Cost of X-rays of heart

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Garnet

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A Medivet practice have quoted my elderly parents approx £900 for sedation and heart X-rays for their Cavalier King Charles spaniel. This sounds like a huge amount to me, but maybe I am out of the loop for small animal vet bills?
Does anyone have similar experience?
 
If that is genuinely just for X-ray & sedation then yes I’d say on the steeper side although location would dictate pricing a little (ie London prices probably higher than rest of country as with a lot of things). If has clinical signs then may need clarifying if this figure includes some treatment as well as if it were to include things like oxygen therapy and medications then that’s actually probably quite reasonable.

Is the dog showing signs of heart failure or is this to investigate a newly detected murmur?

If a new murmur with no symptoms then for roughly same price they could probably get an echo done by a cardiologist which would give them a bit more info on how heart is actually functioning.

If coughing then yes chest X-ray probably would be best practice to check for oedema (& for non cardiac reasons for cough… although if a CKCS with a murmur, lung crackles & cough probably reasonable to assume highly likely cardiac & highly likely MVD)

If has any signs of heart failure then would advise that, even if they do want to ask around a bit to compare prices that they act quickly as if it progresses to point that oxygen therapy and intravenous drugs are needed it will considerably raise the price of treatment and will negatively affect prognosis for the dog as well (not all respond well to treatment and PTS is a possible outcome)

If they are going to struggle to afford what has been offered then it’s also perfectly reasonable for them to raise this with the vet and ask about treatment options they could try without having the workup (obviously there are risks of doing this as vet will have a lot less info about heart & lung function, would be making an educated guess as to the likely issue which may not be correct and response to treatment would need to be judged purely on clinical signs & it’s obviously not as tailored to the dog but it remains a valid option and one that many people do opt for with good success… the CKCS that I lost around 2012 had I think 1 chest X-ray in her whole life, never saw a cardiologist and was managed from age 8 to 13 on heart meds to very good success, not saying that’s the way I’ll play it with current one as I probably would want the workup & monitoring but it gave that dog an excellent QOL & it was her back legs that gave out before her heart in the end)
 
gunnergundog said:
Also, why would you want to x=ray soft tissue....namely,muscle = aka the heart? If you believe there is an issue and are paying for sedation, then go for a modality that will give you some proper feedback/information.
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Because it helps determine heart size and left handed cardiomegaly in CKCS.
 
To add to the above obviously the vets have seen the dog in person & us lot haven’t so they’re in a much better place to make recommendations re investigations and treatment but your parents are definitely entitled to ask to discuss all possible options (& their good and bad points) to help them arrive at what they think is the best one for them & their dog
 
Sounds about right. If they’re concerned about it they should raise it with the vet, they might be able to offer a plan B or C.
 
Thank you 🤩 for all your input. My parents are very appreciative of all the information given and in fact their vet has called today with an alternative plan for an ultrasound of the heart for £100-£200, which they are happy with.
Doggo has been “clearing her throat” in a funny way and the vet wonders if her heart might be compromising her windpipe. She already has a slight heart murmur, hence the further heart investigation. Vet saw her for the “throat clearing” in April and again now as frequency of symptom seems to be increasing, so your advice to avoid delaying treatment is very sage.
The H&H forum is a wonderful place🥰
 
HopOnTrot said:
Phone/email round vets locally and ask for quotes, I did it years ago when mine was castrated.
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That's fine for routine procedures like castration but completely useless for none routine where the animal may have a complicated history. No vet would be able to give a quote without at least seeing the history and no vet would do such a procedure without examining the dog first alongside the existing history. This is especially true for brachy dogs who may react less well to sedation.
 
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