Marsupialization Cost

[Mochamoi]

Hey all! I’m brand new to this so I hope I posted this right. I just took my 3 year old boy to the vet today over an abscess that suddenly appeared on his chin. This is my first time at this vet because I just moved to the area. Due to the location and the rapid growth, the vet recommended marsupialization to be done. She sent me home with 2 medications and one pain reliever, and scheduled me to go in again in 2 weeks to have the surgery done. They didn’t email me the estimate until later, and I was absolutely shocked. My cheapest option, just including the procedure without any CT scans or bloodwork is $2,300. The more expensive option, with bloodwork and a CT scan is $3,600. (I am located in the USA). Does this sound like a reasonable price?

I have several other exotic pets and I am fully aware of the cost that comes with them. I just had an illness with one of my birds that ran me 800. I have an emergency fund for these kinds of situation but I honestly wasn’t prepared for a $2,300 estimate. Is this a normal price? or is this new vet crazy and should I look around for a cheaper option? Thank you all so much in advance!

 

[dhill_cb7]

That seems excessively high however my boys have not run into this yet so I cannot confirm what my vet would charge. Are you seeing an exotic vet ?

I am taking my boys in for their first checkup tomorrow after being rescued about 5 weeks ago. I can ask what she charges and report back for you?

What part of America? I’m on the east coast outside Philly. If you are close I can tell you my exotic vet. Love her so far.

 

[Mochamoi]

That seems excessively high however my boys have not run into this yet so I cannot confirm what my vet would charge. Are you seeing an exotic vet ?

I am taking my boys in for their first checkup tomorrow after being rescued about 5 weeks ago. I can ask what she charges and report back for you?

What part of America? I’m on the east coast outside Philly. If you are close I can tell you my exotic vet. Love her so far.

Yes, they are an exotic vet. They’re actually a chain of vets called Blue Pearl, I think there may be some in other parts of the US. I’m located in the Midwest, right outside of St Louis to be exact. If you could ask your vet about pricing that would be really helpful!

 

[Freela]

Vet pricing is pretty subjective in North America and can vary dramatically based on the practice.... there's no real standard, it's whatever the market will support. I'm in Canada, but I have paid probably about 1000 dollars Canadian for dental treatment and lancing/draining an abscess, minus any imaging, and that was some years ago. I was recently quoted a price for an ultrasound alone being 800 dollars, so unfortunately it doesn't sound completely out of line for medical treatment and imaging. And I drive a good 40 minutes to get to my vet, who is a good exotics vet but is a lot less costly than vets in my immediate area. That said, it's worth getting other opinions for other area vets, as prices can vary dramatically. I would pass on the CT scan and blood work, honestly, it dramatically increases the cost and is likely to only confirm what you already know (i.e. there is an abscess there and infection markers in the blood.)