There was an old Midas Muffler commercial where the guy says,

“I’m not going to pay a lot for this muffler!” 

Your veterinarian can run up your tab to $300 and more in a blink of an eye. 

Tell the desk upfront, you are on a budget

(a vague statement that gets the point across) and you want to know all costs before they are incurred.  This sounds obvious, but it’s not. 

Insist on them doing that and your bills will come WAY DOWN.