Bloody vets!

mercedes

mercedes

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Took our cat in for an abcess removal and asked the procedure and price. They gave a description of what was to happen and a price of betwen £100-200 - Picked the cat up tonight and a bill for £347 - What!!!!
What other trade can you give a price for a job then add some make believe. . . . Don't tell me, most of them are on crimewatch every week.
Just had to rant at their out and out greed.
 
Can get away with it knowing they are preying on peoples weaknesses for their pets, even charge for putting them down often after expensive treatment.
 
I always used to think that my vets had some sort of wallet scanning device fitted to their front doors. It used to know just how much to charge me, leaving me without anything
 
I know what you mean, our cat got knocked over a few weeks ago and the vet charged us £400 for one xray 2 nights stay with drugs etc then he died naturally so not even a charge for the needle.

Bloody robbing gits they are.

spike
 
yeah okay some vets charge the earth however its a profession that has to diagnose and treat an animal that cannot tell you how they are feeling. so to a certain degree i can see why they charge a fair bit, but like any profession some take the pee.

theres always pet insurance ;)
 
After doing work experience for college at a vets ive seen first hand just how much goes into op's etc (all the stuff pet owners dont see), and every drug administered costs, of which the vets sees very very little profit. General op's will have a standard charge ie castration of a dog will be the same price for every dog of one size, all small dogs will be x amount, large dogs will be a bit more due to extra stitches/larger amounts of drugs/anaesthetic used etc. Its the more non routine op's where giving a rough price is difficult, because you don't know what might happen under anaethetic and whether something unexpected may occur.
that said there are some vets that are in it for the profit and have very little regard for the animal or its owner
 
panther_87k said:
After doing work experience for college at a vets ive seen first hand just how much goes into op's etc (all the stuff pet owners dont see), and every drug administered costs, of which the vets sees very very little profit. General op's will have a standard charge ie castration of a dog will be the same price for every dog of one size, all small dogs will be x amount, large dogs will be a bit more due to extra stitches/larger amounts of drugs/anaesthetic used etc. Its the more non routine op's where giving a rough price is difficult, because you don't know what might happen under anaethetic and whether something unexpected may occur.
that said there are some vets that are in it for the profit and have very little regard for the animal or its owner
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I understand what your saying about the drugs and ops etc etc but the cage my cat was in for the 2 nights was £35 per night, I could stop in a B&B cheaper:eek:


spike
 
:agree: No comparison.

Blimey you would not have not wanted my vets bill over the last 6 months £3000.00
 
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My Thomas had an abcess on his head last year, £70 to lance it and clean it out, done and dusted! Where was the abcess? Did it need operating on or something?
 
Vets fees do on the face of it seem horrendous. But if you factor in the years of training (comparable to that of a doctor) the salary you'd want and the cost of equipping a vetinary practice with theatre equipment, nurses salaries and insurance etc. you can see how it all adds up.
I can imagine some people having to abandon sick animals in the present economic climate unless the PDSA and other charitable organisations can cope with those unable to pay full vet fees.
Pet insurance seems vital but will not pay out for long term chronic conditions such as diabetes.
 
The other thing about pet insurance is that it only really pays out on the more expensive treatment. The excess is usually set at a level that makes it hardly worth the effort of claiming for the majority of treatments.

Mind you, when you have something like Briony's bill then it really pays!
 
End of the day a responsible pet owner should research worst case scenario for vet bills or take insurance. A good vet is with his/her weight in gold. I'ld rather end up with a high vet bill and a healthy pet rather than losing a valued member of the family.
 
Jeez, £347 on a bleedin Cat?................:eek:
 
Yep they do seem to be a law unto them selves :(

And sorry in advance :coat:

An old woman took a very limp parrot into a vet's office. As she placed her pet on the table,
the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.
After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, but Polly has passed away."
The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure? I mean, you
haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, shrugged, turned and left the room, returning a few moments later with a beautiful black Labrador.
As the bird's owner looked on in amazement,
the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the dead parrot from top to bottom.
He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog and took it out, but returned a few moments later with a cat.
The cat jumped up and also sniffed delicately at the ex-bird.
The cat sat back, shook its head, meowed and ran out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, your parrot is definitely 100% certifiably ... dead."
He then turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill which he handed to the old lady.

