The dog died and a $600 vet bill.

[Rusty Heap]

A man brought a very limp dog into the veterinary clinic. As he lay the
dog on the table, the doctor pulled out his stethoscope, placing the
receptor on the dog's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his
head sadly and said, "I'm sorry, but your dog has passed away."

"What?" screamed the man. "How can you tell? You haven't done any
testing on him or anything. I want ANOTHER opinion!"

With that, the vet turned and left the room. In a few moments, he returned with a Labrador Retriever.

The Retriever went right to work, checking the poor dead dog out
thoroughly. After a considerable amount of sniffing, the Retriever sadly shook its head and barked.

The veterinarian then took the Labrador out and returned in a few
moments with a cat, who also checked out the poor dog on the table. As
had its predecessors, the cat sadly shook its head and meowed. It then
jumped off the table and ran out of the room.

The veterinarian then handed the man a bill for $600.
The dog's owner went beserk. "$600! Just to tell me my dog is dead? This is outrageous!"

The vet shook his head sadly and explained. "If you had taken my word for it,
it would have been $50, but with the LAB report and the CAT scan…………..."

[cashflyer]

In these tough economic times, it is becoming very common for vets to pad their billing with un-necessary testing.

If the man did not sign as a guarantor of the treatment costs, he may be in the clear.
And I doubt that the vet's bill would be an enforceable debt against the dog's estate.

I would start by asking the dog's next of kin if he had a will, and would also check with your state probate court regarding the possible obligation.

[Jim Richards]

LOL! Thanks Dave.

[herr_oberst]

Seems like all the vets own the equipment for the CAT scans and all the LAB tests, and they can just charge whatever they want for the tests.

Pitiful, actually, 550 bucks for a couple of simple tests.

[Jim Richards]

[alwaysflat6s]

Just tell 'em to KEEP the dog.

JR