Is my vet charging reasonable fees?

wishingitwasspring · 2022-01-05T12:56:45+00:00

Over the bank holiday weekend our dog was very off colour and we were concerned so took her to our vet (open 7 days a week). It was a bank holiday and I didn't mind paying for her to be seen. Examination and analgesia was around £150. Vet thought maybe she'd pulled her back and that was causing pain.. so long as she was ok I didn't mind about the cost particularly. They asked to see her again today. She's much better. Quick check and off we go, another £40 lighter. Now thankfully we can afford this, and she is insured. But is this reasonable? Shouldn't the requested review be part of the original fee?

Grumpyosaurus · 05/01/2022 12:59

Sounds pretty standard tbh.
The NHS really shelters us from the cost of medicines, and of employing highly trained biological specialists, so it's always a shock when pets need anything.

asnippersdream · 05/01/2022 12:59

Well no, because you've used another appointment space that could have been taken by another paying patient.

BeLessMe · 05/01/2022 13:00

No because it’s their time/expertise, not to mention their overheads-heat, lighting, insurance, inability to see another patient in that slot-that you are paying for. I suppose you could have phoned and cancelled, saying she was well now, but you take them for the reassurance so you are also paying for peace of mind.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 05/01/2022 13:00

My current vet never charges for follow-up appointments.

LadyCampanulaTottington · 05/01/2022 13:02

You’re not paying for the appointment time. You’re paying for decades of experience, education and expertise.

Sounds right though for the treatment and appointments.

Orarewedancer · 05/01/2022 13:04

I've never worked or heard of anywhere that doesn't charge for follow up appointments, though I'm sure they exist. I currently work for an out of hours service which charges £232 for a consultation so overall I'd say your charges were very reasonable.

I don't really get why owners don't think they should be for a follow up consultation on the basis the vet wanted to see them back. If your chiropractor or private dentist advised another appointment you wouldn't think twice about having to pay for it surely?

Okbutnotgreat · 05/01/2022 13:05

That’s less than my vet charges.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 05/01/2022 13:10

@Orarewedancer

I've never worked or heard of anywhere that doesn't charge for follow up appointments, though I'm sure they exist. I currently work for an out of hours service which charges £232 for a consultation so overall I'd say your charges were very reasonable.

I don't really get why owners don't think they should be for a follow up consultation on the basis the vet wanted to see them back. If your chiropractor or private dentist advised another appointment you wouldn't think twice about having to pay for it surely?

Our vet doesn't charge for any follow-up appointments that they request or insist on - it's all included in the original cost.

I had to take my kitten to the OOH vets recently (on a Sunday night). We were charged £120 which included consultation fees, an anti-sickness injection, a strong antibiotic injection and 7 days worth of painkillers. The follow-up appointment to assess his situation a week later was totally free.

IDidntFloatUpTheLaganInABubble · 05/01/2022 13:13

My dogs have had follow up appointments after treatments or surgeries, these have never been charged for.

NotVictorianHonestly · 05/01/2022 13:17

Seems cheap to me. If they didn't charge for followups they'd just have to charge more elsewhere, like the initial consultation.

The vet industry is on its knees, there's a huge shortage of vets so it is by no means a cushy job.

NewYearCalavicci · 05/01/2022 13:24

My cat has / is under treatment atm
He went in on 30th overnight, sedated , catheter, 6 dif meds to come home with , £650 .
Back in expressed his bladder, more meds but only paid for meds.
That's still not worked do he went back in yesterday , catheter again overnight stay likely to be in for at least one more night.
If that doent work he may need surgery.

It's not going to be cheap but I am paying for years of training and top notch care .

Orarewedancer · 05/01/2022 13:26

@NotVictorianHonestly

Seems cheap to me. If they didn't charge for followups they'd just have to charge more elsewhere, like the initial consultation.

The vet industry is on its knees, there's a huge shortage of vets so it is by no means a cushy job.

Precisely this. Vets themselves don't get fabulous wages despite their training and expertise (don't even get me started on the awful wages vet nurses get) and are finding that they can earn more or similar in far less stressful jobs with less owner demands and moans. Not charging appropriately means less money to go to equipment, CPD and wages and overall less job satisfaction. Vets don't go in it for the money, they are often more than capable to succeed in more lucrative careers.

Original poster

wishingitwasspring · 05/01/2022 13:28

Thank you for the replies.

The actual cost isn't really what irks me. I just feel it's one episode of care so should be one charge; whatever that is.

Had they of found something else that needed doing today then of course they should charge but they didn't do anything other than a quick exam.

OP posts:

daisymade · 05/01/2022 13:29

It is cheap, very cheap.

The issue is we have a free at the point of use health service and therefore we don't really value our medical professionals in the way they ought to be valued.

