To be shocked at how high vet bills are

[Cherrybloss22]

So obviously I’m paying them as id do anything for my cat.... but approx £1000 for 2 days treatment for pancreatitis She had to stay in overnight and have Sedation for blood tests etc
Didn’t get her insured as I thought that insurance doesn’t always pay out Anyway if it’s the cat, I’ll always find a way to manage Guess it’s a lesson to get insurance when you get a pet ....

Sometimes insurance doesn't pay off, if you have a pet with a chronic condition from when they were a puppy. I had my dog insured and they only paid for vet bills for the first year then wouldn't pay out for the existing condition and put my premiums up.
My dog is now 6 and has only really been to the vets for his collitis. If I had known about the costs involved I would never have got him (as much as I love him)

We have insurance but if you compare vets costs to human medicine, vets are cheap! My vet is great and they always have appointments available unlike my gp - I would pay the £20 I pay my vet for a same day appointment to see my gp!

I had my dogs insured for many years. I only stopped it when they got particularly elderly and the insurance itself became very expensive. Plus, they are now 13 and 14, so very much beyond the age where I would put them through anything major.

My dog is insured and I pay into our vet's health care plan but I was shocked when I saw the itemized bill for treatment on a cut on his stopper pad. I'd been charged for rubber gloves and cotton balls.
Visits to the vets for us are now emergency only.

It makes you realise how lucky we are to have the NHS for people doesn't it? Costs would be even higher for humans.

Rubber gloves and cotton balls are single use. So that makes sense.

It is because nhs is free that people have no idea of cost

Having my DS in hospital for 1 night cost £4000 in Europe

Another vet here who also has my own pets insured as well. Most people in the UK are very sheltered from what anything healthcare related really costs - staff, equipment, consumables, drugs, facilities etc. It is an expensive business.

£1000 for a few days hospitalisation for pancreatitis doesn’t sound unremarkable I’m afraid, especially if you’re in the south. I expect that will include blood/urine tests, probably an ultrasound, vet time & skill examination/assessment/diagnosing/planning, iv fluids, multiple medications, a LOT of nursing time & skill managing those and caring for the patient.

No, we don’t ‘know people will pay anything for their cat’ - many people actually can’t and most of us spend a fair amount of time helping clients negotiate compromise approaches because they can’t afford what we would recommend as a gold standard clinical approach. We’re very aware that was we do is expensive, but believe me it’s not expensive because we’re lining our pockets. If I just wanted to make a lot of money, there’s plenty of other careers I could have gone into that are lower stress, less hours, better pay and much lower risk of being bitten/pooed on .

Sorry you’ve had this shock OP, hope your cat is recovering ok. Costs of unexpected illness/injury and considering insurance is something I try to cover with all new puppy/kitten owners, to avoid this kind of shock right when you’d rather not be thinking about money and concentrating on your pet.

My pets are insured with Petplan, and the vets I use deal with them directly for payments. It’s worth the monthly payment for the lack of stress involved if one of them does get ill. I’ve never had an issue with them paying, thank God - I would definitely struggle to find the money for £1000+ bills. £80 excess is much easier to handle!

Topseyt that's a conversation we're going to have to have as a family at some point. Dog is 11 and I probably will discontinue insurance in the next few years because I wouldn't put her through treatment as an elderly girl.

It's so expensive, especially if you have a sick note dog like mine. I'm talking multiple surgeries for tumour removal and all the associated medication and hydrotherapy, spondylosis, allergies, he'll literally catch anything. We're currently £3k in this week because he's got 2 slipped disc in his spine and that's just the MRI and medication. No idea what the surgery and treatment cost will be.
We have fab, very expensive insurance but there's a limit that they'll pay. Over his 11 year life so far we've spent over £18k at the vet

yabu
medical care is ezpensive for humans and for animals.
it's highly skilled work by drs and nurses and expensive equipment.

I had my dog insured and they only paid for vet bills for the first year then wouldn't pay out for the existing condition and put my premiums up

This is why you need a lifetime policy as they would then cover you in the following years.

