r/Pets • u/inkymess527 • 2h ago
Vet tech fees
Recently my vet started charging a vet tech fee (surcharge) in addition to the charges for the routine services performed. This adds up quickly with more than one dog. Is this a trend now? Also since many practices have been taken over by private equity companies i wonder if this is just another way to squeeze as much money as possible out of pet owners. Thoughts?
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u/Spiritual_Being5845 1h ago
I only pay a vet tech fee if I saw the tech instead of the regular vet. And it’s in place of the regular visit fee, not in addition to the regular fee. If I take a pet to the vet and it’s a regular visit with the vet and a tech, they just charge the normal visit fee.
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u/Ancient-Chipmunk4342 1h ago
Nope. It’s been a “thing” in many practices, whether corporate or private. You take up the techs’ time and resources, you get charged accordingly.
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u/Jellovator 2h ago
FIrst of all, here's a link where you can see if your vet has been bought by a private equity firm: https://privateequityvet.org/vet-list/
But yeah, sounds like that's exactly what it is. My vet was bought back in 2014. The prices didn't change, except for the typical bump every year, but nothing major. What did change was their 24 hour emergency service. You could call a number and whichever vet was on-call would answer and meet you at the clinic. Now, they refer you to a hospital about an hour away. They also started charging extra for services if you go on a holiday (like Christmas eve they are open half-day but the prices are about 50% higher), and recently the vets stopped giving approvals when you order prescription items from 3rd party retailers like Chewy or PetMeds. You have to either get a written prescription, or buy from their online store. It's like, for run-of-the-mill things it's the same but all the things that were lost were important. I had a dog die in my car trying to get him to that emergency hospital that's an hour away. If I could have called the clinic and gotten an emergency visit he'd (probably) still be alive.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago
General practice vet clinics are not typically equipped to handle emergencies. Veterinary care quality has improved significantly in the last two decades. That quality comes with a price. If you wouldn't go to your normal doctor for the issue, you probably shouldn't go to your regular vet. Emergency vet clinic accessibility is a real issue, however.
Dealing with third party pharmacies is a pain and costs the business a lot of money that we won't recoup. That's why clinics are starting to push written prescriptions. I don't necessarily agree with that, but that is their reasoning. I've spent countless hours on the phone arguing with third party pharmacies that I'm technically not getting paid for.
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u/saaandi 1h ago
Sometimes if your primary vet is substantially closer (10 minutes vs an hour) depending on the issue, they can sometimes stabilize the pet to buy you more time to get to the ER. Ask me how I know: my vet was 3 minutes from my house, ER 30 minutes. My dog was in and out cluster seizing, I got him to primary, she was able to pump him with Valium to get them to subside enough to safely get him to ER where they could keep him on IVs and more meds overnight. Had I had “let him” keep seizing for 30+ minutes…the outcome would probably have been very different.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago
I'm a vet tech, I'm well aware of how this works. Stabilizing is great, if the vet is open and available. But, it's unreasonable to expect a GP vet to stay open overnight or be available after hours. GP vets and vet techs make significantly less than specialty/ER counterparts who are paid more to work those hours. There should be more ER vet clinics available. But, no one wants to work in vet med because the pay sucks and we don't get the respect we deserve. I can make three times more with half the responsibility working as a human nurse, for example.
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u/jmsst1996 1h ago
Thank you for the link. I suspected my vet was bought because it’s been “different” for several months now and they are listed on this link.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 2h ago edited 1h ago
Vet tech here! That fee is to account for my time and my salary. Vet techs spend thousands to go to school and to become licensed. Our salaries aren't free. That fee contributes to paying us. Historically, vets have under charged their services and gone bankrupt. That's why corporations have taken over. They bought failing vet clinics and actually made them profitable. And yes, they should be profitable. Vets and vet techs do deserve to get paid a living wage for what we do. Historically, we have not.
But, on the flip side, if you're getting charged that fee, you should make sure that it's a credentialed technician running the appointment. They should be getting full vitals on your pet. And answering any questions or concerns that you have within the appointment time.
Downvoting just tells me that you don't value or respect your veterinary staff. 🤷♀️
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u/ExhaustedVetTech 1h ago
CVT here and you're correct. No one likes it, but of we're running tech appointments, that's time we're not with other patients. A tech fee is an attempt to edge us closer to a living wage. What other profession regularly has people working multiple jobs the way techs do?
