To think vets charge too much **title edited by MNHQ on OP's request**

[Looobyloo]

I took my 10 yr old cat to the vets earlier for a check up as she has seemed a little lethargic. Vet examines her and says she has a little arthritis in her hip and needs these tablets, one a day. I ask how much, she says £9 a tablet! Everyday for the next, however long she lives. £63 a week!

She gives me a free sample and says if they work she'll give me a prescription So I can get them online. I checked online, 49p a tablet.

We don't have insurance as we've never been able to get her to the vets for injections etc as she's very stroppy (she attacked the vet today)

I know people say don't have an animal if you can't afford and we do have a private cat fund where we put £60 a month into. But even then £63 a week! I'd be torn if it was life and death as much as I hate to admit to it.

Are vets just taking the piss nowadays?

@adaline

Why do some vets operate in one way, and some in another? I'm not trying to be rude or critical, I'm just curious

You’ve answered your own question really. The more modern practice will have likely invested in more infrastructure - separate dog and cat waiting rooms and kennel areas which are better for animal welfare. Designated operating theatres and separate prep areas which is more hygienic and reduces infection risks, rather than a single space, investment in experienced nursing staff with appropriate remuneration, investment in staff training to keep up skills with new technology and the purchasing of such technology eg ultrasound, digital X-ray, dental X-ray, endoscopy etc.

As this thread has shown there are definitely pet owners out there who value these resources and are willing to pay for them. I haven’t worked in a practice with an £18 consultation fee since about 2004. I cannot imagine that they make much money and that lack of profit will likely impact in the treatment options that they’re able to provide.

@Veterinari our current practise has all those things too - separate waiting rooms, several operating theatres, a vet living on-site, excellent modern technology (they can treat pretty much everything on-site and only refer to specialist centres if they have no other choice). The staff have all been there for years and it's a proper family-run practise.

They clearly make plenty of money - they have two practises in two separate towns which are both open five days a week, and also work with the exotics at the local zoo as well as with all the local farms.

It's funny how you don't think they make much money - they clearly do or they wouldn't still be in business!

@adaline - fair enough - I haven’t seen behind the scenes so can’t really comment. I have to say though that i’ve Worked for similar practices before (including ones supporting local zoos) and the areas that commonly lacked investment were behind the scenes - kennelling areas, staff training and range of analgesic/anaesthetic drugs.

@veterinari yes, you may be right of course. All I can say is I've had both my cats and dog treated there for three years and I've never had any problems or concerns. Lovely welcoming staff, prompt treatment and appointments, very reasonable prices and never any issues following any of our visits. My dog loves going so much he tries to pull me in every time we go past on our walks!

The practise building is older and the reception area is less "shiny" than our previous one, BUT I feel far more at ease here. Everyone knows us and our animals, I've never been sat waiting for ages because an appointment has overrun, I can always be seen the same day if necessary - it's great.

Ravenblack

Nope. You're not convincing me. nice try though.

@GlasshouseStoneThrower

In other words, you have no sensible response and don't want to admit it.

You mean like no-one has any sensible or logical response as to why some vets charge exorbitant rates, some charge reasonable rates, and a few charge rather cheap rates.

As @aridane said, the vets who charge less have all the same facilities, and the same highly qualified vets, excellent veterinary nurses, the same modern facilities, separate waiting rooms for cats and dogs, designated operating theatres and separate prep areas (which is more hygienic and reduces infection risks,) and X ray machines yada yada..

I can't believe anyone (who claims to be a vet themselves,) would suggest that the vets who are cheaper would not have such basic things as a bloody X ray machine, and separate prep areas when preparing operations, and staff who are not trained so well. Unbelievable! How rude and insulting to the less costly vets .. Sounds like the words of someone trying to justify their high costs to me!

Indeed, the cheaper vet I use now is BETTER than the pricey one I used to use. Less waiting time, friendlier staff, not long to wait for a routine appointment. And shocker!!! They have separate waiting rooms for cats and dogs too, and all the modern facilities, and even fully qualified vets, and even a FREE car park!!!

It's absolute bollocks to suggest the pricey vets charge more because they're 'better.'

I'm half expecting someone to come up with 'they use different suppliers for the animal meds,' or some shit like that. Well if they do, they SHOULDN'T. They should make it as reasonable for the customer as possible.

As a few posters have said, whilst there are many decent vets, there are some money-grabbing ones too, who care more about lining their pockets than anything else.

If some vets can do it cheaply/reasonably, then others can.

