My three-year-old dog has been going to Vickery Place for the past couple of years. He hasn't had to see the vet very often, except to get his necessaries. He recently injured his leg pretty significa... Read More
My three-year-old dog has been going to Vickery Place for the past couple of years. He hasn't had to see the vet very often, except to get his necessaries. He recently injured his leg pretty significantly, so he had to wear a splint. When he first injured himself, I took him to an animal ER in Colorado (we were on vacation) which is normally double the cost of a standard veterinarian clinic. The cost of the splint was $75.00. When I took my pup to vickery place, they took off the splint to examine it. They put it back on, free of charge, and asked me to bring him back once a week. I took him back the next week, and they replaced the splint and charged me $75.00. The next time I took my dog in to get checked, they charged me $179.00 to change the splint. When I asked about the increased price, the receptionist seemed completely exacerbated and annoyed-- like I was a gnat flying around her face. I wasn't one of those bratty, annoying penny-pushers either.. I'm terrified of being one of those people! She didn't answer my question and instead called the vet back to the front. The vet told me that she had charged me $75.00 as a "courtesy," and the normal fee was $179.00 to replace a splint. I thought maybe I was just naive thinking that that was extremely expensive, but then I visited my sister's vet in downtown Houston. They told me that it is highly unusual for a splint change to cost over $75, and anything over $100 was egregious regardless of where the vet is located. I'm a 20-something college student trying to take care of my dog.. I'm by no means swimming in cash.The $100 increase in price, without prior notice, and the callous, indifferent response to my questioning of the increase was just really disappointing. Every other time I've been to Vickery Place they've been great. They are always nice to me and my dog. I think it's a great place to take your dog for routine check-ups, if you have the money to shell out. However, after my dog's recent serious injury, I do concur with other yelpers who question the value and integrity of Vickery Read Less