To think vets are overcharging

6 hedge fund backed firms own 60% of UK vet practices! That's where the money is going, not on vet wages!

There is no actual difference between a particular drug used for humans and for animals. Although there are some drugs which are toxic for certain species.

There is one difference - the meds the vets supply for animal use can be used many species whether it be my mongrel (sorry cockerdalpoo), cattle or racehorses and will have had to be tested to see how long it stays in the animal's system before it can be eaten or raced.
Human medicine has a completely different set of tests so it is safe

Vets are NOT being overpaid. £34,000-£40,000 is not overpaid. Corporates are making a fortune.

There are 2 things being conflated on this thread.

1 vets are being overpaid and that is driving costs. I have no issue with what vets get paid as clearly it’s a highly skilled role. I also don’t think this is the primary driver of cost increases. It’s hedge funds, it’s medication that is/n’t licensed for animal use and it’s overall overheads.

2 is what many people are actually upset about - transparency of costs. Of course there will be procedures that for example, have to happen under sedation because you can’t ask a dog to nicely hold its mouth open. This increases costs for seemingly simple treatments.

It’s not rocket-science to detail the cost of anaesthetic (considering equipment, people, time) etc, have it as a range up front and then clearly listed on an invoice.

At the risk of stating the obvious, Dublin is not in the UK. Vets in Ireland are not subject to the same legislation.

It is also legal to prescribe human medicines in UK, but only if there isn't a specifically approved veterinary one. Which is the case with many eye products.

Yes . I paid £500 for private blood tests over 10 years ago. Healthcare is incredibly expensive human or animal

As a old friend said this is what private health care looks like.nHS is not free,but paid for from Nat Insurance. How many people moan about vet bills, Dentist costs and so on. Yet have Netflix, the latest phone, TV car etc.You are paying for the expertise,several years of uni and the difficulties of having patients who can't talk!9

Actually been thinking about this a lot recently as we have two elderly dogs and no insurance. We did have but despite no new ongoing conditions apart from arthritis in one the premium had gone up to an extortionate amount. So we put some savings aside instead. But our vets are great.They are now a larger practice as they have several surgeries in the area.But considering the overheads they must have I don't know what people expect. I've always found them compassionate and on the odd occasion they have offered something else ie.extra blood test before sedation if I've said no after a discussion there's been no pressure. I've recently had to call out pest control and a plumber at home and honestly was shocked at their charges but on reflection I'm paying for their expertise and they have costs to running a business too.

Like dentists, many vet groups are backed by private equity and they are rinsing us for all its worth.

Absolutely they do over charge. I’ve had two different vets at the same practice give two completely different quotes. One was £700 cheaper than the other. That’s almost a thousand pounds mark up between two vets at the same place. Guess which one got the work? The one who charged £700 less. Obviously.

You forgot the hedge fund owners profit as there are fewer and fewer independent practices these days and even those who look independent are often owned by financiers in the background. Same is happening with lots of smaller professional practices that are still marketed as if they were locally owned and managed.

150k + FT with on calls, a package to include car/phone laptop/allowance. given marginal tax rate, loss of personal allowance/benefits student loan / graduate tax, stress, indemnity, risk and dealing with general public in this day and age - I think that is fair remuneration.

@worralorra insurance premiums are based on actuarial risk. Some owners will not need much treatment for their pets, others will. The insurance companies principle aim is to make a profit not vice versa.

It's for the owners' peace of mind that in the event of a serious illness or accident, the cost if care will be met. A good analogy is your car insurance- I have claimed on mine three times: 1988, 1997 and 2011, probably amounting to about £8k (reclaimed from the other party each time) compared to the equivalent of £20k in premiums.

Our old boy cat was insured through one of the better providers and I once worked out that over 15 years his premiums amounted to £7.50pcm when I deducted the cost of the claims: about £5k (accident prone) then meds for arthritis when he was a senior. Not bad for peace of mind. My girls presently cost about £50. When it ramps up when they are 8, I'll stop it, because I can afford care without worrying and that's the point where a risk analysis is worthwhile.

