Vet Fees

[oldius]

This week, I have been charged £920 by my vet for an x-ray. The explanation I was offered was that Blue was a larger dog and that she needed hospitalisation. Now, both of those explanations don't ring true - she weighs 30kg so less than a Labrador, for example, and the hospitalisation meant just staying in the vet from morning until evening, as is normal for an x-ray. This led to me looking into the issue and finding that in the last five years, many practices have increased their fees by upto 5x. As a consequence, I started a petition for a regulatory body in the industry. If you also think this is an issue, I would be grateful if you would sign and share my petition:


http://chng.it/wk6gfTJxjL

 

[Vinny]

she weighs 30kg so less than a Labrador,

You know some seriously obese lab's.

A good friend is a retired vet' - only a couple of years from full-time. He owned the practise, including the buildings, and he told me that consultation fees just about covered the overheads. Salaries come from everything else.

It may be a while before we speak again, but I will ask. (His practise was/is just north of Leicester.)

 

[Tony L]

Tell me about it, £154 yesterday for some cat vaccines, blood tests etc, £220 in a couple of weeks for some dental work, then a follow-up vaccine which I assume will be another £60 or more. In fairness I’ve been in total lockdown for over a year, so this is a ‘catch-up’, but even small free cats aren’t cheap.

An old pic, the cat now grades at VG+/VG+.

 

[Accuphaseman]

Our cat Ellie had a blood test, imaging which is x ray and ultrasound. She was put out. The bill was £720.

luckily they didn’t find anything.

pets are family so you would never not have the treatment.

 

[oldius]

You know some seriously obese lab's.

A good friend is a retired vet' - only a couple of years from full-time. He owned the practise, including the buildings, and he told me that consultation fees just about covered the overheads. Salaries come from everything else.

It may be a while before we speak again, but I will ask. (His practise was/is just north of Leicester.)

Adult Labs are 28 to 35kg.

 

[Vinny]

Adult Labs are 28 to 35kg.

So they may be, but the top end of that is (morbidly) obese. I have lifted many over the years and compared to a 25kg sack of feed/spuds, they were certainly not majorly in excess of that, if at all.

Not applicable in your case, but very few vets have facilities to do blood tests etc. they are normally sent to independant laboratories, and for that there is a charge, and there is profit on profit to add in as well.

 

[Ponty]

So they may be, but the top end of that is (morbidly) obese. I have lifted many over the years and compared to a 25kg sack of feed/spuds, they were certainly not majorly in excess of that, if at all.

Mine is just under 24kg, 7 year old working lab. She’d be nearer 30kg if allowed. Can’t stand seeing overweight labs, it’s cruelty.

Vets are expensive. However, when you actually think about it, the costs are unsurprising.

 

[oldius]

Mine is just under 24kg, 7 year old working lab. She’d be nearer 30kg if allowed. Can’t stand seeing overweight labs, it’s cruelty.

Vets are expensive. However, when you actually think about it, the costs are unsurprising.

Unsurprising but massively increasing in recent years.

 

[Ponty]

Unsurprising but massively increasing in recent years.

Indeed, much of it driven up by insurance.

Hope Blue is doing OK.

 

[MJS]

Our two Labs were overweight and completely indifferent to food when we rescued them. 5kg lighter each and they're regularly sitting in a pool of drool when it's pizza night. They're about 28kg each now as small, neutered females.

My issue with vets at the moment is their reluctance to do anything that isn't emergency work. Even after we can go shopping en-mass in the town centres I can't book my elderly cats in to get their claws clipped or a routine check up.

 

[Ponty]

Our two Labs were overweight and completely indifferent to food when we rescued them. 5kg lighter each and they're regularly sitting in a pool of drool when it's pizza night. They're about 28kg each now as small, neutered females.

My issue with vets at the moment is their reluctance to do anything that isn't emergency work. Even after we can go shopping en-mass in the town centres I can't book my elderly cats in to get their claws clipped or a routine check up.

Put your pets on a health plan with the vet. We have one for the lab which includes 6 monthly check ups, quarterly bravecta / wormer, annual jabs etc. It’s £13 a month, cheaper than the sum of its parts individually and the check ups have continued through lock downs etc.

 

[oldius]

Put your pets on a health plan with the vet. We have one for the lab which includes 6 monthly check ups, quarterly bravecta / wormer, annual jabs etc. It’s £13 a month, cheaper than the sum of its parts individually and the check ups have continued through lock downs etc.

