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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be absolutely fuming

111 replies

wishuponastar30 · 01/02/2011 17:21

At the amount of money vets charge?!

My beautiful cat has a horrific tail injury that needs amputation tomorrow :(

It happened on Sunday and because vets don't work sunday this falls in 'emergency'.

£100 to come out WITH NO TREATMENT
Where the hell are they driving from?!
New York?!! Angry

The operation will cost £200 plus £68 for pain relief and antiobiotic.

Plus £13 for the vet to collect her from home as we can't wrestle her into a carrier.

I am so cross about this!

The fees are extornate.
There must be an awful lot of people who simply can't pay the ludicrous fees they charge?!

OP posts:
Original poster
wishuponastar30 · 01/02/2011 17:43

lizcat IT COSTS YOU £100 IN FUEL?!?!

Who the hell are you trying to fool!!

OP posts:
Eglu · 01/02/2011 17:44

No I'm not a vet. I used to work at a vet practice as a receptionist. I happen to know how hard they work and how much they care about animals.

It is a very stressful industry.

Completely agree goodtimesarecoming

JamInMyWellies · 01/02/2011 17:44

You can be pissed off but its what happens if you dont have insurance.

Our beloved dog had a tiny tumor removed a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully it was benign. But we dont have pet insurance and it cost us 400. I was not happy about it but. Sucked it up and paid the amount.

FabbyChic · 01/02/2011 17:47

I thought you had to have pet insurance in the UK.

I've a dog.

Original poster
wishuponastar30 · 01/02/2011 17:47

But why accept such high fees.

You shouldn't have to pay out insurance. Its a lot of money for an animal that could live 15+ years and has no accidents like most of the cats i know.

The fees are too high and vets can give me all this we love animals rubbish until their blue in their face.

purely profit driven industry imo

OP posts:
LifeInTheSlowLane · 01/02/2011 17:48

We took our cats to the vets for earmites at the weekend, plus they had flea injection and worm tablets. Came out £130 poorer, and at first I was shocked, but like Goodtimesarecoming said it actually did make me think how much we take the NHS for granted when we humans are ill!

OhForBoonessSake · 01/02/2011 17:48

"lizcat IT COSTS YOU £100 IN FUEL?!?!

Who the hell are you trying to fool!!"

OP you are reading only what you want to read. lizcat also explained teh other things that that £100 goes towards when she is called out on a sunday.

you have a pet, this is what it costs to treat it when it gets hurt. if you cant justify teh cost then rehome the cat with someone who can.

Original poster
wishuponastar30 · 01/02/2011 17:49

Judging by what she wrote she owns the surgery?

Thats not the case for every on call vet!

OP posts:
Lizcat · 01/02/2011 17:49

It's not just the fuel it's the car, the fuel, the tyres, the insurance, the servicing, the MOT, the time to get to your house, the duplicate of equipment for the car and the surgery and the fact that it was on a Sunday. Plus if I visit you at home it takes 6 times as long as seeing someone in the surgery.
Your £100 will be made up of an out of hours fee, a visit fee and a consultation.
I own my own business graduated the sametime as a GP friend I work twice the hours they do for half the money. Plus my patients can up and leave when they like theirs can't.

Original poster
wishuponastar30 · 01/02/2011 17:49

Why would i rehome my cat?

Its not her fault vets are bandits.

OP posts:
OhForBoonessSake · 01/02/2011 17:49

"You shouldn't have to pay out insurance. Its a lot of money for an animal that could live 15+ years and has no accidents like most of the cats i know."

liek i said, you dont have to have insurance. save a regular monthly amiunt and then if you never have an accident the money will still be tehre for you to use.

LaurieFairyonthetreeEatsCake · 01/02/2011 17:50

I had my lovely 17.5 year old cat put to sleep a couple of months ago.

After a £140 - 10 minute consultation at 7pm on a Saturday (24 hour vets)

Then a visit every day to have the leg re-bandaged @ £80 a time for 5 days (and a painkilling injection as she just threw up Metacalm)

after 5 days and £540 we decided to put her to sleep as the amputation of the leg (the only option left as wound was not going to heal) was going to cost £840 MINIMUM - we were advised against it as she may have been too old to learn to walk on 3 legs.

