09/01/2026
Curtis,
Thank you for your review.
Thank you for illustrating why we have the surgery deposit in the first place. We allocate a certain amount of time to each procedure so individual pets get the proper care that they need. As such, cancelling one of two anesthetic procedures less than 48 hours from the procedure date makes it very difficult to find a replacement. We have this system in place so that owners can plan to get a second opinion before their animal’s surgery. You had well over a month to plan accordingly. It would also be wrong to charge every other client’s surgery and dental more to make up for the lost revenue from a last minute cancellation.
As far as cost, we intentionally overshoot our estimate so that you’re not taken by surprise. A lot of invoices end up falling below the low end of our estimate as a result. Most of that price goes directly to wages, and our doctors and staff who are part of the care team deserve a fair wage. Not to worry, we still don’t charge enough for our services for them to make anything close to their human counterparts.
Speaking of human medicine, this notion of veterinary bills being more expensive than the human equivalent is factually incorrect. Anesthesia on a human would be multiple times pricier by itself than the entirety of your dog’s procedure. Humans see what they pay for healthcare after insurance and conflate that with what the procedure costs. Your bill with us would be a lot lower if you had pet insurance that covered for your animal’s procedure.
Sincerely,
Dr. Hung Vu
Kempsville Veterinary Hospital
