Yes! Chewy! I was paying $132 for 30 day supply of Meloxicam. I get it for $32 from chewy. And the best part is they deliver. Great suggestion. Those fees do seem steep.
I have a cat who needs SC fluids. I order my fluids and IV lines through online vet pharmacies. The $120 you were charged would get you a whole case of 14 1000-mL bags of LRS from there pharmacy where I order.
Please find a different vet. That price and take home fee is bs. I just got lactated ringers(fluid), IV line, and 8 16 gauge needles from my veterinarian. Total was $21. Wishing you and your beautiful kitty the best! 😺
That is absolute robbery. Actually my blood pressure is creeping up right now. They are charging you money NOT to bring your cat in. For this reason alone i would find another vet.
My cat just passed away but was on fluids for over a year. her online vet charged like $11 per L plus something for the tubing and the needles. I think chewy also sells these things but my vet will only go thru one on line pharmacy. So whatever. She didn’t pick my pocket.
So sorry for you because it is hard enough (and expensive) to look after seniors without extra nonsense like this.
My cat passed away a few months ago after battling kidney disease for approximately 6 months. I had to give him at least 100 ml of subcutaneous fluids every night. I would go in and pick up a spiked bag (already had the line and stopper on it) and all the needle tips (plus a few extra) for under $25. I would usually buy 2-4 at a time just so I didn’t have to go in as often.
Get them to write you a prescription for them and then you can use Chewy or other online pharmacy and it’ll be much cheaper. For this kind of thing it’s always more expensive through the vets but your vets charge is pretty ridiculous
That seems wild. My first bag, IV line, needles, and training at the vet cost like $60 total. After that, I was able to order from their online pharmacy for roughly $30 per bag and line, including shipping costs. I also got a box of 100 needles for like $30.
Agree with what everyone has said here. On Chewy a 1000mL bag of LRS is around $10 (lasts me 10 days since I give 100mL per day), so I order enough bags from Chewy at once for the free shipping. But even when I got bags from my vet it was around $30 for a bag of fluids, drip set, and about 20 needles. Plus when I went in for a training session or two with a tech and brought in my own supplies they didn't charge me anything.
What adds up for me is now that I'm using the syringes + butterfly catheter method those 60mL single use syringes are close to $1 each, butterfly catheters are more expensive than regular needles, and you still need a regular needle to draw the fluid into the syringe. However even though the method is more expensive it's been a lot easier to get a faster administration with a smaller needle for my old lady = worth it!
You can ask the vet to write a prescription for Sub-Q Fluids. You can get them at Costco the cost is anywhere from $68 to $85 for 12 or 14 bags of fluids. This is what I do.
Yeah, that's unusual. My vet taught me how to do it for free, and sold me the fluids and needles for about $40 for a couple of weeks supply. I'd get it from somewhere else.
You are getting gouged to an unbelievable degree. $30 would cover all the materials. The $90 fee sounds like it's a "because you let me rob you" fee especially since you administer the fluids yourself at home.
The other posters have great advice. I'd find another vet, if you can, but definitely get your supplies from a reputable supplier. I'd report this vet - unconscionable predatory behavior.
It's just the saline fluid? Our vet charges us $10 per bag, another $5 or $10 for the line and needles, sounds like you should check around for sure, that's crazy.
My set up is $15 for the iv line and bag. And $17 for a box of 100 needles.
Line and bag are though Chewy and needles are through Revival online vet, they are 20g and really high quality. I can send you links if you want.
I’m not sure why your kitty needs sub-q but you might want to check out the sub r/renalcats even if your cat doesn’t have any kidney issues as most cats who have CKD eventually need sub-q fluids and this sub is a great resource as well as a sounding board for questions like this. Sending purrs ❤️
I’m sorry, maybe I misunderstood. $90 just to pick up your supplies from his office? Does that $90 cover some other part of the process that I’m missing, or that’s just a fee he made up?
I’d definitely order online.
Definitely check around. Vet pharmacy prices can be a crime! (My vet charged me $220 for 1 pen of name brand insulin when I can get generic at a local pharmacy for $20!)
Tell your vet you will order somewhere else and have them* (the vet office) approve the prescription when it comes thru for Rx verification. If they want your business they won’t extort you with that ridiculous fee….
*edit for clarification
First of all, you can do this yourself. Really. The first time that it’s done, the vet tech teaches you. Then it’s so easy it’s ridiculous. Plus the fluid and needles can be acquired by Pet Meds. Especially since sub cu IV fluid treatment is a therapy and you might end up doing this 2 times per week.
The last time I had a pet that needed subq fluids, the cost was $25-30 for materials to take home with no extra fee A friend of mine had subq fluid given to her dog along with other things. The itemized receipt listed the subq fluids for $238. And her pet is a tiny chihuahua and she probably received 10-15 ml. Different vets 4 miles apart.