They just choose not to.

As @adaline said ... (not aridane!

@GlasshouseStoneThrower and yet here I am with two cats...

Always hated how vets try to wring every last penny out of animal lovers.

Once took my old cat for her jabs , and after vet got a bit sniffy because I wouldnt go for the unnecessary, overpriced flea treatment, he proceeded to tell me how puss needed dental treatment , touching one of her teeth for effect..

The tooth came out in his hand, he got a dirty look from puss and a smile from me saying ' well that seems sorted now, doesn't it? "

@Ravenblack

It’s posts like yours that make me think twice about trying to give constructive answers to polite questions

I can't believe anyone (who claims to be a vet themselves,) would suggest that the vets who are cheaper would not have such basic things as a bloody X ray machine, and separate prep areas when preparing operations, and staff who are not trained so well. Unbelievable! How rude and insulting to the less costly vets .. Sounds like the words of someone trying to justify their high costs to me! wink

Well you might be surprised to learn that many clinics don’t have separate prep areas or dental X-ray (note I said dental or digital, not just ‘X-ray - there is a difference!) I’ve also worked for many clinics who don’t invest in staff training. Vets legally have to complete 15 hours of training a year - most training courses are £1000-2000 per day (7 hours max) - many practices give vets a training budget of £500-1000/year so about 1/4-1/2 the cost, and not including travel or accommodation costs. Also I work for a charity so no ‘high cost’ incentive for me and in fact I often work in environments with facilities that are much more limited than those i’ve Described which according to your interpretation makes me a terrible vet . But then what would I know - I only ‘claim’ to be a vet. You’re clearly the expert...

It's absolute bollocks to suggest the pricey vets charge more because they're 'better.'

Has anyone suggested this?

The tooth came out in his hand, he got a dirty look from puss and a smile from me saying ' well that seems sorted now, doesn't it? "

Yes you can be smug in the knowledge that you avoided paying for necessary medical treatment and your cat likely suffered months of previous and ongoing pain. After all if one tooth was so damaged/rotten it fell out there’s No chance the rest of them were diseased too is there?

But what’s chronic dental pain matter when you’re an ‘animal lover’

Seriously I think this thread is just full of trolls now. Even after working with the public for 20 years, i’m Unsure that people can really be this ignorant...

My vet has gone above and beyond for my horse, even getting up from his bed when ill with flu to treat him, and is worth every penny.

GoodbyeRosie if your cat's teeth were decayed enough to fall out of her jaw at a touch,she will most certainly have been in considerable pain for a long time and will have needed her remaining teeth cleaned and examined.

Vet nurse here.
I have been in the profession for over 10 years and as much as I love my job, I would not take the same career path if I could go back in time.
The hours are rubbish, you have to work weekends and bank holidays, pay isn’t great and the general public think vet practices are only after their money. I am a theatre nurse in a referral practice which I love as I don’t have to deal with clients anymore. I think most vets deserve a medal for the crap they have to put up with.

Be kind

The tooth came out in his hand, he got a dirty look from puss and a smile from me saying ' well that seems sorted now, doesn't it?

Jesus. And that doesn't remotely worry you at all? That your cats teeth were in such awful condition that they came out at a touch?

Part of the problem is that we just don't like paying for medical care in the UK because we are not used to it! In a private clinic, to see a GP is £90, to use a sick bowl, £5, open a pack of paracetamol £8. Prices quickly escalate. Vet fees seem on a par in my book.

Re Lepto 4 and the previous response. Yes I do think vets make a lot of money from annual Lepto vaccination and Lepto 4 is pushed by the vaccine makers over Lepto 2. I had a rumour that Lepto 4 was generally being tested in the U.K. ahead of other countries.

I think most vets see the extra risk of Lepto 4 as “collateral damage” and it doesn’t occur to them there may be many, many unreported cases. It’s an easier life to give Lepto 4 and say the risk is “low”.

The people I know whose dogs have died or become very ill after Lepto 4 have all been told it’s “coincidental”. And it’s absolutely scandalous.

I know one or two vets who don’t offer Lepto 4 as they have done their research. Funnily enough these are the same vets that will offer titre testing for parvo or at least have a sensible discussion.

Lepto 4 concerns is most certainly not scaremongering and if you are a vet, I urge you to look into it further.

@ravenblack Done, thankyou.
@princess who are your cats insured with please?