I was honestly heartbroken and to those who say what about pet insurance - obviously the company cancelled it once she got to 12 years old (it can be very difficult to get a whole of life policy).

My other pets are insured @ £80 a month for a dog and a cat - this is worth it even at nearly £1000 for a year as if they require an operation it will cost at least £800 round here - south-east.

Vet costs have quadrupled since I got these animals - at least 12-17 years ago.

I will never get another pet after these all die and it is hard to afford £80 a month for insurance.

woopsidaisy · 01/02/2011 17:50

We have insurance for our cat,and for the last one. Thank goodness because she had a stroke,and was in such a distressing state! I rang emergency vet,took her there,she gave her some diazepam to relax her,said it was a stroke,and that she would look after her for the 2hrs until our own vet opened up. The bill for this was £450,which had to be paid when I picked her up!
Luckily we had it,and were re-imbursed by the insurance for most of it.
I was pretty Hmm as to how it could have cost quite that much!
YABU to not have factored in insurance or even the possibility that the cat might need vets bills one day. But YANBU to be a bit shocked at the cost.

Eglu · 01/02/2011 17:50

You can say it is too high and profit driven, but you aren't actually a vet so you don't know that and couldn't be more wrong.

Vets are really struggling in the current climate like everyone else. Lizcat explained all the overheads to y ou. If you don't like it dont't have a pet. They are expensive and that will not change.

LaurieFairyonthetreeEatsCake · 01/02/2011 17:52

sorry, to make it clear it wasn't a call-out for £140 - I visited the vets.

DaisySteiner · 01/02/2011 17:52

Vets are highly trained specialists (like doctors) and it is reasonable to remunerate them accordingly. How much do you think it would cost to see a doctor on a Sunday if it wasn't for the NHS? Or a solicitor? Vets are hardly comparable with plumbers - great though plumbers are they generally don't spend 6 years at university to do the job.

I don't think vets are expensive, people just hugely underestimate how much things like this really cost.

beijingaling · 01/02/2011 17:52

Accept high fees because your vet has trained long and hard and with any specialty you pay for the expertise. If anyone could do it then it would be a lot cheaper.

ThePosieParker · 01/02/2011 17:52

Oh OP, you are getting a bit of a serves you right MN treatment. You are right of course that Vets take advantage of our animal loving nation, but they have to train long and hard and can charge what they like.

BuzzLightBeer · 01/02/2011 17:52

You don't know whether its too high, you don't know anything about the the running costs of the vets practice. Its not just about paying the vet, its paying for the premises, heating, lighting, insurance (huge cost) vet nurses, receptionist, cleaners etc, equipment, drugs, fuel, and god knows what else.

Thats what it costs. If you don't like it, don't pay it, give the cat away or have it put down.

ThePosieParker · 01/02/2011 17:53

x posts.

LaurieFairyonthetreeEatsCake · 01/02/2011 17:53

I would not get a pet now but it was much cheaper 10-15 years ago to have a pet.

So people who have elderly pets now are really struggling because the vet costs (I presume to the vet too!) have quadrupled.

ashamedandconfused · 01/02/2011 17:53

I think vets bills are to be expected

we all went for a dental check up - noone had anything done - it was over £100 for the 5 of us

2 adults 3 children

thats life

Original poster
wishuponastar30 · 01/02/2011 17:54

Vets do take advantage and its not fair. People shouldn't keep just accepting it.

And for all these people saying to give my cat away, words just fail me.

OP posts:
Original poster
wishuponastar30 · 01/02/2011 17:55

I would not get a pet now but it was much cheaper 10-15 years ago to have a pet.

So people who have elderly pets now are really struggling because the vet costs (I presume to the vet too!) have quadrupled

Exactly.

OP posts:
BuzzLightBeer · 01/02/2011 17:55

Stop banging your drum OP, pets cost money, get the hell over it.

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