Our trip to the vet

Just another day at the vets. The costs are growing.

• Just for showing up - $45.00
• The fecal floatation test - $27.50 (do I even want to know about that?)
• Since we haven't kept him on heartworm meds, they did a test to make sure he didn't already have them - $39.00
• The meds for 6 months to make sure he stays heartworm free - $76.50
• And the best spent $10.00 ever - anal sac expression
• They do nail clippings for free, my kind of price

The kids were a little crazy, but the techs were great. At first we were all contained in the exam room - a good idea. Hunter had his temperature taken, which I am sure was unpleasant. If he only knew what was to come. Somehow after Dr. Hatfield came in the door stayed open and my children wandered out. Oh, yes, I remember. They went to "help" do the test for heartworms. Apparently it was very fascinating to watch. Ellie even fetched it when the timer went off and read the results. It was similar to a pregnancy test. One dot negative, more than one positive. Perhaps our bill should have reflected her assistance.

While Hunter had his anal sac expressed, truly the most unpleasant experience he had, the kids took advantage of the three of us being otherwise engaged. They were going back and forth between the waiting area, our exam room and another exam room. Blessedly Dr. Hatfield was seeing patients in the downstairs room, where no other patients were. So even though the kids were like animals themselves, they weren't really bothering anyone. The tech even offered to fuel their rush with candy. How kind. I made them wait to eat it.

By the time we left, Hunter was visibly agitated, the kids were riled up, and I was poorer and a bit frazzled. Fun times.