To think I’m being ripped off by the vets

[Fcukthisshit]

My cat is having a general anaesthetic today and was originally having 1 tooth out but is now having 2 teeth out.

I’ve been told that the cost is edging up towards £400 plus I’ve signed to say that I’m happy to pay an extra £35 for IV fluids whilst under anaesthetic.

Could anyone in the know tell me whether this price is reasonable and also if IV fluids are required, surely this should be included and not optional?? I don’t have a huge amount of faith in the vets after today and I’m considering changing but not sure if IABU or not?

It’s a national chain if that makes any difference.

We paid similar in August for 2 extractions and a tartar scrape. I actually requested IV fluids but was advised they were unnecessary.

The whole course of treatment for dental abcess, surgery and post op care was around £600.
Insurance don't usually cover dental care unless due to accident damage and most older cats eventually need expensive dental maintenance work. I wish I had known this when we adopted our cat so would have been expecting it!

I paid £480 a few years ago for my cat to go under for a tooth out - they then discovered tooth was fine and it was her gum growing across the tooth that was yhe problem, so fixed that.

Didn't feel unreasonable though can't remember if it included fluids - I generally give them permission to do whatever is necessary to keep my fluffs happy and healthy, so probably.

Insurance covered it but have now added a clause that dental work will only be covered if they've had a vet look at their teeth and gums at least annually, so be aware of that if you're insured x

There will always be 'optional' add ons when your pet is admitted for a general anaesthetic. For example, IV fluids, pre anaesthetic blood screens etc. We don't include these as 'standard' because every case is different and they may not be appropriate in some cases. A young healthy cat in for a 5 minute castration is not going to 'need' iv fluids and full blood screen as a general rule, whereas a 15 year old bitch with a pyometra who is very unwell would need iv fluids and bloods. The consent form is a standard document and it would be very time consuming to tailor it to each individual case, so it is far easier to have a few boxes to tick 'adding' on these extras if appropriate. You should be given an estimate for the work but, especially with something like dentals, anaesthetic time can vary hugely depending in what we find when the patient is anaesthetised (dental fractures, unexpected extractions, neck lesions etc).

Out of a large bill I can assure you that it does not go straight in the pocket of the vet (and certainly not the nurse!). There are many many overheads (hire of building/electricity/dental xrays/vet time/nurse time/anaesthetic gases/injectable anaesthetics/sedations/drugs/painkillers/antibiotics/iv fluids and associated equipment/kennelling costs....the list goes on.

Your bill sounds reasonable to me.
Anaesthetic time can hike up the costs considerably. For instance, today I assisted at a dental where 17 teeth were extracted in about 10 minutes because they were so rotten they could basically be plucked out with fingers. But then you might have a greyhound needing many large extractions which take well over an hour because they are so firmly rooted. It's not a case of the same thing for every animal so pointless comparing prices with other people and their individual cases.

I paid slightly more 2 years ago for a cat- ga, several teeth removed and dental cleaning.

I had similar feelings however to you this autumn when the "extras" kept mounting as we investigated my cat's sudden decline. I didnt mind the vet consultation fee, anaesthetics, drugs, but the "extras" with the slight hint of well are you a good pet owner or not really annoyed me.

Also, same vet, I paid £85 for my gsd to be put to sleep along with sedation in April. (Old age) 😔

I think that's incredibly expensive, but matches what we were quoted by our local vet hospital. We switched to an independent vet practice at the recommendation of a friend and ended up paying around £175.

I don't we'll ever use a chain again unless it's an emergency.

Sounds about right to me. Don’t forget for every £100 charged the vet practice only receives £80 because the govt thinks it’s appropriate to charge us VAT for pain reduction, palliative care, operations etc (grrr!)

@Butterer

Not sure. I use Petplan who have covered all treatment, both dental and cancer, bit it is lifetime cover so more expensive than the cheaper cover.

If I remember correctly, Vets are only allowed to use proprietary medications, so they can't take advantage of cheaper versions like we can in the NHS.

We were quoted £360 for teeth descale under anaesthetic.