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,

I thought vetinari was very restrained, given the tone of the OP. She also frequently gives excellent advice on MN.

Apart from the relatively reasonable costs, we were amazed when our dog needed surgery this summer by the efficiency of the vets versus human care. He developed a problem on a Saturday evening; he saw an out of hours vet promptly who gave some meds which were helpful, then we were able to take him to our vets on a Sunday morning. The vet referred him to an orthopaedic specialist. When we asked when, the answer was 'as soon as you can drive there'. gobsmacked, in a good way! Consultation, CT scan, surgery complete by the afternoon. A comparable human problem (even with medical insurance) would probably have been either wait till the GP opened on Monday and hope for an appointment and referral and scans goodness knows when, or a long wait in A&E and similar wait for scan and specialist.

DH wryly commented he wished he could register with the vets.

My vets are worth every penny. DDog had entropion and within a couple of days he had been diagnosed and operated on. Most of the cost was covered by insurance so I think it cost me somewhere in the region of £150 in excess fees. He’s also had pancreatitis, pulled cruciate ligament and a couple of minor dog bites. All seen within a couple of hours of calling my vets for an appointment.

I’d happily pay £30 to see a GP within that time frame.

Yep Veternari, I am more informed than you about what has happened at my local vet thanks. I am also aware of how a large company operates compared to a small company. You aren't Vet Of UK you know. You have no idea what is happening at every local vets in every corner of the UK. And non of the staff or vets are particularly happy with it either. A small local practice is a vastly different thing to a branch of a large company. And clients are entitled to express that opinion. I've never complained or compared costs of anything recommended by any vet. Happily paid insurance for 20 odd years. Happily paid excess, vacs, small bills without quibble. But it's shrewd to understand why vets charge what they do and what options we have as owners and if I had a small local surgery I could easily access I absolutely would because ime they are cheaper. And care isn't compromised.

Pets are essential to me. People I could live without, but I simply couldn't live without animals, they are as essential to my life as the air that I breathe.

Fortunately, because of NHS most people do not realise how high healthcare costs are.

Vets deserve to be rewarded for their expertise IMHO. And they cost a lot less than the many private appts & MRI’s I have had with my consultant Neurologist over the last 9 years.

Vets fees are another element of pet ownership that you need to consider.

If you can’t afford pet insurance premiums each month, then really you should think again, as to whether pet ownership is right for you.

"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."

This is true for people too! It's one of the reasons the NHS struggles so much, people live longer and get treated for things that were previously incurable.

Having said that, re. big group practices & independent vets, firstly I do think there is also a difference between a small animal vet practice in a city, and a farm vet that also has a small animal side in terms of expectations as to how far you will go to treat your pets & therefore what you are routinely offered.

Also (and Veterinari may tell me that this is unusual), a relative who is a vet was in a small animal practice that was taken over by a group and she left her job because she felt pressured into offering expensive scans etc and a level of what she considered over treatment, if that makes sense.

(I'm always amazingly impressed by how reasonable and how lovely our vets are :) I can't remember how much it cost to spay / chip / vaccinate two kittens but much less than I expected for sure)

Our small local vets was bought out by a larger firm (still fairly local, but with about 4 branches). We've not noticed significant difference in their pricing, other than them offering yearly plans for checkups, wormer and tick treatment which gives a discount on other meds. That's working out well for us at the moment.
Maligning a whole profession because someone doesn't like a change in their local practice isn't very edifying or convincing.

@Frouby

Yep Veternari, I am more informed than you about what has happened at my local vet thanks. I am also aware of how a large company operates compared to a small company. You aren't Vet Of UK you know. You have no idea what is happening at every local vets in every corner of the UK. And non of the staff or vets are particularly happy with it either. A small local practice is a vastly different thing to a branch of a large company. And clients are entitled to express that opinion. I've never complained or compared costs of anything recommended by any vet. Happily paid insurance for 20 odd years. Happily paid excess, vacs, small bills without quibble. But it's shrewd to understand why vets charge what they do and what options we have as owners and if I had a small local surgery I could easily access I absolutely would because ime they are cheaper. And care isn't compromised.

