Pet Emergency Costs
Understanding Emergency Pet Care Costs
We all know that person who is eternally prepared: first-aid kit, water purifier, CPR certificate; this human swiss army knife is ready for anything. Unfortunately, even the most well-equipped person can’t plan for an unexpected pet emergency like when their Jack Russell gets into the neighbor’s rat poison or their Maine Coon decides to take on the neighborhood feral. The good news is that most emergency pet clinics are just a short drive away; the hard part comes when that emergency isn’t accounted for in your monthly budget.
Our team at Emerald City Emergency Clinic understands this unfortunate inevitability of pet ownership, so we ensure that all costs are clearly communicated with each client before any treatment or procedure begins. Since cost is a common concern, we’re opening the curtain to address some of the frequently asked questions about emergency care costs. Read on to learn more.
Why does emergency care cost so much?
If you compare the costs of an emergency visit against one to your regular vet, you’ll probably notice a difference. Like anything, you get what you pay for. So what exactly ARE you paying for?
Around-the-clock care. Emergencies don’t always happen during office hours, so when your pet needs to be treated at 2 am, you’ll be relieved to find our clinic is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (even on holidays!). However, being available around the clock means having trained staff on-site at all times — whether or not there’s a pet emergency. Plus, keeping the office running (lights on, waiting room coffee brewed, equipment up to par) all factor into the cost of our business.
In-house expertise. When time is of the essence, you want your pet to be seen by an experienced and accredited tech, who’s skilled in diagnostics and industry best practices. Just like you wouldn’t want a beauty school dropout giving you that French bob, when it comes to treating your pet, you want the gold standard of care and ideally, it’s all in one place. Our team at Emerald City Emergency Clinic is committed to providing the best care and can handle most cases in-house, without referral to a specialist.
State-of-the-art equipment. The best care requires top-of-the-line equipment so your pet gets treated quickly and effectively. For example, Emerald City Emergency Clinic maintains an in-house lab for fast blood work so you don’t have to wait days for results. We also offer radiology and ultrasonography services and regularly upgrade our medical equipment and protocols to ensure that your pets receive the best quality medicine with the most advanced techniques and technology available.
In-house pharmacy. The last thing you want when your pet is suffering is to make another stop at the pharmacy for pain medication. Because we’re full service, we stock all those crucial medications whether it’s for a slim Siamese or a muscled Mastiff. In order to be prepared for the variety of animals we see and recommended treatments, we maintain a robust on-site supply that’s constantly monitored and replenished.
What kind of costs should I expect?
Scratchpay offers simple and affordable payment plans for large veterinary bills. Finding your payment plan does not affect your credit, takes just a couple of minutes and can be done from your smartphone, tablet or computer. For more information about Scratchpay or to check your rate click here.
What kind of payments do you accept?
Care Credit is one of the leaders in health care financing by providing qualified applicants with a credit line for medical procedures. This credit card can be used for human medical and dental expenses in addition to your pet’s care while here at Emerald City Emergency Clinic. The application process is simple and quick! You can apply by clicking the button below, or have one of our team members present you with an application that we are able to run in-house. We will need two forms of ID and the completed application in order to process it for you. The application is generally processed within 10-15 minutes and the credit line can be used immediately if approved.
Any last advice?
We do our best to provide clear, transparent communication and believe honesty really is the best policy! We also want you to feel comfortable sharing any financial concerns and often ask our clients to tell us their budget, so we can find ways to work within it without sacrificing the care your pet needs.
At Emerald City Emergency Clinic we’ve been taking care of your pets for 25 years. Our small, dedicated team is passionate about animals. Even though we like to joke that we hope we don’t see you again (we want your pet to stay healthy!), we value our relationships with our clients. We aim to provide our patients with an excellent standard of care and our clients with only the best customer service.
Is there anything I can do to prepare for these costs?
You know the saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? The best way to avoid many pet emergencies is to make sure you’re managing your pet’s health, including regular check-ups with your vet, keeping up-to-date on vaccinations and ensuring proper diet and exercise. Another option is to establish a savings account or dedicate a credit card just for pet care. Even better if it’s one where that offers cashback savings or airline points.
