Vet prices

[Hazza000]

On my Lordy lord! Is it just me or are vet prices going through the roof? We have two dogs one Lhasa apso and one Labrador. Having just forked out a fortune for annual jabs that need kennel cough so kennels will accept them (£20 extra per dog just for that) I just bought them each three month supply of flea treatment (symparica and stronghold) and worming for the Labrador only it came to £84 I almost fell over. I have been getting advantage on amazon but can no longer find this anywhere hence the vet. But £84?.......
What does anyone else think are we being held to ransom by unscrupulous greedy vets?

[LEMtheoriginal]

Many practices offer schemes by which you pay a monthly fee that covers vaccines and flea/worm products and often include discounts on other products etc.

As a vet nurse (second year trainee) with many more years in practice i am dismayed by the cost of veterinary care. Sadly most vet practices are being taken over by corporates andare very muchrun as businesses. Independent practices struggle to compete and prices are increasing.

That said, veteriary care costs money. Vets and nurses train for years at considerable expense. Leaving university with huge debts and continuing professional expenses and CPD. Suicide rates within the veterinary profession are among the highest. The job is emotionally and physically draining. Tears are commonplace. So i find it upsetting to read posts like yours describing vets as unscrupulous and greedy.

You have three dogs you say? I assume you researched into the expenses of pet ownership before you bought them?

[MMKMN]

Try fetch.com ? I use them for all my animal products. Advantage being one of them  delivery is superb too!

[LEMtheoriginal]

You can buy both simparica and stronghold online with a prescription. You will need to pay for a prescription but it should still work out cheaper.

[Jackshouse]

I am always reminded how thankful I am for the NHS every time I take my cat to the vets.

We are members of their healthy vet scheme so get vaccinations, check ups and flea/worming treatment for a set price per month.

[TheCatWhisperer]

This article goes someway to explaining costs. Basically even if vets worked for free you're bill would only be reduced by 20%. As pp said most vets offer schemes to spread and reduce the cost of routine vaccinations and worming etc or you can ask for a prescription and buy much cheaper online as the online pharmacies bulk buy and and have no overheads so can sell products much cheaper.

www.telegraph.co.uk/pets/news-features/pet-costs-do-vets-charge-much/

[Hazza000]

LEMtheoriginal if you read my post you will have seen I have two dogs not three. Indeed who could afford three with those prices and provide good care? I have owned my two dogs for six two years respectively but have owned dogs consistently for the last 18 years. During that time I have seen prices rise exponentially year on year in a way that far outstrips inflation. It is unfortunate that vets are apparently depressed but that has nothing whatsoever to do with my issue at hand today. Your comment was both rude and patronising to someone who has owned pets for as long as I have. Why is there a nearly 200% markup on vet medications? Your opinion is completely biased which I suppose is understandable but do not patronise me thank you very much.

[Hazza000]

LEMtheoriginal perhaps you may find this interesting
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1232217/Why-Im-ashamed-vet-shocking-expose-profession-puts-pets-painful-unnecessary-treatments-fleece-trusting-owners.html

[LEMtheoriginal]

Biased? When i agreed with you re prices?

It was perfectly pertinent statement that veterinary professionals struggle mentally - making the point that most are not in it for the money. I will make 20k per year when i qualify so the money certainly isnt going to vet nurses. I could earn double that in my previous career but chose vet nursing as it is what i love. Did i not state my dismay at price increases? I feel sorry fr people who struggle with bills - they are invariably the ones who pay without question and sadly the discretion to keep their bills low is now lost in corporate cuture.

Don't direct your ire at the vets and nurses who are caring for your pets, it is the corporate fat cats that set the prices!

My comment however stands - pet owership is a luxury not a right

[LEMtheoriginal]

And i can tell you right now that no vet i know operate on a 12 yo dog with bone cancer. The chance of spread is high and it would not be humane. That isa daily mail link - says it all really.

[beeefcake]

Exact same thing happened to me today.

Worming treatment for 2 dogs- £87. I felt sick.

I felt like saying oh ok no thank you but you obviously can't!!!!

I thought maybe they have given me a longer term supply. Nope, 3 months.

[beeefcake]

I'm also reeling from paying £400 last month for a spay and two teeth out.

Going to get on the "pet plan" thing the vets do, £12 a month (per dog) for all flea, worm and jabs. Also get a free nail trim thrown in on occasion.

[Bananarama12]

Flea treatment get online at vetuk. Advantage is as good as any of them.

[LEMtheoriginal]

Beefcake - do ask next time about online prescriptions. You should be able to buya years supply on one prescription and it is significantly cheaper. Your vet is obliged to provide a prescription on request . There will be a charge but you'll still save money.

