rip off vets

shell

shell

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michelle
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i have 2 dogs and 2 cats and i worm, flea them all regular and it costs a small fortune so when we wnet shopping today at adsa we found they where selling frontline so i phoned my vets to see if they where cheaper and guess what asda was a heck of a lot cheaper for a 2-10kg 3 pk adsa charged £17-00 my vets wanted £24-99 diffrence of £8-00 i also priced the 10-20kg 3 pk asda charged £18-00 and my vets wanted £27-99 diffrence of £10-00 i was foaming as if asda can charge these low prices why cant the vets cos there gready thats why...:bang:
 
They can sell them to you while your comforting your animal. "And he's going to need some worming tablets" *stroking pet* "year, yeah yeah, add it to the bill".

:(
 
I doubt your vet has QUITE the buying power of Asda somehow...
However, even prescription drugs for pets can be found waaaay cheaper online

L
 
I`ve used Petmeds quite a few times, they`ve been good so far.
 
Took my elderly cat to the vets yesterday as she was pawing at her mouth and not eating. I figured she had a bad tooth/abcess. Vet confirmed this.She told me it would need a general anaesthetic to take it out and that would cost me £200. As I am on a low income that would be very difficult for me. So I have ended up saying I'll just give her the antibiotics, and they gave her a painkilling jab,and I'll hope once the infection clears up and I dont have to pay up for an operation.( so far its cost £42 for the meds)

The trouble is that vets can decide how much they charge and if all the vets in the area charge the same you just have to pay.I suppose it could be worse- I could need a solicitor:)
 
We get loads of people coming into work after having been to the vets and saying our products are a lot cheaper
 
inaneredstripe said:
vets are like dentists.
very few of them ride rusty old bikes to work.
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Why should they? They study for 8 years (IIRC) to get to where they are. Would you take your pet to Asda/Tesco wherever to get some surgery done?

shell said:
tks for the link its cheaper again :thumbs:
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So now are you going to go off on Asda for overcharging? :lol:


Seriously, a small private vetinary practice has nowhere near the buying power of a large supermarket chain, or an online "store" (which also has very low overheads). The vets are now having to charge more for medicines etc because a lot of people will get their pet care from supermarkets or online - it's the same situation as the small independant camera shops, there's no way they can compete with the big boys, even though the big boys aren't specialists.... ;)
 
ladysue said:
Took my elderly cat to the vets yesterday as she was pawing at her mouth and not eating. I figured she had a bad tooth/abcess. Vet confirmed this.She told me it would need a general anaesthetic to take it out and that would cost me £200. As I am on a low income that would be very difficult for me. So I have ended up saying I'll just give her the antibiotics, and they gave her a painkilling jab,and I'll hope once the infection clears up and I dont have to pay up for an operation.( so far its cost £42 for the meds)

The trouble is that vets can decide how much they charge and if all the vets in the area charge the same you just have to pay.I suppose it could be worse- I could need a solicitor:)
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hope you dont think i am cheeky hun but some *** who are on a low income can get help from the pdsa it may be worth your while asking :thumbs:
 
shell said:
hope you dont think i am cheeky hun but some *** who are on a low income can get help from the pdsa it may be worth your while asking :thumbs:
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:plusone: on the PDSA - providing you "fit" their criteria, you pay as much as you can afford. If you fit and can afford to pay somewhere near the normal price, you'll be helping a load of other animals and their owners.
 
shell said:
hope you dont think i am cheeky hun but some *** who are on a low income can get help from the pdsa it may be worth your while asking :thumbs:
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OutLore said:
:plusone: on the PDSA - providing you "fit" their criteria, you pay as much as you can afford. If you fit and can afford to pay somewhere near the normal price, you'll be helping a load of other animals and their owners.
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Thanks. I dont think you are cheeky at all. I think you have to be on benefits but I will check it out.
Sue:)
 
I've been very lucky to find a vet who doesn't overcharge (having been let down and ripped off by a town vet) I think one criteria for finding a good vet who's also reasonably priced is to look for one with a country practice.

My dog recently needed an op on her front paw, general anaesthetic, antibiotics, laser, claws clipped came to about £145.00 She takes Metacam (joint problems) and my vet charges about £2 more than vetuk for 100ml which is ok by me.
 
Bear in mind that they are probably two different flea treatments

Asda can only sell Frontline
Vets usually sell Frontline Combo (which is stronger and better), which Asda can't sell.

When shopping at petmeds etc, when you factor in the cost of the prescription required into the equation, for single/regular one offs like flea treatment, it doesn't work out much cheaper.
(Prescriptions usually only are one offs unless specifically marked as repeats I think).
 
one reason why i dont have a pet it because it does not factor into my budget. it seems that when people get a pet they forget about medical costs that crop up from time to time.

which is why i would i would get them insured from day 1.

yes vets are expensive but then why shouldnt they be? theyre essentially doctors that work in miniature (obviously excluding large animals lol) and have trained damn hard for it.
 
neil_g said:
one reason why i dont have a pet it because it does not factor into my budget. it seems that when people get a pet they forget about medical costs that crop up from time to time.

which is why i would i would get them insured from day 1.

yes vets are expensive but then why shouldnt they be? theyre essentially doctors that work in miniature (obviously excluding large animals lol) and have trained damn hard for it.
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You are quite right about getting your animal insured. I have a dog who is insured so I wont have to worry so much if she gets ill. Unfortunately I didnt get my cat insured as, when I first got her 17 years ago I was working and could have afforded vet bills. Now I am retired I struggle to pay them.

