Is my vet taking the piss ? TW

[sharplettuce]

I got a new kitten, now both my cats have worms. I treated them both but called the vet the next day because I'm worried about the little one, as she's been kind of exhausted and slow to move around since I brought her home. The receptionist said I should bring them both in, in case they need a stronger treatment. It's £100 just for a double consultation, and I don't know what treatment will cost on top of that. I'm tempted to just keep them home, treat again in 2 weeks and make sure the little one is getting lots of good food to get her strength up. What do you think

So weak, inactive, acting funny, distended tummy, seems off, nope, nothing urgent to worry about there..

She hasn't changed though, she just seems a bit weak since i got her. I think malnutrition maybe

I did say all this to the vets

So, you purchased the kitten from a pet shop?

You need to take her to the vet. She probably came from a breeder before she ended up in the pet shop, someone interested in breeding as many kittens as possible no matter the health of the mother or the kittens, most likely raised/kept in poor conditions. She could have more wrong with her than just worms. Those places are known for selling on puppies and kittens that aren't healthy.

Also, buying from a pet shop just gives more incentive to the people who breed and sell puppies and kittens this way.

But why would you say they're 'taking the piss' re fees?

You should factor that in when having another animal!

Same difference.

Young kittens need to be seen and treated by a vet so that they can be weighed, checked over and made sure they're fit and well enough to tolerate a worming treatment in the first place. Our kitten needed a specific mixture made up for him, for example.

Because I wondered if they want to see my older cat as well just to make money. I wouldn't normally take to the vets for something quite routine in cats that people treat at home

@sharplettuce what do you feed the kitten (brand, wet/dry etc) and how much? Did the seller give the kitten worming treatment before you got her? What treatment have you given her since you got her?

Kitten are usually born with fleas and worms, they go hand in hand, kittens are supposed to be treated for worms from 2 weeks old, every 2 weeks until they’re 12 weeks old, then 3 monthly after that, or sooner if you see worms.

Just for information, unlike flea treatment, worming treatment doesn’t give any prevention for getting worms, the 3 monthly treatment is to clear out their system in case there are any worms present.

OP you clearly don’t trust your vet.

you need to find a vet that you can trust - because this will not be the only time something expensive comes up.

i completely trust my vet. My cat has been unwell a few times - I have insurance but I have to pay anything under £100 so even with insurance I have paid out hundreds over the last few years. I trust they are doing the best for my cat - and they are very upfront about cost.

I get my flea and worm treatment from them - my cat is allergic to flea bites so I won’t risk it with pet store treatments.

find a vet you trust - don’t take medical advise on the internet - you have no idea who any of us are or what experience we have.

get the poor kitten treated urgently (I know you are doing this) but then ask around for vet recommendations. People often believe they are being ripped off when in fact that is just what private medical care costs.

I really object to the title of this thread . . . you clearly have a little pet that needs urgent treatment but are implying the vet is at fault in some way when they obviously are not

Pretty standard price for vet fees I'm afraid. The little one sounds like she definitely needs checking out.

OP you say you have underdosed rather than overdosed. This can be a problem, as underdosing won't kill all the worms, it will only kill the weaker ones. Underdosing is one of the factors that leads to resistance to worming medicines, and is maybe why your kitten isn't bouncing back like she should.

I don't think £100 consult for two cats is overcharging tbh. £50 per pet is about right. Out of hours you could treble the cost & add some, I was charged £175 consultation fee alone, one Bank Holiday last year, and that's cheap compared to some places.

A distended belly and lethargy can indicate an intestinal blockage, so your kitten needs to be seen urgently.

There are several intestinal parasites that cats can carry, and all kittens need regular treatment until they are clear. If they go outside they need regular, ongoing treatment. They need treatment for fleas, and they need treatment for tapeworm if they have fleas.

This is all really basic stuff. Its common for people to think their vet is ripping them off when they don't have the first idea about the basics of animal care, and its your responsibility as a pet owner to learn.

