Vets charges £17 for 15 paracetamol

[Messyhair321]

This is normal paracetamol isn't it?
How can vet charge £17 for a box of 15 tablets when I can pop to the chemist & get them for £1. ??!

This isn't relevant though is it. This was human medication & as far as I'm aware, it's used primarily for people, it's not a veterinary version, i could have bought this at the chemist for £1.20!!

And as I understand it, vet's can advise on human meds & this comes under & is covered by prescribing meds. That's how I read it.

And you're incorrect about the vet being oversee by a corporate, they are independent.

Not surprised a lot of vets are leaving. I'd be monumentally unhappy if I had to spend my time fleecing people & capitalising on their emotional attachment to their pets.

There was an article in The Times a few weeks ago about the cost of vetinary services in the UK. Apparently they're three times the cost of then same services in EU countries.

The reason given was that vastly more people in the UK have insurance so there's no incentive for vet practices to keep prices affordable - but that then drives up insurance costs ....

The article also said that the vast majority of vet practices are now owned by a small number of big corporate companies whereas there used to be a much higher number of privately owned practices.

I'll see if I can find a link... but the point of the article was that lots more people are travelling to France for vet treatment.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/6603b4da-0c51-11ee-997e-7710367054a0?shareToken=0d75d907de642aacc7abc5842a9cd13e

Hopefully with a share token...

Liquid paracetamol can be poisonous to dogs due to the artificial sweeteners used so if hey dog won’t take tablets a vet should be consulted

Not surprised a lot of vets are leaving. I'd be monumentally unhappy if I had to spend my time fleecing people & capitalising on their emotional attachment to their pets.

I remember my DC being advised that vet med was in many ways more rewarding because animals generally want to get well. The main downside was never the animals but some owners. I've never met a vet that didn't care at least as much for their patients as their owners did. Nobody would survive vet med training or do that job if they didn't genuinely love animals. Small animal owners seem to think the main cost of pets is their acquisition cost, and with no training think nothing of handing out medication advice on social media with no expertise or thought for the possible consequences. Much better to traipse over to France to pay a cheaper vet if UK prices are unpalatable.

My dog needed paracetamol, the vet told me to pick some up from the supermarket as it was much cheaper.

Lonecatwithkitten is correct. And don't forget to factor in the vet's expertise and knowledge to know that a) the pet needs the medication and b) what dose to give them.

That's the version we have in A&E so probably costs less than 20p

This is so true. My pets over the decades and currently, have never been insured. I’ve paid for various treatments and major surgeries over the years and never had a bill even close to those I hear about from people who are insured.

I don't know about this statement, why do you think vet couldn't have just said 'paracetamol, 1/2 a tablet 3x daily'? that would have been ok too.
They would still have received money on consultation.
Its really just breeds lack of trust, we now have no trust that our vet is being straight with us. And I am not a young person, visited vets many times, and never have I felt like this about it.
Most people will speak with their feet and not go back, which is what we will do. Oh, and be extra careful about bills next time around!

"I've never met a vet that didn't care at least as much for their patients as their owners did."

Really?!! what a bold sweeping generalised statement.
That said, even if you are right, it doesn't mean that they won't try to rinse owners at the same time. Both can be true at once.
If your DC is a vet, your judgement might well be clouded about this particular issue

This is nuts! Our vet just recently told us we could give our dog one 'for human' paracetamol- no attempt to prescribe it as they must know the cost is insane (and we were already getting a big bill for other things).

(She is a 55kg dog hence one tablet - they just would need to tell you amount for your dog tho - ridiculous to prescribe - as it also is from Drs where it costs the NHS a lot more than the price for getting it over the counter - it's all nuts)

Vets are extortionate! My rottie had to have ear surgery and we were handing over hundreds every few weeks it felt like. When I got the itemised bill I saw we were charged £25 for the check in welfare phone calls per call which o think there were 3/4 in total as he stayed overnight after surgery.
Even the bloody cone was £48! I could of bought it from a pet shop or Amazon.
Overall bill was £9k we we're insured thank god but I guess it makes you realise!

