Should I pay vet bill?

[Bibbidybobbi]

Whilst at the park I was standing with my dog chatting to another dog walker, both dogs were on leash. Just as we were about to walk away the other dog got very excited and went on back legs jumping on my dog. He got quite a fright and bit the other dog on its neck. Just a small scratch and the dog was unphased whatsoever. I apologized to the other dog walker and told him to let me know how his dog is but he looked and was acting if fine. About an hour later said person came to my door with a vet bill. The dog didn’t require treatment but the vet prescribed pain killers and antibiotics just incase. My question is should I pay this bill? I personally don’t think there was any need to go to the vet and unsure what to do. Do I pay it all, half?

I wouldn’t offer any money , his dog would not have been bitten if he hadn’t jumped on yours therefore his dog started it . If you pay any of it you are accepting some liability .

£200 seems a lot of money. We recently had to have our dog x-rayed. Vet consultation, sedation and x-ray cost £180.
It's a tricky one. Both dogs were on leads so should have been under control. If your dog had been off lead and had bitten the other dog then I would definitely pay. I would probably pay half.

Half or nothing. He has to take some responsibility for it.

Have you seen the vet bill? How do you know it's genuine? I wouldn't be paying £200, that's extortionate!

I am mixed with this one. If my dog had been bitten and it broke the skin (that is a bite not a scratch) I would follow advice which is to take to the vet and have prophylactic antibiotics. Whether you would not take that advice for your own dog is neither here nor there, the owner imo did the correct thing.
I recently witnessed a very similar even. The owner of the biting dog took the other dog and owner immediately in his car to the vet even though the owner thought it might be ok. He paid the vet fully and the two owners remained amicable. It seemed sensible to me as any treatment was immediate and this minimised the risk of the bite becoming infected alongside a more extended period of vet care.
Regardless of whether your dog is on a leash, in that circumstance your dog was out of control. I am surprised that the poor dog has been jumped on previously, to the extent that you have cleaned wounds. I guess you will not like me saying this but is it possible to exercise your dog away from other dogs? It is not fair to be jumped on and can lead to anxiety. Whilst you may feel this was a minor injury it did break the skin, next time it could be worse as would any consequences for both dogs.
As regarding payment if it had happened to my dog I would not even have thought have charging the owner but on the other hand had my dog injured another I feel sure I would have offered. I think it is probably a 50 50 thing some would some would not. But I am no lawyer, I wonder if you do not pay will the dog owner escalate to small claims court and introduce the dog warden.
I am so sorry this happened to you and your dog

"the other dog got very excited and went on back legs jumping on my dog. He got quite a fright and bit the other dog on its neck. Just a small scratch and the dog was unphased whatsoever."

The owner of the other dog is at fault, not you. If they had been monitoring their dog it wouldn't have had the chance to jump on yours. £200 for pain relief & antibiotics is a lot, but at least half will be covered by their insurance.

I wouldn't pay it. His dog was out of control yours defended itself.

However, you were chatting to him, so is he a friend? If he's a friend, I'd offer 50:50 - I suspect the bill's around £120 - so can you afford half of the bill?

I'd really think about where you're walking and how you're managing interactions if getting cuts and scratches from other dogs is a semi regular occurrence.

I do wonder if the fact he's bitten another dog (and it is a bite not a nip if it's left a scratch/drawn blood) is because he's previously made clear he's uncomfortable with being close to other dogs but not been listened to.

The price of the painkillers is unreasonable. Small pet vet prices are a rip off and I think are still under investigation. Equine vet prices are a small fraction of that and the vet comes to visit the horse.

Won't the other dog owners insurance cover most of it? I'd maybe offer to pay a percentage of the excess just to keep things civil.

Personally I would pay it - your dog bit the other dog (regardless of the circumstances unfortunately), and you've advised that due to previous incidences your dog is slightly wary/nervous of other dogs. I've been in a similar situation myself, so can relate, and I have since taken steps with my dog to reduce their anxiety. Insurance policies specifically exclude any aggressive behaviour/bites and injuries to other animals - so I would suggest you don't want that flagged on your policy. Your dog caused the injury, the other owner has shown you the vet bill... I would be frustrated, but pay it, and hope that that's the end of it.

£200 for a prescription for medication that the dog might need ‘just in case?’. What if he doesn’t need it? Sounds like the vet is taking the piss a bit. I don’t think I’d be paying, especially since the other dog jumped on your dog.

Certainly do not pay it. The other dog owner is at fault for not having proper control of his dog so that it could jump at yours. Your dog reacted to a situation where it felt under threat.

Other owner is a CFer to even suggest that you are liable so ignore and if he persists tell him to bog off.

The point is that the owner sought got sold unnecessary medications. Typical of vets in my recent experience. That is not your problem. That's on the owner. If he needed treatment I would absolutely pay.

Yes you should pay

Your mutt bit their animal

You failed to train your dog and your lucky it was only a scratch on another dog not a person your creature harmed

I hope the poor dog yours hurts is ok

What a silly comment.

How do you suggest you train a dog not to react when it is jumped on by another dog?

If you had a short rope around your neck meaning you couldn’t run away and were suddenly jumped on by another person without knowing what their intentions were, would you just stand there and let them attack you, or would your first instinct be to fight them off? I know what I’d do!

The other dog coming away with just a scratch shows incredible restraint on OP’s dog’s part. If a dog really wants to bite, it will. They have a mouth full of sharp weapons and can control how they use them. Sounds like OP’s dog nipped the aggressor, essentially the dog version of saying ‘fuck around and find out’. There is one dog in this scenario that the owner failed to train, but it’s not OP’s!

half each sounds reasonable to me. I would start with that, see how that goes down....

as a goodwill gesture.I would not have asked you to pay my fees in that situation, but then again I wouldn't have taken my dog to the vet after listening to your description of what happened

gamerchick · 13/11/2024 20:27

Half or nothing. He has to take some responsibility for it.

Here here!

No, I wouldn’t pay. That’s what pet insurance is for (or half as a gesture).

Way too much.
£200 for antibiotics and some pain killers.

Pay half or nothing.

The other owner needs to take some responsibility too.

I'd ask to see the bill and ask if the dog was insured and how much excess was. I'd pay the excess.

I'd pay.

Their insurance should cover it minus the excess.

I would have examined the wound myself and advised them just to use a powder or a wound spray, that they should have in their dog first aid kit.

If they were irresponsible and didn't have a first aid kit at home for their dog then I would offer them to come back to mine and spray the wound for them.