Vets - are their bills too large?

[bobt]

try calling a plumber out of hours,

 

[WAYNE DAVIES]

Why should people be forced to have insurance?

I know a number of people with working dogs who choose not to take out insurance but instead to set aside funds to pay for any treatment. Personally I am coming round to this argument, and at the moment out of our four dogs only three are insured. If I work out how much we have paid to the insurance companies over the years it is eye-watering. Like any company, pet insurance companies are in the business to make a profit.

If there is something wrong with one of our dogs we will get it treated by the vet - having insurance or not having insurance has no bearing on how we treat our dogs.

willie_gunn

Dom

I'm seriously considering opening a "vets account" my petplan insurance for Max has gone from £34 per month to £57 with out ever claiming on it, my new Spaniel pup is £25 per month but I guess that will climb as he gets older and hope fully I will get another GSP in the next year or so. That will add up to over £100 per month, quite a lot if its in a savings account.

Or another option is have a "vets credit card" and if the sh*t hits the fan then pay it off like the insurance installments????

I've spent £250 in the last couple of months just in minor and routine treatments which I can't claim for its a difficult one thats for sure.

Wayne

 

[weeman]

I've recently spent £400 in recent months on vets fees and with getting nearly ripped off by the insurance company agria and the vets I've decided to open an isa account transfering the insurance money I'd pay into one. I pay around £75 a month for my three teckels so better in there. I was charged £135 more to have one of.my dogs tooth taken out than it was to be spayed.

 

[wildfowler.250]

Call a vets out of hours and you need a big fat wallet ,took my lab to the vets at the wknd out of hours and they wanted another 100 pounds.no such thing as a poor vet, they hv big houses and the latest 4x4 if not two sitting in the drive.unfortunately you need these people to treat our much loved animals.

This is where there are huge misconceptions over the profession. The only folk earning 'big' money in the veterinary profession are practice owners,(generalizing a little here and not looking at referral work).

For example, average starting salary for a vet would be around 25-30k a year. Now this doesn't go up after 1 year graduated unlike say a dentist who is usually employed at a fixed rate for the first year by the NHS and then normally goes into becoming self employed and earning a slice of everything they treat.

Generally the vet on the other end of the phone doesn't see any of the £100 call out fee for the middle of the night. Now I can imagine a heck of a lot easier ways to earn 30k than to work an entire full day and be routinely woken throughout the night. People generally expect the best service for as little as possible. Vets in the states earn much more money. Americans have to pay for healthcare so aren't taken aback when they are asked to pay fees to see a medical professional in the middle of the night.


This isn't at all a dig at yourself, it's more pointing out that the idea that vets are well paid is hugely misguided. It's bad hours, average pay and most folk drop being a general practitioner after a few years because it's so poor.

 

[wildfowler.250]

 

[wildfowler.250]

Above picture is worth a read.

 

[Tim.243]

We all in this country get free health care since a very long time ago.....

Your best pall will be with you for 10/14 years, if your lucky you might make 8 times that with years of morning the loss of that special pall who never once complained....

A 20 a day smoker wastes 3k a year....let alone what is ****ed down the drain in the pub.

If he or she is sick just stick you hand in your pocket and pay the ####### bill........


Tim.243

 

[casper]

Both main practices near me have both recently opened new hospitals, both fully equipped with the very latest technology and they brought in some leading specialists to run the units. Veterinary medicine is advancing and our dogs can now receive fantastic treatment unfortunately advancement costs.

 

[geordieh]

"I note, however (as I'm sure you did) that it doesn't specify that you exert yourself towards these worthy goals pro bono. To be fair, it doesn't mention charging for your services either, but assuming you and yours have to eat and keep warm, let us assume taking money for the service is implicitly permitted."

Pro-bono work isn't mentioned in the oath, but is is implicit in the Code of Professional Conduct. Our first priority is to relieve pain and suffering. If the person bringing in the animal can't pay, we still have to see it. Stray's should be covered by RSPCA but it can be hard work to get paid. Wildlife is seen FOC during the day. Thankfully the debt accumulated by this work is relatively small, but it still smarts doing something for nothing!

Surely if a vets priority is to relieve pain and suffering all vets should be obliged to dock working puppies to relieve future pain and suffering.

 

[jimmy milnes]

We all in this country get free health care since a very long time ago.....

Your best pall will be with you for 10/14 years where you if your lucky you might make 8 times that with years of morning the loss of that special pall who never once complained....

A 20 a day smoker wastes 3k a year....let alone what is ****ed down the drain in the pub.

If he or she is sick just stick you hand in your pocket and pay the ####### bill........


Tim.243

Totally agree with the above
I'm not one to go running to the vets at the slightest thing as I myself don't run the doctors at the slightest thing but if the dog needs vet visit then it gets it and it costs what it costs, I can't afford to maintain a Bentley so I don't have one and if I can't afford a dog and to keep it/mend it if it needs it I wouldn't have one.

 

[levigsp]

We all in this country get free health care since a very long time ago.....