Mine is already on a similar health plan - it covers basics but not injuries, obviously.

 

[stevec67]

Our two Labs were overweight and completely indifferent to food when we rescued them. 5kg lighter each and they're regularly sitting in a pool of drool when it's pizza night. They're about 28kg each now as small, neutered females.

Yes, a month on half rations gets them down to a healthy weight soon enough. Funnily enough, this also works on me. Ooh, lovely, vegetable soup, one slice of bread and extra chickpeas. You spoil me.

 

[Ginger]

Took my dog to the vet for some treatment a couple of years ago and paid the bill. 2 months later got a red-headed demand for £5.60 (honestly, just over a fiver.) I called and asked what it was for. They'd made a mistake on the billing. Since they'd addressed this quite bluntly, in demand fashion, I said: 'Are you familiar with the saying that mistakes can't be rectified once you've left the shop?' 'But we bill monthly.' they said. "Sorry, I didn't invite any monthly billing, I came in for a service and paid for it, much like when I go to the newsagents for a paper and choccy bar, I pay and leave.' 'But we bill monthly.' they said. And repeat, a few times...

 

[Suffolk Tony]

We've just been stung for exorbitant vet's bills recently. Our elderly border terrier's been diagnosed with diabetes insipidus, luckily treatable by medication. Paid big bill, then got hit by anther bill for over £100. On querying, it was for “additional tests”. The four pills the vet supplied worked out at a fiver each. I asked for a prescription so I could buy a supply on-line for £1.20p each, which after a four-day delay they reluctantly supplied and charged £28 for.

I've changed to another vet, although I suspect they won't be much cheaper.

A good friend, now alas no longer with us, was a retired vet, and saved us a fortune by giving us very good advice when one of our Labs was terminally ill & the local vets were suggesting all sorts of treatment to possibly extend his painful little life.

 

[PhilofCas]

I think the vets and the insurance company’s are in bed together, one big con.

I’ve signed your petition Geoff.

 

[Tony L]

I asked for a prescription so I could buy a supply on-line for £1.20p each, which after a four-day delay they reluctantly supplied and charged £28 for.

This is a real problem, and with the vet I use I suspect it is due to their having a very poor or locked-in supply chain as some stuff is really cheap, other stuff just absurd.

My cat is on mild steroid tablets for an allergy, the first ones she was on were really cheap, maybe £15-20 for a two month supply, but when they proved ineffective they switched her to a low-dose Dexamethazone. The vet wanted to charge £70 for a two month supply for this, I can get them, from the local Asda pharmacy for £9-11! That was the point I switched to getting a prescription (charged at £12 for a 2x repeat, so 4 month supply). As such I don’t blame the vet as they had proved they were really cheap on some meds, they are just getting reamed by a supplier somewhere, I suspect their mark-up is the same. It certainly pays to price-up any long-term meds anyway.

 

[eevo1969]

I think they call it a racket, at least that’s my experience. I’ve seen a few distraught customers at the counter in the vet we use, haven’t been in for a year or two and genuinely shocked at the bill only to be told the business was sold to a bigger service and that’s the cost. Pretty shocking actually and I genuinely feel for the girls at the sharp end, they really do care.
We won’t let them near our dog without a quote written in stone first. We have a plan with them similar to the ones mentioned upthread circa £15 a month.
We now save £50 a month for emergencies for our Ruby as my sister paid a fortune for insurance through the years and when she needed them (cataracts) they walked away and left her high and dry, you don’t always get the time to fight this stuff.
I think we’re up to around £1700 for emergencies so far.

 

[Vinny]

This is a real problem, and with the vet I use I suspect it is due to their having a very poor or locked-in supply chain as some stuff is really cheap, other stuff just absurd

It isn't - see my post above - #2.
Vet's are private businesses that have to make a profit.

 

[oldius]

I think the vets and the insurance company’s are in bed together, one big con.

I’ve signed your petition Geoff.

That's definitely true. What also happens is that the vet submits the claim, indicating the problem the animal has. The insurance company make a note and that problem then becomes a pre-existing condition, not covered in a future claim. Gradually, the typical pet owner will then pay greater and greater premiums for less and less cover. Meanwhile, the vets fees soar.