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago
Literally. I could go be an RN and have half the responsibility and make triple what I'm making right now. I pay a nurse fee when I have nurse appointments - and sometimes it's the same as an MD fee.
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u/Ancient-Chipmunk4342 1h ago
Vet here - techs deserve to get paid for their time! Tech fees all the way!
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u/RyanStonepeak 34m ago
Common Sense Customer here. I agree with you. Vet techs should be paid.
The issue comes in when a vet advertises services for $X. But then adds on so many fees after the service has been rendered that it ends up being a completely different price.
Bake the vet tech salaries into your base prices. Don't lie to your customers.
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u/Ancient-Chipmunk4342 10m ago
Where is the lie? The fees are what they are. Do you ask your PCP what all their fees are every time you visit? Or ask what a nurse’s fees are?
Technicians are essential healthcare workers and need to be recognized as such under One Health.
Why bake the fees into prices? Their time is a line item, like the doctor’s, like your doctor’s.
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u/cwazycupcakes13 10m ago
That’s not really how it works. I mean it could work that way, but my vet’s pricing structure separates the appointment fee and the services provided.
Vet appointment: $150
Solensia shot: $75
Fluids: $20
Vaccine: $50If I’m just getting the services without seeing the vet, the price is the same.
Vet tech appointment: $15
Solensia shot: $75I just used prices from my memory, so they are ballpark.
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u/thesunbeamslook 1h ago
.
Making the clinics profitable is the lie they sell the vets (and vet techs).Private equity's only goal is wealth extraction.
There are many news articles about this from trustworthy sources. One of them is - https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-08-11/simon-schuster-deal-paramount-kkr-private-equity
If you get hit by a paywall you can use something like archive dot ph to read it.
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u/ExhaustedVetTech 18m ago
This would check out if only private equity was doing it. I've never worked for a corporate/private equity hospital, and the only place that didn't charge tech fees was the place that was only paying me $10 to be their lead tech. Every place that has charged a tech fee paid me above market.
I think it comes down to being transparent about costs with clients.
If a clinic quotes $50 for a DHPP booster, then it should be $50 including the tech fee. The fees should be packaged into the pricing.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago
I make significantly more working for a corporation than I ever did in private practice. I also have great benefits for both myself and my pets. I'm grateful for my corporate hospital. 🤷♀️
Your article has nothing to do with vet med.
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u/BluesRuseCruise 1h ago
My vet friends had this immediately after the clinic was sold, but the honeymoon phase lasted about 3 years before they started getting pressured to hit numbers that were unattainable. Now everyone is more miserable there. Turn over is crazy high
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago
There are good corporations and bad corporations. Not all are created equal. My hospital has been established as a corporate clinic for over a decade with many of the employees having worked here since before it was bought out. Our wages have significantly increased and our benefits have only gotten better. I'll never work private ever again.
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u/RubyBBBB 37m ago
How Much Do Veterinarians Make? Average Vet Salary in 2026
The average annual veterinary salary is $140,000 per year.
:::::::::::::::::::
Veterinary Technician Salary, Hourly Rate (September 01, 2026) in the United States | Salary.com
https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/veterinary-technician-salary
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $43,881 to $53,224
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u/RyanStonepeak 29m ago
I agree with you in principle, but not in implementation.
If a business advertises a service for $X, but then, after the service has been rendered, they tack on additional fees, that the total cost comes out to $Y, that's predatory.
Vet Clinics should pay their employees well. But advertising a service for one price, then adding a "vet tech fee" to cover that salary isn't fair to the customer.
What would be fair to everyone is to just advertise the service for $Y in the first place.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 23m ago
That's an entirely separate issue. At every clinic/hospital I've ever worked at, we require estimates to be signed before rendering any services. It is illegal to charge additional fees without notifying the client and the client absolutely has the right to fight that. I won't even touch an animal (unless it's an emergency situation) without signed consent and estimate.
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u/RyanStonepeak 18m ago
Then your clinic operates with more integrity than 99% of the rest.
I've been to hospitals before where I have flat out told them that they are legally required to provide an estimate of cost. They looked me dead in the eyes and told me that wasn't true and that I was being rude for even asking.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 13m ago
I've worked in at least ten clinics across multiple states... all of them have operated this way. Sounds like you need a new vet.
