Vet Costs How much does it cost to get a pig check-up?

[RainbowPiggy]

I decided that in probably a few days, I want to take my 2 girls to the vet for a check-up, just to make sure they are healthy. How long will a check up take, and how much will it cost?

 

[NicholsS10]

How long a vet visit takes depends on how thorough the vet is, how long you have to wait in the waiting room and in the exam room, how many questions you have for the vet regarding general care, what's normal, etc..

As regards to how much it will cost, it depends on where you go. During the school year (I'm in college) when I see my personal vet, a regular exam costs $38, with $30 for each pig after that. When I am visiting my parents house and if my pig(s) need to see the vet I go to their clinic, which costs $60 per a pig.

It all depends on where you go. If money can be an issue, call around and find a vet that is both knowledgeable in guinea pigs and in your price range, that's what I did.

 

[fieryone]

That is going to vary widely from vet to vet and state to state (or country). I live in Connecticut and took my new pig for a check up on Friday and the office visit itself was $42. He ended up having an eye issue so the vet put some dye in it to see if it was a scratched cornea or an eye infection. He ended up having conjunctivitis and needed antibiotic eye ointment. So all total for the visit, dye test, and meds, it was $69 and change.

I was only in the waiting room for a few minutes, the tech weighed my guy and got some preliminary info, and the vet exam and neuter discussion was probably 15-20 minutes or so, give or take

 

[Paula]

A regular exam at my vet clinic is $48, with a $35 additional pet fee. That doesn't include any tests or anything else that they do except for an examination of the general condition of the animal.

How much it will cost for you depends on the clinic and the location. Time, I'd imagine, for both pigs would probably be 30-45 minutes.

Good luck.

 

[ResqMomma]

The cost will probably be different for everyone due the area and all that.

The vet we go to charges $48 for the exam and everything else is extra.

 

[wigglesgiggles1]

I am saving up my money so that I can take my two piggies for a regular check-up again. The first one was I believe around 90$ for the both of them. They both had ringworm so the cream and antibiotics added to the cost. It is usualy around 70$ for the two of them.

 

[MissFormosa]

My vet exam is a little more expensive at $55, but I am really picky...and I live in NYC which is ALWAYS more expensive than the rest of the country it seems.

Believe it or not it took me some time to find a good vet that knew about guinea pigs. That was the important thing for me. I know there are a lot of vets around here that deal with "exotics", but when I would call and ask questions about the doctor's qualifications, they would be specializing in birds or reptiles. Plus, it had to be close to home and weekend or late night hours. I feel like the travel stresses my pigs, so there is no way I was going to get in a noisy subway and travel for half an hour.

I love the doctor and I have had all my pigs examined. She is so knowledgeable and takes the time to do the same sort of exam that you would see done on a cat or dog. She takes temp, weight, checks the ears, nose, mouth, eyes, feels their glands and bellies, checks the genitals, and best of all...she asks me questions to make sure I am feeding them properly and caring for them. She cleans their ears and clips their nails as a courtesy. When I first got Alton, she knew I was a new owner and let me ask a good 20 minutes of questions without even acting rushed or inconvenienced like some doctors do when they have other clients lined up. The staff is friendly (a shocker for New York) and the wait is never more that 10 minutes on Saturdays.

So I don't mind paying a little extra.

 

[Aerynne]

I live in a town in Michigan of about 100,000 people. My vet charges $45 per office visit, which seems to be pretty typical. On my first visit, I took both of my pigs to be checked over since I was worried about the competence of the shelter I adopted them from. Everything was a-okay aside from one of them being a male when they were both supposed to be females! The vet only charged me $45 to see both of them (although I was quoted $45 each) so you may want to ask if there is a separate charge for more than one pig or if the rate varies for a check-up versus a more in-depth exam. The actual exams took about 15 minutes for 2 pigs and included checking teeth, clipping nails, examining eyes and ears, etc.

However, I'd like to mention that when researching vets in my area before I got my pigs, the exotic vet was $65 per visit. I originally made an appointment there thinking that they would know how best to treat piggies and didn't really bother looking into "regular" vets. I ended up e-mailing a couple of the local cavy rescue shelters (not where I got my pigs) to get their input and they recommended my current vet, who I'm pretty happy with, but you really have to do your research before following any advice you don't feel comfortable with so you can be the best advocate for your cavies.

Congrats on taking the initiative of getting your piggies checked out and finding a good vet before there is a serious problem!

 

[gooberific]

The vet closest to me charges $72 for one pig, and offers a multi-pet discount so the charge went down to $64 and some change per pig (10%). There are vets further from me (closer to down town), that charge around $45.

I brought two of my boys in for what I thought to be a skin condition, and it took about an hour.

 

[TwilightStar]

The awesome vet we found charges 49 dollars for a check up and then more for shots and stuff if they are needed. Though, if it is a emergency it is 45 dollars.
While I think it is more expensive then some places, the people there are very kind and the vet is really nice and gentle with our animals.

 

[4callmemama]

There are 3 exotic vets in my town and they charge $37.00, $46.50, and $52.00 I took Lloyd to the one who charges $46.50 and he died the next day. Let's just say I won't be going back there!

 

[SFailed186]

Our new vet charges $39.75 for a normal visit. We waited about 5 minutes before we saw the vet because I had to fill out an info card for me and Freya. When we got into the exam room he looked at her for at least 20 minutes before he took her to the back to give her some shots and weigh her. She was in the back for maybe 10 minutes total, and after that he looked at for another 10 minutes to see how she was feeling.