Recently, there’s been a long discussion thread on one of my show dog lists about the wide variance of prices for veterinary care throughout Southern Ontario. Accusations of veterinary ‘price gouging’ were alleged at a few clinics, while others defended their clinic’s standard of care, even if their costs were slightly higher.

This raises an interesting question for us as breeders. When everything is equal, how far will you go for cheaper veterinary care?

I am not discussing the rare and specialized services that only a Veterinary Specialist can provide. When dealing with something like a heart defect, I want my dog in the capable hands of the Cardio team at the University of Guelph, even if it does mean a bill well into the thousands of dollars. A rare or complicated condition obviously requires specialized care, equipment, and  it also requires vets who have done years of additional training and education to acquire the skills needed. I’m talking about the day to day things, like shots, check ups and alteration.

An article in the Chatham Daily News examined the wide variance of prices for as simple a procedure as a neuter -

 prices for neutering are more expensive in Chatham-Kent, at least for a male dog weighing in at about 95 lbs. The fees, before tax, ranged from $219 to $467.

In London, the price quotes, before tax, went from $84 to $239.

Compared to some of the prices I have heard of, $467 for a neuter practically seems like a steal. A French Bulldog owner who lives in downtown Toronto was quoted $900 for a neuter on their one year old French Bulldog, taxes not included.

Locally, my prices vary almost as widely as they do in Chatham – London.

I called several of the clinics in the Grey Bruce and Wellington areas of Ontario that I have personal experience with. I asked them for neuter estimates on a 25 lb., six month old French Bulldog – the same dog whose owners had received a quote of $900 in downtown Toronto.

Here are my results -

Grey Bruce Veterinary Hospital, Owen Sound
$77 initial exam, because dog is not a current client
$275 for neuter, without fluids.
Dog goes home same day.

Graham Animal Hospital, Hillsburgh
$330 for neuter, without fluids.
Dog goes home same day

North Wellington Veterinary Clinic, Mt. Forest
$77 initial exam, because dog is not a current client
$284.66 for neuter,  fluids during surgery included.
Dog goes home same day.

Hanover Veterinary Hospital, Hanover
$195 for neuter, without fluids.

Mildmay Veterinary Clinic, Mildmay/Walkerton
$180 for neuter, without fluids.
Overnight stay is required.

Finally, I called Staples Animal Hospital, in London. Staples is the clinic that I mentioned in my blog post about meeting a Puggle breeder. It is a busy, crowded clinic – routinely cars are lined up along the roadside in front of the clinic, while people queue up inside, waiting to be seen by the Veterinarians. The reason? Their prices. Check out the quote from Staples -

Staples Veterinary Clinic, London
$84 for a neuter, without fluids
Dog goes home same day

That’s a tough price to quibble with, and I’ve used Staples before, especially for rescue dogs. I’ll likely use them again in the future, as well. It’s not that I think my dogs would get a lesser standard of care at Staples, by the way. I find the vets there to be skilled and knowledgeable – how could you not be, if you were performing thirty plus alterations per day?

On a daily basis, however, I actually don’t mind paying a little more to go to one of the local clinics I’ve developed a rapport with. For one thing, they’re local, which beats a three hour drive each way to London. For another, I like my vets, and I like the care they give my dogs, and the fact that they know me and my dogs.  Finally, I know that if I don’t support my local clinics when I need them to do the small stuff, they might not be there for me when I need the big stuff.

But, if the day ever comes that they start quoting me three, four, five hundred dollars more than a competing clinic, for something as minor as a neuter, then loyalty is going out the window in favor of pragmatism. It’s something that vets might want to bear in mind, when they complain about empty waiting rooms and clients who never come to see them for appointments. Take a look at the clinic down the road from you, the one that’s kept prices in line. Are there cars lined up outside, and is their parking lot full?

If the answer is ‘yes’, then it’s time to acknowledge that the fault for your empty clinic does not lie with clients who aren’t getting veterinary for their pets, but with vets who have priced themselves out of reach of their pet owners.