HEARTLAND ANIMAL HOSPITAL

The dog involved in this encounter came to me as a retired service dog.  She had just been declared healthy by the KSDS institute - which is where I got her less than two weeks earlier.  I called for an appointment and was given one for the same day.  I brought in a fecal sample as requested.  The women at the desk were nice enough.  The assistant took down essential information about the dog; then the Veterinarian came in and did a physical (looked into her eyes, mouth, ears, etc).  I explained that my dog was new to me and that she was rubbing the side of her face on the carpet, rather roughly.  Due to this the doctor looked into her ears and could not see any problems.  However, she provided me with 14 Benadryl capsules and a spray bottle of Zymox Hc 1.25 oz.  She indicated that the dog was suffering from allergies.  Regarding the lump I found on the dog's belly, the Veterinarian said it was hard to know if there is a problem  She did go on to say that in order to proceed it would require more than a biopsy; or rather she said it was likely that the entire lump would have to come out as well as the area around it, and the biopsy would come from the tissue underneath the lump.  She said it was around $600 for the procedure.  Since the dog was new to me I was shocked to hear the quote regarding the lump, especially since it could be benign (this is common in Labrador Retrievers) and because I just could not afford it (still can't).  I was also shocked at the bill I received.  The physical was $45; the two cytology slides were $69; the 14 Benadryl capsules were free; the Zymox Hc 1.25 oz was a whopping $40.  Total bill was $155.  I looked up the cost of Zymox Hc 1.25 oz and found that it cost approximately $12-$19 for the same product.  Being a new dog owner I could be naive in such things as costs for physicals.  I felt pressured to move forward on the procedure, because it could be cancerous.  After I learned the online cost of the very same Zymox product was half of what I was charged I felt cheated (100% mark up).  Although my experience may be the same as other dog owners I decided to not return to the Heartland Animal Hospital.  I have talked to other dog owners who indicated that the prices were too much as compared to their Veterinarians.