Sorry to ask but can anyone explain why it costs so much to have veterinary treatment?

[DeirdreDoo]

I hope this doesn't offend - I am aware there may be vets who post on here and am hoping they won't mind putting it into context for me, as I am a bit perplexed, and don't want to jump to conclusions.

We have two rabbits and have had them for several years. Nothing's really gone wrong until yesterday when I had to take in my boy rabbit for a few stitches to a wound. It was fairly straightforward and he needed sedation, and we picked him up after about 6 hours though he hadn't eaten (they kept him there an extra 3 hours so that they could make sure he did - but told me to pick him up anyway in the end - he has now started eating so that's not a concern)

We have some precautionary antibiotics (£12) and the rest cost £83.

When they were neutered several years ago it was £35 per male rabbit.

I can't understand why a few stitches with sedation is now the best part of a hundred pounds?

Is this to do with inflation?


The vets are lovely and faultless in their care and I would never raise this issue in person. I don't see them as charging so much because they are out to make a profit - I'm sure it is minimal - so why is it that they have to charge so much compared to a few years ago?

Thanks of anyone got this far.

[dodobookends]

Vets have to charge VAT at 20%.

[anotherBadAvatar]

This was a man's bill for an appendicectomy in the USA. His insurance covered some of it but he was still left with $11,000 to pay. Gives you an idea of what we can expect once the tories have privatised the nhs.

[SleepIsForTheWeakAnyway]

I think the charges are different from vet to vet. When my dd's hamster got sick I first him him to the vets inside pets at home. It cost £50 for vet exam, antibiotics and painkillers. When the poor mite still didn't get better I took him to our local (chain) vet. They charged £23 for another full exam and putting him to sleep. Previously I took a hamster with a UTI to the pdsa and the receipt for that said it should have cost £55 for exam and medication.

It is a case of shopping.

I do bear in mind when I pay for any of my animals treatments that I've never met a rich vet.

[SleepIsForTheWeakAnyway]

*shopping around

[viioletsarentblue]

This is why I don't have pets.
It's too expensive.

[DeirdreDoo]

Sunshine, many thanks for your clear answers, much appreciated - do you have any idea though why prices seem to have gone up so much particularly since insurance became such a big thing, maybe 15-20 years ago?

I remember taking a hamster to have his eye stitched in about 1986 and it cost £1.32. That's 30 years ago but still. I cant begin to imagine what it could cost now?

[RiverTam]

Don't forget that it takes longer (I believe) to train to be a vet than a doctor. Doctors only have to learn about humans. Vets have to learn about pets, farm animals, wild animals, mammals, reptiles, birds. Etc etc etc. You are paying for all that knowledge and expertise, even if you to 'only' have a rabbit.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I think some costs seem unjustifiable too. I had my dog put down last year in a normal, booked appt which wasn't out of hours and it cost £145.

I phoned around afterwards and other places were much cheaper. I was too upset to phone around before and took him to my normal vet.

Also, my dog swallowed some stones a couple of years ago and the vet quoted me £1760 for an operation to remove them (2 small stones).

I asked for an anti emetic (£25), he gave the dog a pill and he immediately threw up the 2 stones.

When I asked why he didn't offer the anti emetic he said he just didn't think of it.

I think if I hadn't done my nurses training I'd have been paying for that operation still.

[Bouncearound]

I wondered this too. Our dog recently broke into a locked box and ate 18 chocolate cakes. I took her to vet straight away, vet listened to her heart rate then have her an injection to induce vomiting. I then waited in the car park with a bowl until she had stopped vomiting and took her home. That injection cost nearly £90 and whilst I am happy to pay it as a responsible dog owner (insurance has £80 excess) I did wonder how it got to that price for a 30 second examination, injection and disposal of a bucket of vomit.

[OddBoots]

I imagine it has gone up in line with everything else we can't import from or outsource to countries with a lower cost of living.

Pet ownership has certainly become a luxury item though, we used to have guinea pigs but can't afford to now and there is no way I could live with myself if we took them on then couldn't get then the right care if they needed it. I feed and enjoy the wild birds outside the window now instead.

[SunshineAndShadows]

Bouncearound that injection would be apomorphine. It's a drug that has limited uses meaning that each individual vial it's very expensive. It's only produced in glass vials which do not store so when a vet opens a vial they have to charge for the whole amount. £90 is about standard.

