Holy Cow! Vet pricing...

[Mark_C]

Hi all.
So, Special Agent FP hasn't been to the vet, ever.
He's doing quite well (aside from mild tongue damage over a year ago leading to some bad aim). He eats healthy, sheds regularly, and is getting more adventurous as he ages.
I decided to look into a vet run just for the heck of it, like a wellness visit my kids get at the pediatrician.
In this area of NJ, a non-emergency wellness check for a Cham costs approx $600 ($180 visit, $175 blood, $200 fecal, and additional charges for any other meds, vitamins, or services).
I checked the 2 exotic vets in the area and they're about the same. Seems a bit crazy.
This the same cross country?

 

[Beman]

Yes, it can be very expensive with animals. But exotics are more expensive. Just getting blood work on my cham was $250. My old vet in Cali charged $130 for an exotic pet office visit. This price was far more than that of a dog/cat visit which was only $60. And that was just to get him seen. Fecals were $75 a pop at that vet as well. In AZ I pay $60 per fecal.

While vet visits can be good.... If you have a vet that you can just take a fecal into this can be better. Just because not all exotic vets have actual cham experience. The last "exotic" Vet that was close to me in AZ did not even know he was a he.... Made me a little bit iffy on letting him near him. After 30 minutes of talking to him I realized I knew far more about husbandry than he did. Had I done what he recommended for husbandry Beman would be under 80% humidity and 95 degree basking temp. I would have a cooked chameleon... So I am really iffy on vets that say they are exotic. If I lived where there were some actual chameleon vets this would be different. I would do yearly vet visits. But for now I will just stay with running fecals 2 times a year to ensure there is not a parasite issue.

Don't get me wrong I do have a vet that I can take him to that has real reptile experience including some cham experience. But he is 2 hours away. If something major were to come up I have an option. So I do believe in knowing where your closest vet is that actually would have the skill set to care for them.

 

[MissSkittles]

Those prices are crazy! Here’s my receipt for Grumpy last year.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Hi all.
So, Special Agent FP hasn't been to the vet, ever.
He's doing quite well (aside from mild tongue damage over a year ago leading to some bad aim). He eats healthy, sheds regularly, and is getting more adventurous as he ages.
I decided to look into a vet run just for the heck of it, like a wellness visit my kids get at the pediatrician.
In this area of NJ, a non-emergency wellness check for a Cham costs approx $600 ($180 visit, $175 blood, $200 fecal, and additional charges for any other meds, vitamins, or services).
I checked the 2 exotic vets in the area and they're about the same. Seems a bit crazy.
This the same cross country?

Texas DFW area: 54.00 checkup
35.00 Fecal
18.00 Metronidazole (antibiotic)
13.00 Baytril (antibiotic)
46.00 Follow up exam
30.00 Giardia Test
I have pet insurance 12.00 a month it covers amounts over 50.00 for sick visits, upto 1500.00 annually. For Carmelo Chameleon the pet Insurance was a no brainer. 12.00x12=144.00

Carmelo is an adult adopted Veiled. We have no history with this guy.

1st Vet visit 124.00

2nd vet visit was 124.00

 

[Beman]

Those prices are crazy! Here’s my receipt for Grumpy last year.
View attachment 334359

Um yeah but you also get to go to a real chameleon vet also

 

[bbyoda]

Those prices are crazy! Here’s my receipt for Grumpy last year.
View attachment 334359

Dr Bruce's office is very competitively priced. It's not bougie and he's the main practitioner...so I think he keeps overhead costs down.

 

[bbyoda]

Hi all.
So, Special Agent FP hasn't been to the vet, ever.
He's doing quite well (aside from mild tongue damage over a year ago leading to some bad aim). He eats healthy, sheds regularly, and is getting more adventurous as he ages.
I decided to look into a vet run just for the heck of it, like a wellness visit my kids get at the pediatrician.
In this area of NJ, a non-emergency wellness check for a Cham costs approx $600 ($180 visit, $175 blood, $200 fecal, and additional charges for any other meds, vitamins, or services).
I checked the 2 exotic vets in the area and they're about the same. Seems a bit crazy.
This the same cross country?

Pricey but much better than costs for emergency surgery & worth it to catch issues early, IMHO. You could also look into pet insurance through Nationwide. They cover exotics.