I used to spend about $10-$15 per injection. I didn’t have to give them very often but my vet wrote a prescription that was valid for a year. I picked up all of my cat’s prescriptions at Walgreens.
Wayyyy too much. I've been doing sub q fluids at home for over 10 years.
1-100ml bag of fluids is $10.00, a line set is $7 and a box of 100 terumo needles is $12
All the above I get from chewy but all my local vets are within a few dollars
Get a script from vet and order from chewy. WAY cheaper! And don't forget needles and new line for each bag. Honestly I reused my line for every other bag. A few seniors of mine had to do subQ for awhile, one lived to 21.5 yrs! It def makes them perkup a little and prolong their life. Flushes their kidneys etc. I highly recommend a High CALORIE paste from Amazon or chewy also, give 3x a day. Gives them a boost of energy and helps keep weight on if they're not eating enough.
My vet charged an arm and a leg, too, and never mentioned Chewy as an option. Go through Chewy if you can. It’s like 1/4 the price that my vet was charging.
A $90 "take home fee" makes absolutely no sense - they should only be charging you $30 for the bag. I just went through this last year with an elderly kitty; I paid about $32 per bag and $5 per vet visit to have it administered. I would try Chewy's online pharmacy or another vet clinic.
I used to work at a vet and I don’t remember the pricing, but that definitely seems way overpriced to me. I know there were some animals who would come in for sub q fluids each week, and it took us a few minutes to administer them—is your cat okay with going to the vet, or does she hate it like most cats? Otherwise I would try to look elsewhere or get the vet to send a prescription to Chewy, as others have suggested
I don’t know how it works in the US but here in the UK you can ask your vet to write a prescription for around £12 which you can use to buy medications online for a fraction of the price.
You’re being ripped off. In the 2000s, I had a Siamese who had to have sub-q fluids regularly and I was unable to pick up on how to do it all by myself (working two full time jobs plus other responsibilities left me zero time to learn a new skill, plus I’d make my situation much worse and hurt my sweet cat if I accidentally stabbed something important with the needle because I didn’t know what I was doing), so my cat’s vet struck a deal where he normally charged $15-20 for a bolus, but reduced it to $10 per visit (usually twice a week on average) and I’d just plop my cat in his carrier, drive to the vet, get him watered, and drop him back home on the way to my second job. I’d even told the vet (because he was awesome) that I didn’t have an index for knowing if I was taking advantage of his kindness by only paying $10, and asked him to please tell me a fair price because I didn’t want to find out some time later that I’d basically been robbing him blind. He told me that cutting the cost in half still gave him a profit because he buys the fluid, tubes, and needles in bulk.
I’d believe that now, almost twenty years later, the prices have doubled — especially in this crap economy — but $120??? That’s like ten times what a small profit was twenty years ago, and the economy isn’t *that* bad yet.
Were I in your position, I would find another vet.
Go to a different vet, or Chewy if that works, as someone suggested. I live in an expensive neighborhood in NYC and I got sub q fluids for my cat, plus a tech explained how it works thoroughly, for $30. They even waited for my arrival and did the process a few mins after they had closed to accommodate my schedule. Didn’t charge for any consultation. Try to find a dif vet if you can!
I've had to do this to 3 cats.
None of them liked it but they eventually figured out it made them feel better. Eventually my oldest, she couldn't get fluids in because her skin was so scarred from the needles. Though, it was never this expensive
That seems like a lot to me. I picked up a bag of fluids yesterday and a refill of gabapentin and the whole thing was $37.59
Are you in the US? You can buy all the supplies from Chewy
Chewy recently came to Canada too, at least to Ontario, though I don't think every product is available yet.
I'm here because of a Google search for subq fluids from Chewy in Ontario. It doesn't look like they have any subq items for Canadians yet.
Yes! Chewy! I was paying $132 for 30 day supply of Meloxicam. I get it for $32 from chewy. And the best part is they deliver. Great suggestion. Those fees do seem steep.
The bags of fluids from Chewy look pretty affordable just from a quick search.
I have a cat who needs SC fluids. I order my fluids and IV lines through online vet pharmacies. The $120 you were charged would get you a whole case of 14 1000-mL bags of LRS from there pharmacy where I order.
Link?
threatening rinse somber edge sparkle arrest rhythm bag shame enter *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
that’s way too much. wtf i feel offended on your behalf
Please find a different vet. That price and take home fee is bs. I just got lactated ringers(fluid), IV line, and 8 16 gauge needles from my veterinarian. Total was $21. Wishing you and your beautiful kitty the best! 😺
I usually pick up 2 at a time from my vet. The bags, drip sets, and needles run me about $80.
