Emergency vet visit in Austin cost me $900 before I even got a diagnosis

Last month my dog ate a sock and I panicked. I rushed him to an emergency vet off Lamar around midnight. The exam fee alone was $150, then x-rays were $400, and they told me to wait and see instead of surgery. He passed it the next morning, no joke. I felt dumb for not calling my regular vet first during daytime hours. But I also know emergencies don't wait. Has anyone else had a scare like this where you overpaid for the word 'wait'? How do you decide when an emergency vet is actually needed vs. waiting for a regular appointment?

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patriciagarcia12d ago

Did you call your regular vet's office line first? That saved me once. My cat ate a rubber band and I called my normal vet at 7am, the receptionist said if he's eating, drinking, and not throwing up, just watch him. He was fine by noon. I only go to the ER now if he's actually struggling to breathe or bleeding nonstop, otherwise I wait and call my regular vet as soon as they open. The $900 for a "wait and see" is brutal, but better than a $4000 surgery for something that passes on its own.