To still be angry 3 days later…

[Somethingintheheavens]

I’m not even sure if I’m angry or if I’m still upset tbh.

I Have a golden retriever who is 2, they have a very rare medical disorder that took us nearly a year and nearly 10k to be diagnosed (thankfully they have very very good insurance).

Anyway after several different interventions we finally have a diagnosis (sort of, as it’s rare they don’t have a name for it but we know what the condition is and therefore now how to treat it, as a result she now has the medication and treatment - practically healthy - if she doesn’t have her medication she loses control of her back legs and is in significant pain.

her insurance has now ran out so I’m paying for the meds out of pocket for 3 months (most of the money was used up on MRI’s etc) - I went to her vets on Monday and got her new meds for the month - £390!! I had no idea they were that expensive as previously it had all been on insurance.

I paid and then got into the car and burst into tears - I don’t have £400 a month! And I sat there realising that after everything she’s been through, despite now being a ‘normal’ healthy dog, I might have to put her to sleep because I won’t have her back in the pain she was in before.

I then googled the prices of her meds - the medication that they had charged me £300 for a month is 15p a tablet (she is on 3 different types of mediation)

£15 for 100 tablets which is what she needed.

I went back into the vets (looking like an absolute wreck at this point) and demanded a refund, arranged a private prescription and the meds were delivered yesterday.

But I’m still seething. I have spent an absolute fortune (well the insurance company has) with these vets - I feel so let down and angry over it.

i knew meds were more expensive via the vets but that is insane - and now I am left with all those emotions (despite the situation being resolved) and I don’t know how to let go of it.

so AIBU to still be so so angry? And if so, what do I do to get rid of it?

Sorry to hear about this @Somethingintheheavens and about your poor dog, and I hope she is on the mend now. I haveno suggestions o how to let go of the anger to be honest, but it will fade eventually... it's still only been 3 days.

However, shit like this is the reason why DH and I will never have any more pets. We have had pets (cats, rabbits, and hamsters) since the late 1990s, and our last cat died last year, aged 18 (the second from last died 2 years earlier, aged 17.) We noticed over the past 5 or 6 years or so that the vet bills were going up and up and up, and when our last 2 cats got to 16-ish, they suddenly started to go downhill health-wise.

With both cats, the vet said they wanted to do multiple tests and scans and x-rays and all sorts, and they may need to go onto meds for the rest of their life, and have certain treatments and all sorts. Long story short, it was going to cost 100s of pounds a month, and 1000s over any given year. That had never happened with any pet - ever, in the 25-ish years DH and I had had them, OR when our parents had pets when we were younger.

Pre late 2010s, when pets became very old, and they started to become ill, the vet would put them to sleep, yet now, they seem to want to milk every last penny out of the owner. Doesn't matter if they can't afford it, or if it's not in the best interests of the animal. It's all about the ££££ $$$ ££££!

My friend's 19 year old cat was diagnosed with a mass on her stomach in October, and the vet wanted to operate on her. The operation was going to cost £7000. She wasn't insured as she couldn't get insurance as the cat was so old. She said she wanted to have her put to sleep, as it makes no sense to put a very old cat through that, and the vet even said there was a chance the surgery may kill her. (I bet if it did, they'd still want their £7000!) They tried to talk her into the surgery for her cat, but she stood strong and refused.

Yes I know NAVALT (not all vets are like that!) but many are now, and it's really sad, because it's putting people off having more pets, and soooo many animals now will not be able to find a home, because so many people are being put off by the bloody vet bills! That is the main reason DH and I won't have any more. I would love another cat, but can't risk the ever-rising vet costs bleeding us dry. The price the vets charge for the meds alone are hilariously high. It's farcical!

And as has been said, not everyone has the luxury or good fortune of having multiple vets to choose from, and it's really, really difficult to find one that doesn't charge the earth! Many of the bills are more than humans pay for private health care!

Oh and pet insurance isn't worth the paper it's written on most of the time. There's soooo many things it doesn't cover, or it will only cover so much for so long, and once the cat or dog gets to about 8 or 9 years old, the premiums go up hugely! So much so that many people can't afford the pet insurance!

It's a racket; breeders churn out dogs with health defects, the vets extort money out of you to fix the health defects.

I am so glad you got your poor dog’s medication at a more reasonable price @Somethingintheheavens. If you take the medication you have purchased out of my vet’s premises they won’t take it back under any circumstances. I am still quietly seething at paying £26 for a single travel sickness tablet for my dog.

So for the lady whose post was deleted…

Sorry I’m not sure what thread you have read but it’s not mine 😂

I haven’t cancelled her insurance, we have reached her annual limit. It renews in July.

she’s never been made to be sick? The £390 was the cost of her medications.

and for @trumpisruinshe is completely health tested and was from a very good breeder - her condition is literally something that the vets have only seen 3 times in the uk - it’s not a genetic condition.

Most vets are now run by chains/corporations/investment funds etc.
They operate the maximize profit rule and do not care about customers or the animals - their mission is now to extract the maximum amount of money they can out of each schmuck customer. I got creamed like you and was not so polite. I told the vet in reception in front of other customers that the prices were outrageous and a complete rip-off. I subsequently received a letter in the post saying my pet would no longer be treated by their services - as if I would ever return to be ripped off again.

Also give yourself credit for investigating the price of the meds online (despite being really stressed) and therefore taking the action to get a private prescription. Remember this next time you are in a difficult situation and let it give you confidence that you are strong! PS Lucky dog to have you as an owner.