The parrot's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "£500!," she cried, "£500 just to tell me that my bird is dead!?"
The vet shrugged. "If you'd taken my word for it the bill would only have been £20,
but what with the Lab report and the Cat scan..."
 
Tori said:
My Thomas had an abcess on his head last year, £70 to lance it and clean it out, done and dusted! Where was the abcess? Did it need operating on or something?
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This was on his thigh, a very strange colouring and quite large, about the size of a 50p. Removed and stitched. Need a lab report to tell if it's cancerous or not but all this was discussed at the outset with the discussed price of £100 - £200.
I was prepared for the top end but not when they virtually double their quote. I understand their years of training and equipment needs payback, but maybe some additional training in honesty and integrity wouldn't go amiss.
 
I'd be questioning it too. It doesn't sound fair. How is your kitty now? That's the main thing :)
 
Islander said:
The other thing about pet insurance is that it only really pays out on the more expensive treatment. The excess is usually set at a level that makes it hardly worth the effort of claiming for the majority of treatments.

Mind you, when you have something like Briony's bill then it really pays!
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Have to disagree here. Our insurance excess is £50 and given that our cats seem to only ever do injuries to themselves on a Sunday or bank holiday :D it's always been worth claiming. Have to say we've never had a problem.

Back to the op I'd be asking for a breakdown to see why it's more than double the estimate. Can you claim on insurance at all?
 
Just hope you never need out of hours vet care.

"VetsNow" is an organisation who do most ooh work when vets are closed, usually working from the local PDSA ( but not connected to the PDSA )

You've not had a vets bill untill you've been to these rip off merchants.
 
Tori said:
I'd be questioning it too. It doesn't sound fair. How is your kitty now? That's the main thing :)
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The tom has to go back Monday for a check up and hopefully results. My missus will be questioning the extra charges, hopefully in front of a full waiting room and she's far superior to the Spanish inquisition when it comes to facing up blags.
Our Burmese is currently hissing and spitting at the tom as though he's a complete stranger, though he does look different with his new winged, anti tamper collar. :)
 
My own experiences are pretty mixed, and so are my views.
With the very high entry requirements, years of study followed by years of on the job training, IMO vets are entitled to charge high prices and earn a decent living. But some do seem to take the P a bit.

A few years ago I needed a vet at 7 a.m. on a Sunday morning, I got my vet out of bed and he arrived at the surgery just as I did. He operated on my dog immediately and hinted that because of her age, fairly poor prognosis and the cost it might be better to save the money and just put her down. She made a full recovery and I was perfectly happy with the bill, which was over a grand.

But the huge markup they put on the regular medication is, to me, totally unacceptable. The same vet doesn't do house calls, only deals with domestic animals and their prices are definately on the high side - but for a very good quality of service.

At my 'other' home, out on the Yorkshire moors, it's a very different story. Our local vet is a mainly large animal practice, they have a good understanding of what farmers can and will spend on animal care and they charge accordingly. A non-urgent call out to look at an animal as part of their round only costs £16, and they don't charge a lot even for emergency calls, and if an animal like a sheep needs treatment that's going to cost more than it's worth (which really is any cost at all) then they simply say that "it isn't worth the cost, do you want me to put it down or do you want to shoot it yourself and save the cost?". I very much doubt whether these country vets do anything more than survive.
 
Islander said:
The other thing about pet insurance is that it only really pays out on the more expensive treatment. The excess is usually set at a level that makes it hardly worth the effort of claiming for the majority of treatments.

