Tequesta Veterinary Clinic Pricing

Introduction
Dr. Sutton’s pricing philosophy has developed over her 30+ years in practice Our goal is to provide exceptional medicine at a reasonable price. Clients often call and ask for prices, so we’ve listed some of the prices below her philosophy.

Reasonable Pricing Philosphy
Practicing medicine is more fun and far more satisfying when clients can afford the medications and procedures we recommend for their pets! We believe our prices are extremely reasonable considering the high level of care we provide and the high tech equipment we utilize.  Between Dr. Sutton, Dr. Raymond and Dr Stetzer, we have almost 100 years of combined “years in practice”.  There are several nonprofit organizations in town that receive millions of dollars in donations each year. We are not one of those clinics but we do strive to be affordable. Our greatest goal is to be THE BEST MEDICINE!

High Tech Equipment
Don’t be fooled by the “cottage appearance” of our animal hospital!! Dr. Joi Sutton has a weakness for technology and doesn’t suffer outdated equipment. We have top-end digital X-ray and digital dental X-ray machines. We have the same fancy model Phillips ultrasound unit that 2 of the cardiologists in town use. We have many fluid pumps. We have an oxygen cage. We have a TonoVet and slit lamp. We have end-tidal CO2 machines and most every anesthetic monitoring gadget. (Dr. Sutton is very type A about anesthesia.) We have all the best dental equipment. We have a Cutting Edge class 4 therapy laser (the same type that many chiropractors use). We send much of our labwork out to reference labs (to save clients money), but when we have a sick pet we have the same suite of IDEXX laboratory equipment that both the local specialty/ER hospitals have.

Experience

Dr. Joi has been practicing since 1993. Dr Kate has been practicing since 2007.   Dr Elliot has been practicing since 1972.  The pricing can’t reflect the years of experience of our doctors, but know there is a good chance we have seen a situation similar to what your sweetie is experiencing.  That alone can save you money.

Reasonable Hospitalization Fees
We try to keep charging for hospitalization simple and reasonable. For ill pets requiring hospitalization, we are able to provide state of the art diagnostics and therapeutics.  We offer much of the same treatments and tests that you would find at the local emergency hospitals except that we close at 5pm.  We are happy to provide you with an estimate for hospitalization when your pet is ill.

All pain medications have reasonably priced
We charge minimally for the injections of anti-inflammatory and narcotic injections that we give with surgical and dental procedures.  We are liberal with our use of local anesthetics.  We incorporate multi-modal analgesia and local anesthesia into all of our surgical procedures. Dr. Sutton is a big proponent of pain meds, nerve blocks whenever they can be incorporated, anti-inflammatories, and multimodal pain control.

Anesthesia: Some hospitals ask clients to choose if lab work or IV catheters or pain meds or anesthetic monitoring machines (ECG, pulse oximetry, end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring, blood pressure monitoring) are authorized for medical procedures. They choose these options when they sign the medical release form. This has always baffled Dr. Sutton that some doctors let owners choose if a pet receives pain meds or anesthetic monitoring. At Tequesta Vet Clinic, IT IS A GIVEN that an IV catheter will be in place if the pet is anesthetized. IT IS A GIVEN that we will monitor a pet closely while under anesthesia with our monitors. The cost of anesthesia and procedural packages reflect these “safety nets”.  These safety nets are non-negotiable.

ALL PATIENTS UNDERGOING ANESTHESIA RECEIVE AN INJECTION OF CERENIA. THIS MEDICATION DECREASES PERIOPERATIVE NAUSEA THAT CAN OCCUR FROM ANESTHESIA AND PAIN MEDS. WE CHARGE JUST ENOUGH PER PATIENT ANESTHETIZED TO COVER THE COST OF THIS EXPENSIVE MEDICATION. When we use it for sick pets it is charged at a higher price based on the patient’s weight. Since Dr. Sutton began giving cerenia prophylactically to ALL anesthetized patients we’ve seen the incidence of tummy upset drop dramatically. Cerenia also has some analgesic qualities.

Owners of older pets will be required to perform bloodwork before anesthesia, but owners may opt to decline bloodwork for very young healthy pets. For this reason, bloodwork is NOT included in the package price. A junior profile costs less than an extensive senior profile. Postoperative pain medications are reasonably priced and also not included in the cost of procedural packages. Again, we tailor medications to the pet and the pet’s size.

Ultrasound:
All our doctors and vet nurses at Tequesta Vet Clinic use our high-quality ultrasound. We have a variable skill set, but we use it all day long. In 2019, Dr. Joi upgraded her “nice” ultrasound to what could be described as the “racecar” of ultrasound units.  We are clearly not internists nor radiologists, but we can often identify diseases in our practice without having to send you to a specialist. Sometimes we can identify enough to know that we should refer you to a specialist! We typically charge $123.5 for Global FAST scans in our clinic or $62 for an AFAST or TFAST or VetBlue individually.  Our in house ultrasound scans may direct us to send you to a specialist for a formal ultrasound, or we may just make the diagnosis ourselves. We use our ultrasound all day long for simple things such as collecting urine to more advanced looks such as during triage of an ill pet.  For a client to have an ultrasound by a board-certified radiologist or internist they can expect to pay $600 to $800 per body cavity.   We now also offer in-house ultrasounds with consultation by a board-certified internist, Dr Jen Ayoub!  As she no longer has “overhead” as a traveling internist, our clients can have a consultation and abdomenal ultrasound.  We are extremely excited to welcome Dr Ayoub to Tequesta!!

