Frequently asked questions
Privacy
What happens to my photo? The original is deleted as soon as reading finishes; only a file hash remains. If you upload the same photo again, the hash lets us reuse the result without calling the AI again. The AI is instructed not to extract owner names, addresses or phone numbers, and we do not store them.
Who sees contributed bills? Nobody sees individual bills. They are aggregated anonymously by amount, item and region (district, state, postcode area, prefecture), and clinic names are never published. Public pages and B2B data omit any cell with fewer than 10 samples.
Do I need an account? No. A browser cookie identifies you for one year. If you clear cookies, your access goes with it, so keep your receipt or result link.
Accuracy
What if the AI misreads? Results are always shown as an editable table and compared only after you confirm. You can also change which public item a line is matched to. If no match exists, we show "no comparison data" and give no verdict.
Same name, different contents? For example, a Korean "blood chemistry" panel includes a different number of values at each clinic. The public survey uses the comprehensive panel as its basis (MAFRA Notice 2024-64), so treat a basic kit as a range only. The explanation text carries that caution.
Verdict rules
How are low, fair and high decided? Korea, Japan, US: below 90% of the reference median is low; up to the larger of the 75th percentile and 1.3 times the median is fair; above that is high. No reference, no verdict. Germany: the amount divided by the GOT single rate gives a multiplier; 1.0 or below is low, 1.0 to 3.0 fair, above 3.0 high. With an emergency flag, 2.0 to 4.0 counts as fair and one 50 euro emergency fee is allowed.
Does "high" mean the clinic did something wrong? No. It means the amount sits in the upper part of the distribution. Difficulty, weight, time of day and what was included create legitimate differences. That is why every verdict comes with questions to ask your vet.
By country
Germany: what is the GOT multiplier? German veterinarians bill between one and three times the statutory single rate (GOT § 2), considering difficulty, time and timing. Night, weekend and holiday emergencies use two to four times plus a 50 euro emergency fee (§ 4). Medicines, materials and outlays (§ 7 para. 2) are outside the schedule and are not compared. "2.4 times the GOT rate" is an arithmetic result, not a legal judgment. If item numbers are missing, you can ask the clinic for them (§ 7 para. 4); disputes are reviewed by the state veterinary chamber.
Japan: why is there no regional comparison? The Japan Veterinary Medical Association's 2021 survey publishes a single national distribution (we confirmed there is no regional breakdown). So we compare against the national median and price bands and do not emphasize averages. Surgery figures exclude anesthesia. As contributed statements accumulate, prefecture-level distributions can be built for the first time.
United States: why are samples small? There is no public price dataset in the US, so distributions are built from contributed bills. A comparison appears only once an item and state have 10 or more bills; before that it says "no comparison data". Sample size (n) and update date sit next to every figure. External cost surveys are used for ranges only and are never copied.
Korea: can I tell whether I paid more than the posted fee? Clinics must post mandatory items (first and recheck exams, hospitalization, vaccines, tests) at reception and on their website, and may not charge more than the posted amount (Veterinary Act Art. 20). We do not hold clinic price lists, so the question list includes "Is this the same as the posted fee?".
Insurance and financing links
Links at the end of a result may be affiliate links and always carry a disclosure. We do not recommend specific products and they do not affect verdicts. Comparison sites can only compare participating insurers. See the Independence statement.
Payment and refunds
See Pricing. Full refund within 14 days.