My dog is allergic to gluten. I didn't do the test, she was diagnosed through reactions to different dog foods and putting her on a grain free dog food. All her symptoms went away. I know how expensive dog prescription medication can be straight from the vet. Because of her age, 14, she is on Rimadyl for arthritis. I found out I could get it at Costco and Safeway for less than 1/3 the cost from the vet. I buy 3 months of Frontline online for what they were charging for 1 month. I don't know why the vet always charges so much more. It just drives clients away.

I suppose they charge more because they have higher expenses to conduct business than an online company (which of course has costs too).

Lukki, how do you tell if a food has yeast? Just look at the ingredients.

Honest vets will suggest purchasing alternatives for clients needing to buy expensive meds. If GP vets didn't make money from selling prescriptions and food, the charges would be higher for their services.

No reason to expect prices would be standardized from one to the next, vet practices are small businesses and they set their own charges.

Snidely, I don't mind paying a "reasonable" over market charge to the vet, but 50.00 is over and beyond what other vets charge with their added costs included, it's excessive and unnecessary. I think it's easy to assume (and most people do) that the charges from one vet to another may vary but will at least be somewhere in the same ball park. 50.00 isn't even close.

Yes, just check the ingredients. If your pet has an allergy to yeast any yeast would be inclusive including Brewers yeast.

My DIL is a Vet who works for the Vet who owns the clinic. Vets are Doctors. And like Doctors who treat humans, they run a small business. Prices at the offices vary depending on so many factors. As it does in Human Doctors offices/hospitals/testing labs etc. In Human medical care , we're advised to shop around. That goes for Vet medical care too.

I have a vet in my family too. Most docs in my area work in large groups these days, the solo doc or pair sharing an office is becoming a rarety. But what physician charges do have in common from one to another is Medicare and insurance contract reimbursement rates, something for which there is really no parallel for vets.

Large corporate practices (like VCA or Banfield) and group practices are becoming more common for vets too. A better comparison for the small hospital vet operators are dentists because so many still practice on their own and so few of their services are covered by third party reimbursements. .

One time I was charged $44 at the feline opthamologist for ointment for a kitty eye issue. Imagine my disgust when I found this eye medication, called Genteal, at every pharmacy for less than $10. So now I always ask for less expensive alternatives and options. One of my cats is on prozac. I can get 90 days worth at Costco ($9) for less than a month's worth ($22) at the vet.

My cat gets mild ear infections...guess I should try yeast free food, give it a try, why not.... Good info lukkiirish. Thx! I use 1-800-pet meds for his topical deworming. My vet charges about $150 for an annual de-worming & rabis shot. It's "outrageous"!

You're welcome Nicole, I wouldn't be surprised and hope you'll let me know the results. A few years ago, I had a cat that had ongoing problems and was told it was probably mites, yet they never went away...well I'm almost certain now it was an allergy to something in his food. I've done quite a bit of research on dog foods and have learned that the foods we feed them can be the culprit for several different problems. Unfortunately, the majority of Vets don't seem to care about diet. I've been on the hunt for a good vet for a while and have been to a few as a result. To my surprise, the only one that has had any interest in my dogs diet is the one we're going to now and will be sticking with. The first thing he asks every visit is what are you feeding her? He's also more conservative with medications which is a plus.

We have a clinic here in SE Michigan called All About Animals Rescue. It's basically a group of volunteer vets who offer low cost services for cats and dogs and the fees they charge go towards supporting their rescue/adoption center. I go there for her shots, flea/heart worm control and dental cleanings. The care they provide is top notch but at a fraction of the cost. It's a win win for everyone.

A good site to research cat food is Chewy.com - I get our animal food from there, they carry everything under the sun, are priced competitively and have good ship/return policies. They list all the ingredients for everything they sell as well as reviews. I switched our cats to Taste of the Wild a couple of months ago. It's made in the US, has no yeast and is grain free; so far our two kitties have done pretty well on it.