I work at an independent vets and our prices are so much more reasonable than the nearby corporate's ,some examples we hear from clients switching to us from them are breathtaking.
For all of you buying a written prescription ,are you aware that by asking for a multi use prescription you can buy X amount spread over time ie 6 months and will only pay once for the script until the quantity is used up and a renewal is due with your vet.

I did not know that! Is that the same for controlled medication as well?

No, YANBU. My dad was a vet, and obviously had a business to run, staff to pay etc, so they have to make a bit of money wherever they can. However, the prices that some vets charge nowadays are outrageous. I feel it is because insurance companies are easy money.
You can often get the meds online for a lot less than they charge, then they stiff you for a private prescription. Top tip, the prescription will only be valid for a certain amount of time, so make sure you stock up well before it runs out, and only get a new prescription when you need it.

Get the prescription off the vet, usually £10-£15 and order the meds online. It won't solve the past but will help the future.

I was going to say similar to someone else, try and get a prescription for more than a month as well as that will save you money too. Also....you can get cash back via quidco on some pet drugs companies!
This has been happening for many many years. Vets didnt use to charge for the prescription, but now they do, but most drugs are still far cheaper online if you can do it that way!

You're not being unreasonable.

Thank you for telling us @Somethingintheheavens I'm definitely going to check if I can get medication much cheaper from private prescriptions going forward.

Thank you for this OP. I was going to start a thread last month about vet's prices as I was so shocked.

My DM's DDog fell suddenly ill about six weeks ago. The vet suggested a last-chance IV solution for 24 hours.

For us, the shock came at the shock of the cost of keeping him at the vet's overnight. They use an out-of-hours service from 7pm to 8am. Our dog was given pain relief when he arrived, then in the night they reduced his IV fluids.

For that, we were charged £414!!!

It's quite a big-sized facility that takes a lot of pets overnight. I know this because they were supposed to ring us and let us know that he had settled but we didn't get a phone call. So I rang them about 10pm and she said that they were run off their feet - I think there's only 2 or 3 veterinary nurses that run the overnight facility, with a vet on call if needed.

I understand there are overheads but with the number of pets they charge for staying overnight and just a skeleton staff, they must be making a small fortune!

And then on top of that, the vet charges £130 for 12 hours care. That involves your dog just being in a cage around the back. Any medication or extra treatment is charged on top of that.

The final kick in the teeth was that we had to let our little lad go as he was just too sick and in pain. Putting him to sleep costs £123 - but then the vet charges a further £57 consultation charge on top.

It really does feel exploitative.

Vets are massive rip-off. My friend was once sold a £150 tube of 'medicine' for a puppy with an upset tummy. On reading the label it turned out to be... yoghurt.

A lot of these vets practices are owned by hedge funds so they don't care about the animals or their owners.

The truth hurts eh? 😆 Good for you for making a stand and giving them what for!

Oh my days that's awful!

Gone are the days of a small private vet practice. They are owned by chains who set prices and pressure vets to sell packages and products. So what I’m trying to say is it’s not the actual vet’s fault. So be angry at consumer capitalism! I’m glad your dog is ok. You must have been so distraught. Obviously getting a prescription and buying drugs privately is the way to go.

When my dog went on long term meds it was the vet who told me I could do this. So they aren’t all awful!

Exactly - this is what my vet does.

Exactly, usually once something is dispensed it can’t be returned.

I feel your pain. I have been given a vets bill of nearly £2000. This was for a kitten that I had rehomed and had for just 3 days. (Illness that he had been harbouring with breeder) . He ended up as an emergency and then overnight which extended until the afternoon, then he died. I have been devastated…
Also had to pay for the cremation of is little body today. They wanted £107, I said he isn’t even the size of a rabbit, they reduced it to £70.

We've got some old meds in a drawer. They worked out at about £1/tablet from the vet, six years ago. About £1.30 at current values.

44p/tablet online now. So 3x mark-up.

Look into Animal trust they are a charity run vets but do not ask about your income. They are based more up north but I travel from Hampshire to see them and stay over night and it’s still half. the price

Urgh. I always try and refrain from commenting on these posts but here goes.

Speaking as a vet and a business owner. Are we ‘in it for the money’? No. Do we need our business to be profitable so that we can stay open and provide care for pets in the community, yes. As do any other businesses.

It blows my mind that in this day and age people are still comparing online prices to clinic prices. Of course they’re cheaper online. The online company can buy the meds CHEAPER from wholesalers than we can. They have minimal overheads. No staff training costs, laboratory costs, instruments and supplies etc. Our drug prices take in account our overheads and the fact you can get them there and then.

Yes the CMA is investigating us. And I whole heartedly welcome some of the recommendations. Do I agree it should be my job to constantly remind people they can buy drugs online cheaper? No. My job is to diagnose and treat patients and inform owners. An owners job is to make us aware of your financial limitations so we can help.

For everyone that throws mud at us - please remember we are humans. Humans who put their life on hold to pursue a job to help animals. I definitely would have been much wealthier (and a lot less stressed) in numerous other professions but I don’t see them get daily bashing. You don’t see the patients I’ve had signed over to me so I can fix them and re-home them; strays I’ve fixed and re-homed; wildlife I’ve nursed back to health and released in my garden. All the majority see are pound signs.

I urge you to be kind. If you want to openly discuss finances, do so! We want to help you just as much as we want to help your furbabies