Up until last year, I've always had cats and none have had any major health issues, so vet bills have been pretty predictable and affordable. Then this past November, I got my first dog ever, a super sweet and lovable Black and Tan Hound. She is my baby and I love her. When I got her, her foster said she was getting over an ear infection and gave me a course of antibiotics to finish. No big deal. I finish the course of antibiotics, and then take her back to the vet for a general checkup and to make sure the infection is really gone. They find that the infection is still there, and recommend a culture to figure out what kind of bacteria is there ($350). I said, sure, go ahead. They do the culture and tell me there are two kinds of bacteria, one rod shaped and the other round, and that the rod shaped ones can be hard to get a handle on. So they send me home with ear wash and more antibiotics, and tell me they'll need to do another culture once the symptoms go away. So we start the course of antibiotics, and keep going back for regular check ins on her progress. This vet charges the same for follow-up visits as for regular checkups, and I keep having to bring her back every 2-3 weeks at $100/visit. Starting to get frustrated with the costs and not seeing any progress. So I decided to switch to Banfield because they have a Wellness Plan for $40/month that includes unlimited office visits. I think great, I'll at least save on the follow-up check-ins. But even with the wellness plan, they still manage to get my bill to at least $100/visit with extras and upcharges, so I feel like I'm right back where I started. That and they're trying to say they want to do more cultures($300) and swabs($50) not covered under the plan even though I gave them the culture results from the original vet, and the original infection has never been resolved, so I keep saying no to those, but of course then I feel guilty. And they're trying to push allergy shots on me for $100/month, even though she shows no signs of having allergies, she just has this ear infection that has never been fully successfully treated to completion. I just want my sweet girl to feel better, but I'm starting to feel taken advantage of. I know when I go to get my oil changed, their business strategy is to "find something" wrong with the car, and find all kinds of upcharges and services to make me feel like I need, even though I don't. This is easy to confront because I'm not emotionally attached to my car. With the vet though, obviously it's different and I think they may know this and take advantage, especially the large corporate vets like Banfield. What should I do, would I have better luck with a smaller/family owned vet? I don't want to switch to a third vet, but I need to get my girl well and get these people out of my wallet! Any advice?
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/meek71/is_my_vet_scamming_me/
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