To think my vets is a bit of a rip off ........

[showtime7]

9 year old cat just taken to vets for annual injection. Whilst there, vet tells me he looks very healthy etc but there is a slight red mark above one tooth at the back of his mouth which will need cleaning etc. He says that this has to be done under anaethetic and he recommends blood tests done too - total cost £350.

I'm a little surprised that it is quite as much as this; I also want to mention that I took him along to the same vet practice 3 weeks ago ( I have a kitten and 9 year old cat seemed grumpy so wanted him checked over whilst kitten had first jabs). It was a different vet who also said he seemed very healthy. He said he had some plaque which he proceeded to scrape off and that was that.

Opinions please is £350 alot? Do bloods really need to be taken from a healthy cat? I admit that I could see that his gum looked red in a very small area above one tooth and would obviously get this done if it needed to be done but I don't want to be ripped off!

That little red mark is probably a FORL, basically a hole in the enamel which will get bigger exposing the pulp, very painful.

Yep. My cat had one extracted last summer. The rest of his teeth were fine at that point (he had full mouth radiographs). The total cost (including pre-operative bloods) was about £550.

Having had one RL, he's at risk of more; I'm fully prepared that he might need further dentistry in the future.

Caulifloursqueeze

For £350 I’d want a new cat

Well for £350 you could get one.

If vets worked for nothing the bills would only be reduced by 20%.
Farm animal vets are cheaper as they have minimal over heads compared to equine and small animal vets. Often being able to work from home with minimal equipment.
Small animal vets are under unbelievable pressure get sworn and yelled at is a regular occurrence. It is common for owners to expect us to be able to solve the most complex health issues for no money. The number suicides is at it's worst ever we have the highest rate of any professional. The number of people leaving the profession is higher than ever.
Many, many members feel that what we earn (roughly 2/3rds of what our similarly qualified doctor colleagues earn) is just not worth it.

This isn't the NHS. You pay directly (and claim from insurance). Poor dental health in cats can really mess them up.

People expect the same level of care and diagnosis for our pets as we do for ourselves but expect it to be like the NHS where we don't 'see' how much it costs.

It makes me quite angry as you cannot expect a business, which does have to make a profit otherwise it will close down, not to charge people for those services.

Lol at Lilmadagain. You requested a consultation, vet examined dog, found something stuck in it's mouth and you think you shouldn't have to pay because your dog wasn't actually ill 😂. You sound the client we had last week who thought they shouldn't have to pay for the blood tests because the results were normal!

I'd pay for a blood test to check on the genuinely ill pet, but I resent paying someone to take a furball out of my dogs mouth while telling me I can do it myself. The consultation was twenty pounds (reasonable) the rest was piss taking.
Do you rob your clients too?

Now you'll know how to remove a hair ball or whatever reasonable home management you can do for your pet. So next time you won't need a vet consultation for the same problem. Unless it is more than that, or something you are not familiar with. And you pay for a vet's expertise.
Because owning an animal responsibly isn't free.

Try £9000 for treating a dog with hepatitis. I could have bought 10 new dogs for that!

So get insurance.

They’re all a rip off. My dog had mites. I could see them with my own eyes. I knew what medication I needed. But it’s prescription only, purely to scam more money out of me because the vet had to be paid £25 to look at the mites and go “yep you’re right”.

Blood tests usually about £60 at our vets if that helps!

Tbh I found our vets overpriced!

Friend is a vet nurse & told me that vaccines cost the vets about 20p to buy-RIP OFF

Why do people assume vet services are free? Why do people think it's a branch of the NHS?

I feel very sorry for vets. For those saying it's a rip off then don't take them, treat them from mr google and hope you never need emergency surgery.

I don't begrudge my vets from getting a decent wage. I also realise the true cost of health care and drugs and that companies need to make profits to you know buy additional equipment and move with the times.

I’m not sure about those treatments in particular but one of our cats has eye issues, and one of her appointments once came to £900!! I have never been so greatful for the existence of insurance in my life. The appointment was with an ophthalmologist, a general check and 2 lots of meds I think.

