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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think out of hours vets fees are outrageous?!

177 replies

sensuallettuce · 29/04/2012 18:10

Have arrived home from lunch to find cat in pain and passing blood.

Phoned PSDA out of hours line. It's £135 for a consultation BEFORE any treatment. It's normally £30 (so more than 4 times the normal cost!!) Snooty woman on phone informed me if I am on housing or council tax benefit I would be elegible for help but as I am not on any of those I need to pay the fee or not be seen, and the well being of my cat is my responsibility which I agree is true and I can normally afford the £30.

It's the end of the month and I don't have a spare £135 + in the bank so my cat will have to wait until tomorrow.

AIBU to think this inflated "out of hours" price is outrageous?!

OP posts:

bejeezus · 29/04/2012 19:46

Ask your usual vet about instalments

Cymalon for humans? I wouldn't

Original poster

sensuallettuce · 29/04/2012 19:50

Cranberry?

OP posts:

treadonthecracks · 29/04/2012 19:51

That is extremely expensive, my guinea pig was ill on Boxing day, had to go to the vet the whole bill, with antibiotics was £56, which I thought was reasonable, there was a surcharge for it being bank holiday, but fair enough.

alphabite · 29/04/2012 19:51

If it was my pet I would be begging the vets to see him and pay by installments.

Babylon1 · 29/04/2012 19:53

Can I just be totally clear here, PDSA DO NOT WORK WEEKENDS. They close at 7pm on a Friday and do not reopen til Monday - any service you are being offered is by VETS NOW - a dedicated out of hours service who rent the surgeries out of hours to provide the service. They set their own fees and are not generally affiliated to your own vet practice - though obviously they have dialogue with your usual veterinary care staff.

You may also find that you recognise some of the out of hours staff as being your usual vet/nurse - this is generally because the veterinary industry is pretty poorly paid until you get to the ranks of senior/head vet surgeon and many staff have a day job and then work as locums for the out of hours Vets Now team too.

Original poster

sensuallettuce · 29/04/2012 19:54

Yes it was Vets Now.

OP posts:

AvocadoAndFitch · 29/04/2012 19:57

Don't self medicate your cat, get it properly assessed and some pain relief and worry about costs later.

KRITIQ · 29/04/2012 19:59

Sitting here fuming at this thread. The cat is YOUR responsibility, and that means thinking in advance that you just might need to pay for it's care when it's ill, even if it's out of hours, even if it cost 4 times the normal fee. It's a bit late to get your panties in a bunch now that the animal is ill and in pain. Get off the internet and get the animal to the vet. If it's ill, they won't refuse to treat it and you can sort out the payments later. Leaving an animal in pain or trying to doctor it yourself when you haven't a clue (and there are lots of common medicines for humans that will kill a cat, often very painfully!) is extremely irresponsible.

Your pet. Your responsibility. Hard cheese.

AvocadoAndFitch · 29/04/2012 20:02

Have you called them back yet?

noinspiration · 29/04/2012 20:03

Vets Now are a complete rip off, and the one time I was unfortunate enough to have to use them the vet completely failed to notice a perforated soft palate. Not a minor injury. God job I have half a clue and basically did the diagnostic tests for him. His bill was £500....

Naoko · 29/04/2012 20:04

Am so thankful for my vet reading this...while he does have a hefty out of hours charge, it's not £135 and he's got a wonderful habit of 'forgetting' to charge it. Rang him at 10pm on a Saturday night once and he only charged me cost of meds; when I asked his wife (who runs reception) if she was sure it was right she just smiled at me and said they were glad to help.

Hope you manage to get your cat some help. Maybe try ringing around some smaller, non-chain practices? I find they're often more flexible.

Original poster

sensuallettuce · 29/04/2012 20:05

I disagree. It's the end of the month I am skint I am a single parent to three kids - that does not make me a bad person to not have a spare £135 + lying around.

I am not on benefits - if I was the cat would be seen. I fall in that gap where I earn too much but not enough.

So every pet owner on this forum always has money in the bank for extortionate out of hours fees do they? That's ridiculous. My children's needs go above my pets needs.

I will take tomorrow morning off work and take the cat to the vet then I cannot produce money I do not have and they won't see her if I can't pay.

OP posts:

Ratbagcatbag · 29/04/2012 20:07

Most vets will allow payment the next day. Whenever I have taken the pets on a weekend I find that the vets couldn't care less about the payment and let you settle up the next day with the receptionist, have you got a cheque book? Pay by cheque they can't bank it until tomorrow at the earliest and you said you have money coming in at the end off the month. Does that help?

dribbleface · 29/04/2012 20:08

vet's now are extortionate. my cat needed overnight observation (we were with pets at home vet's) all he had was fluids, pain relief and monitoring, cost £550! fortunately we were insured but week before Xmas i didn't have the money to pay up front, they agreed to settle direct with insurers. i changed to local vet's with own out of hours, they informed me their price for treatment would have been 150. they didn't say it in so many words but implied that i was not the first person to pay over the odds.

Original poster

sensuallettuce · 29/04/2012 20:09

No cheque book either :( Have phoned them back and they won't book her an appt if I cannot pay.

OP posts:

Ratbagcatbag · 29/04/2012 20:10

My cat only cost £55 for out of hours fee, maybe change you've vets (appreciate doesn't help now)

AvocadoAndFitch · 29/04/2012 20:10

The vet can't refuse to see you in a true emergency just because you haven't the money.

Its starting to sound like you don't want to pay £135 now, in the future or in installments.

Ratbagcatbag · 29/04/2012 20:12

I would ring some local vets and plead lie that you've only moved into the area recently and been advised that they are Limey too see your cat.

Original poster

sensuallettuce · 29/04/2012 20:13

Well the way it "sounds" is incorrect.

OP posts:

alphabite · 29/04/2012 20:13

''I disagree. It's the end of the month I am skint I am a single parent to three kids - that does not make me a bad person to not have a spare £135 + lying around''

It doesn't make you a bad person to not have spare cash but you don't seem to be trying to find money to help YOUR pet. To me, my pet is a member of the family and I would move heaven on earth to get him to a vet if he needed it.

Ratbagcatbag · 29/04/2012 20:13

Likely not Limey.

tinkertitonk · 29/04/2012 20:14

You are being outrageous in having a pet for whose care you cannot, or will not, pay.

Original poster

sensuallettuce · 29/04/2012 20:15

I am very impressed that people here seem to be able to magic money from no where - I have no one to ask I am taking her 1st thing in the morning.

I have never been able to produce money from nowhere .

OP posts:

mycatsaysach · 29/04/2012 20:16

stop bashing the poor op

she has said the vets won't let her pay in installments - this is where the fault lies surely?

vets round here insist you pay up front for any insurance claims and claim the money back for yourself later

there needs to be tighter regulation on these business practises - money comes before the animals they are treating

AvocadoAndFitch · 29/04/2012 20:16

So ring them, inform them that your cat needs seeing as an emergency and to expect you in x minutes.

If they still refuse say you will be seeking advice from RCVS first thing Monday regarding them refusing to prevent pain and suffering and provide emergency treatment.

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