Vets bill, have we been ripped off?

[6demandingchildren]

On Tuesday our cat has got a gash in her leg, we could see that although it wasn't nasty it did need stitching due to the shape of the would, we got a same day appointment (this was not the emergency vet) they gave her an injection of antibiotics and a pain killer and bandaged her leg and told us to return at 9am for it to be stitched.
We took her and at 11:30am we had a phone call to say everything went well and too collect her around 13:30.
The bill was £649 !!
I paid it and asked for a breakdown
The anesthetic alone was £178, but the same practice put our labrador to sleep and they said it was an overdose of anesthetic and that was £113.
Surely she didn't have that amount let alone more.
The dog was PTS in December so not that long ago.
Have I been ripped off?

We won't be getting insurance as we save more in the long run by not having it, we only have it for 1 pet due to the breed.

That's absurd.

That seems far too high.
Is it a chain of vets? We changed to a little local private one and it's about half the price. I'd definitely shop around for a new vets or get insurance.

@raspberryk

That's sounds ridiculous considering they do routine neutering for a little over 100 quid.

But a routine neutering doesn't take the amount of time needed for the OP's cat. The anesthatist was required for a minimum of 40mins according to the bill.

Routine ops like neutering will be be much quicker.

my dear cat had to have 4 teeth removed, with 6 X-rays and a general - came to £351.

Does seem steep.

@raspberryk

That's sounds ridiculous considering they do routine neutering for a little over 100 quid.

I wonder if neutering is subsidised by the govt in some way to allow it to be cheaper for customers so we all get it done?

Does that say 3ml for the metacam? That seems a bit steep - I got a week's worth of doses for less than that! Think I paid about £10

I think if you don't want vet insurance then you really can't complain about the bill!

You accept that your savings will pay any bills as part of being a responsible pet owner.

£22 for 3ml of metacam??????? Am I reading that right?

This vets was originally a small local practice but they have recently changed the name so im assuming a chain has bought them out.
We will be moving to another practice.

You have an awful lot of personal info in this photo op.

I read somewhere once that they charge you more if they know you have pet insurance that will pay for the treatment. Don’t know how true that is. I was asked when I first registered at the vets if I had insurance for my dog and I said no (Elderly dog, she has a savings account I contribute to monthly instead as insurance without loads of clauses was absurdly expensive for older dogs).

I think it depends on your area and the vet you use.
I paid just over £800 when one of my cats was attacked and shaken by a dog. Xrays, medication, emergency appointment. It was another £180 a night to a different vet for his overnight hospitalisation and monitoring o f his breathing.

And I don’t have insurance as he is deaf and fiv so uninsurable.p so I self insure.

Just to say our last dog, who was insured with Petplan, cost the company approximately 15k in the 5 years we had her (we adopted her when she was 7). That includes 7k in a single year. I do advise insuring all pets.

My dog has needed treatment for a sore eye this week. I went to the vets and it was £130 and not even an actual ulcer which her breed is prone to. I am convinced it was about £40-£50 more than I would have paid before Coronavirus, could that be why? I am taking her back next week, but I think I am going to ask if they have increased their prices. I actually came home and cried, luckily my husband’s job is secure, but my income is less than half what it was and may decrease further and I have 3 dogs and some other pets. We are insured but our excess is £100

We will find money for the animals, but I am extremely concerned about animals whose owners have no means of paying and don’t qualify for PDSA etc

I think if you don't want vet insurance then you really can't complain about the bill!

Err, of course you can! Op is a paying customer regardless of whether she pays with her savings or her insurance. If she thinks something has been charged wrongly then she is entitled to question it. Don’t be ridiculous.

My cat had a three day stay, monitoring, anti sickness jabs and meds from poisoning herself eating baited mice spoilt little shit refused to wee so had to be sedated and catheterised and then wouldn't eat, leading to the lovely nurse going to the supermarket and buying her a cooked chicken (the shame)
Yet still, my bill didn't top £500. That was a couple years ago and we're in the North East, but still

Since all these insurance plans have come out , vet bills have rocketed

They reverse the anaesthetic to bring them round again which makes it higher.

Were you charged for both appointments, the bandaging one and the surgery one?

Does seem high but then the vets round here mostly try to keep costs down unless they can see you are desperate and that is when you get ripped off by the one dodgy one I found.

I can't see the bill, sorry, bad eyesight which is worse today.

Neutering is generally a loss leader... wouldn't compare with general surgery. Vet time is charged very cheaply - how many lawyers can you get for that rate?

You're paying for the time of the surgeon, plus either another vet or an experienced nurse doing the anaesthetic.

Drug prices have shot up lately too... plus PPE prices obviously!

It is all very well saying insure your pets but no all pets are insurable or exclude pre existing conditions.

Also vets aren’t stupid. My dog is on tablets for life. I asked for a prescription so I could buy them online. They charged £18 for a single use prescription! Which made it not any cheaper so I just get it from them now as it works out a similar price and is less hassle having to ask for and pay £18 every month for a script!

Seems normal to me. Get insurance.

Why? The OP said she's got more than enough to pay the bill. It seems reasonable to query such a large amount, no one likes to be ripped off never mind how much money they have.

I would imagine anaesthesia for surgery is trickier than anaesthesia for PTS because in the former they have to balance keeping the pet unconscious without overdosing, whereas the latter is essentially an overdose so there isn't the risk of giving too much. You are paying for their time as well as the medications. It doesn't sound off-scale to me but I'd expect the vet to confirm costs beforehand. I always ask before agreeing the treatment.

Well the first is to understand the difference between the two totals on the receipt. I can only guess that it's VAT and some items are not subject to VAT?

Then at least you have some costs to compare against when you go looking for a new vet!