Reasonable charge for a suture on a dog?
- Thread starter pob
- Start date
I am sorry if I have caused any offence by suggesting that one discusses fees beforehand, that was not aimed at you personally in the least and is obviously zero help to you now! I was meerly suggesting it for others who may be reading this thread. Likewise, fair play to you for seeking attention for your dog the healing should be much faster with this approach. Though for reference I have seen many wounds like that and worse heal with minimal intervention albeit taking much longer. Please do not take this as a carte blanche to never have a wound sutured, or checked by a vet, some seemingly small wounds can involve deeper structures and be quite serious but all I'm saying is that not all small wounds need suturing. For context, a wound only needs to be 6-12 hours old to be considered "surgically old" by this time the body has decided that the edges wont come together so the blood supply retracts from the wound edges and the very edges of the cut start to die back to close the body to infection. To over come this the edges need to be cut back and the process "reset"
Those who have highlighted the involvement of venture capital are very sadly correct, you are in many cases not paying the vets/immediate staff, but rather shareholders. I am fortunate to work in a semi-rural independent practice and as such I only answer to my boss the owner and have the ability to discuss what is charged. for context to have your dog spayed here would cost (for a lab size) approx £220 all in. Just as a point of reference, routine neutering is generally charged out waaay below its surgical value as a loss leader but also to help encourage neutering and reduce unwanted pregnancies and pyometritis in older bitches. I personally would rather suture the most ragged wound you can imagine than spay a bitch, it can be a horribly stressful procedure with a great many risks.
That wound, I would have given you the options of managing at home with bandages etc or to go with a full GA and stitch, I would have explained the costs/risks/benefits and asked you what you would like to do.
Now this approach is based on coming up 14 years of doing the job and 37 years on this earth. when I was a new grad I would have always gone with gold standard regardless, partly because I didn't have the benefit of having seen wounds like this heal just fine but also it was for fear of people complaining I had not done the right job. If you go with gold standard, you cant be accused of doing a poor clinical job!
People are very quick to go with the cheaper option but not so quick to take responsibility for the consequences of THEIR CHOICE of said cheaper option. Nowadays I treat people as responsible adults. If society deems people capable to vote, smoke, drink and self identify then I don't think it is unreasonable to expect people to also make informed (this is key) decisions as regards their pets. Now it up to me to offer guidance and answer questions and help people to come to a decision they are happy with but the ability to do this comes with experience.
I have lost count of the times i have been asked "what would you do if it was yours" sadly, this very often translates into "I don't want the responsibility of making a decision, tell me what to do so i can blame you if it goes wrong" Am I jaded, yes, does it come from experience, also yes!
In your situation pob, you have my sympathies, you have very responsibly done the best for your dog and I am sorry it has cost you so much. It was however the best clinical option, not the only one, but likely the best.
Dorset Shakari
Well-Known Member
The last time I had stitches in my first Labrador was in 1998. Seven stitches @£5/stitch, from a vet just outside Londonderry. The first time that dog had stitches they were administered by Guy Wallace on his kitchen table (not the outcome I'd have wished for TBH!)
What you have been charged is an absolute disgrace to the veterinary profession.
What you have been charged is an absolute disgrace to the veterinary profession.
I have no pets and obviously no skin in this game but felt compelled to say thank you for your balanced and caring contribution to this thread.
The SD is a good place but also has it's share of morons and it has been a while since I have read such a knowledgeable and well written offering on here.
You are clearly a credit to your profession and to this forum community. Good work.
Regarding spaying, we really don’t charge correctly to neuter animals. We typically undercharge the going rate for theatre time, to encourage neutering, and to limit the stray dog issue as a result. Same for cats too. That makes it a somewhat dubious comparator.
Dorset Shakari
Well-Known Member
One for the vets out there... just in case I'm in a similar position and in the back of the beyond with no professional help available, would superglue be an option on this cut, assuming it was fresh?
TringSaint
Well-Known Member
Tell that to the vets around Tring. >£400 for neutering a spaniel sized dog (well bitch).
Understood. Thank you.
