When your pet is injured or sick, the last thing on your mind is how much it will cost to get them better. Whisking your dog or cat off to the emergency vet after theyve broken a bone, eaten chocolate or experienced pretty much anything unexpected is stressful enough. But the fact of the matter is, taking your animal to the vet for an emergency visit can get really expensive, really fast.
Depending on the state you live in, the veterinary facility, your pets breed and the emergency itself, prices for emergency vet visits can vary. But across the board, theyre notoriously steep. An emergency vet can be the same as a standard vet or an entirely different practitioner or animal hospital; either way, the nature of the visit dictates the fees.
We reached out to Alex Stone, CEO of Petted, a leading pet insurance comparison site, and Kristen Lynch, Executive Director of pet insurance association NAPHIA, to learn more about what emergency vet visits actually cost and why theyre so costly. We were shocked to hear the truth. We arent talking about hundreds of dollars; were talking thousands. The costs add up quickly, but there are some things you can do to soften the financial blow, like investing in the right pet insurance.
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How Much Do Emergency Vet Visits Cost?
If your pet has an emergency, You are basically going to the ER, says Stone, and just like in the human world, ER visits will cost you. Average prices start at about $40 for a urine test or pain meds and escalate to about $5,000 for emergency surgery, according to Preventive Vet. Some other common treatments include:
- IV: up to $95
- Blood tests: up to $200
- X-rays: up to $250
- Ultrasound: Up to $600
- Wound treatment: up to $2,500
- Oxygen therapy: Up to $3,000
- Hospitalization: up to $3,500
- Intestinal obstruction with surgery: $4,000 or more
- Pancreatitis: $5,000 or more
- Eating poison like chocolate or raisins: $5,000 or more
- Antifreeze poisoning: $6,000 or more
- Hit by a car: $8,000 or more
- Dog bite wounds: $10,000 or more
When you consider that many of these procedures might need to be done in a single appointment, you begin to understand how some people might find themselves in debt in the event that their pet has a medical emergency.
Why Are Emergency Vet Visits So Costly? Experts Break It Down
“Emergency visits are expensive because they usually indicate that the issue is larger and requires more involved care than simple, routine treatments.” Rather, they frequently call for intricate and multifaceted diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, which may involve blood tests, X-rays, examinations, prescription drugs, overnight hospital stays, IV fluids or medicine, surgery, and specialized therapies, according to Lynch.
Stone continues, “A specialty animal hospital is no different from the ER.” Thus, when it comes to diagnostic procedures, such as MRIs, X-rays, blood tests, or surgery, you have teams of people monitoring your pet around-the-clock. Stone highlights that emergency veterinary care requires the same high standards of training as emergency care for people. Furthermore, keeping an eye on pets necessitates even greater caution because they are incapable of expressing their emotions or level of pain. Additionally, the equipment and supplies used in veterinary emergency rooms may be more costly than those in conventional medical facilities.
Emergency vet costs can vary, according to Betterpet, based on:
Different states charge different fees for veterinary care. The actual facility you choose will factor in too. “The same procedure can be performed in the Midwest for $3,000 to $4,000; for instance, TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) surgery can normally run you three or four grand.” However, that might be $9,000 in California or New York due to the higher costs of real estate, labor, and education in those states, according to Stone.
The diseases your dog is prone to, such as hip dysplasia and eye infections, will depend on their breed, which can also have an impact on cost.
Presnell told Insider that the surgery cost $600, and she was able to pay for it with the help of viewers who donated to a GoFundMe she created last Tuesday.
Presnell claimed to have had Cody since she was eight years old for ten years. She claimed that the bird was originally given to her by her aunt and originally belonged to her late uncle Kent. She claimed that Cody has always been a very important friend and presence in her life. Advertisement.
Presnell said on her TikTok that she was unsure of what to do because she couldn’t afford the probable vet bills.
Last Thursday, she posted about “reading all the hate comments” and that shes been “letting them get to” her.
Presnell stated that because of her injury, she must constantly keep the bottom of Cody’s cage clean and assist Cody in drinking water. She continued, “I have to clear her at least three times a day because she walks in her feces a lot.”
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