saw some prices for the hospital over there and they were very expensive, probably considerable more than you paid.

That place looked like a 5 star hotel including nail spa and things like that for the HiSo who wait for their dog.

 

[connda]

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

Vet prices are high in Thailand. Where I live, a southern island, they charge 8,000 baht for a small operation and a few stitches, all done in a few hours, so when the dog is awake, it's ready to be picked up. Control visits are normally charged from 500 baht to 1,000 baht. I can see a human doctor for less...????

 

If I compare, I can imagine a week inpatient in the range of 35,000 baht being the price. I would also feel ripped off paying that, but presume there's not much choice without a government vet clinic.

If I were you I'd shop around.  Sounds like you're being taken for a ride down the primrose path too.  Ya'll who are paying thousand of baht of vet service may also want to find a vet who neither caters to farangs or HiSo.  Ya'll seem to be paying a significant premium for services rendered.  Some folks have money to burn and paying exorbitant prices perhaps is a sign of status.  But personally I think throwing money away is silly.  Well, imho that is. 

Edited October 12, 2018 by connda

[unamazedloso]

sorry to say its steep. Had many a dog in the vet for things from parvo virus to accidently running them over. Most expensive ive paid is 6k and this is inclusive of having the vet available specificallly on a public holiday even.

[Suradit69]

8 hours ago, Sealhead777 said:

I have a small dog that got in a fight with a big dog last week. He was at the vets for one week. He required stitches and an iv drip with antibiotics.

I am away from Thailand working and my wife tells me the bill is now over 35000B.

The vet is in Maha Sarakham.

Is this a realistic price or am I being scammed.

It costs less to have my kids in the hospital!!!

 

A Thai friend took his small dog into hospital a couple of weeks ago. The dog had blood chemistry done, maybe x-rays (not sure), an invasive surgical procedure (I was never quite able to understand exactly what) , antibiotic and anti-inflammatory meds and the dog stayed  in hospital for 3 days. The bill was Baht 8600 and that was in Pattaya. Fairly major operation on Sukhumvit.

 

Given your description of what was done, that price seems pretty high ... although keeping the dog in hospital for a week implies something more significant was done or that someone was just padding the charges.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2018 by Suradit69

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, connda said:

If I were you I'd shop around.  Sounds like you're being taken for a ride down the primrose path too.  Ya'll who are paying thousand of baht of vet service may also want to find a vet who neither caters to farangs or HiSo.  Ya'll seem to be paying a significant premium for services rendered.  Some folks have money to burn and paying exorbitant prices perhaps is a sign of status.  But personally I think throwing money away is silly.  Well, imho that is. 

Thanks for your kind advise, but I stay at a farang-tourist and HiSo-Thai island, and I have shopped around between some of the good vets here, same-same...????

[BestB]

Most certainly bill is padded or made up.

 

keep in mind it’s a Vet in Isaan where prices are almost half to Bkk or Pattaya .

 

stay in hospital 150-300 per day, depending if food included

IV 250-300 per treatment

antibiotic injection 250-350 per day,need only 3 injections 

X-ray 1000-2000 baht

blood test 500-600 baht

surgery for stitches 1000-2500.

 

so all in all 35000 is about triple of what it should be and that’s in bkk or Pattaya clinic , Isaan clinic , most likely half that.

 

my experience and charges 

broken spine and leg surgery , week stay 20000 baht

broken both back legs , 10 day stay 20000 baht 

torn stomach, major surgery 7 day stay 19000 baht

unknown condition , 2 days in ICU with 24 hour nurse, blood tests, oxygen in most expansive pet clinic , 16000 baht 

[user343434]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It depends very much on the hospital.

 

I go from time to time to Chula Hospital for small animals - which has a good reputation and is cheap.

 

But recently I visited the pet shop in new Tonglor Per Hospital (old hospital but they moved to a new location). I saw some prices for the hospital over there and they were very expensive, probably considerable more than you paid.

That place looked like a 5 star hotel including nail spa and things like that for the HiSo who wait for their dog.

 

Tonglor Pet Hospital

 

I think that was the Name of it..

Just a few meters before Tesco in Sukhumvit road Pattaya.

But I must say the treatment was top of the notch and beside this the dog was as dead and they didn't give up.

I wanted to give him a bullet after I pulled him out from under the shed.

Not weeping from pain, head hanging down and no movement at all.

When I called his name he was only capable lifting his tail a little. 

A vet in Darkside Pattaya said there is no hope at all... 

126.000 THB is quite a Number but today I am looking back and agree the coin was well spent. 

 

Sure, when I come drunk home at 2 am in lipstick covered smelling like cheap perfume

guess who is happy to see me?

It ain't my wife ????

 

 

[soistalker]

The thing you have to realize is that veterinarians and the staff in Thailand don't care about your pet. They see you as money. And the staff might as well be working in 7-11 as it is just a job to them.

My cat was overnight two days af the vet before they gave him a fatal overdose. "Him look tired " Then the doctor gives him another shot of glucose 30 minutes after the last doctor because a chart on his cage, "no have."

Be careful with your pets. My wife was devastated.