Vets4Pets £99 vaccinations for life - what's the catch?

[MayorOfOz]

There must be a catch, surely! I have been using the same vets for years as I really trust them, but boy are they expensive! So I'm tempted by the £99 for vaccinations for life, but will prob still take little dog to our original vets for anything else, if they will let me if I get her vaccinated elsewhere. Has anyone done this at all? Is there a catch I should be aware of?

There will be terms and conditions for this. You should read them carefully. Some practices state that you have to use them as your main vet not just for vaccines, some have a time limit to when you can get the boosters done or they charge you anyway if you are late, etc. But if you are happy with the terms and you have a relatively young dog where you will get good value for money then it's a good deal.

The only catch is you have to remember when they're due for their 6 monthly checkup and make and appointment and the same for their boosters. If you forget you have to pay again.

That's the only catch.

Sorry to say isn't it also the vet betting on how many animals don't make it past the first year? Someone that's paid £99 whose pet then crosses rainbow bridge within a few weeks is also left £££s out of pocket and the vet very happy at so much money for so few jabs. =S

I imagine they do this because you are more likely to return to them if you are having your vaccinations done there. There are similar schemes in other practices. I suspect their other services and charges are pretty steep if you make the comparison. If you have an otherwise healthy pet then vacc for life looks like a no brainer to me, but vets bills have a habit of getting sky high very quickly so I would be asking about standard consultation fees, how much a course of antibiotics is likely to cost, etc.

Your vet shouldn't turn you away just because you get your vaccinations elsewhere though.

I statted the £99 thing about 18 months ago. Got first boosters done no problem. All seems good so far. Just make sure you get boosters done on time othetwise you pay again.
Doesn't include kennel cough or rabies.

Do they not send you reminders?

The catch is that usually the prices for everything else is more expensive.

Ask how much they charge for neutering, a consultation, sedation and xrays, a dental, etc and compared to other local vets you may find they are significantly steeper, but by this point you have already registered and perhaps built trust in them so you will continue to use their services.

Also, a large proportion of owners don't go back for their annual boosters whether they're paid for or not so they will be making money out of that.

I've got this for Ddog (Companion Care, same company). I'm hot on T's&C's and couldn't find anything I didn't like/want to agree to.
I assume it's because they think you'll take your pet there for all treatment. I do that anyway so doesn't bother me. They're a bit more expensive (not an unreasonable amount) but very easy for me to access and very friendly and professional so it was a no brainer.
Their Care Plan is also very good value for money, I save about £6 a month on flea treatment & worming.

As an example I recently got my cat castrated with them, it was £49 whereas a different vet was £43 so nothing significant imo.

I doubt that many die young, think it just gets more new & return custom for the vets, should really get at least a check up annually so any issues are picked up earlier ideally but many owners drop vacs & vet may then not see dog for years. My vet commented that he wished same was for reptiles as it would solve many problems he see's.
It doesn't take long to get money's worth & I think you can transfer to other Vets4pets practices if move. If your late with vacs by too long most vets tend to suggest restarting course I.e 2 lots of injections so many wks apart, nowadays vets send out reminders but I try to remember month.
My dogs at a vets4pets and costs aren't that different to previous practice, sometimes their cheaper like they offer dental for £99 I've paid £200 which tbh was reasonable for area.
You can choose to go for treatment where you please though, I expect plenty took up vacs4life offer but use other vets normally and maybe some that ended up preferring vets4pets & switch.

Vets4Pets charge the same basic prices as the other vets in my area. One thing to note is they don't - at least ours don't - have an out-of-hours facility, though they do have a sister vets (about 10 miles away in my area) that you can use.

I wonder if they're banking on a lot of people not repeat-vaccinating their pets - i.e. people start out with good intentions and pay the £99 when they first get their pet, but then don't bother in subsequent years, so they get £99 instead of £40 for a single vaccination IYSWIM.

We have it for our two cats and have had two lots of boosters free so far. Our Vets4Pets does have an out of hours facility but not all do.

We transferred it from the original Vets4Pets when a new one opened up nearer to us. And they do send reminders when it is due and a few weeks afterwards in case you forget. The booster has to be done within a month or so of the anniversary date to keep the plan active. There seems to be no need for the six monthly checkup that comes free but we have previously used it.

No complaints so far.

I use it for my cat. No problems in almost three years. We have even moved areas and transferred it to a different branch with no problem.

Thanks everyone. I think I'll go for it then. I'll also look into the care package for flea treatment etc - didn't know about that one. Thanks!

Is vets for pets what pets at home used to be? I got our dog chipped, jags, kennel cough with pets at home for £69 about 5 years ago. No terms and conditions just had to take him back for a 6 month check

I think the 'catch' is that you will probably keep going to them for other things. Effectively they offer a good deal on vaccinations to get your custom for all your vet needs.

Vets for Pets have concessions inside some Pets at Home stores, Amee.

We opted to go with a local independent vets rather than vets for pets - they offer a happy pet scheme which is £10.99 a month and covers all vaccinations, flea/worming/tick treatment, monthly puppy check/weighing, money off treatment and neutering/spaying. I've been very happy with the scheme so far.

We have 3 animals on vacs4life.

All have returned the 'investment' over paying individually.

Doesn't include kennel cough.

We go there for the vet and it just happens to be vets4pets and we are pleased over all.

We moved to a Vets4Pets practice when our vet who we like moved practice, so we followed her to ensure continuity of care for our dogs.
I've actually found them to be competitive on prices and in fact slightly cheaper for some basics (e.g. recent offers on dentals were useful as one of ours needed one anyway). The care is excellent, and in our practice at least appointments are available seven days a week plus evenings. It's extremely useful to have these without going to OOH on weekend (that's still there locally for emergencies at night). Our vet is scrupulous to explain costs and options and in fact quite often suggests things that are cheaper via the net. It's actually quite handy having the practice inside the shop - I know I can always park right outside with no bother, the staff are lovely and the practice itself is super clean, modern, spacious and has aircon.

I do a similar thing with a local vet (think I paid £79 9 years ago) and have had no problems. We go every year for booster and a check up and also get flea/worming stuff from there at the same time. I use another, even closer (and cheaper) vet for the medication that she needs monthly and there have been no problems.

You can have them vaccinated elsewhere as long as your main practice is aware. I'm a vet nurse and a lot of our clients get vaccination packages but use us for everything else!

Isn't the catch that you are paying for 6 monthly vet visits (totally unnecessary) during which they will want to sell you dog food, flea treatment and wormers which may not be necessary or you may get cheaper elsewhere.

Catch583 - the six monthly visit is included but also you don't have to go, it is not an obligatory part of the deal. We often don''t use it, the only obligatory bit on thee owner's behalf is to get the vaccinations done within about a month of the due date to keep up to date.