This is what I mean about the British public having no idea about medical costs - it's very easy for a 'quick injection' to cost an awful lot - vets have to purchase these drugs if you want them to be available to your pets

Drug licensing legislation has changed significantly over recent years meaning that vets have to prescribe (often more expensive) drugs licensed for particular species rather than generics.

Similarly most vets have now recognised that treating 'exotics' (often with drugs specially licensed for these species) is incredibly expensive. As more and more people bring exotic pets to the vets, and as these species require even more specialist training and cpd (often £800-1000/day) and can only be prescribed selected drugs, costs increase.

[DeirdreDoo]

Kit kats were about 25p in 1986. They are about 65p now - so between double and triple the price.

Hamster eye operations - I really doubt you could get one of those for under £6

[SunshineAndShadows]

Sorry to hear about your dog Laurie did you take the body home or did that charge also include the transportation, licensed. Crematorium and disposal fees? Often it's these costs that people don't think about

Similarly the description of 'two small stones' it makes no difference if it's 2 small stones or 5 big ones - you still have to pay for the anaesthetic, X-rays, surgical time, pain relief, nursing costs etc - As a nurse, how much do you think would it cost for a private human exploratory laparotomy?

[DeirdreDoo]

So much of it has to do with licensing law? How do these laws get brought in? I'd imagine most consumes of vet services and vets themselves would vote against them given the option?

[DeirdreDoo]

As a nurse, how much do you think would it cost for a private human exploratory laparotomy?

Well it seems an emetic drug was faster and more appropriate in that case! But it wasn't suggested. Which is odd.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

The emetic was not suggested because there is an incredible high risk of a stomach foreign body ( easy to remove ) becoming a thoracic foreign body ( very difficult to remove). Suggesting it as an appropriate treatment course would be seen by our regulating body as negligent and would result in the vet being struck of if the worst had happened and the owner had complained.
I would never, ever give an emetic to a pet with an intestinal foreign body unless the owner signed a statement stating they understood and accepted the risks my licence to practice is just to valuable to me.

[elastamum]

I think vets fees are pretty much aligned with human care.

Fees for my D dog who recently died of cancer ran up to nearly £7K over 3 months. My other dog had an operation to have some mammary tumours removed cost £3700.

Fortunately they were both insured

[DeirdreDoo]

That makes sense Lone.

Crikey I am never getting a dog.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Licences are all dictated by Europe and are the same regulations relating to human clinical waste.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I'm very surprised at an emetic being prohibited or negligent since that's recommended for humans. I don't believe the risk of a thorassic event makes this more difficult in dogs

There were no crematorium fees in that amount, just disposal (which I think our council does for free).

[Twooter]

As another vet I assure we would never try and get a dog to vomit up something that could cause an oesophageal obstruction. Not sure that humans who swallowed stones would be encouraged to either. Are you mixing it up with people who overdose? Bear in mind thoracic surgery and complications is a whole different ball game to abdominal surgery.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Laurie councils no longer do disposal as the bodies of pets are classed as clinical waste and have to go to a licensed crematorium.
Emetics are used were liquid or poisonous food type items are eaten in both humans and pets.
Solid items stones, bones and chewed toys have very high risk of getting stuck in the oesophagus in the thorax which requires surgery into the thorax which is avert specialist skill that most GP vets would not undertake and required considerably higher level of post op care with chest drains etc.
Profit on veterinary practice is really very low.

[OytheBumbler]

Putting aside whether vets make a profit or not, I still think costs are so exorbitant that it is the animals in the end who suffer from people being reluctant to take them for treatment.

It's all very well saying don't have a pet if you can't afford it but if your circumstances change or your insurance doesn't cover the treatment then you're stumped.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

A large number of independent practices will try to come up with a payment schedule to help in those circumstances.

[FernieB]

As other posters have said, if we had to pay for our healthcare we'd have a shock. I spent some time living abroad and had to pay to see a GP. If any further treatment was required, it cost a lot more. We did have health insurance, but even with that, we still had to pay for GP appointments etc, plus the cost of the insurance. I had the unfortunate experience of being in A&E with a sick child but being made to wait whilst less sick people went ahead even though they arrived later because their insurance was better than ours - that was the system.

We're spoilt in the UK with the NHS and don't appreciate how much treatment costs. Unfortunately as pets aren't covered by a similar system, we have to pay for their treatment in full.