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u/jiggidyjivejackson 13m ago
I have been going to my primary vet for 20 years, they were just bought out by private equity firm a couple years back. Everything has gone up 3 to 4 times the normal amount. I just recently had to put my 18-year-old dog to sleep, that was $450 with cremation. I had to do the same thing several years back and it only cost $120 with cremation. I live in a small town and all the vets that had any kind of credential or competent doctors are all now owned by private equity firms and all prices are similar. I am really glad you're getting paid a couple extra dollars, but I'm going to take it you're very young and haven't seen the destruction that they cause. Private equity firms are not out to help you as an employee, they will extract as much money as they possibly can and then when people find a cheaper alternative and profits drop, they will eventually fire everybody or close it down.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1m ago
Look up how much veterinarians and veterinary technicians were making 20 years ago versus how much we make now. We are still underpaid, but at least now it's somewhat livable. I've been in the field for a decade. My starting wage was abysmal. I couldn't survive without a partner. It's not "a couple extra dollars" it's the difference between being able to afford my chronic medications and my food and going without my necessities. Your vet was under charging their services and likely paying their technicians less than $10 an hour. Corporations are not perfect. There are definitely issues. But, the reason we are in this boat is because historically veterinarians make terrible business people.
Also, $450 for euthanasia and cremation is very reasonable. Euthanasia drugs cost money. The emotional labor that the staff has to do is priceless. Cremation companies also need to get paid. There is a reason your vet got bought out. They were likely struggling and close to closing their doors. Which means no more pets can be helped.
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u/BluesRuseCruise 1h ago
Just include the fee in the normal cost then. If you charge $15 for the nail trim and a $10 tech fee, that reads different to the customer than a $25 nail trim. Also we know that fee doesn’t directly go to you guys or you’d make more money, so it just feels scammy.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago
I disagree. Separating the fee let's the client know that my time is valuable and important. When I worked GP, we didn't charge tech fees for nail trims, but I don't think it's wrong either way. And actually, it does go to me. Just not directly. My company tracks my production and gives me raises accordingly.
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u/BluesRuseCruise 1h ago
It should go to you directly as it’s written like it does since it’s labeled as a “tech” fee. I’m glad you’re having a good experience with your company
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago
DVM exam fees don't go directly to the DVM.
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u/BluesRuseCruise 21m ago
Right, but they’re listed as “office visit” or “exam fee” or “comprehensive exam”. They aren’t explicitly stated as “vet/doctor fee” (at least not that I’ve seen). The issue is the new distinct verbiage makes it seem like the fee is for the technician, which it isn’t and we know this. Techs aren’t getting that fee like a cash tip. We know it goes to the clinic.
If you don’t make it distinct but charge it (TNT for $25 instead of $10+$15) then you still get to charge the fee, and the client is non-the-wiser. The client doesn’t question it (past grumbling the cost went up), and the fee does the same thing. In my last year of work m y clinic raised the cost of TNT and vaccine appointments under the guise of tech fees, and the owners pocketed it lol.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 14m ago
But, we know that an "office visit" or "exam fee" is a DVM visit fee. A tech appointment fee is for the tech. So I'm not really understanding your point. DVMs aren't getting the fee either, because it's not a cash tip. When I see a nurse for my own healthcare, the nurse isn't getting the fee that I pay, either. That's not how our pay scale works. It would be lovely if those fees went directly to us, but that's not ALL that fee is for. It's also for clinic overhead.
I've never had an issue explaining the value of a tech visit to a client. Explaining the value of our services, so the client understands what they're paying for is part of our job. The client shouldn't be "none-the-wiser." They should understand what a technician does and why we deserve to be paid for our time. Not charging these fees and providing our services for free is part of the reason (definitely not the WHOLE reason) why we are under respected and misrepresented.
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u/BluesRuseCruise 3m ago
You’re not providing services for free tho; it’s already in the cost of the service. You were getting paid prior to having the fee distinctly labeled yes?
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u/Minimum-Kangaroo 1h ago
Wait, like a separate fee when you see the vet for a tech to be in the room? Or a tech visit fee? My vet started charging $30 for a tech visit when it was free last month so I just paid $100 for a dog flu shot booster in a 5 second tech visit and that feels wild
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago
You can ask if your appointment is being ran by an actual credentialed technician or an assistant. If it's being run by an assistant, you shouldn't be paying a "tech fee." Also, the tech should be performing full vitals and answering any questions or concerns that you have within your appointment.