Veterinary dentistry: We perform a lot of dentals at Tequesta Vet Clinic and pride ourselves on our dental care. We get many new clients specifically because our dentals are affordably priced, particularly our level of care provided. If you go to the “Dental” tab at the top of the website you can read about our protocols and prices. Dr Sutton is known for her skill and speed with dental extractions. TVC is also known for our anesthesia safety record.  Dr Sutton is a graduate of the International Veterinary Dentistry Institute.  Dr Sutton is not a board certified dentist.  There are about a hundred board certified vet dentists in the United States.  Dr Sutton typically refers to Dr Wiegand in Stuart when it is a dental procedure beyond her skillset.

Microchips: FREE for all of our patients. See the home page to understand why Dr. Joi gives free microchips to our patients.

Examinations:
Exam fee: $67

Exam fee for NEW patients: $72 (We need to collect and sort through prior information from prior vets, make you a chart, etc.  This fee is $5 in addition to the regular exam fee of $67.)
Recheck/Progress: $46.50

Brief exam: $51.50

Nurse appointment: $14.50

Extended examination fee (ie first diabetic, multiple issues for new client exam, etc): $110

Puppy / Kitten progress exams: $46.50 after an initial $72 consultation. We like to spend extra time with the babies and owners on the first visit to set you up for success!

Vaccinations:
Please know that we only use non-adjuvented vaccines when such a vaccine is available. These vaccines are quite expensive compared to many of the vaccines on the market, but we know that clients are unaware of the quality difference and might “price shop” vaccinations.  We utilize 3-year vaccination schedules whenever possible and vaccinate based on the lifestyle of the pet. Please read the vaccine tab on this website. We want our clients to be involved in vaccination choices for their pets. We adhere to current vaccination recommendations by AAHA and AAFP. For many vaccines, the duration of immunity in adult pets is up to 3 years. Each year you will receive an email reminder for your annual exam and “evaluation of vaccination status”. Each year we assess a pet’s lifestyle and risk for disease. Clients will be involved in choosing appropriate vaccines. If your pet’s lifestyle doesn’t warrant a particular vaccine, we won’t give it. For older pets, we are happy to perform vaccination titers for owners.  (Again, one of Joi’s common sayings is that it’s hard being type A in a type B world.   Joi’s type A personality means we only offer the safest vaccines available to our patients and we vaccinate based on lifestyle.  Please understand when we ask you lots of questions about your lifestyle, we aren’t just being nosy.  We are trying to determine which vaccines are warranted for your pet.)

Rabies $52.50 – Canine, 1 yr or 3 yr
Rabies Feline $51 for 1 yr.  $69.25 for 3 yr vaccine.  (non-adjuvented Merial /BI Purevax vaccine)
Canine DHPP $52.5
Canine Lepto 4 way $48
Canine BORDETELLA (oral or intranasal, includes parainfluenza) $47
Feline FVRCP $51 (whether injectible or intranasal)
Feline FELV $51 (This vaccine is the Merial Purevax leukemia vaccine.)
Canine influenza vaccine $64.75 (This is for 2 strains of influenza:  H3N2 and H3N8.)

X-Rays:
2 to 4 views: $184.50 (may be more as the number of views increase)

Blood pressure (systolic pressure checked with Parks ultrasonic doppler unit): $35 for awake pet. Note, all pets under anesthesia have their blood pressure monitored at no charge. $25 with annual exams for seniors.

Injections:
$20-40 for most medications. We charge more for particularly expensive meds such as convenia, cerenia, Cytopoint, Solensia and Librela.

Analgesics/Sedatives:

Injection costs of analgesics and sedatives vary. If part of a procedure we typically discount narcotics compared to outpatient care. If it is an outpatient, we will likely charge $25-30 for hydromorphone or buprenorphine. We are excited to soon Zorbium, the only FDA approved topically applied narcotic for cats that LASTS THREE DAYS! We also carry several sizes of fentanyl patches and those costs vary based on pet size. Whatever the situation, know that we are aggressive about pain control and charge very fairly.  Additionally, we incorporate ropivicaine or bupivicaine or NOCITA into many of our surgeries.  Nocita is a local anesthetic that lasts for 3 to 4 days.