Just make sure you biy from an online pharmacy registered with the veterinary medicines directorate.

[LEMtheoriginal]

@beefcake just worming treatment?? That cant be right

[lms2017]

I have horses whos wormer is only £15-20 we do it ourselves dont need a vet.

However get a prescription from your vet I I pay £9 for horse prescription get it for what they give your dog and scan the prescription to viovet when you order.

They do non prescription things too.

//Https://www.viovet.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Dog+wormer

My horses teeth have just been done and it was £45! I cant believe the price of vets for small domestic animals routine things!

[maxxxx]

Unfortunately it's not the vet practices, the suppliers up the prices so they have to as well otherwise they can't afford to stay open!

[maxxxx]

We also have to consider how lucky we are to have the NHS that unfortunately isn't available for animals! Although with the cases that end up stuck due to lack of funds I really wish there were..
We do have to consider that as lovely as they are, pets are a luxury so we do have to fork out for them!
As said above most places do care plans where you pay monthly to obtain flea and worming, along with nursing consults and money off x

[Asdf12345]

I work with human healthcare and am constantly amazed how incredibly cheap vetinary bills are... The last one I got appeared to be missing a zero.

Healthcare is not cheap, even considering most vetinary care seems to be empirical treatment with little investigation and broad spectrum generic treatments.

[Mmmmdanone]

My puppy has anal gland issues and I get 2 free squeezes a year with the pet plan. I asked how much it would be normally-£20! It takes about 10 seconds and only requires some lube, disposable gloves and a tissue! Going to have to do it myself.

[Plessis]

I'm afraid I think most small animal vets are unscrupulous about charging people a fortune.

My equine vet is far more reasonable.

[maxxxx]

@Mmmmdanone
Unfortunately under the Veterinary Surgeons Act expressing anal glands internally is classed as veterinary surgeon only, as it can cause a lot of internal damage if done incorrectly (rupture, infection, incontinence etc) which is likely why it costs so much. This is why groomers can only express externally, and veterinary nurses must have them checked by a veterinary surgeon first.
Although that might be an expensive practice as most I've seen charge around £15.. maybe shop around.

[BiteyShark]

I actually don't agree that vets prices are extortionate. It's private health care for pets.

If you have ever had to get human medicine on a private prescription you might be surprised at how much some of it costs (and that cost reflects the many years it takes to research and put it through clinical trials). Also private health care is expensive but we are shielded by the NHS so everyone expects vets bills to be trivial rather than reflect the true cost of overheads such as buildings, equipment, training, staff wages and general running costs.

Tbh I am glad vet care is private because I can usually get an appointment that day if urgent or the next if not. My dog has been booked in for investigations the next day rather than on a waiting list for months which would have been the case if it was me requiring it through the NHS.

I feel sorry for vets when they read these kind of threads as they have trained for years and have bills to pay just like the rest of us but some people seem to expect them to work for nothing. My vets always try and offer me a variety of options and costs even though they know I have insurance so no I don't think they are greedy.

[Mummyh2016]

I used to pay £30 for 3 months worth of worming from my vets. This time we got a prescription off them for a years supply. Prescription cost £15, medication cost £52 online. Nearly half price.

[Mmmmdanone]

Thanks Maxxx I hadn't realised that. Vet showed me how to do it but perhaps best left to them. I will ask another vet what they charge.

[Myrkk]

There are unscrupulous vets out there but the majority are not. 200% mark up, you need to change vet. That is not the norm. Before people bash vets for drug prices let's think about the legislation called cascade. When it was introduced it stopped vets being able to prescribe generic drugs, overnight they legally had to use animal medicines only, even if a human generic equivalent was available. This meant overnight a generic drug that cost 1p was suddenly an animal equivalent costing £3. This was not vets being greedy but government changes. Who bore the brunt of people's displeasure...! Let's then consider pharmaceutical companies and their charging. Vets provide 24hr care 24/7/365. Premises, staff, registration, insurance, equipment, cpd, medication etc etc. It all costs. People expect better and better care for their pets, my car recently ate a Christmas Dec, rather than open surgery the vet used endoscopy under GA to remove the item and next day 🐱 was back to normal instead of around 10days intense nursing care. I call that value for money. The majority of vets can't buy drugs in enough bulk to get the discounts available online but are happy to provide a prescription, it's charge, for you to buy your meds online. They can't compete with online retailers. If £ is an issue for your pets healthcare then buy older meds such as drontal for worming and not the most up to date stuff which pharmaceutical companies are charging more for.