I agree that vets have a right to charge for their services because of the amount of training they have to do but I do think that we should be able to get more medicines for animals without having to see a vet every time. If one of us had a bad tooth we would be able to buy over the counter painkillers. the same should be available for pets.I believe my vet injected my cat with something very similar to Ibuprofen. It would help me and my cat if I could buy her some pills like that.

As an update as I mentioned my cats bad tooth, she seems to be a lot better in response to the antibiotics so I am delaying the operation to have the tooth removed and hoping she wont need that.
 
i think it would be very tricky to be able to get otc drugs for pets. There is such a variation in size, just, for example, amongst cats, and many people wouldn't have a clue what weight their pet was, or check properly. Really, it would be asking for trouble.
People often get it wrong enough with wormers! It is much better to get the dosage level from a vet and then, if you can, shop around for the prescription.

L
 
ladysue said:
You are quite right about getting your animal insured. I have a dog who is insured so I wont have to worry so much if she gets ill.
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Don't get your hopes up, insurance companies are squirmier than eels when it comes to getting out of paying. My dog was insured for years until she tore a ligament in her leg and needed an op to fix it, the insurance company said it's an hereditory problem, we won't pay out. We were left with the vets bill and years worth of useless insurance payments.

If you really want to make sure your pet is covered, put the money aside in an interest bearing account each month instead of paying the insurance company.
 
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Dogs are just a curry waiting to happen...spent too long in Africa and the Middle-East to view them as anything other than pest-ridden pests...

Cats, on the other hand are delightful, regal creatures blessed by God himself...it's not for nothing that the Egyptians worshipped them... (ok and the Jackal-thingy too...but let's not get caught up in technicalities...)
 
Oh god. Arkady has opened THAT can of worms labelled "Dogs -v- cats"...... :nono:

Take cover!
 
I've never seen a cat do a day's work in its life! ;) They come and go as they please and frequently just ignore you.

:p
 
Lurking Lawyer said:
I've never seen a cat do a day's work in its life! ;) They come and go as they please and frequently just ignore you.

:p
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Your point please, caller - which is smarter - the animal that does nothing and gets pampered, loved and fed, or the animal that has to work for the same consideration...
 
wack61 said:
sounds about right, knock out 4 kids by the age of 19 and everything is free
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Not everyone who knocks out 4 kids by the age of 19 get benefits.

I was 22½ when I had my first and 24½ when I had my second and I dont get any benefits. I work and go to college. Comments like that are not really needed even if your trying to be "funny" :bat::thumbs:

Back on topic:

I dont have any pets because I cant afford them (see above comment). My children are enough for me, but on the topic of insurance.

My friend has a lovely lab.. beautiful dog. She moved out of her parental home and took her dog with her. This dog was insured from day dot! She then thought oh I could save myself £x a month, nothing has ever happened to my dog!
Cue cancelled insurance, then a couple of weeks later her dog sadly got diagnosed with diabetes.
Now its costing her more than the insurance premium cost her :shake:
 
I don't buy any of that junk anymore. I just get a small jar of dried garlic flakes (you will find it on the shelves with all the other jars of spices at most supermarkets) and sprinkle a very small amount on the dog and the cats food. Job done as fleas hate garlic. As for worming, a raw uncut carrot for the dog to chew once a month(ish), and occasional raw grated carrot on the cats food keeps them worm free :D

Edit: Just in case anyone is thinking of trying this ... I must stress that it is only a tiny bit of garlic flakes I use. Maybe half a dozen for the dog and 2 for the cat a day. You can buy Garlic tablets from pet shops though. Much easier if your dog likes eating pills :lol:
 
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Cats are members of the leech family, they draw blood and only hang around while you feed them.
 
Sorry for bringing this back on topic.....
Frontline (vet strength) stopped working round here last year.
Poor cats were constantly scratching despite frequent expensive doses of frontline.
Vet changed them to ProMeris which seems superb.
So far only needed to give them two precautionary doses this year. They have never been so flea free.

So ProMeris is working out WAY cheaper than Frontline regardless of where I buy the supplies!
 
As has already been pointed out, vets are not ripping you off, they just don't have the buying power of the large supermarket chains so don't get the discounts and they have trained longer than doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc to get that 'luxury' lifestyle. Look at it another way, if you paid for your medical care rather than using the NHS, do you think it would be any cheaper? Probably not, and a vet has the added difficulty that not only can his patient not tell him/her what exactly the full symptoms are, but he/she cannot explain to a patient with teeth at one end and claws at the other why a needle is being stuck in them!
 
Auzelia said:
Not everyone who knocks out 4 kids by the age of 19 get benefits.

I was 22½ when I had my first and 24½ when I had my second and I dont get any benefits. I work and go to college. Comments like that are not really needed even if your trying to be "funny" :bat::thumbs:

Back on topic:

I dont have any pets because I cant afford them (see above comment). My children are enough for me, but on the topic of insurance.

My friend has a lovely lab.. beautiful dog. She moved out of her parental home and took her dog with her. This dog was insured from day dot! She then thought oh I could save myself £x a month, nothing has ever happened to my dog!
Cue cancelled insurance, then a couple of weeks later her dog sadly got diagnosed with diabetes.
Now its costing her more than the insurance premium cost her :shake:
Click to expand...

The insurance company probably wouldnt cover the diabetes anyway after the first treatment as they wont usually cover chronic conditions.My sons cat has had a few bladder infections and the insurance company wont cover it any more. Its thee same with human private medical insurances.
 
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