An x ray of a dogs lungs and taking a liquid sample from the bronchi is £400
The bill has 20 items listed
The x ray is £49
The anaesthetic  £79

So why £400

The dog is now coughing more frequently and more severely

Why don't u question it with the vet  ? I am sure they will explain all the items on the bill.
When a ga is done its not just a matter of xray and anesthetic there are a whole list of things that have to be used and billed just like if u have private procedures  done for humans.  The final bills include everything 
It is possible  that the increased  coughing is because his lungs have been irritated by the procedures and may settle in a few days.

The vet will have had staff involved with the procedure, as well as other materials, overheads, and their own time and expertise.  It's like expecting a garage to fit parts for free, ie just charge you for the parts and nothing else.

Why £400? For the vet's and vet nurse's time in doing the procedure. In every business labour costs are the biggest part of a bill.

Wages have to be paid as do overheads.

If there are 20 charges listed then you've got your answer haven't you? You'll know each bit charged for. Nobody likes vet bills but itemised bills at least hides nothing.

Can't speak for the anaesthetic but that x-ray cost is reasonably from what I was quoted years ago for an x-ray.  My vets was charging £49 and works vet quoted £90 and that was as few years ago.

I suspect the procedure will have caused the temporary increase in coughing

The 20 charges listed look like items/apparatus/consumables.
I would rather a vet say  Parts   £100
  LABOUR                                       £300

Even garage fees are broken down into component/ labour costs. My garage breaks down all work into time periods forwork & "parts" very similar to a vets bills

With the anaesthetic and the procedure/staffing and time, I'd expect a bill of that kind.  If you are concerned, ask your vet but I have no doubt that if you look at the bill, it will all add up to £400.  Just as others have said - like a bill from a garage.

And I'd agree that probably the procedure would explain the increased coughing.  Mine can cough for 24 hours or more, after the admin. of the g/a (the intubating) never mind anything else that may be going on with your dog?   Hopefully that will settle down.

Sounds reasonable to me. Any time there's any kind of anaesthetic and investigation, that's about what it costs.

Why is this post in the breeding section?

7 days after the chest x ray and getting some fluid from the bronchi area the vet has prescribed a steroid and a capsule to open the bronchial airways.
Also advocate in case of lung worm. £80 for 2 weeks treatment
Please comment.
The diagnosis is chronic non infectious bronchitis

That sounds about right.

You seem to have an issue with your vet; why don't you have a discussion with him/her directly instead of with random strangers on the internet? You'll get a much better answer.

I myself diagnosed  chronic non infectious bronchitis because my dog had taken antibiotics for 4 weeks and the cough remained
I ruled out cancer because he was normal except the cough
I cannot see what the £400 procedure achieved

I cannot see what the £400 procedure achieved

You must have signed a consent form, plus it confirms what the problem is so you are now certain of the treatment needed.

>I myself diagnosed  chronic non infectious bronchitis because my dog had taken antibiotics for 4 weeks and the cough remained

ABs are frequently only effective against certain bacteria and not others. Just because a dog doesn't respond to one AB, doesn't mean it's 'non-infectious bronchitis'. There are multiple other causes of a cough.

>I ruled out cancer because he was normal except the cough

As I said, my own dog was normal except for a cough and turned out to have lung cancer.

Your statements reveal little knowledge about biology or physiology.

I myself diagnosed  chronic non infectious bronchitis because my dog had taken antibiotics for 4 weeks and the cough remained
I ruled out cancer because he was normal except the cough

What about all the other conditions it could have been that would not have been helped by antibiotics? How could you rule them out on your own?

>I ruled out cancer because he was normal except the cough

If only it was that easy!

I am not versed in biology or physiology
I was a latin ancient Greek scholboy
Accountancy and Taxation

I do appreciate your input and knowledge
I am an anxious person
You are all helpful .

My dog has been given Advocate to put on his back in case he has lung worm.
So does he have lung worm and chronic bronchitis.
Further it seems chronic bronchitis can develop because of irritants say allergies.  Spaniels do itch and rub themselves.  Can Pollen and dust cause inflammation and bronchitis

I think you need to ask your vet directly as no one on here has seen your dog nor the results if the tests that have been done so far & few, if any are qualified vets.

As a human with Tracheobronchitis, antibiotics actually cause me worse problems that the condition itself due to the contraindications of the drugs.

>So does he have lung worm and chronic bronchitis.

A blood test would determine whether he has lungworm.

>Further it seems chronic bronchitis can develop because of irritants say allergies. Spaniels do itch and rub themselves.  Can Pollen and dust cause inflammation and bronchitis

All animals - including people - get itchy and rub or scratch themselves at times, but especially so if they have allergies. They (any breed or mix) can be allergic to many things, both food (wheat, maize and chicken - because chickens are mainly fed on processed wheat and maize - are common food allergens) or environmental, such as house dust mites, pollens, washing powder, carpet deodoriser, and air fresheners are a common cause of itchiness in pets. And of course if the owner is a smoker or vaper the pet can develop illnesses, including chronic bronchitis, from passive smoking.

