Pet owners in San Diego, feeling the pinch of high veterinary costs, are increasingly opting to send their pets to Tijuana for medical care, where prices are significantly lower.
Surprisingly, you can arrange this without ever leaving your home.
Services like MexiVet Express provide a kind of medical tourism for pets, featuring a door-to-door pick-up service. For a fee, they pick up your pet in Southern California, navigate the long border waits, offer translation with a Mexican veterinarian, and return the animal to you the same day.
Founded in 2018 by Anna Ginsky—who once faced a $2,000 estimate for her dog’s dental work—the company has grown to connect numerous pet owners with affordable care each year. It’s not just about driving your pet across the border; MexiVet takes on a comprehensive role, managing appointments, translating between vets and owners, handling paperwork, and even recommending clinics in Mexico.
On your appointment day, your driver will collect your pet, transport you to Tijuana, and stay in touch throughout the process, which sometimes allows for a return home the same day.
Cost savings can be quite substantial. The service claims that pet owners can save between 50% and 90% on veterinary expenses compared to what they’d pay in San Diego. This trend is definitely growing.
For instance, after a dog named Coco swallowed a rock, his owner faced a $10,000 bill in San Diego. However, the surgery in Tijuana cost around $2,000 instead.
Another pet owner, Wes Daniel, shared that he plans to pay about $2,000 for multiple procedures in Mexico, approximately half what he’d be charged in the States.
With rising pet insurance premiums and everyday care costs, more people are crossing the border with their pets. However, not everyone is fully onboard with this trend.
A local veterinarian has cautioned that cheaper treatments could lead to complications later, citing instances of pets needing expensive follow-up care after returning to the U.S.
Meanwhile, MexiVet stresses that it doesn’t provide healthcare services itself but acts purely as an intermediary, partnering with reputable clinics in Tijuana. Ginsky noted that “price transparency, effective communication with pet owners, secure parking, and follow-up services” are crucial for their operations.
“Ideally, they should have a U.S. phone number and be reachable through WhatsApp, so both parties can easily communicate,” she added.
