Vet prices

[The Flying Scotsman]

I’ve just limped out of my vets again.
This time after buying 2 tick tablets one for each dog.
I was charged £92.52 for 2 small tablets.
How in the world can one small tablet cost over £46 ?
It’s not as if it was a consultation fee as it was the receptionist that robbed me.
I don’t mind paying money to look after my best friends but FFS that is just pure robbery.
Last time I limped out of the vets I had phoned them up and asked for otamax ear drops as Wooly had another ear infection.
No I couldn’t buy just the medicine I had to take her in and pay £88 for the vet to tell me she had an ear infection and needed otamax ear drops!
These vet’s are taking the piss !
Rant over.

 

[EAN]

Wow!!! Change your vet.
You can get prescription meds online. Our vet charges £10 for writing out a prescription.
Then you can shop around.

 

[T6ChrisO]

I have a written prescription for one of my Frenchies. Use to be £17 but its now £27 just for the prescription.

On a sadder note, I did have a call from them yesterday to tell me the results from a biopsy are showing a mast cell tumour on Evie. A nice £950 to pay out to operate and remove but she's worth every penny (dont have pet insurance)

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

Wow!!! Change your vet.
You can get prescription meds online. Our vet charges £10 for writing out a prescription.
Then you can shop around.

My vet was over £50 a prescription last time I checked and that was a few years back

 

[EAN]

My vet was over £50 a prescription last time I checked and that was a few years back

What a rip off!!!!

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

I have a written prescription for one of my Frenchies. Use to be £17 but its now £27 just for the prescription.

On a sadder note, I did have a call from them yesterday to tell me the results from a biopsy are showing a mast cell tumour on Evie. A nice £950 to pay out to operate and remove but she's worth every penny (dont have pet insurance)

I hope the op goes well an Evie recovers well.
I’m the same no insurance and was over a grand to get 2 teeth out on my wee Jack russel and a heart examination as he has a heart murmur now.
Will have same bill again next month as that’s six months

 

[T6ChrisO]

I hope the op goes well an Evie recovers well.
I’m the same no insurance and was over a grand to get 2 teeth out on my wee Jack russel and a heart examination as he has a heart murmur now.
Will have same bill again next month as that’s six months

Thank you.
My insurer wanted £180 per month for two Frenchies many years ago so I let the policy finish and then never renewed, just put £100 per month away in a pot to use as and when it was required.

 

[GruB]

We share your pain.
Bob (as in Kate from Blackadder) woke up one morning and had lost the use of both legs overnight. Not insured - 3.5k later - Vet didn't know what was wrong - must just be neural issues. We have since established that Staffords are susceptible to spinal injuries due to their robust play etc. We are considering getting her some 'wheels' so she can zoom about more than she does. Currently she just wears a boot to stop her causing her hind left leg to bleed due to dragging on the ground.
Bernadette the Dachshund is insured (thank the Co-Driver) and when she had a back issue - all her surgery was covered.
I heard on the news the other week that approximately 5 vet conglomerates have taken over the majority of vet practices and that is one reason for prices soaring.

CMA launches review of vet sector

The CMA is opening a review of how veterinary services are bought and sold amid concerns that pet owners may not be getting a good deal or receiving the information they need to make good choices.

www.gov.uk

 

[Chippie1]

Thank you.
My insurer wanted £180 per month for two Frenchies many years ago so I let the policy finish and then never renewed, just put £100 per month away in a pot to use as and when it was required.

My Frenchie costs me £115 a month to insure and only covers new illnesses not pre existing (which there’s a few) every time I walk into the vets i feel I can see them rubbing there hands together thinking here comes the mug with the poorly dog! I too have been thinking of saving the money instead

 

[whodat]

Most (not all) vet clinics have been bought out by one of three massive multi-nationals.
One of those companies also owns one of the online prescription vet drug supply companies (so they get their money either way).
Trouble is, apart from the price rises, the older vets with the experience are being retired/bought out and the younger enthusiastic but less experienced vets are mostly who you'll see - not disparaging, just stating what a couple of 'older' vets have said.
Also, they encourage pet insurance policies so they can hike their prices higher. Obviously we all pay for that in insurance premiums or if you don't have insurance, just ridiculous costs.
The clinics generally aim for 5x vet salaries as the bar for a days takings. That isn't all profit but there is a healthy topline.

Long gone are the days when you might take little Harry Hamster to say 'Hi!' to the vet for a couple quid.
Long gone are the days when most people can afford vets.

 

[Chippie1]

Makes me wonder if that’s part of the reason so many get abandoned or give to homes as they can no longer afford the upkeep?

 

[whodat]

Yes - definitely a large factor in the amount of pets abandoned.

 

[Paynewright]

We have an elderly guinea pig and that cost us £190 for dealing with an exploded abcess (hopefully you’ve finished dinner!).

We could have bought 19 new ones for the same price!

 

[BuilderJay]

My daughter works at a vets. She could tell you some stories on costs believe me! Most routine jabs are not even needed!! Big money making scheme!!

 

[Burner]

There’s feral cats on our site at work, one has a bad leg, so I rung cats protection league to see if they could help!, they said they don’t deal with injured cats, and to ring rspca!, rung them and they said ring a vet!!¯\_(ツ)_/¯, the cat is feral!, you can’t get near it!, I bet the vet charges a fortune!!!, greedy!!

 

[Bargy62]

what did it for me was with our elderly 17year old dog which was on it's last legs and thought the best thing was to have her put to sleep and the vets said lets try this let's try that put her on a drip try her with this drug keep her in over night more tests more drips more drugs in the end we got so upset with the treatment we took her home to die in peace and we got a bill for £1100
I think they prey on us because they know we would do anything for our pets
RIP Ruby

 

[Sackmycook]

My Better half worked in a pharmacy for 15 years and regularly informed me that my dogs medication was identical to the human version. So much so, that if they suspected the purchaser was buying for an animal they had to refuse sale.