Worth noting that it's very difficult (or impossible) to newly insure an older cat. I didn't know much about cat insurance when we got our cat. She's now 12, unable to be insured for some years and of course she's had some investigations now she's older that we've had to pay for. Vet isn't too happy that we've taken a wait and see approach (to her recent slight weight loss) with her rather than spending hundreds in ultrasounds, we have had blood tests to rule some things out. We wouldn't put her through an operation now anyway and she's happy and pain free.

Definitely shop around for a vets though. We went to a cat only clinic and it cost nearly £100 for routine yearly booster vaccinations. Now we're at a smaller independent vets and it's about £40 (downside for our cat is that she can share the waiting room with dogs).

I know others have mentioned this but, if you think vet bills are high wait until we lose the NHS (it's happening now).

The dogs are insured, the horses (retired, aged 20 and 24) are only covered for 3rd party liability just in case they escape/some idiot lets them out and they get on the road. One of them had a hoof abscess a few months ago, he gets them roughly once every two years and it's always the same: one day of me thinking, 'Is he slightly lame on that foot?', hopping lame the following morning and then it bursts within 48 hours. Previously the vet has always been happy to give me three days of painkillers for him over the counter at the surgery, but now they've changed their rules to say they can't prescribe if they haven't seen him within the last six months. So less than £20-worth of painkillers ended up costing me £125 after I got charged for the callout fee (it's a 50-mile round trip for them), the examination, the poulticing (which my farrier has always told me not to do with him until after it bursts, but the vet insisted) and the drugs themselves. And yes, it burst on schedule the evening of the day after and he was absolutely fine again.

You need to get insurance OP that's the bottom line.
I pay £22.00 per month for my 2 cats for Argos insurance, before this I was with Petplan.
When choosing an insurer don't just go for the cheapest go for one with a good reputation regarding paying out.

I hope your cat makes a good recovery.

I was kicking myself for not insuring our cats who both needed expensive dental work until I found out that most insurers don't cover dental. Can anyone recommend an insurer who does (for next time)?

We had to pay £2000 for our dog to have his ACL repaired but worked out we'd have paid that in insurance over the years so not so painful. He's our only pet now and is 13 so like other PPs, we wouldn't put him through anything major now and the vet is happy to leave his various lumps and bumps well alone.

The bills are shocking but it does make me incredibly grateful for the NHS.

We recently moved back to the UK and we brought our elderly retriever with us. I was worried about vet bills as I didn't think I would be able to insure her.
I was though, I have got lifelong cover through Animal Friends (though I have heard mixed reviews since) for 15 pounds a months with a 100 pounds excess. Pet Plan would have covered her as well but for a fair bit more.
She is fighting fit for her age (having passed the medical to fly her too the UK) but I am so pleased she is covered (not that I would put her through anything major - she is 12.

Okay have googled - plenty seem to cover at least some dental work so as you were...

After seeing how well my dogs have been treated while unwell makes me realise how awful the treatment we get from the nhs is

(it's happening now).
Really? The NHS has areas which are no longer free at the point of use for all?

You need comprehensive lifetime cover as it will pay out.

I use Bought By Many, they have great policies including Moneyback if you don't claim and one covering pre-existing conditions.

When my cat had urinary st9nes, he ended up staying in for 5 nights and needed a small operation. The total for everything, including his medicine, came to £8400. Luckily, I had insurance so only had to pay the £200 excess I had on that. I did have to cancel my insurance after that though as they won’t cover the same condition twice and they put my premiums up to almost £60 a month for all my pets. I just cancelled and now have a savings account where I put money in for vet bills and other emergencies.

From my own experience veterinary care has changed over the years, don’t know if it’s because of an increase in chains that are more profit driven, but Imo vets are very keen to upsell services.
I understand that we are insulated against the cost of medical care because we have the nhs and this has always been my argument, but my last few visits have left me feeling that if they would happily take the fillings out of my teeth and shake me for my last few pennies, if they could.
Which is pretty shameful for professionals whose primary focus should be on animal welfare.

The downside with insurance is that sometimes I think animals are put through investigations and treatment when it is better not to do anything.