Vets charges-follow up appointment.

[Sparklingbrook]

Taken Sparkling Car for her Re-examine appointment today following her abcess last week.

I am sure I have never paid for the follow up appointment before, but they charge £19.99 for it. The original consultation was £24.98.

She has to have another 5 days of ABs and then another appointment next Thursday. So I assume that's another £19.99?

It's Companion Care. I am very happy with them but I guess things have changed?

[Sparklingbrook]

Cat even. Not car. That isn't Sparkling at all.

[cozietoesie]

I don't have any plan for Seniorboy but I seem to pay (apart from his monthly meds) just in single sums per initial consultation/procedure. Maybe they just lump everything together at the beginning for each incident? I just hand over my card resignedly.

How's she doing by the way?

[Sparklingbrook]

The vet says it has healed/dried up cozie but he can still feel a lump and the area feels hot hence another week of ABs. He did say it may have needed draining last week so it's good in a way. He thinks she was on her back when the other cat's teeth went in.

I am sure 2 years or so ago, I didn't pay for the follow up consultation, and don't understand why the initial one is only £5 more expensive.

If I am charged £19.99 again next week I am up to £96.59 with the excess on her insurance being £70. Mmmmm.

[cozietoesie]

Close call then on whether to claim what with rates perhaps increased. Best keep all the receipts and judge when she's fully well.

[Sparklingbrook]

Yes, the main thing is that she's better or getting there. Just hope she doesn't get into any more altercations with the neighbourhood cats.

She was so good in the vets, she just sat there while the vet prodded and poked, lifting her leg up when necessary.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I had to take a chinchilla for a follow up appt once to see if a wound was healing. Vet was scared of the chin and couldn't handle him to see the wound. He asked me if I thought it was looking better from what I'd seen at home. (He scared the chin so much I couldn't calm him down so I could show the vet). So vet never actually saw the wound and charged me £5 for me telling him I thought it was healing.

[Sparklingbrook]

Viva What a bargain.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Follow up consultations do normally attract a charge, it is not uncommon for the difference to be not that great as you get the same amount of vets time. What you have paid doesn't sound too bad our first consult is 29.98 and I know we are the cheapest in our area.

[Sparklingbrook]

I did see the OOH consultations start at £82.83. So hope the next altercation is within opening hours.

Thanks Lone, interested to see what other people are paying.

[cozietoesie]

I think I pay about £30 for a one off consultation. (The water is a bit muddied with meds etc.)

[silverferret]

One of my local vets seems setup just for profit! the open with the question is you pet insured... then seem disappointed when i said no! I have seen this interesting article by one of the TV vets, not that I was really surprised :(

joethevet.co.uk/?p=167

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Silverferret I suspect this is often the case in corporate practices, but in my own practice which is independent it is not. I do have to make a profit otherwise I would not be able to feed my family.

[Sparklingbrook]

It's very interesting. For me it feels like when you take the car in for a service, as I am no expert they could say anything and I wouldn't know any different.

Sparkling Cat had a dental this week and before I was told £250-£350 but it came out as £150, and the OP follow up was free.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

We do try our best to explain sparkling, but with a dental you never can tell till you get the tartar off it could be a quick 20minute scale and polish it could be a 2hour marathon of extractions. I always give owners a worst case scenario, but say hopefully it will be less.

[Sparklingbrook]

I was well chuffed Lone. It needed doing so I had to pay whatever the price even if it was £350. I was warned it was a sliding scale of nothing much to be done up to loads IYKWIM.

[cozietoesie]

I have to say that my own vet is pretty moderate and I sometimes wonder how they make enough of a living to be able to afford investment in the practice. (They clearly do, but it must be tight - not helped by the number of patients who seem to miss appointments. 60 on the chart for last month.)

[Lonecatwithkitten]

The problem is not so much missed appointments, but bad debts. But what do you do when the animal needs treatment the bill comes to £400 and thy can only pay you £20 per month . Nearly two years to pay off the debt, this is never built into the original debt.

[cozietoesie]

Do you get much bad debt?

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Those of who stick to the law and treat injured animals even if he owner can't pay do. At any one time I carry about £20,000 of debt . I try not to think about it too much. I write of about £3,000 of unrecoverable debt every year.
Those who flout the law and refuse to see people who have no money probably don't ave such an issue.
An example lady presents labouring bitch in trouble we say needs section tell her cost she never mentions a problem paying. We do job, she comes to collect bitch and her four live puppies and she says oh I've got no money. We haven't seen a penny of that money.

[Sparklingbrook]

Oh blimey Lone I had never thought of that.