If you can actually read and reason properly you will find that my statement need neither be bold nor generalised, it is simply entirely true.

"Rinsing" requires cooperation by the rinsed, although I get that you'd rather rant at the vet than your own perceived foolishness.

I have no vets in my immediate family, so I think it's pretty obvious whose judgement is yet again clouded, and who is again resorting to projecting their own dubious judgment on others.

I was buying liver and pancreas supplements from the vet until I realised I could get the exact same ones for half the price online 😣

My dog has gabapentin and Pardale which is cocodamol. I wouldn't give him human cocodamol as would be very unsure of dose with such a drug but the vets has run out and offered just paracetamol the other day. Wary of a stupendous cost, I asked what dose and they consulted the vet vs my dog's weight (13.5kg) and they advised 250mg (half a human tablet). They are pretty good at common sense and also once advised what ear drops to get from the pharmacist. I stupidly told the pharmacist it was for the dog and they refused to sell it, so I went to another one!!

I live in an area with a big divide in those that have wonderful massive houses and Ferraris and people who have very little. I initially went to a vet in a fairly affluent area as it was the nearest. Very expensive. So went to a high street vet literally on a high street of a less affluent area and they are so good with talking through costs, advising on home solutions etc. They also have a poster up detailing how to get a prescription that can be used for online vet pharmacies etc at a fraction of the price.

Can you put in a complaint in and return it for a refund then buy it from the supermarket?

I live in an area with a big divide in those that have wonderful massive houses and Ferraris and people who have very little. I initially went to a vet in a fairly affluent area as it was the nearest. Very expensive. So went to a high street vet literally on a high street of a less affluent area and they are so good with talking through costs, advising on home solutions etc. They also have a poster up detailing how to get a prescription that can be used for online vet pharmacies etc at a fraction of the price.

This is very sensible.

I don't insure and always visit before I need to, to vet the practice. They have to be someone I will trust with my dogs and also gives them a chance to know what I expect and build up a relationship. Most people are reasonable if given half a chance, and if they aren't that's also useful to know before you need treatment.

If I ask them to say bandage an injury, if my time is worth more than say £50 I'll pay them or if my time is worth less, I do it myself. Can't expect anyone to spend a part of their life serving me and not be compensated for their time, that's theft as well as bad manners.

That scandalous. Are you insured? I’m pretty sure they charge more when an insurance company are paying. My Vets practice is very good. It is now £43 for a consultation (a big rise since last year), but they have invested a lot in the facilities and equipment, salaries have increased for all their staff and all their routine products e.g cleaning agents etc have increased. I have never been charged for phone calls. I can ring my vet with a quick query and she’ll ring me back when she’s free without charge too. I have paid for all sorts of treatments, including a blood transfusion over recent years (surgeries in less recent years) and I’ve never had a bill like the expensive ones I hear about.

I’ve never had insurance.
Grew up on a farm, someone mentioned earlier that farmers learn a lot of basic aid & only call out the vet when really needed, perhaps it’s influenced my slightly jaundiced view of vets charges.
I’ve owned multiple animals for over fifty years. Dogs never less than four. What I’ve always done is keep a separate savings account, building society not my main bank, into which I’ve paid what would probably be equivalent to an insurance premium for a couple of my dogs, from what I can guess. All vet bills over the years have been paid using money from this account. Even with the dire interest paid on it over recent years it currently stands at quite a substantial sum, money that would have been in an insurance companies profits!

Well actually @maryso turns out that vet was actually wrong in his diagnosis. You are wrong. Again. Maybe suggest you take your prejudice elsewhere. You have far too much faith in this system. I'm willing to bet probably all.

It's a bit much isn't it that vets won't tell you this to begin with!

I have fed back to the vet & in no uncertain terms let them know how I feel about it.
Turns out that our vet diagnosis was incorrect anyway according to the vet hospital, we might wear not be looking at the bleak picture he painted.
So that's at least one positive 🤩

@Darklane I've heard a few people who do this, in not disciplined enough though. But well done I'm in awe of you!