Any one know Bideawee or other good.reasonably priced vets?

lberghol · October 2007

Hey guys,

Recently my lil Chihuahua boy seems to have developed some lumps....one on his chest which feels soft and fatty, and another on his ankle which is hard and about the size of a shelled peanut. He doesn't seem to feel sick (though he doesn't like me poking and prodding at his bumps), but they do worry me abit. I know they might just be cysts, or some sort of ingrown hair/blood blister, but you never know...

At the same time I can't afford to drop $300 at a vets office for an "I don't know, keep an eye on it" answer.

I was thinking of taking him to Bidawee, since they offer "affordable non profit" vet services, and are associated with a rescue org. (seeing as I've been a rescue volunteer and have 2 rescue dogs myself, that seems comforting to me)

http://www.bideawee.org/

Has anyone had any experience with them? Alternately, does anyone know of any good vets who don't break the bank? Thanks so much guys!!

lilbangladesh · October 2007

Generally, you get what you pay for in veterinary care.

People talk about how expensive Animal Kind is, but they do have the most advanced equipment. I personally have found that I'm spending LESS money on veterinary care since becoming a client of Animal Kind, but I think it's because since they are a large hospital, they are able to get better prices on their prescriptions which they pass on to the consumer. I think I'm spending about 50% less on prescriptions at Animal Kind than I did in Queens. The price of a checkup was pretty reasonable too.

I think you might do better to go to a place with advanced diagnostic equipment because you're more likely to get an answer rather than "I don't know". So you would save money by getting more bang for the buck. The only caveat I hear is that one's experience with Animal Kind really depends on the vet you choose. I chose Dr. Gibson and he's great.

shishkab · October 2007

no matter where you choose to go, OP, for your own piece of mind you ought to get both lumps biopsied. the vet will most likely want to do a fine needle aspirate (just a needle, not a scalpel) to get a sample to look at under the microscope. needle biopsies are not that expensive. they will also take blood and analyze it, too. this is to check and make sure nothing else is going on that you can't see just by looking at your Chi.

if you're worried, you ought to try and get that definitive diagnosis for your own piece of mind.

jimmylegs · October 2007

i've tried to find out how much different vets cost, but nobody ever wants to reveal how much they actually pay for stuff. i would love to know what people are paying at places like Animal Kind, anybody wanna offer what they pay for a basic exam/shots?

but when it comes to mysterious lumps, i'd say the important thing here is diagnosis and treatment. i've never gotten a biopsy done, but since it's above and beyond the usual stuff, it could be kind of expensive. but whaddya gonna do, it's your dog! right?

lberghol · October 2007

In my experience as a life long pet owner I've come to discover that quality of care does not always equal the price tag. Charges for vetianary practices seem to be all over the map, and there are good and bad vets out there (at all ranges of the pay scale) Lord knows I've paid $150 for treatments that I've actually had to stop/undo because the vet in question literally had no idea what they were doing.

Which is why I'm trying to find a reasonably priced vet who has a good reputation. I thought Bideawee would be a good option since in my experience volunteering for rescue groups, I've found that the vets who are associated with rescue groups usually are in the profession for the care of the animals, and don't break the bank when it comes to the bill, but some private practice vets can be good and reasonable too!

Shishkabab/jimmylegs - thanks guys! I do want to get the bumps biopsied, for my own peace of mind if nothing else...I just don't want to pay through the nose if I can help it. (esp since I've had similar bumps on my other dogs in the past and they've always been begien).

Lilbangladesh - do you mind me asking what Animal Kind has charged you in the past for your visits?

caseopele · October 2007

The soft lump may just be a fatty lump, my 12 year old shepherd mix has gotten a bunch as he's gotten older. He also has 2 hard bumps that my vet said are cysts and to watch them in case they burst. He's had them for a couple years now and they haven't changed at all. I'll give you an idea of what I pay at my vet:

4 week old kitten with diarrhea and fleas - $96
They gave him fluids
Flagyl for the diarrhea (I think from bacteria)
A little advantage for the fleas
Full checkup
And I think I may be leaving one thing out, can't remember

12 year old shepherd mix with arthritis - $120
Senior wellness exam that included blood work for just about everything
Stool sample test
Metacam for pain
And again I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something else, it was over a year ago.

I've never felt over charged at my vet and I have very limited funds. They have never tried to pressure me into spending more money. They keep my money situation in mind and only suggest the more expensive option when it's absolutely necessary. My dislike of Animal Kind has already been posted in other vet threads so I'll just say this. Both times I went there (10 years apart) they tried to pressure me into spending more money. For things I knew were unnecessary (and later confirmed by my vet). Good luck with your baby, I hope it's nothing to worry about!

quijibo · October 2007

check out Hopevet in Boerum Hill: http://hopevet.com/
they're very good and keep your financial situation in mind when treating your pet
also they're actively involved in rescuing animals

darla · October 2007

I have only used Animal Kind since rescuing my feral kitty almost a year ago. I do not have any other vets to benchmark my visits against. However, I believe they are fair with pricing.

