When a vet recommends a dental under anaesthesia, a surgery or a treatment lasting several weeks, the owner almost never answers on the spot. They ask how much it is, say they will think about it, that they need to talk it over at home. And often they don’t come back.
It isn’t always the price. Often they left with a number quoted from memory, with no breakdown, and at home they couldn’t explain what it covered or why it cost that much.
What the clinic gains from a written estimate
1. Clarity for the owner
Seeing every line (anaesthesia, procedure, discharge medication, follow-up) lets the owner understand the value of the treatment. And it gives them something concrete to share with whoever decides with them.
2. Professionalism and trust
A PDF with the clinic’s logo, a validity date and the treatment breakdown says the clinic is organised. The owner sees that you know exactly what you are going to do.
3. A price that holds
If the owner accepts three weeks later and your price list changed in between, the estimate decides what is charged. No arguments at the front desk, no improvised discounts.
4. Sales you don’t lose track of
Every open quote is a sale on hold. Having them in a list, with their validity, tells you who is worth a follow-up call.
How quotes work in Vetzilla
You build it like a sale
Pick the client and the pet, and add products and services from the same search you use to sell. Adjust each line’s price, discount and taxes. Validity defaults to 15 days and you can change it.
Download it as a PDF
One click builds the document with your clinic’s details, the breakdown and the validity date. Send it on WhatsApp, by email or print it: the channel is your call.
Nothing moves until the owner accepts
A quote does not touch inventory, add to the client’s debt or create clinical records. Build as many as you need without muddying your numbers.
One click turns it into a sale
When the owner says yes, “Generate sale” creates the sale at the quoted prices. Inventory is deducted, the client’s debt is updated and clinical services (vaccines, consultations, surgeries, tests) create their record on the pet’s file. Nothing is typed in twice.
Duplicate it to offer it again
Expired and the owner came back? Duplicate it: you get a new draft with the same lines and validity recalculated from today.
Good practice
Hand over the estimate before the owner leaves. Interest peaks during the consultation. A PDF sent the same day beats one sent the following week.
Itemise, don’t summarise. “Surgery: $X” raises questions. Every line explained builds trust.
Use the validity date. A clear deadline keeps the decision from being postponed forever.
Follow up on open quotes. A call a few days later to answer questions wins back treatments that would otherwise be lost in silence.
A yes needs information
The owner wants the best for their pet. What they need to decide is to understand what the treatment includes and what it costs. A clear estimate gives them that, and gives your clinic a sale that records itself the moment the yes arrives.
Frequently asked questions
Quote or estimate?
They are the same thing: a document with the breakdown and price of a treatment before it is done. In veterinary practice, “estimate” is the more common term.
What should a veterinary estimate include?
The clinic, owner and pet details; every procedure, product and medication on its own line with quantity and price; discounts and taxes; the total; a validity date and notes on what is not included or may change during treatment.
How long should an estimate stay valid?
There is no fixed rule. Fifteen days is a reasonable starting point and the default Vetzilla suggests. Shorten it if your supply prices change often.
What if my prices changed after I sent it?
While it is valid, honour the quoted price: it is what the owner accepted. Once it has expired, duplicate it, update the prices that changed and send the new version.
Read the Quotes documentation to see how to create them, download them and convert them into a sale.