Re Lepto 4 and the previous response. Yes I do think vets make a lot of money from annual Lepto vaccination and Lepto 4 is pushed by the vaccine makers over Lepto 2. I had a rumour that Lepto 4 was generally being tested in the U.K. ahead of other countries.

Right so uninformed thoughts and rumours then?
Please tell me how vets make more money from lepto 4 than lepto 2? And explain why we as a profession have decided that this incredible financial gain is worth risking our professional reputation and personal morals?

Quadrivalent lepto vaccines has been the standard in the USA since 2001, and are widely available across Europe so your ‘rumour’ that the uk is being used as a testing ground is nothing note than paranoid fantasy.

Lepto 4 concerns is most certainly not scaremongering and if you are a vet, I urge you to look into it further

Then can you answer any of my questions or provide any evidence to support your rumours? And thanks gor the urging but i’ve Done plenty of reading of the global evidence base rather than FB groups of paranoid conspiracy theorists
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsap.12328

If you think that the problems of Lepto 4 are properly recorded or reported then you have absolutely no idea of the issue. This is why people have so little trust in vets and end up relying on other sources.

There ARE good vets out there - I have one - but they are hard to track down. And my vet doesn’t offer Lepto 4.

I think most vets offer Lepto 4 as they think that although it’s higher risk, that’s acceptable as collateral damage. I think there is a lack of diligence or apathy to question things. Vets are only now changing to three yearly vaccines for other diseases after YEARS of clients questioning it. It’s lazy.

I can't believe the smug comment about the cat's tooth falling out!

One of Harry's teeth fell out and I will never forgive myself that he was probably suffering and I could have done something. In my defence he had seen a vet a few months before who had said there was nothing wrong with his teeth, and he had been eating biscuits up to the morning it happened so I had no idea. Even so I feel that I should have known something was wrong and I'd never gloat about the money I'd saved. Some people are unbelievable.

One of the reasons I took my cat was that I suspected it could have been her teeth and the vet did say they'd need to keep an eye on them.
Cats don't show pain so us owners need to be aware of any small changes in behaviour.
My last cat wouldn't leave my side when he was poorly but was otherwise fine .I missed the signs, I thought I was poorly (was having tests at the time)

The tooth came out in his hand, he got a dirty look from puss and a smile from me saying ' well that seems sorted now, doesn't it?

Wow. Just, wow. That poor cat. And you wonder why the vet was 'sniffy'. Maybe because they were pissed off at seeing the cat having to go through unnecessary pain and distress due to serious dental issues?

Don’t forget that when you’re paying for an expert, such as a vet, you’re not just paying for the 20 minutes duration spent seeing them: you’re also paying for all the years they spent training and studying and practicing in order to become an expert

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

Think logically about what you’re saying and please explain:

How are vets making more money from L4 than L2?
How and why have the American, European and UK drug safety agencies colluded to license an ‘unsafe’ vaccine when there are other vaccines available - why would they do this?
Why do you think the entire veterinary profession would ignore serious drug side effects if they were occurring? Individual vets get no financial remuneration for vaccinating so why would they risk their personal morals and professional ethics to deliberately cause harm as you’re suggesting?

I genuinely don’t understand what you think the motivation is of the various government agencies and individual professionals to license and administer a vaccine that is as ‘unsafe’ as you suggest. I’ve personally vaccinated hundreds of dog’s with L4 and have seen zero adverse effects.

Vets are only now changing to three yearly vaccines for other diseases after YEARS of clients questioning it. It’s lazy.

Really? I and most of my colleagues have been vaccinating in a three year schedule for years! The initial data suggesting 3 year schedules was published when I was at vet school. Unfortunately our hands were tied by the drug licensing regulations which require that medicines are administered in accordance with evidence from robust clinical trials and so we had to wait for this to be done and the drug licenses to change before we could change practice, but despite this it’s been years.

I actually find this so depressing and insulting. I’ve only ever wanted to do my best by the animals I treat. I don’t set prices but I do know how much it takes to run a vet practice and how expensive it is for us to buy medication in. The average amount the practice makes per consult is about 10% and this is for investing back into the practice.
I’ve never ever met a colleague interested in the money. And far from what people believe our wages are not as lucrative as you might imagine.
The insinuation that we’re trying to squeeze money, or accept ‘collateral damage’ on a vaccine for money is actually a bit soul destroying. I work much longer hours than I get paid for. Often don’t have time for lunch/the toilet, and lie awake at night worrying about cases.
To everyone on here- please just think what you’re suggesting and be kind.