Part of responsible Pet Ownership is being proactive about your pet’s health care and budgeting to accommodate the prices for the health services your pets will need in future.
We’re building a rough guide below as to how much Pet Owners of domestic companion animals (dogs and cats) might expect to pay for Vet services, based off data from Vet Clinics nationally.
How much does the Vet Cost?
Unlike when you go to a Doctor and you may eligible for bulk billing through Medicare, Vet clinics don’t have a pet care insurance scheme run by the Government. Vets also spend five years at university and
countless hours becoming expert at all things from preventative care to surgery, oncology, dermatology, cardiology, radiology – everything.
Prices for Vet Services Depend on:
- Pet Size: There is a wide variation in vet fees between small animal, equine (horses/donkeys), and mixed animal services.
- Location: There is also a variation between prices of rural, regional, and city vet clinics. City Vet Clinics’ rent is higher, and so is the standard of living costs and so vet service costs need to reflect this.
- Appointment Length in Time: Vets have to invest money into ongoing education, clinic equipment, software, CT scanners. It also depends on whether they do 10, 20, or 30 minute consultations.
- Number of Staff involved and Complexity of Operation: The cost of Vet Services also depend on the number of staff involved, qualifications of those people involved, equipment involved, cost of sterilisation and medicine involved, all of those people’s time involved.
Take for example, a desexing operation.
There is surgery preparation – setup and maintenance of sterile surgery, surgical instruments, sterilisaton machines and sterilisation fluid to keep the instruments sterile, gowns, masks, gloves, a fully qualified anaesthesia nurse, a full qualified and experienced vet, heated pre-surgery and recovery cages, sterile preparation of patient, recovery nurse, anaesthetic drugs, ECG monitor, surgical lights, surgical consumables (swabs, sutures etc), IV fluids.
If you cannot afford Vet Fees, you still have a legal duty of care to take your Pet to see a Vet if they need medical care. BUT ~ before you go to a Vet, you need to understand how you are going to pay and you need to phone ahead to ask if they offer Vet Pay if you need it.
What if you can’t afford for Vet Fees right now.
Part of responsible pet ownership is regularly putting away emergency money into a separate savings account that you don’t touch or taking out Pet Insurance, or being proactive about your Pet’s Wellness with preventative check ups.
Some of your options might be:
- Buy Now, Pay Later, and Interest Free through ZipPay
- Ask Family and Friends.
- Contact a Financial Counsellor from the National Debt Helpline
- f you have a job, there are Pay Day advance loans such as MyPayNow.
- Pay with a Low Rate Credit Card.
- Vet Pay have a listing on their website with Vets who offer Vet Pay. (Note however, they were given a shonky award by Choice).
- You can create a Go Fund Me Campaign online on linkedin and on facebook groups. Don’t delay creating this. The sooner the better.
- Animal Welfare League have several Community Vet Clinics
- Ask an Animal Rescue group for help.
Emotionally blackmailing a Vet or haggling on prices is never okay. You not having money to pay for your Pet’s Veterinary treatment – is not the Vet’s fault.
Veterinarians are currently the profession with the highest rate of suicide. There may have been several euthanasia’s done prior to your pet’s care, and behind the professional exterior, they find it upsetting doing it.
Please refer to the news article: “Our vets are dying for your pets: suicide rates higher than average”
| Annual Wellness Health Check Ups | |
| General Consultation | from $58 |
| Fit to Fly Examination & Certificate | from $125 |
| Examination | from $58 |
| Radiology (X-rays) | from $58 |
| Laboratory/pathology testing such as Urinalysis (Wee), Fecal (Poo) Tests, Blood Tests | from |
| C3 (core) Parvovirus, distemper and infectious hepatitis | from $58 |
| C4 (which is C3 + parainfluenza virus) | from $58 |
| C5 vaccine (which is C4 + Bordetella bronchiseptica recurring every three years) | from $68 |
| C6 (which is C4 + corona virus and leptospirosis) | from $68 |
| C7 (which is C5 + corona virus and leptospirosis recurring every three years) | from $68 |
| F3 vaccine (Cats) | from $57 |
| F5 vaccine (Cats) | from $61 |
| FIV vaccine (Cats) | from $29 |
| RCV vaccine | from $52 |
| Flea | from $50 |
| Tick | from $50 |
| Worming (Heart & Gut) | from $50 |
| Cat Desexing (Male) | from $96 |
| Cat Desexing (Female) | from $146-$159 |
| Dog Desexing (Male) | from $165 – $175 |
| Dog Desexing (Female) | from $200 – $300 |
| Dog & Cat Microchip implanting | $22.50 |
| Teeth cleaning, young | $300-$400 |
| Full mouth teeth removal | $750 |
| Medially luxating patella | $1,000 – $1,300 |
| Anterior cruciate ligament | $1,600 – $1,900 |
| Pelvic fractures | $1,000 – $2,000 |
| Limb fractures | $1,000 – $2,000 |
| Corrective surgery | from $2500 |
| Corneal ulcers | from $450 – $600 |
| Prolapsed third eyelid gland | $450 – $600 |
| Entropion | $850 – $950 |
| Meibomian gland tumours | $650 – $850 |
| Day procedure | $750 – $950 |
| After hours | $1,000 – $1,200 |
| Skin Masses | from $600 – $700 |
| Splenic Tumours | from $800 – $1,000 |
| Osteosarcoma | $1,000 – $1,500 |
| Anal gland adenocarcinomas | $900 – $1,200 |
| Mammary gland cancer | $500 – $1,200 |
| Ear & nose cancer in white cats | $500 – $900 |
| Soft palate resection | from $600 – $700 |
| Gastrointestinal obstructions | $1,000 – $2,000 |
| Oesophageal foreign bodies | $1,000 – $2,000 |
| Bladder stone removal | $1,000 – $1,200 |
| Examination and weigh in from $58 | from $58 |
| Nutrition Plan | from $58 |
| Euthanasia | Up to $300 |
| Cremation | Up to $600 |
