To think vets are overcharging

[MyPunnyLemur]

I've just picked my dog up from vets. He got a grass seed in his paw and our first aid measures didn't stop him licking it incessantly so off to the vet we went. As I don't have insurance I was given a choice of prices. We had, apparently got the seed out but "to be on the safe side " a sedation of dog while given a thorough cleanse and check over was required. I suppose I could have said no but he's 11and I love him to bits, so I agreed to an estimate. £660 or £487!!!!! Obviously the paw was covered in a gold leaf bandage for that price. He came out 1 hour later with 4 painkillers a plastic cone and no covering at all on the wound. £487? I've paid obviously. Wth did they do for it to be so expensive? And to top it all whilst I was paying someone reversed into my parked car and then drove off so I'm left with a damaged car and another big bill. But that's another story .

Is the Pope catholic? 😁

The sedation, the vets expertise, their wages, insurance, the nurses wages, the receptionist’s also, the light, the water, the medical equipment, the admin time, the clean down time, the time spent post op monitoring. It all adds up. We have been spoilt having the NHS for ‘free’ at point of use, so we feel any medical bill (pet or human private medical treatment) is expensive.

I pay about £50 pcm insurance for my two young cats (it will increase).

One had to have some teeth removed a few months ago. 26 in fact. General anaesthetic, blood tests, pain killers. Dental aren't covered by insurance. It was about £600. I thought it very reasonable.

If the dog isn't insured at age 11, I imagine you are saving at least £80pcm. I can't see the issue.

Recently I saw an endocrinologist privately. £250 for the first appointment, £100 for telephone follow up. Blood tests were £620. Covered by PPP for which premiums are £250pcm. I think my tax contribution monthly for the NHS is about £450 - I got a statement once breaking it all down.

What type of vets is it? As in independent or a chain/big business type?

I've just paid less than that for a medium size bitch spay and then an emergency visit the next day and anti sickness meds because she couldn't keep anything down. It's a small independent and the cheapest in the area, all the rest are big companies except one who I'd use it mine ever closed.
I also think their care is superior and they look after the animals and the owners well with a personal interest, but the frills aren't there, it's clean and functional but it's not shiny and corporate which I think people use as a marker of how good the care is, when in reality that has nothing to do with it. They've a huge waiting list.

That does seem expensive for what you've had done, however if the dog needed sedation then there's that plus a VN's time to administer and monitor, the vet examination and treatment, products and equipment to do that and then the pain relief, plus the admin that's needed. Those things don't come cheap.

They don't overcharge. The problem is paying a highly trained specialist to do something that any old cretin could do with a bottle of detol and a cotton bud.

My Guinea pig had an abcess. They gave him antibiotics, nothing invasive! I was billed £200! The Guinea pig died in the night anyway!

Important point. Unfortunately private equity has taken over most large chains . We moved to a local independent and are charged at least 1/3 less for all procedures, treatments and drugs.

I think the way veterinary work has gone is scandalous. Apparently, there's a huge module in vet training on business...hmmm. I don't buy the old 'vets care about animals' line any more. They care about money. Nothing wrong with that as long as you're up front about it.

We don't have pets now precisely because of modern vets. But I don't believe in taking treatment for animals (or people, really) to the nth degree. The treatment can sometimes be worse than the illness. And animals don't understand what's happening to them - they don't know it's meant to help them. On at least 3 occasions I've taken a small creature, which in our house has lived a long life because we don't stress them, to be euthanased only to be subjected to the hard sell 'Oh, we could do an operation!' (on 51/2 year old hammy - I don't think so). 'Oh, we could keep him in overnight for observation and then do a dental procedure!' (on an aged gerbil which had lost its appetite and all its hair). I was pretty disgusted by this mercenary bid to make more money by emotionally blackmailing me.

And apparently there's a massive shortage of large-animal vets because they all want to do cats, dogs and hamsters and make a fortune. They don't want to go into a muddy field and help a sheep/cow give birth any more. A far cry from All Creatures Great and Small!

I'm very cynical about vets these days.

But does that procedure need to be done? Vets encourage the view that animals are like people and no price can be put on their recovery, when in fact, often the kindest thing to do would be to ease their passing.