Agree with hcm1 and Millerrich. It costs a lot to run a practice even though the price of that made me wince. But we've all been there with the "It'll be reet" with two staples and a bit of pain relief and a dressing, which then breaks down into a smelly mess and has to have a full anaesthetic to leave an even bigger wound than if you'd done it right in the first place.
Medicine is expensive I'm afraid.
Medicine is expensive I'm afraid.
What?
A grand used to be a lot of money. Basically you rented a fully equipped surgical unit and staff for the duration .
I paid slightly more than your bill for my cats canine extraction .
Expensive yes . But in 12 months your dog will hopefully be fine and the bill forgotten. Sadly 1k changes nothing these days . Hope the dog and your wallet heal well .
I paid slightly more than your bill for my cats canine extraction .
Expensive yes . But in 12 months your dog will hopefully be fine and the bill forgotten. Sadly 1k changes nothing these days . Hope the dog and your wallet heal well .
Thanks Buchan.
My question was whether this charge was too expensive; I didn't ask if the treatment was necessary. I hope that I have chosen the best I could for my dog, even though it was the most expensive option. I was never really tempted to fix this one myself, for the reasons that you've outlined, or to try the vet's other option of letting it heal on its own, with a daily bandage change. I have "done it right", I think.
I feel that both yourself and Hugh have suggested that the charge was on the high side, and that spaying is done at a heavy discount for animal welfare reasons. This is the kind of informed view that I was looking for. Thank you.
I do feel that I've been bent over, a bit, but then I got lots of free professional veterinary consultation on here, so maybe it's all evened out.
This only happened because I was looking at some new ground where there are a couple of spoil heaps from a newly dug out pond. The site manager said that he sees young deer playing on the heaps. The spoil was full of very sharp broken glass, so I started collecting it up to protect the deer and any dogs. I guess my girl must have found a bit that I'd missed. No good deed goes unpunished, eh?
Thanks all. I very much appreciate the advice, and the sympathy.
Rubbish man! I can get a good set of the latest Blaser sling swivels for that money.
what about what ?
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
That vet skewered your kidneys and as far as a GA ***&&&^^^ &&&&**** %%%$###@@@
My own dog did almost exactly the same cut,I assessed it and let him be. He duly licked it and looked after it and came out morn and night without a bother. You wouldn't even know now that he had sustained a cut.
Having had a pack of boar dogs for many years one gets accustomed to proper rips and gashes...including deaths.
Most blokes stitch or staple their ripped dogs themselves, all the gear is available online.
My own dog did almost exactly the same cut,I assessed it and let him be. He duly licked it and looked after it and came out morn and night without a bother. You wouldn't even know now that he had sustained a cut.
Having had a pack of boar dogs for many years one gets accustomed to proper rips and gashes...including deaths.
Most blokes stitch or staple their ripped dogs themselves, all the gear is available online.
Crowstalker
Well-Known Member
Greed is the only word come to my mind. Way over the top.
I feel your pain, and have been done in the past. However I've had my dog saved by our vet school and was fairly impressed with the pricing, (actually really impressed). New Year's Day significant time operating overnight, tendon repair, arterial control. Overnight stay etc for a similar price to what you've been charged
Some are awful and unbundle treatments, charging you twice for giving sets and iv access, charging for sutures that clearly weren't used. it's worth asking to speak to the practice manager/owner.
Some are awful and unbundle treatments, charging you twice for giving sets and iv access, charging for sutures that clearly weren't used. it's worth asking to speak to the practice manager/owner.
Very long time ago out with the Jack Russels, turning over muck middens for rats, my eldest bitch had an eyelid almost completely detached by two rats that were offering resistance, my local vet said bring her straight to the house, (This was Sunday lunchtime), his wife was about to serve the roast but had to wait as the table was occupied with my dog being sutured with a couple of bodies holding on to her. The cost was cash on the day, but wasn't stunning.
There are limiting factors in law in the UK but its fair to say similar is done in the uk by many . Dogs are bright enough after the first time to understand but like i say " factors exist "
