Exotic vets costs

[bxth98]

Because our boy Carlo has had numerous problems recently, the general practice vets where he normally gets seen has advised us to take him to a specialist as they’ve exhausted the options available to them to get to the bottom of why he’s had a lot of issues lately.
He’s got an appointment next Thursday and they advised me over the phone that for the consultation alone with the specialist it would be £99. I’m just wondering if anyone else has ever taken their piggy to a specialist and if they could give me an idea of the costs involved for any investigative tests i.e. blood tests, x-rays etc
I’m thinking that this is going to be another expensive vets visit

 

[Siikibam]

I think consultation costs vary between vets. So giving you a price will be a bit misleading. I hope that he is sorted soon and they get to the bottom of it.

 

[piggieminder]

Costs for tests can vary hugely, a lot depends if they are done in house or sent away. The exotics I go to send everything away including xrays and CT scans to get the 'experts' to have a look in case they missed anything which so far they never have. I feel it's worth the extra cost to know what you are dealing with though.
I hope you can get some answers for your boy and that he feels better soon.

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck Carlo. Hope you get to the bottom of the problem.

 

[artcasper]

I've paid the normal price for a consultation which was £34...

 

[Swissgreys]

A consultation at our specialist vet is almost 50% more than at our regular vet.
But then they have a lot of equipment and facilities that our regular vet can't offer.
A consult a the veterinary hospital in Zurich (even more specialised) is almost double what the specialist charges!

But in the long run this can save time and money as they usually get the diagnosis and treatment right very quickly, rather than doing multiple inconclusive tests and treatments.

Having said all of that I recently found another specialist vet with a bit of an unconventional set up and approach, and he is the cheapest of the lot.

 

[PigglePuggle]

When we took Blodwen to the specialist referral hospital vet the initial consultation was £117 then we paid extra for conscious xrays and scans. But we also got far more meds than my usual vet prescribes (2 months worth, of 3 medicines!) and a free follow up appointment. So about £360 altogether. But, it meant an ongoing mystery respiratory issue we had spent well over £1000 on popping back to our local vets every month for 8 months was solved in 1 consultation- well worth it both in financial terms and a good outcome for Blodwen pig!
Just be aware with blood tests that for piggies that often requires sedation and blood is taken from a major vein in the neck- not straightforward or risk free and would be quite a major procedure up to blood tests for other animals or humans, and might also add in sedation costs and wake up costs and observation afterwards like a surgical procedure might.
Best of luck! X

 

[bxth98]

When we took Blodwen to the specialist referral hospital vet the initial consultation was £117 then we paid extra for conscious xrays and scans. But we also got far more meds than my usual vet prescribes (2 months worth, of 3 medicines!) and a free follow up appointment. So about £360 altogether. But, it meant an ongoing mystery respiratory issue we had spent well over £1000 on popping back to our local vets every month for 8 months was solved in 1 consultation- well worth it both in financial terms and a good outcome for Blodwen pig!
Just be aware with blood tests that for piggies that often requires sedation and blood is taken from a major vein in the neck- not straightforward or risk free and would be quite a major procedure up to blood tests for other animals or humans, and might also add in sedation costs and wake up costs and observation afterwards like a surgical procedure might.
Best of luck! X

Thank you! I just wanted an idea of what I was looking at to make sure I had the money sorted
We’ve already spent a lot with back and forth with him to the local vets with no issues being resolved completely so i’m sure it’ll be worth it
I didn’t know that about blood tests so thank you, i’m not sure if he’ll need one it was just an example
He’s already had anaesthetic recently to check his teeth and wasn’t doing so well after so i’d be weary of him going through it again
Hopefully we’ll get some answers without the need for more anaesthetic!