Right so just an aggressive rant rather than an answer to my polite question.

It isn't usual for clients to be aware of salary changes, pension or CPD costs or other 'hidden' investment, so I thought my curiosity about your insider knowledge was reasonable.

Or could it be that actual you don't have this info but are claiming you do to 'justify' your indignation and fit your narrative?

The cost so far is way more than the cost of treating a human for the same condition privately

sure about that?
dc had investigations and a simple operation a few years ago (after nhs majorly fucked up).
the op alone as a day case cost more than 10k.

@Veterinari
@BadEyeBri

It is shocking statement from both of you yet again.
I would never consider someone who is struggling with mental health or other health condition to have a dog/cat or whatever other animal as you describe as ''lifestyle choice''.
There is massive evidence available how these 'pets' are literally saving people's lives and reducing the need for an NHS treatment.
It's pretty awful that UK does not recognize support animals as a necessity (and I know few people where their GP was happy to confirm that their pet was definitely contributing to their recovery and well-being)
Any responsible pet owner will have pet insurance although we should be sensitive to those who can't afford one but their pet is a 'lifeline'

@Veterinari can I ask you a general question please?

Last Saturday, dog got a nasty cut about 3 inches up the leg, you could see her bone if flexed the right way. I bandaged her up and she went straight off to the vet. She was sedated (not fully) whilst she was stitched up, she had managed to nick her tendon sheath. Got her home later with a big bandage and told to keep calm. Follow up appointment on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning, checked and sent home without bandage. Tuesday afternoon, I get home and point out no sign of stitches and say I think she should still be bandaged.
Friday, back for a check. No stitches seen, bandage back on, running a temp so back on anti b's.
Back on Monday for a check. If no better, will need restitching, which we will have to pay in the same ball park for.
I'm peeved that we will have to pay again due to what I see as an incorrect decision to take the bandage off. I will pay and I won't complain but I will no longer be using that vet.
She is a 2 yr old Pointer, she went out for toileting on lead only and we kept her as quiet as we possibly could.
Am I being unreasonable?

Another issue is progress! There are so many more treatment options and scans etc that can be considered. These all cost money.
The hardware and tech that vets have costs a bloody fortune to buy.
Plus ours is having building work done due to local demand for their expertise.
That all costs money.

My last dog had a 5 1/2k surgery and vets stay... I got an itemised bill, with everything on it - down to sutures and which staff per half hour...

Nothing on there was particularly expensive tbh, it just added up - I mean it was a 7 hour surgery and days in intensive care, that’s a lot of stuff and people needed.

@NiceTwin not a vet but an owner whose dog developed an infection as we did bandage! Hot and damp environment. Nasties grow! It’s not simple.

Vets do an amazing job and are worth every penny. I'd agree that pet insurance is a necessity though - one of our dogs was kept in for 2 days due to gastroenteritis (we thought he'd swallowed something so he needed xrays etc) and he was on a drip due to dehydration.
Cost just on 3k, fully covered by insurance.

@Frouby are you referring to Medivet? I found the same when it acquired the local vet practice

[quote 3JsMa]@Veterinari
@BadEyeBri

It is shocking statement from both of you yet again.
I would never consider someone who is struggling with mental health or other health condition to have a dog/cat or whatever other animal as you describe as ''lifestyle choice''.
There is massive evidence available how these 'pets' are literally saving people's lives and reducing the need for an NHS treatment.
It's pretty awful that UK does not recognize support animals as a necessity (and I know few people where their GP was happy to confirm that their pet was definitely contributing to their recovery and well-being)
Any responsible pet owner will have pet insurance although we should be sensitive to those who can't afford one but their pet is a 'lifeline'[/quote]
Right so it's the responsibility of private sector key workers to subsidise pet care for people with mental health difficulties because the government isn't?

I hope your expectations are the same of those in retail (surely supermarket workers should provide food and clothing) or sport (PTS should offer free sessions)?

I also assume that you expect the backyard breeders selling puppies at 3k a pop untaxed to be responsible for providing the pets?