You may have been given lungworm medication  as a precaution for.the future and likely it has been suggested this should be done frequently.  It won't be connected with his diagnosis I wouldn't expect but like.flea treatment part of.a.package often advised by vets
If the vet suspected lungworm he would have told you and would be in close contact regarding treatment as it is very serious and can fatal so very much doubt that was what he found

> In every business labour costs are the biggest part of a bill.

Totally agree.  And for anyone wanting to keep an animal, of any kind, they are responsible for its health and welfare.

I recently had one of my girls go down with a UTI.  3 days later she was back in with congestive heart failure, she was in the veterinary hospital for 3 nights.  Fortunately there are vets and vet nurses in attendance 24/7.  Then one of my oldies was rushed in with pancreatitis.  Poor girl is back with me, thank goodness.  To add to it all I had another taken in an emergency.  She was in for 5 nights and that one bill alone was £2,500 but at least I had a live dog back in the end.  She was diagnosed with diabetes, and they struggled to get her glucose levels down.  She is covered in bald patches from all the blood tests, but is now home and happily letting me inject her twice a day.

I have spent in excess of £5,000 in vet bills this year.  No, I couldn't afford it.  All paid by credit card, which I will worry about later.  The most important thing of all, was the care and instant attention my dogs received by the vets and nurses.  I can't keep my beloved dogs without their help.  And am grateful for all that they do.

U have had a time of it jean ,hopefully things are improving but I have to agree with u .

Many thanks.

After 3 weeks of steroids and a capsule to open the airways my dogs cough is still present.  The vet has prescribed an antibiotic in case an infection is present.
But he initially went on antibiotics for 4 weeks.
Surely his cough caused by the diagnosed chronic bronchitis should have ceased.
His lips are red but his tongue has 2 blue streaks and the vet says perhaps his heart should be investigated
But he does one hour walks with ease and walks up stairs.
Any advice welcomed

> His lips are red but his tongue has 2 blue streaks and the vet says perhaps his heart should be investigated. But he does one hour walks with ease and walks up stairs.

Has he had his heart checked before?, Ive read dogs with some heart issues can have coughing so I'd agree with your vet it may be worth checking out at this stage if they think it's A possibility.
A friends border collie has a knackered heart (it's got a few things up with it) he has done agility, flyball and goes for long walks fine other than he will slow himself down if he's doing too much and starting to get tired. To watch him would wouldn't think there was an issue.

My cat has just been diagnosed with heart failure and if it hadn't been for him having a general.check for his stage 3 renal disease we wouldn't have known.  the ckd only shows some  weight loss and increased drinking .  Even the vet was surprised as he shows no signs at all
So I wouldn't take behaviour as an indicator necessarily. Animals.can be very different to us in that respect 
Hopefully it isnt of.course but worth thinking about. Unfortunately investigations may not be cheap .I ha e just paid £1100 for.the investigations and the first lot of meds .

My cat has just been diagnosed with heart failure and if it hadn't been for him having a general.check for his stage 3 renal disease we wouldn't have known.  the ckd only shows some  weight loss and increased drinking .  Even the vet was surprised as he shows no signs at all
So I wouldn't take behaviour as an indicator necessarily. Animals.can be very different to us in that respect 
Hopefully it isnt of.course but worth thinking about. Unfortunately investigations may not be cheap .I ha e just paid £1100 for.the investigations and the first lot of meds .

>After 3 weeks of steroids and a capsule to open the airways my dogs cough is still present.

A cough, especially on first getting up, is definitely one of the symptoms of heart problems, even in very active dogs, and so would be a sensible thing to check. If only they could talk and tell us how they're feeling, instead of us having to play detective and figure out the subtle clues!

My last dog coughed a bit. One day she had a sort of feinting fit. The vet thought laryngeal paralysis and sedated her to do some tests. She had mild LP, but not enough To say this was the cause, so he did a chest X-ray to have a look at her lungs. To his surprise she had a greatly enlarged heart and was diagnosed with DCM (dilated cardiac myopathy). She was at 12 still a very active dog and would belt off after a rabbit with no problems.
The drugs she took kept her going for another 3.5 years

If it is heart failure, there are meds they can take which help a lot - so it's something it's definitely worth investigating...

