I'd like to know what the average price other board members Veterinarians charge for an OHA hip certificate. I ask this because I need to arrange for two German Shepherds to be certified, but only one veterinarian in our area has the equipment to do large breed dogs. She wants over $800.00 for the two dogs. We are in a remote location. To go elsewhere requires an Airline trip. Once I arrive at that destination, I can get it done there for $155.00 per dog. But... with airfare, a rental car, Hotel for the night, etc. I'll still pay too much.
I like to have enough feedback from others to demonstrate to the local vet that she's wrong to charge such ridiculously high prices.

That strikes me as pretty outrageous. The OFA charges around $30 per dog to rate the hips, so all the vet is doing is the x-rays. Yes, they need to be done correctly, & not all vets have the skills, but while I don't know the exact cost, the I'm thinking that the vet several breeders referred me to runs somewhere in the $100-$150 range. Might even have been less - I know it was well under $200. Go to the OFA website web page OFA - I think thay have vet referrals. Over $400 to x-ray a dog seems ridiculous to me.

It should be under two hundred. When I had my dog done I left the vet for $285, but I had another dog in that day and had other services on the same bill. I can't seem to locate it to tell you exactly what the charge was, but I know it was less than $200 for sedation, x-rays (hips and elbows) and then I had to send a check for them to send to OFA.

Oh, and I tend to live in an area where vets fees are 'high'... an office visit alone will run $32 to $38 here depending on who you go to.

It runs under $200 here. Our vet will bring the dog in, shoot hips AND elbows, keep them under observation afterwards (because he sedates them), and all charges together come out to right at $200. We've got a great vet (he will analyze the Xrays and tell you what he thinks OFA will say--and he's 99 times out of 100 dead on with what they report) and his office visit just went up to a whopping $7 (if I remember correctly).

It depends a lot on the vet and how good they are. For Auster's prelims she was only given acepromazine and I was allowed in the room to help position her. The films looked fine.

For her OFA films, I didn't want to put her under since she had done so well before. The vet made me leave the room, and when I saw Auster struggling to get off the table I should have ended it right there and found another vet. I paid $60 (they made me pay for two films) for that mistake (even more if you consider the OFA submission fee).

You could try training your dog to roll over and extend their legs on command (that's how I got Auster through it without anesthesia), but you would have to have a vet that waws willing to work with a dog that wasn't out. Some vets are scared of GSD and won't work with them unless the dog is out.

Can you post a price breakdown for the $400 per dog? Then we can see what is priced a lot higher than normal (although operating expenses for a clinic do vary from location to location).

The cost of X-ray film is nothing (a couple of dollars a sheet), when you are paying the vet you are paying for the cost of the xray machine. That's one of the reason that films vary in cost a LOT from vet to vet.

Lauren, this is the breakdown.
Aneshesia $68.40
Admin. of anesth $70.56
Office visit $26.00
2 X-rays $133.70
OFA charge $42.00

(continued)
Shipping and Handling $20.00

and the second dog being 95 lbs. there is an extra anesth. admin $35.28

total bill $816.18

I have never seen an anesthesia administration fee before (usually included in the anesthesia cost, which is usually about the same or less). Most vets (again, just what I know about) don't add the office visit, and charge about $60 or $70 per dog for the films (if the vet doesn't do many films that might be the only way to pay for the machine). I'm sure it varies some by region.

You can buy a bubble mailer at Walmart, add cardboard on each side of the films, and mail it yourself (just write X-RAYS DO NOT BEND! on it). I sent Auster's with UPS and the OFA didn't have a problem with it.

Maybe you could train the dogs to roll over without anesthesia. It looks like the anesthesia is the most expensive part of it.

Wherever you live, I will have to remember not to move there <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> . I have heard of cheaper prices from vets in NYC. Keep in mind that these are just my personal experiences and your mileage may vary. And just today I was thinking that $300+ to have a molar removed was steep!

Thank you all for your replies. I have decided that this vet does not need my business. I will travel elsewhere for the procedure.

Where do you live? Do you live in the midwest?
steve