CMA Inquiry into Vet Fees announced

[Sinistral]

Read all about it . . .

UK watchdog launches full investigation into vet fees for pet owners

Inquiry follows concern over rising treatment costs and could cap prescription fees or break up pet-care chains

www.theguardian.com

 

[Buchan]

Bring it on. Vet practice has nothing to hide.

We've been here before with the CMA forerunner, the Competition Commission, looking into the price of medicines. They found we had a complex monopoly and made us publish drug prices and offer prescriptions. In the enquiry they dismissed the necessity of a markup to help subsidise out of hours work as we ere told to be more transparent with costs and charge more to recover costs. We pointed out that if we put all our income into our fees and the client bought the drugs elsewhere, the client would end up paying more. We were told that didn't matter as it shows competition working.

So some of the fees the public don't like are due to us doing what we were told to in about 2003/4. That said I do wince at some of the fees being charged

 

[Bowland blades]

Its not the Vets , its those groups that own the practices and use them as cash cows. Soon enough the bubble has to burst and the vets and the animals will suffer , dogs , cats etc will become far less popular to keep.

 

[David Barker]

They are way above what they should be. It no wounder every one is turning against the vets and using self care. My neighbours dog eat a sock went for to op,s to remove it vet spilled stomach content in animal sepsis dog dead bill £4400 for a dead dog Christ its a licence to print money. to put a dog down 100,s of pounds. Ill do my own in future.

 

[Bowland blades]

They are way above what they should be. It no wounder every one is turning against the vets and using self care. My neighbours dog eat a sock went for to op,s to remove it vet spilled stomach content in animal sepsis dog dead bill £4400 for a dead dog Christ its a licence to print money. to put a dog down 100,s of pounds. Ill do my own in future.

You have a point here ! mechanic drops a nut into a cylinder on your car in error and its they that pay the bill

 

[Tim.243]

You have a point here ! mechanic drops a nut into a cylinder on your car in error and its they that pay the bill

Vet gave Chip anti infantry's instead of antibiotics the raging infection nearly killed him....3.5K 2 general's later to sew his face back together, 6weeks later after I was hand feeding him food and water from a syringe getting up every 3 hrs I got my beloved dog back to close to normal
Ask @paul o' as he saw him at the emergency vets because I was to ****ed up to find the place so he came and parked his truck and lead me to the vets... No sorry Tim can we reimburse you for our mistake not ****ing lightly.

 

[8x57]

Its not the Vets , its those groups that own the practices and use them as cash cows. Soon enough the bubble has to burst and the vets and the animals will suffer , dogs , cats etc will become far less popular to keep.

Not just that but I wish we had an experienced vet that I had confidence in locally. The vets we used previously sold out and retired and now if you can get an appointment you see a soppy young girl still wet behind the ears who doesn't know her arse from their elbow and certainly doesn't know how to handle animals.
One of the best vets we had was a German lady who absolutely adored my old GWP. She would cuddle him and make a huge fuss of him yet to every one else he could be an awkward old cuss and your typical GWP crocodile. (Secretly I wished she would have made a fuss of me like that as she was rather nice. )

 

[Tim.243]

Not just that but I wish we had an experienced vet that I had confidence in locally. The vets we used previously sold out and retired and now if you can get an appointment you see a soppy young girl still wet behind the ears who doesn't know her arse from their elbow and certainly doesn't know how to handle animals.

See my post above I said "Chip needs antibiotics" "Tim I am the vet" 3.5k **** up later prescribed anti inflammatory

 

[Rake Aboot]

About time , there is no defending the obscenity of what vets charge folk and the hedge fund owners profits.

