By Jim Hagarty
I just got back from the vet’s where my little 12-pound poodle had his annual checkup. The little dickens needs his teeth cleaned. Tartar build up. You understand.
The oral surgery to complete this cleaning will be billed at $20 a minute. Not a mistype. That translates to $1,200 an hour. The estimate for the job is between $1,018.98 and $1,465.42.
This amount, to an average person, might seem high but that is not the total job. If any bad teeth are found in my dog’s mouth, they will have to be extracted. So, if he needs to lose a few teeth, and he is eight years old so that is possible, I am guessing from past estimates that the final bill could be rounding the bases at $2,000.
I am in the wrong job. Actually, I don’t have a job. I may have to go get one, retirement be damned.
However, upon seeing that a vet can earn $20 a minute to clean a dog’s teeth, I believe my only option is to pursue a career in veterinary science. I will invest in a really good toothbrush and a strong tooth-pulling pliers and my fortune is made.