Mind you, when you have something like Briony's bill then it really pays!
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Still fighting with the insurance company and does not look likely we will get it :thumbsdown: still, it is paid and would do so again as responsibility as a pet owners, and after all they are members of OUR family anyway.:thumbs:
 
from inside the trade so to speak , on the face it does seem expensive but ..
animals are not cars, cameras bits of mechanical gear and often what looks simple on the outside can become a bigger job once the animal is anaesthetised on the table and clipped up etc.
However if I had given a quote like that with the range it covered I would have stayed within the top end even if it should have been charged out at more.. but as Gary says above I am one of the poor country vets :)
I would think the lab analysis of lump has added a fair chunk and probably they should have asked you if you wanted it done.
Wont do any harm to query it , usually works:thumbs:
 
Can't say I've ever had a bad experience with any vet I'ved used all seem to charge reasonable prices, now being lucky enough to have a daughter who is a vet nurse it's even better :)
A few years ago I had to have a 16yo dog pts on christmas day, spent at least a couple of hours with the vet, and their bill came to a massive £57 that included disposal of remains.
Later in that same year my GSD nipped a beagle, not really 100% my fault, boith off lead etc. but because of the bad press GSDs get I did say I would pay any vet bills.
The dog was bveing looked atfer by a house sitter and she decided it would be a good idea to see the vet if I didn't mind, fine I said wish I hadn't the bill was £125 I couldn't beleive for a quick check over and antibiotic jab. Seems this vet lived nearby and said he would pop in on the way home, then had the cheek to charge £85 for call out !!!! The owners were mortified when they got back from their hols
This vet was not the one I use but not far from them, glad I chose the right one
 
I've only had good experiences with my local vet. He's a cat specialist and his prices are pretty good. I paid £70 last year for a nasty abcess to be treated, this was also for Frontline at £15 a go. But why I was more happy with how he treated my Thomas, was because he got very stressed on the way to the vet and was panting like a dog. He was put in an oxygen tent the second I got in the door of the vets, they looked after him and kept him in for a while. They even let me leave via the back door and not through the waiting room, as I was a bit (read as very..snot bubbles the works...) upset. Later that night he was bouncing around as normal. £70 well spent.

I think the issue here, is not the cost (I for one, and most pet owners would not care what the cost would be, they would just be thankful their pet is ok) but the fact that the original quote was so far from what they were charged. I'd be asking what the difference was added on for too. Good luck tomorrow!! :)
 
Update. Took the cat for a check up, got a bolking for taking the plastic shield off (it aggravated more than the wounds which he didn't even lick) and the 1st thing they said was sorry about the mistake:) It should have been £247 and not £347. Still £50 more than quoted, but better than a kick up the bun.
The also got the painkillers wrong too. They wrote 'every 2 days' It should have been every day. Why do I worry when they're in there? - Bstards!
 
fracster said:
Jeez, £347 on a bleedin Cat?................:eek:
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My next door neighbours paid over £1000 for a cancer operation and chemo for a cat that was 12 years old, it still died but the vet got some nice alloys for his Porsche

10 years ago I had a Boxer dog, I paid £12 a month for the vets in house policy, when he was about 12 months old his fur started falling out round the collar,

They diagnosed a form of mange and prescribed a chemical wash that I was told was sheep dip

My wife was pregnant at the time so I refused to have it in the house so I made them do it once a week for which he had to stay overnight

at the end of the year I got a statement, it said

credits 12x £12 = £144

debits £1500 :eek:

I made sure I kept the £12 payments up after seeing that :lol:
 
I have used the same vet practice for about 15 years now. Well satisfied with them.
Down side is the out of hours service has deteriorated - Vets Now provide it which means a longish journey. When I first had a dog, in an emergency if I phoned my vet it was a case of get the dog to the surgery ASAP - I'll meet you there.
 
wack61 said:
My next door neighbours paid over £1000 for a cancer operation and chemo for a cat that was 12 years old, it still died but the vet got some nice alloys for his Porsche
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Only two though, which is no use to anyone. £500/corner for alloys from a main dealer, as I discovered when I asked about replacing mine as they were bubbling and flaking (sport II classic split rims).
 
Briony said:
Still fighting with the insurance company and does not look likely we will get it :thumbsdown: still, it is paid and would do so again as responsibility as a pet owners, and after all they are members of OUR family anyway.:thumbs:
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How can they dodge payment on the claim - as long as the vets provide the records and it wasn't a pre-existing condition then they should pay up!

We had one minor problem with the insurance on our Kom - he was a rehome and the previous owners plus a string of vets (he even had a pet passport) had totally missed the fact that he obviously had entropian. We had him insured from the off then spotted that he had weepy eyes, thought it might be an infection at first then saw the entropian. I think the insurance company were a tad suspicious that the treatment happened something like 6 weeks after the policy was taken out but once we pointed out that he'd obviously been examined by vets in the past and they'd missed it plus the supporting statements from our own vet they paid out.
 
