How we collect vet prices
Veterinary pricing is famously opaque, and the fastest way to make it worse is to publish confident numbers with nothing behind them. This page explains exactly where each figure on PetVitale comes from and what it can and cannot tell you.
Every price carries its source
We never show a price without showing where it came from and when we last checked it. There are four kinds of figure, and they are labelled differently because they mean different things.
Clinic-published
specific to a named clinicTaken from the clinic's own published price list.
Clinic-confirmed
specific to a named clinicConfirmed directly with the clinic by our team.
From owner invoices
an estimate, not a clinic quoteAggregated from anonymised invoices shared by pet owners.
Area estimate
an estimate, not a clinic quoteAn estimated range for this area, not a quote from any particular clinic.
What a range cannot tell you
A published range is a starting point for a conversation, not a quote. The final bill for the same named procedure legitimately varies with your pet's weight, age and health, with what the vet finds once treatment begins, with whether bloodwork or anaesthetic monitoring is included, and with whether the visit is routine or urgent. A clinic charging above a range is not necessarily overcharging.
How often we re-check
Every figure shows the date it was last verified, on the figure itself rather than in a footnote. We re-check clinic-published prices when the clinic updates its price list, and we review the whole set at least twice a year. If a date looks stale to you, treat the number as stale.
Coverage is deliberately narrow
We are starting with Edmonton rather than publishing thin national coverage. Where we have not researched a city or procedure, we say so and offer to look it up, rather than filling the gap with a generic estimate. Coverage expands by demand — the requests people submit determine which metro we research next.
Corrections
If you run a clinic and a price attributed to you is wrong or out of date, or you are a pet owner whose invoice contradicts what we show, email support@petvitale.com and we will correct or remove it. We would rather show less and be right.
This information is provided to help you plan and ask better questions. It is not veterinary or financial advice, and it is not a substitute for a quote from your own clinic.