Median vet cost by category

• Emergency: median $808 (typical range $409–$1,807, based on 400+ real invoices)
• Surgery: median $1,284 (typical range $578–$3,229, based on 200+ real invoices)
• Medication: median $315 (typical range $146–$594, based on 200+ real invoices)
• Routine/Wellness: median $275 (typical range $168–$505, based on 100+ real invoices)
• Hospitalization/ICU: median $1,261 (typical range $505–$4,177, based on 75+ real invoices)
• Diagnostics: median $462 (typical range $265–$741, based on 75+ real invoices)
• Dental: median $1,299 (typical range $810–$1,910, based on 50+ real invoices)
• Preventative: median $209 (typical range $79–$365, based on 50+ real invoices)
• Specialty: median $1,250 (typical range $591–$2,921, based on 50+ real invoices)
• Oncology: median $655 (typical range $341–$1,245, based on 50+ real invoices)
• Dermatology: median $291 (typical range $129–$521, based on 50+ real invoices)
• Orthopedic: median $1,340 (typical range $475–$4,178, based on 40+ real invoices)
• End of Life: median $640 (typical range $394–$961, based on 20+ real invoices)
• Ophthalmology: median $273 (typical range $148–$884, based on 20+ real invoices)

The Sunday Tax: pet owners pay more on weekends

Across 2,000+ dated real vet bills, the median bill on a Sunday is $994, versus $703 on weekdays — a 41% premium. Weekend bills overall run 23% higher than weekday bills. There is no weekend surcharge in the data — the premium comes from routing: pets are 2.2× more likely to end up at an emergency vet on the weekend (31.3% of weekend bills are emergencies versus 14.1% on weekdays), and the identical office exam costs 81% more at an emergency hospital than at a regular vet.

Same medication, different price

The identical medication — same drug, same strength, priced per unit — varies widely between veterinary clinics. These ranges are the interquartile spread (the middle half of real prices, not the extremes):

• Midazolam 5 mg/ml (per ml): $12.19–$137.21 (11.3× spread, n=45)
• Trazodone Tablets 100mg (per each): $0.55–$5.12 (9.3× spread, n=45)
• Doxycycline 100mg (per each): $0.59–$4.67 (7.9× spread, n=25)
• Metacam 15ml 0.5mg/ml (per ml): $2.62–$20.60 (7.9× spread, n=48)
• Ondansetron 2 mg/ml Injection (per ml): $8.30–$51.39 (6.2× spread, n=37)
• Metronidazole 250 mg (per each): $1.25–$6.74 (5.4× spread, n=43)
• Metronidazole 5 mg/ml (per ml): $1.10–$5.09 (4.6× spread, n=30)
• Gabapentin 100 mg (per each): $0.67–$3.05 (4.6× spread, n=181)

By geography, Cerenia (Maropitant) 10 mg/ml Injection runs a median $20.27 per ml in Florida versus $101.40 in California — a 5× difference.

Chain clinics vs independents: where the corporate premium shows up

Comparing 70+ VCA general-practice invoices (40 locations, 23 states) against independent clinics in the same states — emergency and specialty locations excluded on both sides — the corporate premium concentrates in small, routine line items rather than big procedures:

• Wellness exam (office visit fee): VCA median $87 vs independent $74 — about 18% more at the chain
• X-ray: VCA median $280 vs independent $220 — about 27% more at the chain
• Gabapentin (common pain medication): VCA median $35 vs independent $25 — about 40% more at the chain
• Ultrasound: VCA median $266 vs independent $267 — essentially the same price
• CT scan: VCA median $657 vs independent $702 — essentially the same price
• Cerenia (anti-nausea medication): VCA median $54 vs independent $56 — essentially the same price

Routine, hard-to-compare charges (exam fees, x-rays, everyday medications) run higher at the chain, while the bigger procedures people tend to price-compare (ultrasound, CT) come in at parity.

Most common line items found in vet bills

• X-ray (additional view): median $197 (500+ occurrences)
• IV fluid pump: median $65 (400+ occurrences)
• Emergency visit exam: median $77 (400+ occurrences)
• Hospitalization: median $96 (300+ occurrences)
• Complete blood count: median $132 (300+ occurrences)
• Office visit / exam: median $97 (200+ occurrences)
• Maropitant (Cerenia): median $51 (200+ occurrences)
• Gabapentin: median $27 (200+ occurrences)
• Pain medication: median $24 (150+ occurrences)
• Biohazard fee: median $7 (150+ occurrences)