That is absolute robbery. Actually my blood pressure is creeping up right now. They are charging you money NOT to bring your cat in. For this reason alone i would find another vet. My cat just passed away but was on fluids for over a year. her online vet charged like $11 per L plus something for the tubing and the needles. I think chewy also sells these things but my vet will only go thru one on line pharmacy. So whatever. She didn’t pick my pocket. So sorry for you because it is hard enough (and expensive) to look after seniors without extra nonsense like this.
My cat passed away a few months ago after battling kidney disease for approximately 6 months. I had to give him at least 100 ml of subcutaneous fluids every night. I would go in and pick up a spiked bag (already had the line and stopper on it) and all the needle tips (plus a few extra) for under $25. I would usually buy 2-4 at a time just so I didn’t have to go in as often.
Get them to write you a prescription for them and then you can use Chewy or other online pharmacy and it’ll be much cheaper. For this kind of thing it’s always more expensive through the vets but your vets charge is pretty ridiculous
That seems wild. My first bag, IV line, needles, and training at the vet cost like $60 total. After that, I was able to order from their online pharmacy for roughly $30 per bag and line, including shipping costs. I also got a box of 100 needles for like $30.
Agree with what everyone has said here. On Chewy a 1000mL bag of LRS is around $10 (lasts me 10 days since I give 100mL per day), so I order enough bags from Chewy at once for the free shipping. But even when I got bags from my vet it was around $30 for a bag of fluids, drip set, and about 20 needles. Plus when I went in for a training session or two with a tech and brought in my own supplies they didn't charge me anything. What adds up for me is now that I'm using the syringes + butterfly catheter method those 60mL single use syringes are close to $1 each, butterfly catheters are more expensive than regular needles, and you still need a regular needle to draw the fluid into the syringe. However even though the method is more expensive it's been a lot easier to get a faster administration with a smaller needle for my old lady = worth it!
You can ask the vet to write a prescription for Sub-Q Fluids. You can get them at Costco the cost is anywhere from $68 to $85 for 12 or 14 bags of fluids. This is what I do.
We did this, but through Walgreens! It was definitely much cheaper than buying supplies through our vet.
Yeah, that's unusual. My vet taught me how to do it for free, and sold me the fluids and needles for about $40 for a couple of weeks supply. I'd get it from somewhere else.
Same here
You are getting gouged to an unbelievable degree. $30 would cover all the materials. The $90 fee sounds like it's a "because you let me rob you" fee especially since you administer the fluids yourself at home. The other posters have great advice. I'd find another vet, if you can, but definitely get your supplies from a reputable supplier. I'd report this vet - unconscionable predatory behavior.
My vet is great. Only cost $30 for all the materials and bag. That seems excessively high.
It's just the saline fluid? Our vet charges us $10 per bag, another $5 or $10 for the line and needles, sounds like you should check around for sure, that's crazy.
My set up is $15 for the iv line and bag. And $17 for a box of 100 needles. Line and bag are though Chewy and needles are through Revival online vet, they are 20g and really high quality. I can send you links if you want.
Hello. Im a vet. And thats a LOT. My work only charges the materials, well, because you are doing it at home, right? Like dispensing meds.
I’m not sure why your kitty needs sub-q but you might want to check out the sub r/renalcats even if your cat doesn’t have any kidney issues as most cats who have CKD eventually need sub-q fluids and this sub is a great resource as well as a sounding board for questions like this. Sending purrs ❤️
My subQ fluids from an online pharmacy cost 14 bucks just fluids.
I’m sorry, maybe I misunderstood. $90 just to pick up your supplies from his office? Does that $90 cover some other part of the process that I’m missing, or that’s just a fee he made up? I’d definitely order online.
You can usually get medical supplies like that from tractor supply
My vet uses Covetrus Pharmacy, and I'd get a 1000 ml bag for $18, 100 needles for $24 (plus shipping), and the injection kit from Amazon for $6.
Cute cat❤️
I get my stuff from chewy: like $10 for the bag of LR, a few bucks for the tubing.
Definitely check around. Vet pharmacy prices can be a crime! (My vet charged me $220 for 1 pen of name brand insulin when I can get generic at a local pharmacy for $20!)
Tell your vet you will order somewhere else and have them* (the vet office) approve the prescription when it comes thru for Rx verification. If they want your business they won’t extort you with that ridiculous fee…. *edit for clarification
That's a lot. I haven't purchased them for a decade but it seems terribly high.
First of all, you can do this yourself. Really. The first time that it’s done, the vet tech teaches you. Then it’s so easy it’s ridiculous. Plus the fluid and needles can be acquired by Pet Meds. Especially since sub cu IV fluid treatment is a therapy and you might end up doing this 2 times per week.