I’ve repeatedly told this story lately but it bears another airing
12 yr old lurcher with an abscess

Musselburgh vet. £145 for antibiotics plus £2000 for 7 teeth out

All ( yup) East Lothian vets. £1500/1800 plus aftercare and that’s was forcing them to quote as they ALL wanted to see the dog and charge a consultation fee even though it was not required

Went to a vet in the borders
Antibiotics £22
12 teeth out plus aftercare plus puppy inspection and pack plus weigh in and worming for 2 other dogs £570


Defend that !, Disgusting practices and I hope they are held to account and pulled hard into line

 

[Bowland blades]

Not just that but I wish we had an experienced vet that I had confidence in locally. The vets we used previously sold out and retired and now if you can get an appointment you see a soppy young girl still wet behind the ears who doesn't know her arse from their elbow and certainly doesn't know how to handle animals.
One of the best vets we had was a German lady who absolutely adored my old GWP. She would cuddle him and make a huge fuss of him yet to every one else he could be an awkward old cuss and your typical GWP crocodile. (Secretly I wished she would have made a fuss of me like that as she was rather nice. )

I was avoiding saying the new vets ain't that good but only because i suspect its all about the big intake of students taking on the training and work as a vet now the money is in the trade . Issue will be when things crumble as they always do with boom time businesses' The old boom and bust cycle ( I really get why a private vet practice owner would sell up at this time ) I believe that the practice owner is generally paid far more than they took as the owner but they have to carry on for x period and hit targets ( money targets , sales of insurances, profits and all that ) You know all the stuff you can get badly wrong .
I need to change mine but then it seems they are all taking the cash from the venture capitalists

 

[NoIDeer]

A friend of my sister in law takes her dachshunds back to Poland for the vets, it cheaper!

 

[shakey jake]

there is a very easy way to avoid vet fees! pets arent needed by most people that have them. let them charge what they want, no body has to use them.
all this body will do is waste more money id guess tax payers money.
we need less gov intrusion

 

[rafael fach]

Buter my old Springer spaniel had a heart murmur vet prescribed medication at £100 a month I could buy the exact same medication on line for £37.50 prescription needed called vet can I get a prescription please sure bring buster down for a check £40 plus £ 50 for the prescription and would only issue for a month at a time and don't get me going on the animal health certificate 3 dogs £ 40 each to weigh them another £100 each to issue the cert robbing b##№#

 

[Bowland blades]

A friend of my sister in law takes her dachshunds back to Poland for the vets, it cheaper!

That tells us clearly that the Bubble will burst soon enough !

 

[paul o']

Vet gave Chip anti infantry's instead of antibiotics the raging infection nearly killed him....3.5K 2 general's later to sew his face back together, 6weeks later after I was hand feeding him food and water from a syringe getting up every 3 hrs I got my beloved dog back to close to normal
Ask @paul o' as he saw him at the emergency vets because I was to ****ed up to find the place so he came and parked his truck and lead me to the vets... No sorry Tim can we reimburse you for our mistake not ****ing lightly.

Strong Dog that chip ! he was in such a bad way it was 100% Tims love for his dog that pulled him through a bad time.

 

[scotch_egg]

Cat amongst the pigeons here.

How long does it take to become a vet and how much does that cost?

What is the wage of a vet?

It’s not the NVS….

 

[Jamouk]

Get pet insurance .. pound to a pinch of shot bill always comes to 12 quid more than the excess !

Just been told my dog , first pic on the puppy best friend thread I started may have cancer 8 Yr old gsp ... Will cost me 1300 quid to find out with all the tests and ultra sounds then another fee on top to potentially put her to sleep

 

[Dazb1967]

During covid our local vet was only open for Emergencies, Anyway our dog was due it's booster so we called to make appointment and told we can't go in because it wasn't an emergency, OK government guidelines etc even though I could walk into any supermarket at the time, Anyway we eventually got an appointment and guess what, your dog needs a whole new vaccination because you missed the booster date so instead of £50 booster it was £100+ Not fortunes in the bigger scheme of things but how many people did they do this too.
Our new addition was at the vets yesterday for her booster and the wife was told that there is now a 4 strain booster vaccine required instead of the old 2 strain so the price is now £100 for the booster instead of £50

 

[Rake Aboot]

Boosters are a ripoff

 

[Buchan]

I had a meal in a curry house last night - what a rip off, £40 for two people, the ingredients probably cost £4, I could have done better myself.

Except it was 10.00pm, there were staff to pay, electricity to pay, rates to pay.