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I am interested in learning what a fair price for TPLO would be.

Sent to Pet Experts December 24 2005 at 3:23 AM
   

I have a 70 lb. Border Collie mix? that may need both knees done. Our home has steps front and back so he may need to be boarded for recovery. He will be six in Feb. I am very concerned about the cost and I seem to be hearing many different numbers being mentioned and the fact? that this is a patented proceedure and that is the reason for the high cost.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Optional Information:
Age: 6; Male; Breed: Border Collie mix

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $10
Answer
December 24 2005 at 5:58 AM (2 hours and 35 minutes and 21 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
Prices vary on all vet procedures depending on your location and the individual vet including their overhead costs and their personal speed at doing complicated surgery - they have to charge more if it takes them longer to do it.
You can read about alternatives to this treatment including info on this one here
www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ruptured_anterior_cruciate_lig.html
In the meantime you may find glucosamine helps your dog - Cosequin or Glycoflex are good ones to use.
Also www.handicappedpets.com has appliances that might help you manage the dog at home even with stairs to cope with.
And yes I've heart knee repair quotes from $700 to 2500 each. If financing is an issue see if www.carecredit.com will help you do it in payments.
Hope this helps you!

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7173 Pet Accepts
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Reply
December 24 2005 at 1:53 PM (7 hours and 54 minutes and 9 seconds later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: I learned all this for free by searching. I wanted more specific information on the cost of TPLO. Who's gouging and who isn't? For example the vet recomended in my area is not on the list of the vet practice that teaches the proceedure. Another vet is. Is there fees being kickbacked on referrals? This is the information I am looking for.
Mike Robinson
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
December 24 2005 at 2:00 PM (7 minutes and 5 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
If you already learned all that then you already know it has nothing to do with kickbacks or anything like that,it has to do with the complexity of the surgery, the radiographs required, and the individual vet's abilities and overhead costs.
My vet is an excellent surgeon who is not only meticulous but also fast. He can charge less per procedure as he can do more surgery in the same amount of time. It has to do with his skill, his overhead costs, his staff etc. Nothing to do with kickbacks.
If you view a vet as a goudger then you should choose another one. What I look for is a solid professional well experienced in the procedure with a high success rate for the outcome.
Will it be worth it? it depends on how well the procedure comes out. A cheap procedure where the outcome isn't good is no great value. Nor is an expensive procedure where the outcome is less than great.
You should care more about the quality of the work is what I'm saying. If you want to compare vets - results should be what counts.
That isn't the only possible procedure - the site I sent you to lists others - by by all accounts it is the best procedure for a dog over 50 pounds.


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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7173 Pet Accepts
30+yrs pet vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior & training, responsible breeding, small animal care
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December 25 2005 at 5:41 AM (15 hours and 41 minutes and 47 seconds later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: I was told by one vet that this is a patented proceedure by the Slocum clinic and that they receive a fee from every TPLO surgery and that is why it is so expensive. You may not be aware of ths. But then I go online and see such a disparity of prices. Also, it is not uncommon in the medical field to have referral fees. How can a person find a vet with a "high success rate"? Where are the results? They just aren't avaiable.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
December 25 2005 at 12:35 PM (6 hours and 53 minutes and 21 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
One vet told you this and you just believe it is a reason for his prices to be what higher than the other vets doing the same procedure?
The results are available if you ask the vets for referrals to happy clients and what their personal success rates are using this procedure.
You can check with the better business bureau to see if any vets have complaints against them, and the state board of veterinarians for the same thing.
Prices are different on every procedure. My friend in KS can have a spay done on a small dog for $35. Here the same sized dog being spayed costs about $200 and another person in TX can get it done for $10 per dog.
Here I had a quote on a c-section for over $2000 and my vet did it for around $700.
Knee surgery - just had one done cost me under $500 but the local orthopedic surgeon gets $1200 and up for the same surgery on the same size dog.
I went with my vet as he is the one locally that does tricky surgeries - he loves doing them and he does a superior job. If the ortho vet had as good a rep (he doesn't) or better rep I'd have considered using him.
You can ask a vet point blank how many surgeries of this type they have done and how successful they were. You should be able to tell the ones who are waffling and which ones are being honest with you.
It really sounds to me like you have no trust in any of the local vets or medicine in general. I do know that the people who graduate in the bottom of their class still get to be vets but that doesn't mean none of the vets are good at what they do.
You can choose to check out www.handicappedpets.com and get your dog a set of wheels to use too.
You can use Glycoflex to see if that helps your pet maintain mobility.
You can research the vet you plan to use and ask for references.
Its all up to you.

Edited by NHolmes on December 25 2005 at 12:38 PM

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7173 Pet Accepts
30+yrs pet vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior & training, responsible breeding, small animal care
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