I realize you are quoting medication costs but the fact is that not all DVM's are the same and that is what one is paying for.Seriously though. I watched a news story on vets recently and I was appalled at the discrepancy in pricing. The reporter went to 3 or 4 different vets for the same mess and was quoted prices of $60.00 to $120.00 for the exact same drug.
Worse....lobbyists, and the politicians that pander to them.
Maybe drug companies too...
You can choose to go to a 'no frills' clinic with a Dr. that hasn't specialized in anything or you can go to a clinic with a specialist, a lot of in house equipment, etc. When you go to a clinic you are not just paying for the services you had that day but you are covering the overhead and training the staff have required (gotta pay off those student loans) and these costs vary greatly from clinic to clinic eg. a clinic in Thunder Bay may pay less for a building, taxes, services, etc. than a clinic in downtown Toronto. This is just basic business so if you choose to go to a clinic where your vet trained at Cornell for several years (approx. $30-45K/yr) completed an Avian specialty or perhaps is a surgical specialist with a lot of additional speciality equipment in house then you will pay more, if you go to a clinic where your Dr. completed their training at Guelph, went straight into a very small rural practice without investing in a lot of specialty equipment you will generally pay less. The variation is no different than what we see with other professional practices, I can find a lawyer for a few hundred dollars or I can go to Heenan Blaikie where I will likely pay more, it really depends on my needs which I'll choose.