It’s crazy but it is essentially private healthcare.

On a side note, my other cat had some plaque build up and the vet prescribed a food topper called ‘plaque-off’ to try, before anything else. It’s only £15, and you just sprinkle a spoon in with food (it smells a bit fishy so I imagine most cats would be ok with it).

I’m not sure yet how effective it is yet as she’s due for a second visit soon or whether it’s only suitable for a certain amount of build up. Just thought I’d mention it in case anyone has a similar issue (it’s suitable for both cats and dogs) might be worth checking if your vets can prescribe it.

How much do you think the same would cost if it were a human and no NHS? Much much more.

Fuck me, some of you shouldn't be allowed near animals never mind vet surgeries because you have NO IDEA of the costs. It's called the REAL WORLD folks. If you choose to have pets then you either insure them or accept that vet costs are part of the deal.

I've seen vets disagree regarding what is and isn't necessary but the vet thinking a procedure IS necessary isn't doing so to rip you off. He or she might have either less or different experiences.

By all means get second opinions but don't tar vets as rip off merchants because you are too thick to realise the costs they face in running a surgery. Or preferably don't get any pets then you won't have to pay medical bills. Simple.

Then again you could all train as vets yourselves but by some responses here am guessing most of you wouldn't be bright enough for the courses.

Vets ARE expensive, and I've heard before the tooth work being £350. The vet did it and then said it was a perfectly healthy cat after all. I'll sod the dental offer. If the spot doesn't bother the cat, then there is no problem.

Cats can hide developing health problems really well and it's tricky to diagnose if you aren't a medical professional (that's what a vet is ). It's is good news when a cat gets a clean bill of health and also good news if a potential problem is dealt with early on.
Dr Google can't do that.
Maintaining the health of your pet costs money. If you don't think you can afford it, don't get a pet and give to charity.

I have no issue paying vets bills. I do have issues paying a lot for tests when a better vet would know what the issue was. Went to one vet who said it looked like a cancerous lump and recommended blood tests and a biopsy at a very high cost. We were not convinced it was cancer so went to another vet. It was just an infected lump. Vet squeezed out the pus and told us to give daily salt baths. Cleared up fine.

abacucat
I have no issue paying vets bills. I do have issues paying a lot for tests when a better vet would know what the issue was

I agree. Some of them do take the piss. I never heard of the blood test before anaesthetic and, thankfully, the only time my cat needed anaesthetic in her 8 years was when she was being neutered. The piss-taking was to say I need another prescription for the second bottle of eye drops, and a visit so they can see the cat again. The problem - weepy eyes - is breed related, so the fuck they thought happened in 4 weeks, a cat turned into another breed/ grew a different nose? I told them to whistle and cleaned her eyes with wet cotton pad ever since.

The best ones save pets' lives. But still, there's a need for prescription and inflated charge for a pill which is only 25p a pop ...

Oh, and flee-treatments and repeat vaccinations for indoor cats with no flees is none but a very bold piss-taking. They'll always try, of course, pressing on your guilt/fear button but you have to use common sense.

I think that's probably about right for a dental and blood's but an outrageous amount for neutering and microchipping!!

Is it a female kitten?

I think the service vet supply has changed alongside with our expectations of care for our animals.

In the past, most animals with cancer or major trauma would have been put down - now programmes like SuperVet show that treatment is possible (although I would question whether it is always kind to extend life just because we can).

I think the growth of major chain veterinary practices has also changed how surgeries are run and possibly depressed vets' salaries (although I have no evidence for this). However, the partners in our local privately owned, all-singing all dancing veterinary surgery, live in huge houses and privately educate their children so can't be doing badly.

I currently take my dogs to an old fashioned practice run by a down-to-earth vet who has a policy of fair pricing and only essential testing - he is considerably cheaper than other vets in the area.

But it’s prescription only, purely to scam more money out of me because the vet had to be paid £25 to look at the mites and go “yep you’re right”.

Vets don't get to decide which meds are POM, it is illegal for vets to hand over prescription meds to an animal they haven't seen in the last 6 months. Medicines Act 1968.