Reader Submission: Fees of Veterinarians in Thailand
I write the article below in response to an article on Thailandblog, in which costs for a dog operation were mentioned. This cost would have been 50.000 Baht. I think this is incredibly high. But more importantly, I'm afraid that this price might deter people from going to the vet.
I myself had a double ankle fracture 7 years ago. My ankle was repaired with a plate on one side and some screws on the other. I was allowed to choose the price for which I was operated on. There were three options and I chose the most expensive one. Including 5 days of hospitalization, this operation cost 65.000 Bath. Good operation, scars are almost invisible and I have run 11 full marathons (42 km) after this procedure. I am 68 and two more are planned for this year.
Back to the vets
Besides the normal course for a shot, never more than 80 Bath, I have two experiences with vets where the costs were a bit higher:
- My dog suddenly became very ill. We then went to a vet who examined him. He had a high fever and was dehydrated. The cause was a major inflammation at the top of his leg. The dog had to have an IV and that was done on site for 3 hours. Then go home with medicine. Total cost 500 Bath.
- Another dog, in this case a female. She always went for walks. I had 4 dogs at the time so that was always a lot of fun. Suddenly my dog stopped, she couldn't go anymore. I carried her home. Then I went straight to the vet. She probably had something with her uterus according to the doctor. Pictures had to be taken. This had to be done in a normal hospital. Can you imagine this in the Netherlands? Photos cost 200 Bath. Then to the vet, who determined that the uterus had to be removed. Cost operation not the huge amount of fright, 1.000 Bath.
I don't know what the operation of the author of last week's piece entailed. But please, if something goes wrong with one of your animals, don't let the cost put you off.
Submitted by Ruud Siem
My experience is also that for most treatments large amounts are not charged. For the treatment of everyday ailments with medicine, provide approximately 1000 bath afterwards. We had our three females treated so that pregnancy is not possible. This cost 1300 bath per dog. Treatment by doctor at home.
We have had a young cat for a week. I took it to the vet, because with the faeces an 8 cm long worm came out.
The vet administered oral medication on the spot via a pipette. Cost: 20 baht….
(This is not a typo!!).
How expensive….?
Everywhere in the street, and otherwise a little further away, you can find a veterinary practice or animal clinic, and usually the larger the more treatment options and the more facilities and the higher the rate.
Larger clinics also have asylum options in case you are on holiday elsewhere for a week, for example. We use such a clinic. Price per night: 120 baht p. 24 hours, bring your own chunks. Without chunks: up to 150 baht p. night. Shower, blow-dry and powder: 150 baht.
As previously reported, we have 2 dogs. With Annual check-ups and injections: 1000 to 1500 baht per dog. Occasionally due to an insect bite or injury control and ointments: 150 to 300 baht.
Clinic has an animal ambulance. If you don't have time to bring the dogs, just call and they will drive up: 350 bht per return trip.
There is parking in front of the clinic, and in the parking lot there is a noodle stand with barbecue equipment. Also a coffee display on wheels. Food and drink while waiting: less than 100 baht.
Anyway, let me comment on the author and the reactions to it. My Thai Ridgeback was bitten in 4 places on his left front leg by a COBRA. The highest bite was around the shoulder joint. The first vet gave my dog injections, disinfected the area, but I had no faith in the treatment given the strong poison that the COBRA injects. Then I went to the large animal hospital at Ko Takiab. There came several white-dressed men and women who indicated that the lymph nodes were playing up quite a bit, fighting the snake venom. In the end it was decided that a major operation, the wound from shoulder to under the front legs, was the cause of the large scars.
My dog had to stay in the hospital for two days and was then allowed to go home. Did I have to come back every day, be cleaned, new large bandages, special creams or ointments of which I do not know how they work, were applied in large quantities? We had to keep this up for more than two months, the result is that our dog is still alive. The price for the total treatment is too high, but no, our dog is our friend. The fact that it is an unlikely amount of money for many people and especially for Thai residents, well I can't do anything about that.
I have experience with my dog myself. Was hit by a motorcycle and lost an eye.
Later because he couldn't see depth with one eye, his other eye was damaged.
Various treatments for both cases (eventually completely blind) I could have had open heart surgery at the Bangkok Pattaya hospital for that cost.
Exaggerated of course, but the prices are ridiculous.
So I can also imagine that an average Thai (don't even talk about a poor one) skips a turn
for a visit to a veterinary clinic.
Cor.
Hi Ruud
I know that in phuket the vet costs are sometimes quite high.
Someone had updated a street dog quite a bit, that dog is walking with us at the construction site.
The Burmese who work with us feed him.
They had updated this dog with steel heel, and worked a lot.
I don't get it he is always super sweet and submissive and even after he was abused he came wagging his tail.
He had about 6 sizable wounds so deep you could see his skull.
I took this dog to a cheap vet, I had to pay 6000 bath.
And this was just disinfecting and suturing and some pills.
I found a new owner on Facebook, an Englishman with a restaurant.
And I called him lucky, he was lucky too.
If I go to a nice veterinary clinic, I pay 5 times as much for the vaccinations and the sprays against ticks than at a simple veterinary clinic.
But at the expensive veterinary clinic they have more equipment and it looks more professional.
We just look at what is best at that moment something simple we choose cheap and seems difficult then to the expensive.
You just have to see for yourself what is best.
Gr Rob
I also have some experience with animal doctors, indeed the hospital at Hua Hin at Petsacem is about the Hilton Hotel, but good, I now have a doctor in Pranburi who comes to my house because I have 3 large dogs and if he treats all 3 of them, gives an injection either for dog madness or for ticks 300 baht each time, unlike in Holland you can easily spend 100 euros so nothing to complain about the vet in Thailand.
You have to look closely at which clinic, have our dog neutered, one clinic asked 2500 baht, we paid 600 baht at another clinic, 10 hours, 5 hours, pick up again, perfectly done and then here on Phuket.
My dog was hit on the sidewalk by a drunk falang last year. Given the time (midnight) immediately taken to the 24 hours animal hospital in Chiang Mai. Broken leg in two places, so surgery and a stay of 5 days in the hospital, almost 50.000 bath
William,
I'm happy with your response, many people respond to a high bill of Yes Yes it must be.
Hope that future comments are NOT about trying to take you down, but that "respect" is shown as the editors want.
As a regular writer of stories on this blog, may I and can I say that? YES
Good luck with your dog!
You can have a lot of fun with animals. Over the years I have owned a number of dogs. Two died, one was stolen and eaten, one was killed on purpose by a motorcyclist, and one died after eating mice poison from the neighbours.
The article I wrote had the intention not to avoid a vet because of the costs.
I understand that not everyone understood that.