We got a rescue, which, because of their age when we got her, could only be insured up to £3000.
So we put aside £3000, and added the cost of the insurance premiums to it each month (£65)
6 years on, we’ve put aside £4680 in “premiums”, and paid out around £3000 in vets bills, so we are still, without the initial £3000, up by over £1500…
That £3000 paid for a bitch spay, colitis treatment, kennel cough treatment, teeth removal and a couple of wounds being treated…
Makes us wonder exactly what benefit the insurance actually has, tbh!

I mean yeah. This is literally why we don’t have a dog 🤷🏻‍♀️

We have a colony, if that's the word, of feral cats.
Not my choice but they're here and I keep them neutered, fed and housed in feral shelters.When a vacuum is created by one dying or just disappearing as they sometimes do then another will appear. I'm in a very rural area where the concept of cat neutering doesn't seem to get through to everyone but thankfully I'm seeing less kittens year on year and it's my hope that as the cats die from old age the numbers should reduce.
One of them needed veterinary attention yesterday for what turned out to be a soft tissue injury, x ray, consultation, injections and anti inflammatory medications cost £170.Its a small independent vet and that's probably quite well priced but still about 20% of my salary for this week.
People's ability to access veterinary services really impacts on animal welfare, particularly for feral and semi feral cats. All the local charities are struggling, off loading an injured cat to them is not the answer.

Ours for a large lab cross was £60 per month.
He was poorly, admitted to out of hours vet and subsequently diagnosed with IBD, and allergy to chicken. That cost, in total, about £1800 , no issue with insurance.
Last year I missed the email with the massive increase . Went to £133 per month. Difference was basically how much we had 'used' .
This year i was ready. No treatments needed for 18mths, so no costs incurred. The renewal was £600 more taking it to over £2000 a yr. At That rate it would be £4000 by the time he's 8. I
I've had to take a policy out without his preexisting and it's £35 per month and we are adding £100 to our savings.
They prey on people worried about pre existing conditions so people feel they have no choice but to keep paying it!

My cat had to have a leg amputated last year. I was given a total price for the procedure. After complications and weeks of further treatments, I asked my veterinary practice for a breakdown of the charges, the most shocking thing for me was that I was paying 20% extra in VAT, for all the services, drugs etc. Overall, the vet/vet nurse/vet hospital/drugs/dressings etc was about £4500, and I paid about £900 in tax. The vet bill was fine by me, I can see how expensive it could be to provide the care level I would like for my pet, the government charging me an extra 20% really boiled my piss!

Wow!

Our vet in Dublin gave us a prescription for the pharmacy when our cat scratched her cornea. They didn’t have it in stock but the pharmacy did. It’s an eye drop I used myself in the past.

Gosh and I thought vets in Dublin were expensive. Our cat needs to have her teeth checked under anaesthetic €300, if she needs some teeth pulled €500. Was in a fight with another cat, emergency on call vet in a university €220, IV antibiotics and painkillers: this was on a Sunday morning. Her annual vaccinations and checkup €82. Her nail came off, €105 for collar, clean up of wound and IV antibiotic and tablets plus anti inflammatories €105.

This isn’t really about the cost, but I’d be really curious to hear from those who practice veterinary medicine about how small pet care has changed over say the last 30 to 40 years.

My guess is that clinics offer far more diagnostic tests such as MRIs, bloodwork, etc. and perhaps perform more operations than they did in the past. It seems as if it’s getting close to human healthcare now! Of course some of this is due to medical advances, but I think that pet ownership has really changed from when I was growing up and perhaps vet services have too. Anyone?

Affordability vs value is not the same.

Had to take my Ragdoll cat in to have her claws trimmed , she was like a wild tiger so ended up having them cut under sedation , the cost £182.00.

Classic.

The fact you think this isn’t feasible speaks volumes. All of these can be costed within a range. You seem to be confusing people expecting vets to have x-Ray vision (that’s not what’s being asked) with being transparent about the cost of an X-ray for diagnostic purposes (that is being asked).

Are you interested in an internship to
shadow what this looks like in human health?