Sounds like a great approach. Flawless

@3JsMa I'm not sure you live in the same world that I do. I saw nothing shocking in my comments. Pets are a luxury. They have very many positive effects but that does not make them necessities.

[quote NiceTwin]@Veterinari can I ask you a general question please?

Last Saturday, dog got a nasty cut about 3 inches up the leg, you could see her bone if flexed the right way. I bandaged her up and she went straight off to the vet. She was sedated (not fully) whilst she was stitched up, she had managed to nick her tendon sheath. Got her home later with a big bandage and told to keep calm. Follow up appointment on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning, checked and sent home without bandage. Tuesday afternoon, I get home and point out no sign of stitches and say I think she should still be bandaged.
Friday, back for a check. No stitches seen, bandage back on, running a temp so back on anti b's.
Back on Monday for a check. If no better, will need restitching, which we will have to pay in the same ball park for.
I'm peeved that we will have to pay again due to what I see as an incorrect decision to take the bandage off. I will pay and I won't complain but I will no longer be using that vet.
She is a 2 yr old Pointer, she went out for toileting on lead only and we kept her as quiet as we possibly could.
Am I being unreasonable?[/quote]
No idea without seeing the case

But general thoughts:

if you had an exposed tendon the chances of infection are high and the consequences are serious.

Tendons are poorly vascularised and so infection control/healing is difficult.

If very likely your vets used an intradermal suture pattern so that you wouldn't see sutures.

Removing the dressing is entirely normal

If the wound was closed, infection wouldn't have reached in from outside. It's very likely any wound breakdown issue to infection from the original injury.

@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,

That's not my experience. My hysterectomy cost over £6000, whereas a cat spay is less than £100.

I should have asked the vet to do my hysterectomy, obviously .

I don't have to justify my narrative. They are my thoughts, observations, opinions and knowledge as a knowledgeable pet owner of 25 years. 7 years with current small vet practice, 25 years with horse vet.

Vets fees are higher now than when it was an independent surgery. 25% higher. No amount of pension tops ups (which aren't generous btw and I do know that as fact), new equipment I haven't used, training I see no evidence of except the phone rings longer before being answered and appointments are harder to book even before covid. Oh and we now get an extra £20 charge for a same day appointment when before as long as they could offer one in normal surgery hours there wasn't any additional charges.

It's more expensive and no improvement on service. And no justification other than a big company needs more profit to operate.

@LApprentiSorcier you really should. Not only would it have been cheaper, your recovery would have been quicker.

My dog was up and about ("gentle lead walks" only, of course, promise) 24hrs post spay; my work colleague was still signed off three months post-hysterectomy.

Proof positive vets are better than doctors.

@Frouby move vet. Problem solved. It's a free market. You don't like their pricing so go somewhere else. And with respect 25years of owning a pet doesn't give you any experience on running a veterinary practice. I have 25 years of driving a car. I wouldn't presume to know how my mechanic runs their business.

@Frouby

I don't have to justify my narrative. They are my thoughts, observations, opinions and knowledge as a knowledgeable pet owner of 25 years. 7 years with current small vet practice, 25 years with horse vet.

Vets fees are higher now than when it was an independent surgery. 25% higher. No amount of pension tops ups (which aren't generous btw and I do know that as fact), new equipment I haven't used, training I see no evidence of except the phone rings longer before being answered and appointments are harder to book even before covid. Oh and we now get an extra £20 charge for a same day appointment when before as long as they could offer one in normal surgery hours there wasn't any additional charges.

It's more expensive and no improvement on service. And no justification other than a big company needs more profit to operate.

Right so basically you have no inside info on what improvements may or may not have been made behind the scenes.

You just wanted to rant about costs and dismiss any reasoned discussion on what could be behind those increased costs.

[quote BadEyeBri]@Frouby move vet. Problem solved. It's a free market. You don't like their pricing so go somewhere else. And with respect 25years of owning a pet doesn't give you any experience on running a veterinary practice. I have 25 years of driving a car. I wouldn't presume to know how my mechanic runs their business. [/quote]
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