Why are vets so expensive

[bevelino]

My precious dog has been treated by our local vet but is now an in-patient at a veterinary hospital. The cost so far is way more than the cost of treating a human for the same condition privately,

Oh give over OP.

[quote Veterinari]**@Veterinari I have absolutely no idea why you are being so offensive and it makes me think you are a troll and definitely not a vet

What exactly is 'offensive' about pointing out factual inaccuracies or providing the answer to your question?

[/quote]
@Veterinari

“Vet salaries are nowhere close to similar professions.
But yeah I guess if you can't be arsed to engage your brain, 'greedy' is a much easier label to apply.”

I do not mind being told that I am wrong, but there is no need for you to speak to me in these terms. I won’t be commenting on this thread again.

@bevelino for comparison
My dog had abdominal surgery for mast cell tumour. Large margins, so big wound. Day surgery, home with painkillers. About £500. About 5 years ago
I had private surgery for tonsillectomy . Day surgery, home with painkillers £3500. 3 years ago.
Vets are not expensive, but they are not subsidised.
And @Veterinari has been on this board a long time, and I believe from previous boards, she is a vet, so no troll hunting please.

The main issue I have with vets costs are the expectation that if you lived your animal you would find the money to pay for the incredibly expensive treatment whereas back when I wax you get you would have the animal PTS.

Try again 🥴

The main issue I have with vets costs is the expectation that if you loved your animal you would find the money to pay for the incredibly expensive treatment whereas back when I was younger you would have the animal PTS

I do not mind being told that I am wrong, but there is no need for you to speak to me in these terms. I won’t be commenting on this thread again.

Umm if you didn't say vets were 'greedy' then I'm not speaking to you in those terms am I?

You have however implied it and started a thread that has encouraged other posters to label vets as greedy.

Your posts are derogatory and inaccurate.

If you don't like a robust rebuttal of your insinuations then don't start threads slagging off a profession that is doing it's damndest to save your pet's life.

I do not mind being told that I am wrong, but there is no need for you to speak to me in these terms. I won’t be commenting on this thread again.

We have a flounce!

I have 2 vets, a horse vet and a small animal vet.

The small animal vet (so just a normal run of the mill vets) was previously an independent surgery. Prices were on par with my horse vet for similar procedures. So not a massive difference in vaccinations, basic check ups, consultation. Then it was bought out by a bigger company and prices increased by 25% or so. Same vets, same nurses, same building, same receptionist. I have absolutely no complaints about the care we get, or what we pay (ddog is insured) but I do object to paying 25% more for the same service because it was bought out. Due to original owner retiring not due to them getting into financial difficulties.

That's the problem with vet care, eventually you aren't paying salaries etc, you are paying for a massive company to get as much profit as possible, often via insurance claims which then makes pet ownership even more out of reach as insurance premiums becomes unaffordable.

@justanotherneighinparadise

I do think you have a point that attitudes to pets have changed. They're much more likely to be treated as a precious first-born child than an animal, with emotional expectations to match.

I also think what is available has changed. When I was a kid, we had a young dog PTS with intractable neck pain. Probable slipped disc, but no way of investigating to find out if that was so. Thirty years on, my first dog as an adult had exactly the same symptoms, had an MRI and lumbar puncture, got a firm diagnosis of Steroid Responsive Meningitis and went on to a full recovery.

MRI didn't even exist when my childhood dog was poorly. If it had, she might not have been PTS before she was two. That difference was a four figure bill, even 15 years ago, but a dog that went on to live a full and happy life.

It's extraordinary how things have moved on. We can do so much more. But that means we need to think about paying for so much more.

If you were treated privately, every swab, every needle, dressing pack, syringe, etc., would be itemised and included in the fee. You have no idea how much medicine costs, because you aren't told. Some antibiotics are almost £100 per dose. You wouldn't be told, it would just be taken out of the drug cupboard and connected.

Vets aren't allowed to use generic drugs as doctors are with humans. It all has to be the brand name drug.

You aren't paying just for the vet's time. You're paying for the infrastructure, the admin, the cleaning, the drugs and the equipment.

Come off it, leave @Veterinari alone. She’s been here for years. Certainly a vet, not a troll!! The OP was querying the cost of veterinary surgery and care. Veterinari explained why it is what it is, and provided links. How is that rude?

I think people in the IK are somewhat shielded from the true costs of human medicine because we are so used to the NHS being free at the point of delivery. I bumped my head in a minor ski crash in France about 15 years ago. Went to A&E with suspected concussion. The bill for a short consultation, x ray and 4 hours observation (sitting on a chair in Reception, nurse coming to check I could still speak a few times) was around €1000.

If you don't like paying vets fees don't have a pet. It really is that simple.

@Frouby

I have 2 vets, a horse vet and a small animal vet.

The small animal vet (so just a normal run of the mill vets) was previously an independent surgery. Prices were on par with my horse vet for similar procedures. So not a massive difference in vaccinations, basic check ups, consultation. Then it was bought out by a bigger company and prices increased by 25% or so. Same vets, same nurses, same building, same receptionist. I have absolutely no complaints about the care we get, or what we pay (ddog is insured) but I do object to paying 25% more for the same service because it was bought out. Due to original owner retiring not due to them getting into financial difficulties.

That's the problem with vet care, eventually you aren't paying salaries etc, you are paying for a massive company to get as much profit as possible, often via insurance claims which then makes pet ownership even more out of reach as insurance premiums becomes unaffordable.