*Babs said:
Have to disagree here. Our insurance excess is £50 and given that our cats seem to only ever do injuries to themselves on a Sunday or bank holiday :D it's always been worth claiming. Have to say we've never had a problem.

Back to the op I'd be asking for a breakdown to see why it's more than double the estimate. Can you claim on insurance at all?
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Jammy!

The one time we had to use the out of hours service was for our old beardie. She's obviously pulled something or trapped something and was screaming in pain every time she moved or we tried to check her out. Phoned the vet, arranged to meet them at the surgery, 20 mile drive into town and the dog hops out of the car as happy as you like and spends the entire (£80) consultation wandering around the surgery sniffing at the food and toys :lol:
 
I can't praise our vets highly enough and would recommend them to anyone.

Our local surgery is very small and open only a few hours a day, but it's part of a group of 5 surgeries all within traveling distance if we needed them when ours was closed.

The staff are absolutely fantastic and I really get the impression that animal welfare comes before money with them. In fact, I sometimes wonder how they make a profit on some things . . . For example, biopsy and lab testing of a fatty lump (done in their own lab) came in at just £50 :shrug:
 
Here's the money pit, lolling in his usual position with his girl
BASKET.jpg
 
SarahLee said:
I can't praise our vets highly enough and would recommend them to anyone.

[U]Our local surgery is very small and open only a few hours a day, but it's part of a group of 5 surgeries all within traveling distance if we needed them when ours was closed.[/U]

The staff are absolutely fantastic and I really get the impression that animal welfare comes before money with them. In fact, I sometimes wonder how they make a profit on some things . . . For example, biopsy and lab testing of a fatty lump (done in their own lab) came in at just £50 :shrug:
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That has to be an ideal arrangement:thumbs:
 
Last bank holiday Monday we had to take the cat into the vets as I thought it was acting strange...i.e. not eating us out of house and home....and it was coughing a lot.

So I picked him up and had a feel around his throat and could feel a something unusual. I dare not look in his mouth as he is like a bengal tiger but smaller and loves nothing more than to give you a quick nip if you annoy him.

So I rang the vet and asked for emergency app and the vet said bring down in 20mins, so off we went.

Vet said what's wrong, I said cat coughing not eating and has a lump in his throat.....Vet says...he is 14 1/2 it could be serious ...I said 'what ...the bill?'....vet laughed.

Anyhoo I told him next door are averse to throwing him 'bones' etc from their leftovers and we think they may have given him a chicken bone....'ahh said the vet'

So the vet tried to look inside Andrew's mouth...........'ouch' said the vet..........

'right, we will have to put him to sleep' he continued, at this point my little girl starts crying....


'I mean so we can operate on your cat' he explains....'phew' we all thought.

then we were told to sign this declaration about how it is not their fault if your cats snuffs it etc...(maybe that is not true) and we will contact you later.

1 hour later we get a call from the vet to come and pick your cat up.......all is well.

Back to the vet, and sure enough the cat had survived and the offending item was indeed a chicken bone...it was the size of a 50p piece but with a bit missing so it was more jagged..the vet says he was lucky....

And the charge for this and 1 course of antibiotics and a worming thingy and a new fur style coiffure ...£80 so not too bad at all.

The cat was brilliantly funny once we had him home, watching him try to walk while still a little drugged up.

Sorry for the essay but I had nothing else to do.
 
A very sad update for those kind enough to show interest. Oscar died last weekend. He seemed to be perking up, eating well etc. Then a week last Friday, he became very disorientated and dragging his leg behind him. We agonised for an hour or so and hope he'd recover, he didn't and he's gone to meet his pals in the great beyond.
My wife has only just come to terms with the loss of the 3rd love of her life. He's buried in our garden along with a brown Burmese called Kizzy that we lost about 5 years ago.
Funny how they take a little bit of our soul too when they go. Thanks for the interest!
 
Extremely to hear your bad news, it wasn't so long ago I went through the same thing so know what your both going through.

Thoughts are with you both.
 
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