Tip #6: Decline optional items and services.

When someone from the veterinary staff presents you with an estimate for a surgical procedure or hospitalization, ask if there are items that you can decline. Sometimes they won’t tell you unless you ask.

Each hospital is different, but many clinics are required to present you with an estimate that includes everything but the kitchen sink. It may surprise you that the main reason this is done is NOT to make more money (although it certainly helps) but to protect the hospital in case something happens to your pet.

For example, Mr. Smith’s toy poodle Fluffy comes in for a dental cleaning. The dental goes fine but a few days later Fluffy starts acting sick. It turns out that Fluffy has kidney disease and her body has not been able to recover from the effects of anethesia.

Unfortunately, Mr. Smith declined the pre-anesthetic blood panel that was offered to him. Otherwise the veterinarian would have known not to do the dental.

However, if the hospital had not offered Mr. Smith the blood panel there is the potential here for a lawsuit.

It should be said that the surgical risks involved with anesthesia are very small (in human and veterninary medicine) but they do exist. By offering you the most complete package possible the hospital is simply protecting itself from owners who like to play the “blame game.”

Another example could be Mrs. Johnson and her Labrador Retriever, Max. Max comes home from being neutered and licks his incision open.

Mrs. Johnson says, “Well how come you never offered me an e-collar? I’m not paying to have it sutured again!” And the hospital ends up doing it for free, because no, she wasn’t offered an e-collar.

For surgical procedures like a spay or neuter an estimate may include things like bloodwork, IV fluids, and an e-collar. However, depending on the age and health status of your pet they may not all be required. Talk it over with your vet. But cutting out these items can significantly cut down your costs. Again, it depends on the health of your pet.

Bloodwork checks your dog’s liver and kidney functions before going under anesthesia. Normally this is a requirement for older pets but if your dog is young it may not be necessary unless you want to know his normal blood values for future reference.

Your pet will be fasted in order to go under anesthesia and IV fluids will keep him hydrated during and after the surgery. Pets receiving IV fluids during surgery ususally recover more quickly and smoothly from the anesthesia and it keeps their blood pressure elevated. An IV catheter also allows a technician to infuse life-saving drugs as quickly as possible in case of an anesthetic emergency.

I ALWAYS recommend an IV catheter and IV fluids for females undergoing a spay procedure. However, for male pets being neutered it may not always be necessary because the procedure is far less complicated.

An e-collar is the lampshade or cone that goes around your pet’s head to prevent him from licking open the incision. (YES, it can be done—and it doesn’t take long.) But not all pets will need one. If you want to decline the e-collar just keep a close eye on your pet. Later if you decide he needs an e-collar you can purchase one at the vet or at the pet store.

However, if your pet DOES lick open his incision and it shows on his medical record that you declined an e-collar you WILL be charged to have it re-sutured!

Again, talk about the different options with the hospital staff. If you are sincere about it, they will usually work with you. Just don’t be rude or pushy. The person who presents the estimate to you most likely has nothing to do with setting the prices!