Re vet bills, I just had my Whippet in for a warty thing, which suddenly started bleeding, to be taken off and her teeth checked and polished - she'd broken one which I didn't know about so that had to be sorted out.   The bill came to £470 .61 (how do they get to these odd pence figures).  That included a re-dressing of the lump (said on the bill to be a 'simple excision, small lump, dog and individually cost £117.00 - I wonder what a complicated big lump might have cost ) a week before the surgery.   That charge was £21.60 (included in the £400+ total as I'd told them to add it all together) which I did rather object to, given she was going to have surgery the following week.   My vet up East never charged for pre-surgery work although perhaps she built that cost into the overall cost of the surgery work.   The g/a was £114. There are benefits having a dog only weighing 13.5 kg.    She didn't need any further extractions, just a scale and polish (£78.)

The rest of the bill, to include the odd pence, was comprised of surgical materials, and surgical consumanbles (eaten??? ), an injection of a/b and Metacam.   Luckily I avoided paying for more Metacam going forward, as I still had quite a lot left over from Frankie which was still in date.

£470.61 is still a gulp chunky figure but that's now parked on my Credit Card.   Having been paying for Frankie's various ailments over recent years, I guess Teazel was entitled to the work needed for her.   I still think I should have studied to be a vet (or married one).

I think they work very hard for their money though. I certainly would want a better work-life balance than most vets have...

Have been away with no internet access.  I 100% think it's heart.  One hour walks a day being enforced will not be helping.  Stop now!

Think you got a good price MamaBas. My daughter recently had to have one of her dogs in for a dental + removal of a small lump in the mouth and some teeth. She phoned around getting quotes. It ended up costing £600. The dog weighs 4 kgs!

Why has the vet taken £400 to enter his respiratory system and diagnose chronic bronchitis and given him prednisolone and cortavex if you think my dog has heart disease.  If I complete a client's tax return I have to do it right first time.
My dogs gums are pink and he likes to walk. He has no breathing problems . His well being seems good. He seems content

@ Goldmali     I guess it's small comfort but £470+ is still a chunky sum.  Thankfully (dare I say it?? ) she seems to be healing fine.   And I'm gradually feeding her the treats she has (dried fish etc) which hasn't caused any undue bleeding.

There has to be some positive in living miles away from anywhere!!

Unfortunately diagnosing a.condition is not like competing a tax return .
If only it was , A lot of us would not need to spend so much time with doctors or vets undergoing different procedures to get to the right end results.  Sometimes even finding an underlying cause is impossible amd all.they can do is treat symptoms

> If I complete a client's tax return I have to do it right first time.

You're seriously comparing diagnosing health problem in a living organism to completing a tax return?  Good grief.  The nature of complex lifeforms mean that getting it right first time can be very difficult to do.

The likely reasons for the amount you were charged have been explained, and you can always ask the vet if you're not happy with that.  The fact is, vet fees are often expensive, and they are part of owning an animal.  If you think it's too much then you can always go to a different vet but constantly questioning them or making completely nonsensical comparisons doesn't help anyone.  Insurance might be an idea if you don't like paying more than a small amount (e.g. for an excess on a claim).

Frankly though, I don't think £400 is that bad for investigations like you've had - I once spent over £700 at a referral vet for pretty much the same thing, and there was no diagnosis at the end.  I eventually worked out what was going on myself, found the specialist I needed and got appropriate treatment in place, but I don't begrudge the referral vets for their costs - they have bills to pay and stuff needed to be ruled out.  It was still useful information for that dog.

> Why has the vet taken £400 to enter his respiratory system and diagnose chronic bronchitis and given him prednisolone and cortavex if you think my dog has heart disease.

Because your vet has access to your dog in person, not us, and what we might interpret over the internet from written descriptions might be different in reality.  Why don't you just talk to your vet and ask them?

I have taken my dog back to the vet as his cough has not got better and he has reaffirmed my dog has chronic bronchitis.  He has added a tiny heart tablet to his prednisolone and corvental.   My dog loves his walk his gums and tongue are healthy and he appears stress free.
He is adding weight and begging more.
I dont like the sound of the cough.

Weight and wanting to eat more maybe due to the steroid he is taking .he may also drink more.
It really sounds like u don't trust your vet so  maybe a second opinion would be applicable

Eating and drinking more (and often therefore peeing more) are both very common side-effects of taking steroids (prednisolone). Your vet will have warned you of this, and is the person you need to talk to regarding your concerns.

My dog has been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis. He has been taking prednisolone plus corvental.  After 4 weeks of medication the coughing is still there.  Why?  I have told the vet and he seems to be saying " this is how it is"
My dog is 12years 7 months anerican cocker spaniel

Please ask your vet to explain in more detail or ask another vet . He has the veterinary qualification and the dog infront of him and knows his medical.history

>My dog has been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis. He has been taking prednisolone plus corvental.  After 4 weeks of medication the coughing is still there.  Why?

My father (human!) had the same. The medication stopped his condition worsening, but it couldn't cure it.

My dog still has diarrhoea. He is very well in himself
Is  the causation the steroids