Your best pall will be with you for 10/14 years where you if your lucky you might make 8 times that with years of morning the loss of that special pall who never once complained....

A 20 a day smoker wastes 3k a year....let alone what is ****ed down the drain in the pub.

If he or she is sick just stick you hand in your pocket and pay the ####### bill........


Tim.243

I should agree but I don't and for good reason.
I don't smoke, I don't drink, my income has not gone up in the past 5 years! yet I pay vet bill that have risen 54% in 3 years, yes 54%, all this since the Head partner retired.
I have been with the only vets practice up here for 30 +years and the service is getting dearer by the day.
One of my dogs is on Metacam, if I were to purchase it online its between £14 and £18, the vets charge £47, so that's at least £29 for a moniker !!, no one is going to tell me that's OK.
A lot of old people out there love their cats and dogs and the vets take advantage of them.
So yes I do put my hand in my pocket, but a lot of people cannot afford the outrages price charges

 

[wildfowler.250]

I should agree but I don't and for good reason.
I don't smoke, I don't drink, my income has not gone up in the past 5 years! yet I pay vet bill that have risen 54% in 3 years, yes 54%, all this since the Head partner retired.
I have been with the only vets practice up here for 30 +years and the service is getting dearer by the day.
One of my dogs is on Metacam, if I were to purchase it online its between £14 and £18, the vets charge £47, so that's at least £29 for a moniker !!, no one is going to tell me that's OK.
A lot of old people out there love their cats and dogs and the vets take advantage of them.
So yes I do put my hand in my pocket, but a lot of people cannot afford the outrages price charges

You can ask for prescriptions to get the medication online. The only requirement would be regular health checks for repeats,(just to make sure the dog is being dose accurately, is healthy ect). The idea that vets take advantage of their clients is laughable. You also have to factor in that you're not just paying for a drug, you're paying for a service. An online pharmacy isn't going to be of any help if your dog is sick in the middle of the night.

 

[casper]

Also factor in the vet has to pay for a surgery, staff and countless overheads whereas the online seller only has to pay for a storage unit.

 

[levigsp]

You can ask for prescriptions to get the medication online. The only requirement would be regular health checks for repeats,(just to make sure the dog is being dose accurately, is healthy ect). The idea that vets take advantage of their clients is laughable. You also have to factor in that you're not just paying for a drug, you're paying for a service. An online pharmacy isn't going to be of any help if your dog is sick in the middle of the night.

It is not laughable, you explain why their charges have gone up 54% in 3 year? I know old people who forgo their own food to pay for a cats treatment, they didn't have to before the ludicrous price hikes.
And if you ask for a prescription they charge you £30 a time and then give you VERY poor service when its needed.
Ok maybe not all vets are like this, but some are for a fact.

 

[Woodsmoke]

VERY poor service when its needed.
Ok maybe not all vets are like this, but some are for a fact.

Indeed. I was recently charged over £700 for a Caesarean for my Labrador bitch. We took her in 48 hours after her due date and had her scanned. Three heartbeats showed up, and one mass that the vet thought may be an un-viable pup. 'Ok, we thought. In that case, it may be a detached placenta and that needs to be sorted out straight away (my OH is a vet nurse) We asked repeatedly for oxytocin to be administered to bring on contractions, and were told 'No'. In fact, to reassure herself, the vet also took a couple of x-rays with no mention of costs, or what other treatment options were available. The long and short of it was an emergency operation the following day to save the life of my dog. And the loss of a carefully-planned and considered litter, not to mention the waste of a stud fee. At no point whatsoever did we receive an apology, nor did we receive any inquiry as to how my dog was. I spoke with a senior partner regarding this, and the sole focus was how and when the bill was to be paid. She received short shrift, and we're currently awaiting a formal response to a complaint. So, no. Not all vets are like this, but the ones that are are mercenary SOBs who don't deserve the clients they have

 

[Woodsmoke]

Update to my post above. Following a letter of complaint, the vet in question responded with a letter apologising waiving the entire bill. I can't help but feel that if we hadn't been knowledgeable and experienced enough to question the vets actions that we'd have been fobbed-off.

 

[ILoveBambi]

Had the unfortunate 2 weeks ago while stalking my dog cut her leg down to the tendons. I stopped the bleeding and patched her up as I carry an extensive emergency first aid kit but knew she needed a vet.
So here we go
Vet call out (out of hours)
Full exam under sedation of joint & tendons
6 stitches
Bandaging
Couple of injections
10 day course of antibiotics & anti inflammatory tablets.
Total cost £220
I thought that was reasonable

Last week neighbors dog cut its pad so off to local vets (Wigan)
2 stitches under sedation
Bandages
Couple of injections
Course of antibiotics & anti inflammatory tablets
£340
Return 3 days later for bandage change
£38

Problem with costs is there is no consistency as it appears to be an unregulated practice re costings
ILB

 

[Buchan]

Problem with costs is there is no consistency as it appears to be an unregulated practice re costings
ILB

While some countries (e.g. Canada) have a scale of fees, this would be illegal in the UK. This arose from an enquiry by one of the vet societies to the then Monopolies Commission.