. . . to be cheesed off at vet prices?

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I had a premolar extracted last week in preparation for having braces fitted. Total cost of the x-ray and extraction was £145.

Had our cat at the vet today and she needs a tooth removed. They've quoted £950 for the x-ray and tooth extraction.

AIBU to feel a bit ripped-off? The vet said we can phone around but we're unlikely to find a vet who will do it for less than £800! Is this really a reasonable cost? Absolutely prepared to listen and learn why it's so expensive, but it just seems excessive!

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-respond-to-the-veterinary-services-market-for-pets-review

Please pause before using phrases like "ripped off" and "money grabbing vets".

Any vet who works for a corporate owned practice has absolutely no control over the fees. Prices are literally changed on computers by people working miles away from the clinic

Email head office, fill in the above review but please don't direct frustration at those in the trenches.

YANBU. Vet bills are absolutely ridiculous. I told my vet so recently and got short shrift. I believe they said ‘well my wages haven’t gone up either’. Vets must be on what, £40-70k so effectively more than double what I earn. If you love your pets (which we all do, don’t we?) then they’ve got you over a barrel. Having my elderly cat PTS would have been cheaper than his last treatment. That’s just not right. We had to beg and borrow and eventually it was paid for by four family members and we also had to set up a monthly payment plan with the practice. Pet insurance in our case was a dead loss.

That seems really high, a friends horse had an operation on its fetlock (ankle) general anaesthetic and cared for overnight for about £700.00.

I paid £14,000 for my dog to be kept in dog intensive care sadly my insurance only covered up to £1,000

He's come through his illness and he's home now and fully recovered but I'll be paying debt for the next 5 years

Sounds pricey.

My dog had to have (3) teeth out last year and it was £150 per tooth. I was raging about paying that much but apparently that was a bargain…

I'd love a pet. But guess what? I know they're expensive to keep, so I don't. Radical idea or what? 😂

Haven't had tooth extraction (thankfully) but took ddog to a new vet's and I think they really took the piss. The bill was nearly £200, including £45 for one worming tablet. Cost £6 from the petfood shop.

Just playing devils advocate, any chance it’s more of a hassle to get to that particular tooth? Or that your dog needs more anaesthesia or something? I never know how to feel about vet prices, I like to think it’s out of their hands, but there’s times I’m dubious- (€60 once to check aftermath of dog being neutered. He literally looked and said ‘yes he’s fine’ 🤔, nodded at me then walked off

Shop around a GA and op for a cat recently for us was £350.

As above, this was in the news recently.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66733077

@stayflufft I'm not surprised that your vet was mightly offended by what you said.

Veterinary staff suffer abuse every day over fees, something which is out of control for those of us on the floor.

Vets and veterinary nurses (and reception/lay staff) are ridiculously under-paid for the studying/on-going learning/hours worked/stress.

I'm in North West England and I paid About £65 for a check up recently. Cheapest filling was £75 bit has now gone up to £100. Don't know about extraction but checked another local private dentist and they charge £125.

So radical, it almost makes complete sense..!! 👏👌

But when you have had said pet for some years and factored in expenses, including insurance, what options are there when everything suddenly costs more?

Pets are luxuries, if you are a responsible owner you get good insurance or save to cover costs.

Then perhaps you should unionise. It's no use pretending the system you are part off is nothing to do with you.

I shopped around for my cats dental. My parents vet is much cheaper. So both my cats went there. My cat has conjunctivitis and they wanted £31 for a bottle of chloramphenicol. £7 over the counter. But it's tricky to Persuade Chen it's to give it and it was late at night so couldn't face a drive round all the chemists.

I've been quoted £400 worst case for my cat.

Its easy to say this, but we got our pets, when we were doing well financially, with covid, the cost of living, some personal issues, it has got much harder.

But after 6 years, what do you want me to do with my pets? Put them down after I have cut the streaming service and taken in doing the ironing? Give them to charity?

I wish I could have seen 14 years into the future, sadly its not possible.

I'm in North of england. Our dog just had a number of teeth removed and it was £290. In past when I've lived in South I've noticed there is often a price difference between vets that have a lot of farm animals on their books and ones who mainly deal with pets. Vets who deal often with farmers tend to be more competitive.

Whatever the justifications given by vets the huge fees are mind blowing . I have spent circa £10k at the vets since May . This isn't for major surgery or disease this is for routine things across 3 dogs , in the old days if you took a poorly dog to the vet checks were done and pills given but now as soon as you step through the door every ailment described needs an X-ray to see what's wrong at £900
in my practise , it's all changing , one of my dogs was recommended to have cosmetic surgery to take skin off his nose rolls rather than me clean them with wipes , since when has surgery been recommended for something that's general maintenance. If they were becoming infected I could perhaps understand it but it just seems like another way of parting a customer from their money .

I wasn't comparing prices. People keep telling OP she would have been charged more if she'd needed a general anesthetic. Not strictly true as she'd need to be in hospital for a GA and then hospital dentistry is free.

I'm surprised people are surprised by vet fees. Pets are expensive.

I left a vet practice after they googled my pet's symptoms in front of me, all while the owner's Maserati was parked out the front.

Vets justify extortionate costs by telling you how expensive equipment is. My Pet plan insurance, for my two dogs, keeps hiking up every year. I'm moving insurers this year.

I’ve never experienced vet care like this. You need a better vet surgery! Mine is conservative and mindful - even though I have robust insurance and it covers a huge amount. It’s a chain one too. For various reasons, I have used 3 different vet surgeries recently and I’ve not had your experience. You certainly need to shop around and find better vet care if you can.