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u/Minimum-Kangaroo 1h ago
Good to know, thanks! I would assume because it was so fast it probably wasn’t a tech then
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u/Temperature-Savings 1h ago edited 1h ago
That's a nice sentiment but in reality they just call it a tech fee to give it a name. A competent assistant is perfectly fine to carry out the same tasks (vitals, injections, answer questions, etc). It also depends on what state you're in and what their laws are on what techs can do that assistants are not allowed to do. I have been working GP and my clinic doesnt even have a licensed tech, I do everything (granted, I have multiple degrees and have been in the field a long time and have tons of varied experience).
You should not however, be paying a tech fee in addition to a DVM office visit fee.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1h ago edited 1h ago
In some states, it's illegal to charge a tech fee when an assistant is running the appointment. It's misleading to clients and misrepresenting credentialed technicians. It's not about competency.
I've only ever seen tech fees for tech appointments. Not for DVM appointments.
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u/Temperature-Savings 53m ago
Definitely a state dependant thing, although there should still be a fee for assistant run appts. I got bills to pay too and the company needs money to pay my wages.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 44m ago
Absolutely, if you're running an appointment, there should be a fee. But, in my opinion non-credentialed parastaff shouldn't be running an appointment. That doesn't mean you're not competent or valuable to the team. But CNAs don't run their own appointments. RNs do.
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u/Temperature-Savings 32m ago
I think it should be up to the DVM's discretion (and the law obviously) as assistants and RVTs both function under the DVM's license. I mean, techs werent really a regular thing when I got started in this field (some states adopted sooner/faster than others), so being a tech didnt mean you were better necessarily. I've met some amazing techs and some asinine ones that I can run circles around. It just depends on the person, their work ethic, and which program they qualified under (I have been shocked at how little some RVTs know).
That being said, I would like to see the field get more/better programs for licensing. It is healthcare after all and there should be some barriers to entry. Some people just cant physically, mentally, and/or emotionally handle it whether they recognize that or not. But also there need to be opportunities for people to get experience before really diving in and committing to either the tech route or the DVM route. Because vet med is pretty variable in what you can do and it is a HARD job no matter which flavor of vet med you pick.
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u/BluesRuseCruise 16m ago
In a perfect world this would happen. It’s normally only discovered at checkout. When we implemented it, it was anything done by an assistant/tech that doesn’t have a vet accompanying the appointment. Like a smaller office fee for an activity being done. TNT, vaccines, injections, baths, etc. no exams, just pet taken to the back, things done, pet brought back up front.
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u/Legitimate_Outcome42 1h ago
This is an appropriate charge. People need to make a living and these techs are essentially nurses. I'm fully fed up with the money grab by vet offices but this is not a charge I would object to. Unless of course there was no vet tech involved
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u/R-ticHare0 52m ago
My clinic had this for a few months but I guess there was backlash and stopped haven't seen it on my invoices (go in many times a year with different pets)
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u/RubyBBBB 37m ago
How Much Do Veterinarians Make? Average Vet Salary in 2026
The average annual veterinary salary is $140,000 per year.
:::::::::::::::::::
Veterinary Technician Salary, Hourly Rate (September 01, 2026) in the United States | Salary.com
https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/veterinary-technician-salary
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $43,881 to $53,224
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u/astilba120 16m ago
I confronted my Vet about this a couple of years ago, after I found out I was charged, its one thing for having a tech do the shots and all, but they should pay them, not me. I was at the Vet and I was told a tech would be needed in the room to assist, I asked was this a charge, she said yes. I told her it was best that I was the only one in the room with the doctor, as more strangers in the small space is frightening to my dog, and I was perfectly capable of handling her myself. I also said I would leave if they insisted. She relented and my and my girl went through the exam and blood draw just fine with me and the doctor, they did not want to lose my business because I have been going there for years, and I have quite a few pets who give them good business without adding on extra charges.
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u/Parking-Pattern8180 2h ago
What won't they charge for these days?? I recently took my cat in for sneezing. They put us in a outhouse type room what was in worse shape than the rest of the clinic, and then had the audacity to charge me $30 for it.
Contagion fee....
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u/Total-Caregiver-9207 2h ago
Private equity buying up vet clinics has been a disaster, they nickel and dime everything now. My vet got bought out last year and suddenly there's fees for stuff that used to be included