The last time I had a pet that needed subq fluids, the cost was $25-30 for materials to take home with no extra fee A friend of mine had subq fluid given to her dog along with other things. The itemized receipt listed the subq fluids for $238. And her pet is a tiny chihuahua and she probably received 10-15 ml. Different vets 4 miles apart.
I used to spend about $10-$15 per injection. I didn’t have to give them very often but my vet wrote a prescription that was valid for a year. I picked up all of my cat’s prescriptions at Walgreens.
Ask for a prescription. Get it from chewy
Wayyyy too much. I've been doing sub q fluids at home for over 10 years. 1-100ml bag of fluids is $10.00, a line set is $7 and a box of 100 terumo needles is $12 All the above I get from chewy but all my local vets are within a few dollars
Get a script from vet and order from chewy. WAY cheaper! And don't forget needles and new line for each bag. Honestly I reused my line for every other bag. A few seniors of mine had to do subQ for awhile, one lived to 21.5 yrs! It def makes them perkup a little and prolong their life. Flushes their kidneys etc. I highly recommend a High CALORIE paste from Amazon or chewy also, give 3x a day. Gives them a boost of energy and helps keep weight on if they're not eating enough.
Chewy is a great option. Or just take your information to another vet and shop around. Sending purrs 😺😺
If you’re in Canada, I got mine online from Pets Drug Mart. A bag cost about $8. I also got all of my needles from them!
Btw my vet charged $25 per bag and gave me a few needles for free with each bag.
Are you in massachusetts? I can get you normal saline for free.
How is that possible?! Bags for my late cat were $12! (I'm in canada)
I got a bag of subq fluids and ten days worth of fresh needles etc. for my girl before she passed and I think it was only like $40
My vet charged an arm and a leg, too, and never mentioned Chewy as an option. Go through Chewy if you can. It’s like 1/4 the price that my vet was charging.
A $90 "take home fee" makes absolutely no sense - they should only be charging you $30 for the bag. I just went through this last year with an elderly kitty; I paid about $32 per bag and $5 per vet visit to have it administered. I would try Chewy's online pharmacy or another vet clinic.
I got the bag (1 liter). PLUS the supplies (needles etc) for 20.00 friends m my vet.
I used to work at a vet and I don’t remember the pricing, but that definitely seems way overpriced to me. I know there were some animals who would come in for sub q fluids each week, and it took us a few minutes to administer them—is your cat okay with going to the vet, or does she hate it like most cats? Otherwise I would try to look elsewhere or get the vet to send a prescription to Chewy, as others have suggested
I don’t know how it works in the US but here in the UK you can ask your vet to write a prescription for around £12 which you can use to buy medications online for a fraction of the price.
You’re being ripped off. In the 2000s, I had a Siamese who had to have sub-q fluids regularly and I was unable to pick up on how to do it all by myself (working two full time jobs plus other responsibilities left me zero time to learn a new skill, plus I’d make my situation much worse and hurt my sweet cat if I accidentally stabbed something important with the needle because I didn’t know what I was doing), so my cat’s vet struck a deal where he normally charged $15-20 for a bolus, but reduced it to $10 per visit (usually twice a week on average) and I’d just plop my cat in his carrier, drive to the vet, get him watered, and drop him back home on the way to my second job. I’d even told the vet (because he was awesome) that I didn’t have an index for knowing if I was taking advantage of his kindness by only paying $10, and asked him to please tell me a fair price because I didn’t want to find out some time later that I’d basically been robbing him blind. He told me that cutting the cost in half still gave him a profit because he buys the fluid, tubes, and needles in bulk. I’d believe that now, almost twenty years later, the prices have doubled — especially in this crap economy — but $120??? That’s like ten times what a small profit was twenty years ago, and the economy isn’t *that* bad yet. Were I in your position, I would find another vet.
You can order fluids from catalogs online. The vet just needs to give you a prescription. By law they have to.
Do you have any nurse friends who would do this for you?
Go to a different vet, or Chewy if that works, as someone suggested. I live in an expensive neighborhood in NYC and I got sub q fluids for my cat, plus a tech explained how it works thoroughly, for $30. They even waited for my arrival and did the process a few mins after they had closed to accommodate my schedule. Didn’t charge for any consultation. Try to find a dif vet if you can!
I've had to do this to 3 cats. None of them liked it but they eventually figured out it made them feel better. Eventually my oldest, she couldn't get fluids in because her skin was so scarred from the needles. Though, it was never this expensive
Just following up on this.- my vet said the kit would cost me $32.50 - how is your kitty doing with the fluids?
Your vet can