I'm an associate director chartered surveyor with much less qualifications that a vet and I do much less extraordinary things in my working life. My charge our rate is £260/hr plus mileage and disbursements. I wouldn't work on a weekend or bank holiday for any money, you're being unreasonable questioning it. (And I know this isn't AIBU.)

FlowerArranger · 05/01/2022 13:30

As a PP said, people in the UK have no idea of the true cost of medical and veterinary care. The amount the OP was charged was very reasonable.

daisymade · 05/01/2022 13:31

@wishingitwasspring sorry your OP is incorrect? You've stated it was seen on bank holiday and subsequently today and therefore that is two appointments and two episodes of requiring vets examination, or am I misreading?

Were you expecting the appointment and the vets time and expertise in examining your dog today, for free?

Original poster

wishingitwasspring · 05/01/2022 13:34

[quote daisymade]@wishingitwasspring sorry your OP is incorrect? You've stated it was seen on bank holiday and subsequently today and therefore that is two appointments and two episodes of requiring vets examination, or am I misreading?

Were you expecting the appointment and the vets time and expertise in examining your dog today, for free?[/quote]
What I mean is and examination, treatment and subsequent review is one episode of care. I'm not complaining about the actual cost.. as I've pointed out a couple of times.

OP posts:

Orarewedancer · 05/01/2022 13:34

The problem with that attitude is you not valuing their "quick exam". It's great that your vet has the knowledge and experience to make an assessment quickly, and it's fair they are reimbursed for this.

Orarewedancer · 05/01/2022 13:36

It's also not one episode of care, it's two. It's one condition, but there are many conditions which require lifelong follow ups, even if treatment and symptoms are unchanged. Should they not be charged for because they are for the same thing?

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 05/01/2022 13:37

[quote daisymade]@wishingitwasspring sorry your OP is incorrect? You've stated it was seen on bank holiday and subsequently today and therefore that is two appointments and two episodes of requiring vets examination, or am I misreading?

Were you expecting the appointment and the vets time and expertise in examining your dog today, for free?[/quote]
Several posters (myself included) have said they receive free follow-up appointments so it's not that outlandish an expectation.

I've never once paid for a follow-up, and those include routine check-ups after spaying/neutering (including an emergency follow-up appointment on a Sunday to get a spay wound stapled as the stitches kept bursting).

Plenty of vets don't charge for these appointments. I've also taken my dog to get seen after he got bitten and they didn't charge me for that either.

Orarewedancer · 05/01/2022 13:44

Most if not all vets won't charge for post op checks, especially with neutering. But it's not true that "plenty of vets" don't charge for recheck appointments. I'm basing this on having worked in veterinary practices for 17+ years.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 05/01/2022 13:50

@Orarewedancer

Most if not all vets won't charge for post op checks, especially with neutering. But it's not true that "plenty of vets" don't charge for recheck appointments. I'm basing this on having worked in veterinary practices for 17+ years.

I think it probably depends on the type of practise.

Our vet is a very small, rural farm vet. I've had follow-up appointments for all sorts of things including post-neutering checks, stitch removal in a cut paw, and a bladder blockage in my male cat. None of them have ever been charged for. I also took my dog in once after he was bitten on the ear - they checked it over and again, no charge :)

tetleyteafan · 05/01/2022 13:50

Sounds a lot more reasonable than around here. The out of hours vet here charges £345 to walk through the door. On top of that you pay a consultation fee, and then yet more for investigations and drugs. I paid over £500 for some eye drops when the dog got an eye infection. The next time it happened I went to the chemist and paid £5 for identical eye drops. I'm sure I broke every medical rule out there but I didn't have a spare £500 and it was the same drug, same box, same brand, same concentration.

It would have been half the price for me to see a private GP for a similar problem. Their consultation fee is £100, double for out of hours i.e. £200, and £20 for a prescription.

I'd be interested in the arguments to support why vets charge twice as much as private GPs.

Livpool · 05/01/2022 13:51

@Grumpyosaurus

Sounds pretty standard tbh. The NHS really shelters us from the cost of medicines, and of employing highly trained biological specialists, so it's always a shock when pets need anything.

Agree with this.

My friend is a GO and when I saw she asked my asthma had been as I have been ill a lot this year. When I told her about my new inhaler she said they don't prescribe unless they have to as it is expensive!

So I think we just don't realise how costly medicines can be

Original poster

wishingitwasspring · 05/01/2022 13:51

@Orarewedancer

It's also not one episode of care, it's two. It's one condition, but there are many conditions which require lifelong follow ups, even if treatment and symptoms are unchanged. Should they not be charged for because they are for the same thing?

It's one injury/diagnosis, treated and reviewed. End of (hopefully)

Our cat has monthly visits to manage his arthritis. Completely different scenario and of course we pay for each one.

OP posts: