To not pay the whole vet's bill

[Member869894]

Hello. Honest opinions please. I took my dog to the vet today as he has breathing difficulties. The vet listened to his heart and lungs, pronounced them fine and then said he'd do a couple of blood tests and call me with the results. The whole thing took15-20 minutes.
On leaving I was presented with a bill for £188!!!!! I said that I would pay for the consultation fee (£56) but that I hadn't been told that the blood tests would be extra or that they would be so expensive

I'm kicking myself I didn't ask more about if the cost of the blood tests and if they were included in the consultation as Iif I had known how much they cost I would have said no. Equally, I think I should have been very carefully advised of the cost before they went ahead. What do you think?

@halfsiesonapotnoodle I believe that the costs of running are very high, but I also believe they are making a high profit.

YABU
Have you never been to a vet before? There is always the consultation fee, then the cost of any tests/treatment added on.
Why should they not get it?
It is so easy to lose sight of what things costs because we are used to it being free on the NHS. There is no NHS for pets.
A £40 consultation fee, so 15 minutes with a vet, pays for that vet and their expertise, the nurses and other staff, the energy bills, the building etc. I could go on. A blood test means that blood gets taken away, processed and looked at. That costs money too.
Of course vets cost money. They also have a high rate of suicide compared to other careers. Maybe have a think as to why that is.

What?! A responsible pet owner should have insurance. Would you just let our pet die if they needed thousands of pounds of treatment? Ridiculous

I'm pretty sure if vets were in it for the money, they would have done something else with their lives. Like a dentist or doctor.
Wage is shite in comparison. Some Clueless, ignorant people about.

I don't have insurance for my dog. It would be £100 a month now, and she is elderly. I would not want to put her through invasive treatments for the sake of a few months.

As I mentioned up thread about 10% is profit after all deductions.
The profit on the OPs bill will have been no more than £20.

Vets are burning out because it’s a high pressure job where emotions are often running high especially if a beloved pet is very poorly. Often clients have a lot going on, and their pet being ill is the straw the breaks the camel’s back.
Cases can be complicated- we read up on things, we seek the advice of colleagues and specialists to try and get the best outcome within the budget we are given. It’s exhausting and emotionally draining for those of us who really care. To then have all that thrown back at us and tell us we are just money grabbers is quite the most disheartening thing.
People are leaving the profession and no one is sure when it will end.

Always ask I’m afraid. Dcat needed some bloods done (necessary but not urgent) and I was able to discuss it with the vet and time it to fit better with cash flow. (I also have access to savings I could use for emergency treatment).

Sorry my answer looking back does look like I am saying vets are money grabbers. My current vet is amazing and I am grateful for her, you do an amazing job. It has however taken me along time to find a vets that is reasonably priced with the right care ❤️

It’s ok- your post was pretty balanced compared with some of the comments previously which were quite brutal!
I do think we as vets should always have an open and honest discussion with clients about what they can afford and working out a treatment plan based on that. It might not be the ideal “gold standard” but we should be realistic about what we can do especially in these days of cost of living issues.
In most cases there are a range of treatment options but unfortunately some illnesses/injuries are so serious that there really isn’t a cheaper alternative or compromise and that’s when conversations have to be handled tactfully and with great care.

This is why it's worth buying the insurance while pets are young. I pay £23 for my two cats. They are 7 years old now, but we had insurance since they were 2 yo. I learned my lesson when I had to pay £600 vet bill 😲

You are being reasonable.

It's clear that the real issue here is that a 15min appt + blood test absolutely does not equate to £188. You should not stand for it.

People who say, 'You agreed, so you pay, this isn't the NHS' have not got a handle on things. The veterinary industry is out of control. It is run by a handful of huge conglomerates that collude on artificial price rises as part of an oligopoly. This is why the competition watchdog is looking at them.

People in this thread are probably too thick to understand that. I am not. So take it from me, you are right to feel outraged. It is unacceptable. And we must accept it no longer.

It will cost a ton more now considering this is a zombie thread from 2022.

The problem has only exacerbated