Spays and neuters:
Spay and neuter package prices are based on the pet’s weight. (Larger pets require larger amounts of anesthetics, suture, and disposables than a small pet.) Spay and neuter packages include IV catheters and intra-operative IV fluids, anesthesia, anesthetic monitoring, and local anesthesia.  Blood work on young pets is optional (but strongly encouraged) and not included in this package pricing. An in-house chemistry profile is $131 if chosen on the day of, but typically we offer lab work prior to the day of surgery that is more economical (cbc/chem) as lab work sent out is more affordable.  For middle-aged and older pets we requite the pet to have blood work prior to anesthesia. Examinations are required for our patients PRIOR TO THE DAY of any surgical procedures. Pets will of course be examined the day of the procedure, but Tequesta Vet Clinic requires an exam prior to surgery day to evaluate if there are issues prior to placing a pet under anesthesia, to ensure all vaccines are current prior to hospitalization for the surgery, etc.  This is for the pet’s benefit. The prices below include local anesthesia for both dogs and cats and an estimate for the anti-inflammatory drug post operatively. For cats, the price includes Zorbium. Please also click on the SURGERY TAB on this website and THE ANESTHESIA SAFETY NETS TAB on this website for the big picture on surgery and anesthesia at TVC and why you should choose us for your spays and neuters. A spay is not “just a spay”. When we anesthetize a pet at TVC we have only one pet, YOUR pet, under anesthesia at a time. Dr Joi’s joke is that type A people may be irritating in everyday life, but we are the ones you want anesthetizing your pet!  When we do the spay or neuter is the perfect time for us to place the microchip which we do for free.  AGAIN, ALL PROCEDURES INCLUDE IV CATHETER AND FLUIDS, ANESTHESIA, ANESTHETIC MONITORING, AND LOCAL ANESTHESIA. We try our best to make charging simple with no hidden fees. The estimates below include E collars and pain meds to go home with the patient.  We utilize long lasting analgesics and local anesthetics whenever possible.

Package prices (including an approximation for post op analgesics):

Dog Neuters: $495, 25-50 lb: $532.50, 51-75 lb: $558.50, 76-90 lb: $568.5, >90 lb $661.50
Dog Spays: < 25 lb: $543.50, 25-50 lb: $601.50, 51-75 lb: $645, 76-90 lb: $705, >90 lb $813
Cat spay: $501.18
Cat neuter: $377.51

Other surgical procedures:
Surgical procedures such as lacerations and mass removals require an examination so that our doctors can evaluate the situation before the pet presents for surgery. The price is based on anesthesia time and surgical time. We will provide an estimate when you bring your pet for evaluation.

LAB FEES
We strive to offer economical bloodwork and laboratory prices to encourage clients to test their pets! The Antech and Idexx wellness profiles are particularly cost-effective. We get outside results typically within 12 to 24 hours. Profiles are provided by Antech Diagnostic Lab or Idexx Laboratory except for the tests run in house. When we need bloodwork answers right away we can run the lab work in-house, but in-house diagnostics cost more due to staff time and equipment supplies. Dr. Sutton Particularly likes the “junior wellness” and “senior wellness” profiles as they are like getting the annual heartworm test for free! The junior profiles run between $103.50 to $178.50 and the Senior profiles typically run $187 to $257. Some of the senior profiles throw in a heartworm and tick screen. Some of the senior profiles throw in cardiac enzymes or leukemia and aids tests or urine protein:creatinine ratios. We choose the profile that best suits your pet.

In house labs:
$295.75 for STAT IDEXX in-house cbc, chemistry profile, T4, SDMA, Urinalysis – We utilize this large profile when we have an ill pet in the hospital and we need results promptly to guide care. (If we send labs to the outside lab we don’t get the results till the following day.)

$61.75 fecal floatation by centrifugation AND FECAL PCR
Fecal PCR testing a very sensitive fecal test and handy because some worms may intermittently shed their eggs into the stool. The fecal float is long what we had to identify worms. Fecal PCR is a newer fancy test for whipworms, hookworms, and roundworms, giardia and many other parasites. The fecal PCR tests for the 20 most common parasites that dogs get and the 22 most common parasites that cats carry.  We now test all annual fecal samples via fecal PCR testing. 59 bucks is a steal for this comprehensive fecal test.  Furthermore, if your pet has hookworms, we will know if it is likely the emerging multi-drug resistant hookworm. And if your pet has Giardia (which is not uncommon here in moist humid South Florida), it will tell us if it is the type that typically affects animals versus the strain that typically affects humans.

$77.75 urinalysis (performed STAT in house with our SediVue machine). If we obtain the urine via ultrasound guided cystocentesis we charge $23 to help pay for our fancy ultrasound and expertise.  If we obtain the sample by ultrasound guided cystocentesis we include an in-house backup urine culture biplate at $8. If bacteria grow we can later submit this culture media to Antech lab for a very reasonable fee.

$59.50 heartworm test (heartworm, ehrlichia, anaplasma, lyme) – Note: We discount the 4dx test to $23 when a client allows us to run a junior profile as we strongly encourage early diagnosis of disease.  (Since much of the fee is our amazing nursing team pulling the blood and running the test, if our clients opt for a cbc/chemistry at the same time that we are processing blood samples for outgoing labwork, we give you the 4dx test for the cost of the snap kit.)