2020 Surgery Pricing
Pet Emergency & Specialist Centre
In Melbourne there has been a steady demand for advances in veterinary medicine as there has been worldwide. Many aspiring ambitious vets have embarked on advanced training programs and become specialists seeking to offer the best to their pets and clients.
I believe the growth of referral practice has slowly driven prices up to the consumer. Pet insurance allows some clients to afford care but this is limited to those who are proactive and organized. Often we see clients decline surgical procedures as the costs are not affordable to them.
As referral practice has expanded, some centres have transitioned from having experienced registered specialists perform all of the surgical procedures to allowing trainees in surgery (residents / registrars) take referrals likely at the same or similar cost.
Personally, I have refrained from this strategy for 20 years as I believe the referring vets, patients and clients deserve the best I could offer as my skill set and knowledge base keep improving.
Frequently, especially from rural families, we respond to price enquiries and see patients with treatable conditions decline referral solely based on the inability to afford care. This now happens with such frequency that I have decided to launch a suite of value packages to address this problem. PESC has two surgical trainees who will be involved but the operation will be supervised by myself in a controlled environment. The primary goal is to allow care to be provided at low cost by involving supervised trainees to run these cases and limit hospitalization, multimodal analgesia and extensive workups.
Over many years the LSAH have generously provided lower cost options and payment plans to assist those in need when faced with expensive and unexpected vet bills. PESC hopes to provide an option for your clients knowing you may have established relationships with other referral partners and your client may not be close to us.
Veterinarians need to be aware of these when offering packages to clients in order to avoid misunderstandings and elevated expectations. Clients can elect to add to the base packages if they see value on the day of service but this is their personal choice and not mandatory.
TPLO | $2750 |
MPL | $1500 |
Soft Tissue | $2500 |
Cancer | $2500 |
Fractures | $2500 |
The Fine Print:
Complimentary pickup service to replace consultation if clinic within 30 min driving range of PESC.
Local vet provides: NSAIDs, rechecks, followup calls and perform x-rays / bandage changes / histopathology.
Up to 8 hours hospital provided: admit 8am – 10am / discharge 4pm – 6pm Mon-Fri. Late pickup fees apply.
No payment plans / client pays 100% upfront before Sx.
Clients may see trainee surgeon for consultation and nurse / trainee discharge without seeing a specialist.
Fixed price overnight care $500 for IVFs, opioids, vet supervision can be elected in all cases.
2020 PESC Surgery Inclusions / Exclusions
Cancer Surgery
Wide excision of skin masses: MCT / Carcinomas / Sarcomas
Skin flaps and reconstruction including closed suction drains
Limb amputation for unresectable cancer & hemipelvectomy
Ear ablation & bulla osteotomy
Lung lobectomy / thymoma
Chest wall / rib masses
Palliative pericardectomy
Mandibulectomy & maxillectomy
Liver lobectomy
Gastric / intestinal / colonic / rectal & perianal masses
Endocrine neoplasia: thyroid / parathyroid / adrenal / pancreatic
Nephrectomy & bladder masses
Splenectomy (non-emergency / no cases with hemoabdomen)
Radical mastectomy / vaginal masses
Exclusions:
Histopathology, blood tests, transfusions
Ongoing opioid analgesia after premedication / local vet to provide oral NSAIDs after PESC injectable
Overnight hospitalization in ICU (after 6pm)
Spinal, intracranial, biliary surgery
Trauma Surgery
Physeal fractures: lateral humeral condyle / femoral capital physis head / distal femoral physis / tibial tuberosity
Joint Luxations: open hip reduction
Femoral head and neck excision arthroplasty
Simple diaphyseal longbone fractures: radius / tibia / femur
Pelvic fractures: sacroiliac luxation / ileal fracture
IM pinning, non-locking plates / screws, pins & TBW
Exclusions:
Comminuted / open / articular fractures = higher level of difficulty
Arthrodesis and bone grafting
Bilateral pelvic fractures / spinal fractures
Dicondylar distal humeral condylar fractures
Comminuted or chronic (> 7d) physeal fractures
Ongoing opioid analgesia after premedication / local vet to provide oral NSAIDs after PESC injectable
Overnight hospitalization in ICU (after 6pm)
We will accept 24/7 admissions to help clients with travel on a caseby-case basis
Soft Tissue Surgery
Brachycephalic Airway: palatoplasty / nares / everted saccules
Perineal hernia with muscle flap reconstruction
Laryngeal Paralysis : arytenoid lateralization
Extrahepatic portosystemic shunt with cellophane banding
Total ear canal ablation for irreversible otitis externa
Ectopic Ureter reimplantation
Subtotal colectomy
Patent ductus arteriosus & PRAA
Wound reconstructive surgery – skin flaps
Cervical tracheal collapse – extraluminal rings
Feline perineal urethrostomy (stable patient)
Prostate surgery: cyst / abscess
Salivary mucocele
Exclusions:
Diagnostics: blood tests, imaging, pathology
Overnight hospitalization in ICU (after 6pm)