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Any vets around? Advice needed - TMI alert!

8 replies

MirandaGoshawk · 11/03/2017 19:54

We have a five-year-old Jack Russell. A few weeks ago started noticing a bit of blood on his poo. Vet said it was his food irritating his gut & to change his diet, but then a bloody lump started to appear when he poos, then it goes back in again. Vet said it's likely to be a harmless polyp. Don't know if that's the same as a haemorrhoid? Anyway we can get it lasered off but has to be at a specialist vet (about an hour's drive away) & our vet referred us. They have booked us in for a consultation (£80) & then expect to do the op on the same day, and it's likely to cost... wait for it... over £1000! My question is...why is it so expensive? Does that sound normal? Also any advice would be welcome. Should we shop around? We've never insured him. TIA

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Floralnomad · 11/03/2017 20:54

Sounds reasonable , my dog has had a few ops and been anaesthetised for X-rays and it's always £600+ and that's for quite simple things .

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MirandaGoshawk · 11/03/2017 22:37

Oh. Seems extortionate! I don't think this is a complicated op... He will have to have an anaesthetic though.

I'm hoping that my husband mis-heard the woman on the phone!

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LordRothermereBlackshirtCunt · 11/03/2017 22:40

That sounds par for the course, cost-wise. We recently paid £1000 for an ultrasound and a couple of blood tests!

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Wolfiefan · 11/03/2017 22:42

Not a vet but if it's an internal lump it's not as simple as chop it off surely. In that area it would be quite delicate and a real infection risk if not done properly.
Cost not a massive surprise TBH.

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Tamberlane · 12/03/2017 03:29

This is quite a complicated operation op.its internal not external and in a very sensitive area. the area is very tricky to remove a mass from and risk of complications is high and severe- anal incontinence, massive haemorrage due to the large blood supply in the area ..I'm not at all surprised that this has been sent to the specilists.
Specialists do tend to be more pricey then normal vets.

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ProfessionalPirate · 12/03/2017 08:19

Sounds pretty reasonable I'm afraid OP. Specialist vets tend to be more expensive not just because they've had more training, but because they've got much higher overheads - super expensive equipment, more/specialist nursing staff, more intensive monitoring etc.

If it makes you feel any better, my DH has just been in for private procedure on his foot - local anasthetic not GA, didn't break the skin and took 5 minutes...£2K

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Lonecatwithkitten · 12/03/2017 08:32

As others have mentioned specialist training, tricky area will all contribute, but also the laser will have been very expensive tens of hundreds of pounds and will be expensive to maintain.

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MirandaGoshawk · 12/03/2017 19:59

Thank you all. Much appreciated. Tamberlane - yikes! They did say that there was a risk of incontinence. Hoe often does that happen, and why - do you know?

It's inside, yes, but must be close to the exit IYSWIM. But does seem to bleed easily. However, DH has been putting Witch Hazel on it ( as per Dr Google) & it doesn't seem to bleed as much now as it did a couple of weeks ago.