A co-worker had recommended them to me. She used them for her cats. The avg. price of the office visit I believe is $57 and then shots and other analysis are additional.

I got my baby spayed there as well. I had a muffin certificate and total cost incl. over night stay was in the $120-$130 range (exludes cost of certificate).

lberghol · October 2007

caseopele - Thank you so much for sharing your info! I do think that the soft lump is just a fatty lump, and that the other one is a cyst. My dogs in the past have had them as they got older, and they were nothing to worry about. My chi also seems prone to cysts, since he had one above his eye last year that burst and then healed nicely. I just worry like any other dog-mommy, plus it's hard for me to tell if he's really old enough to be having these things develop normally. We got him as a rescue, and they assumed he was 1 year when we got him, but I'm beginning to think he might have been older. I think he's at least 5 now, maybe more, and he is a bit overweight, so fatty lumps aren't too abnormal... Do you mind if I ask you who your vet is?

quijibo - Thank you!! They look like a great option, I'll definatly take a look at them!

darla - Thank so much for sharing! Animal Kind seems like a good place to keep in mind if (god forbid) a pet needs some serious medical attention...

jimmylegs · October 2007

caseopele, thanks for the cost breakdown. who's your vet? we should all be looking for realistic folks like that!

caseopele · October 2007

Anything I can do to help! I have 4 cats and 2 dogs who are my babies so I would never recommend a vet I wasn't 100% happy with. And with all those animals I can't afford every single thing a vet may want to do. I go to Park Slope Veterinary Care on 5th Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets. I've known Drs. Parker and Maddon longer than their practice has been open though. I met them both at Prospect Park Animal Clinic and followed them when they opened their own place.

Dr. Parker is the cat vet and Dr. Maddon is the dog vet but they both are good with either one. When it comes to personalities they are polar opposites. Dr. Parker is sort of old fashionedly polite (in a good way), soft spoken, and very diplomatic. Dr. Maddon is very straightforward, doesn't mince words, and a bit less reserved. I get along with them both but some people prefer one over the other. A friend has been taking her diabetic cat there for a couple years (on my recommendation), she didn't like Dr. Maddon at first and would only see Dr. Parker. Now she gets along him, once she realized that underneath it all he had her cat's best interests at heart.

To give an example of why I love them, here is something I wrote for a couple review sites:

"I've had 2 major crises in the time I've been going there. One cat needed her leg amputated due to somewhat bizarre circumstances. Dr. Parker was the one who handled everything. He didn't worry about money, only my cat's health. They ended up charging me less than they should have. My wonderful dog was very sick, Dr. Maddon did his best to figure out what was wrong and he eventually discovered a tumor the size of an orange next to my dog's heart. The only decision that needed to be made was when we would put him to sleep. Dr. Maddon was very caring during the ordeal and made a horrible experience more bearable."

I neglected to add that when Dr. Parker called me at work to let me know what was going on (my ex brought her in), he basically said, "The leg needs to be amputated immediately, we have to do it but we can worry about the money later." Most vets require a deposit up front before they'll do anything, even if an animal's life is in jeopardy. As for my sweet boy who had to be put to sleep, Dr. Maddon worked with me for a month trying to figure out what was wrong with him. We finally had to do an echocardiogram and they found the tumor.

One more thing and I'll shut up, I swear! My 12 year old dog Cheech was treated very poorly by Gibson at Animal Kind over 10 years ago when I brought him there to be neutered. Cheech was badly abused before I got him and was terrified of men. After the AK incident I was nervous about bringing him to Maddon at PPAC. I explained Cheech's problem and told Maddon he would probably pee because he was scared. Maddon's reply? "Why do you think I dress like this?" He then got down on the floor with Cheech and helped calm him down. Ok, I'm done I promise! I just want people to know why I recommend PSVC, it's not just a couple visits with one pet. It's a number of wonderful experiences with these caring vets.

http://www.parkslopevets.com/

DISCLAIMER: I understand that vets (like any doctor) will not be loved or liked by everyone. It's a personal preference so I won't be upset if someone doesn't like them. I fully believe that people should see the vet they trust with their pet's life, whoever that may be.

jimmylegs · October 2007

sounds like good folks to me! wish it was closer to me, but as i gotta take a car service anyway, maybe i'll get over there.

lberghol · October 2007

That sounds wonderful caseopele! It also help that they're close by! I will defnately check them out, I do want him to be seen by someone next weekend.... Thanks again!!

Any one know Bideawee or other good.reasonably priced vets?

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