I've heard of and seen cancerous old dogs hobbling along painfully while the vet advises yet another new treatment to prolong its life...all in the cause of money. They encourage owner's selfishness and emotional immaturity. The dog owner I knew would say 'I know I should probably have him put to sleep but I just can't face it!' That dog was in hell.

Healthcare is expensive. We just don't understand it because human healthcare is free and we most definately are spoilt, all of us.

When our old boy (15 year old cat) died very suddenly the vets were superb. Not only with the body but they also sent a beautiful condolence card. I don't recall the GP doing that when our fathers died, or our baby son neonatally.

Of course they have to make money.

It is up to owners whether they accept life prolonging options and the vets would be ethically wrong if they did not give those options or told owners to have pets put down. How would anyone feel if they accompanied an elderly parent to an hospital appointment and the Dr said "well chemo could extend their life by 12 months but they aren't getting out much, their knees are dodgy and at 89 it's best to have them put down. Euthanasia bill anyone. At least we have the choice with our pets.

It isn’t free. Spoilt? 🤣 Have you had to pass through A&E in Blackpool recently?

Human healthcare is not free, it is free at the point of delivery. We all fund it.

There is a formal enquiry into vets fees going on at the moment. 80% of vets now owned by 6 big companies. It is hard to tell which ones are private or not as they don’t change the names. We changed from our longstanding vets when they were taken over, we noticed a huge increase in fees and a lot of the vets employed there leaving. I have found a good independent vet now, and the prices are less but there is none of the constant upselling we noticed creeping in with the original one.
I came across a relative of one of the lovely vets at the old place recently, he told me she had found the constant emphasis on generating fees intolerable so she had left for an independent.

There is certainly a lack of transparency of costs with some vets. What would be great is a comparison site so you could shop around.

We’ll have the choice for ourselves soon, too. Thank goodness.

I would have come home and bathed in Epsom salts..always my go to for paws

^ This. We pay £90 pcm for our 14yr old dog.
Indeed, the NHS has given people a distorted sense of how healthcare works.
From what I've read vets don't actually earn that much (in comparison to solicitors, those in finance/banking) and have had to study as hard if not harder than medics.

I think that’s reasonable, was there a choice not to have the cleanse??

You've saved a fortune in insurance so you have to take some responsibility for the healthcare cost.

We fund it to a point, but there are more people using it than contributing to it.

I remember when I used to ask for prices in advance and what is being done or “isn’t a health check part of a consultation so why am I being charged £60 for it” being gawped at by the receptionist - I could never get over how we all seemed happy to hand over up to £500 without even a list of breakdown costs..nowhere else in life would you do this

remember that vetinary guy who did an expose in the media a few years ago and got ex communicated by the entire vet community and they made his
life hell..he was saying how unrealistic and unethical the approaches are - he was on “new lives in the wild” recently

Yup, very much. I was charged £160 for a consultation and about 10mls of dog painkiller as a weeks course for an injured mouse that then refused to open its mouth to take it. And recovered fine. I later found out as long as I get the dose right by mouse-weight they can have infant ibuprofen syrup and will fight to drink the strawberry flavour. £3 a bottle and is actually safer for them than the dog one.

Sympathies @MyPunnyLemur - sounds like it really wasn't your day!

Nearly £500 to remove a grass seed is patently ludicrous. Unless it was severely infected or something.

Vets are highly skilled professionals, also usually with a wider team and building to pay for.

I think people are a bit unrealistic about how much it should cost - you are paying a professional for their time, it’s going to be expensive.

You do realise that the vets working at the practice are on a standard wage and don't actually get that amount of money for treating the animal, unless they own the practice of course?
It's a really tough qualification to get and newly graduated vets come out of uni with a huge debt. Also there isn't a 'huge module' on business, but they do touch on it briefly.
In relation to them offering treatment for your aged animal. They are required to do so by the RCVS and could have their registration revoked if they did not give you all the options, including euthanasia. They cannot decide for you, but simply tell you that euthanasia is a very valid option if they think that is the case.
Your cynicism shines brightly. It's probably for the best you have no pets.
P.S. your remark regarding the large animal vets is so far off the mark it is actually hilarious. Equine and farm vets get paid considerably more than small animal vets.