Bright Eyes & Bushy Tails* Veterinary Service

Jennifer Berger, DVM
Allan Berger, DVM PhD
Bright Eyes & Bushy Tails PLC
3005 Highway 1 NE
Iowa City, IA 52240

(319) 351-4256

*Bushy tails optional for reptiles and pocket pets

Physical Exams

Why?
What?
How Much?

Why?

We are often asked, "Can't you just give the vaccinations? I don't want to pay for the physical exam, and all I want are the shots." The short answer is "no." We believe we have an obligation to do everything we can to ensure an animal's health. Prior to administering vaccinations, it is essential that a veterinarian do a general health evaluation of each pet.

This provides three services:

  • Establishes safety. A sick animal will be further stressed when exposed to a vaccination (an injection of foreign materials which is intended to generate an immune response). This increased stress often makes the animal more sick, causing discomfort and sometimes life-threatening complications.

  • Ensures efficacy. Animals that are not healthy may not mount effective immune responses to the vaccinations, diminishing the value of the vaccines. This is especially important for rabies vaccination, as the first vaccination is typically not followed by a booster shot for one year. Additionally, when using rabies vaccinations that are licensed for three years, declining immunity over time can render your pet (and your family, since unvaccinated pets can expose people to rabies) unprotected near the end of the vaccination period.

  • Enables detection of subclinical problems. Often, a thorough physical exam allows us to detect health problems before they become threatening to the health and comfort of your pet. We can find (and treat) disease such as: 
    	dental disease, including tooth decay, gingivitis, and tarter buildup
	benign and malignant cancers, including mammary tumors, skin masses,
		and abdominal tumors
	ear infections
	heart disease
    Early detection is the key to successfully treating and/or curing many of these ailments.

    What?

    A thorough physical exam includes examination of:

  • Eyes, ears, nose, and throat (including the inside of the mouth)
  • Cardiovascular system (including cardiac auscultation)
  • Respiratory system
  • Gastrointestinal system (including abdominal palpation)
  • Genitourinary tract
  • Palpation of lymph nodes
  • Musculoskeletal examinations as indicated (including neurologic function testing, if needed)

    There are additional charges for heartworm testing (blood test), feline leukemia virus/FIV testing (blood test), and fecal parasite testing (fecal floatation and/or direct smear).

    At what price?

    Different veterinary practices charge for their services using different pricing structures. We believe in charging for what we do--we don't hide the physical exam fee in with the vaccination charges.

    Vaccines are cheap. In fact, you can buy them yourself from companies like KV Vet (not meant as an endorsement, but many of our clients have used this company). If price is your primary concern, you can even find many shots (individually) that are cheaper than our costs (bulk rate). We're very picky about the ingredients of the vaccines we use, the brands, and their labeled efficacy; the vaccines we use tend to be significantly more expensive than "the shot with the most letters that's on discount." We don't add much to the cost we charge for administering shots. Our listed cost covers the vaccine, needle and syringe (and disposal), and the 2 minutes of time it takes to administer.

    The physical exam is what takes most of the time of an office call. It also takes the most expertise. Almost anyone can be trained to administer a subcutaneous injection in just a few minutes (the technique for intramuscular shots required by some less expensive vaccines may take as long as 10 minutes to teach). The physical exam is both an art and skill that took four years of veterinary school, plus thousands of hours of practice, to master. And vet school ain't cheap...e-mail us privately and we'll tell you how much we owe on our loans. :-)

    We believe that the combined cost (physical exam plus vaccination) represents a bargain when considering both the value clients receive and a comparison with other veterinary rates. As a housecall practice, we come to your home. That's an added service. However, as a small business (micro-small), our ability to keep our overhead to a minimum allows us to keep our rates in line with other, more traditional, veterinary practices. We encourage our clients to compare prices and services.

    See our recommended vaccine schedule for more information on what vaccines we recommend.

    If you have any questions about our rates, services, or policies, please e-mail us at ab@brebt.com or call us at (319) 351-4256.

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