@Frouby

Please look at the links I posted

Very little if veterinary care is profit. But yes with larger corporations there will be larger margins - that's the same across all businesses. It's still considerably less than private healthcare. It's also almost certain that when your practice was bought out there will have been considerable equipment upgrades (new blood analysers, X-ray or ultrasound facilities) and likely improvements to employee benefits, such as pension schemes, CPD benefits etc. This would have been behind the scenes so to you it appeared the same.

It's odd that pet owners expect veterinary businesses to run on a shoestring in a way that they don't expect other businesses to. When I take my car to serviced it's several hundred pounds. If I book a plumber it's an £80 quid fallout fee. All of these things are accepted by society. Vets however are money grabbing and should work for free/subsidise pet healthcare costs. It's bizarre.

Ahhh but Veterinari we should do it for the love of the animals. Why should the greedy nasty vets (who spend 5-6 years at Uni wracking up tens of thousands of ££££ debt) deserve a decent wage? Honestly I live off air and the love of my patients

@Veterinari

Vet care costs aren't even close to human healthcare costs.

@bevelino please do tell me which private hospital offers an ovariohysterectomy for £250? Or where you can get a private GP consultation for £35?

Vets are legally bound to use certain drugs and have enormous overheads. They make very little profit. I had a client phone up the other week to complain that they could but their feliway £5 cheaper on Amazon. That's because Amazon have significantly more purchasing power that a small vet practice. For what it's worth we make £1.50 mark up on feliway, we're hardly raking it in

[[https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/12466127#Comment_12466127]]

Vet salaries are nowhere close to similar professions.

But yeah I guess if you can't be arsed to engage your brain, 'greedy' is a much easier label to apply.

If you're genuinely interested in learning why private vet care is expensive see links below

[[https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2018/11/30/veterinary-medicines-really-rip-off]]/

[[https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2014/08/26/debunking-myths-about-rip-off-veterinary-fees]]/

[[https://www.bva.co.uk/media/2639/clientleaflet1-thecostsofvetcare.pdf]]

[[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/pets/news-features/pet-costs-do-vets-charge-much]]/

I'm a vet. My pets are insured because I know how expensive treatment is. Pets aren't a necessity. Insurance for private medical and third party expenses is essential

Your last sentence is quite ignorant and I am surprised that you call yourself a vet. Would you really say that to people who need assistance dogs/pets? Shocking.

We have had some very high vet bills. Nothing to do with greed. All to do with the number of staff needed, specific drugs needed, the time involved and how highly qualified or specialist the staff are.
The issue is people take the NHS for granted and have no idea of how much care costs.
Our animals are insured.

I don’t know but they’re the lowest paid graduate profession by miles and miles and miles. Which is tragic because I much prefer vets to people who practice human medicine.

Yet another thread where the OP throws a wobbly when someone knowledgeable provides facts that show the OP is talking out of their arse.

@3JsMa assistance dogs aren't pets and eg Guide Dogs Charity pays for their dogs to be treated and they have subsided treatment rates at vets. Pets should be insured. Pets are not essential. They are a luxury. It is not up to me or my profession to fund your life choice.

I've always thought it was the other way - I pay my vet £30 for a 10 minute appointment, I can get evenings, weekends, same day usually and they'll always be friendly etc. If private gps were £30 I would pay happily! I have pet insurance that's £45 a month (9 year old) and all I pay is the first £75. Again I would buy it for me if human cover was so reasonable

I don't expect them to run on a shoestring, where did I state that? I have the utmost respect for both my horse and dog vet and fully expect them to make a profit. No one works for nothing. But a 25% uplift in charges is very noticeable. And nothing has changed in the dog vet. Interestingly the horse vet has also set a small animal practice up. Prices are similar to dog vets before they got bought out. New surgery, new equipment etc. The only reason I don't use them is because it's 15 miles away from home and dog doesn't travel well. So it is possible to run a competitive surgery with modern equipment with lower prices. Also cost of things like a buster collar doubled, I would have thought with greater purchasing power they would have remained the same price at least.

It's no secret that corporations are run for profit, and have greater staffing costs, probably more directors, senior admin staff, a head office to run. I have absolutely no issue paying my vet, the support staff, the cost of having a surgery blah blah blah. And no problem with a profit margin.

But I do object to a price increase of 25%, and no changes to the services. In fact they have removed the emergency out of hours provision from the local branch and its now offered 8 miles away so a decline really for local owners.

Your last sentence is quite ignorant and I am surprised that you call yourself a vet.
Would you really say that to people who need assistance dogs/pets?
Shocking.

Shocking that a vet would recommend pet insurance so that owners can protect themselves against 3rd party liability and unaffordable bills ?

Assistance dog medical bills are covered by the charities who provide the dogs @3JsMa and yes, they are usually insured. Weird isn't it how someone as 'ignorant' as me knows more than someone as knowledgeable as you...

Well here's the thing, it's a free market. If you don't like the fees your vet charges you are more than welcome to move to a different practice.

And nothing has changed in the dog vet.

Ok so you know there have been no salary or pension improvements, investments in CPD budgets, or equipment purchases.

Then I stand corrected @Frouby you're clearly much better informed than most clients.

@Veterinari

And nothing has changed in the dog vet.

Ok so you know there have been no salary or pension improvements, investments in CPD budgets, or equipment purchases.

Then I stand corrected @Frouby you're clearly much better informed than most clients.

Out of interest how do you know this?