Vets are notorious for being extortionate these days. It would seem sensible to have both cats treated for worms. If anybody's to blame its whoever passed the kitten on to you with worms. They're the ones in the wrong.

Did the breeder not do vet checks and jabs before selling to you? If not you should have taken the kitten to a vet as soon as you could.

This is why charities recommend you adopt from rescues. The adoption fee includes very checks and chipping.

OP, if you have an animal trust near you Iliad register there-they don’t charge for seeing you, just any meds you may need.

It wasn't a breeder, just some random bloke off the internet.

I assume your older cat is registered at the vets and seen regularly. I which case you should just be able to say that she has worms and they will give you an extra dose of her usual treatment. If she’s not seen regularly then they will need her in before they can prescribe anything.

Personally I had my kitten booked in for an initial check and registration before I even got her. As soon as I knew when I was picking her up she was booked in.

But it is widely known that the non prescription options are often less effective, and there are some horror stories around about pets being killed by the super cheap ones.
But if you will buy a kitten off a bloke on the internet, who you didn't even see mother etc, who knows what the poor thing is suffering from

I don’t understand your anger here ? Do you normally act like this when someone doesn’t agree with you ? Op and her vet don’t think the kitten needs emergency treatment and she has already said that she’s taking it to the vet. It sounds like they did an assessment over the phone to determine whether the kitten needed to be seen or not and the vet (who I’m assuming is more qualified that you, I could be wrong) has decided that it wasn’t urgent.

Take the kitten to the vet!

If you think your kitten is 10 weeks old and is suffering from malnutrition but you have't weighed it, it is almost certainly not over a kilo in weight. A healthy, lively, 10 week old kitten is only about that weight.

Absolutely right!
Its the grotesque profiteering by the ''Groups'' that is so scandalous.It's a monopoly.
Even my lovely small independent has been taken over.
{Experienced vet, recently retired...she used to say how she kept her prices fair ''As she liked to sleep at night''.}

I am a specialist/double-boarded diplomate (look it up) veterinarian, with over 30 years experience, and I have seen "fading kittens", kittens with worms, kittens with FIP, kittens with pyothorax, kittens with anaemia, kittens with intusussception, kittens poisoned by their owners, kittens stepped on/hit by falling furniture, kittens with ....you name it. And then there are all the dogs I have treated.

So, sweetheart, I have a fck-ton of experience in helping animals and helping owners find the treatment they can afford/the pet actually needs.
I have dissuaded owners drunk on their insurance money ("oh it doesnt matter...the pet's insured!") from doing unwise, unnecessary testing, and guided them with knowledge experience and significant insight into finding what is right for their pet AND their wishes.
As a vet, I am very much a team player coordinating and advising owners on options.
Vets do not set the fees (corporate shinyarses do that, and are SCREWING us ALL into the ground. The UK government decided back inthe 1990s that it was unfair competition for only vets to own vet practices, and then the floodgates of corporate purchasing began. Which leads to working vets getting sht for pricing/management decisions we cannot control. )
You would all be horrified at the costs of running a practice.
What you want to be asking is what do you get for that money.

Getting an informed decision allows a pet owner to make the choices that suit them.

WHY am I angry? Well...... so many pet owners do exactly what this woman is doing. Look at the title of this post? Is my vet taking the piss?!
She, like many pet owners, filter the story to make themselves guilt-less in their own animal's suffering.
She has tailored the story to get the answer/reply she wants to hear, and she hasnt spoken to a vet at all.
I have had owners lie and say they gave parasite control and yet, I KNOW that is not the case, and their neglect WAS the cause of their dog's brain haemorrhage - (A. vasorum- look it up) , and only when the dog recovered, did the woman admit she had "perhaps forgotten". FFS. I knew. I knew all along. The only reason her dog improved was because I had treated the dog appropriately from the start- due to my expertise- despite her lying BS)

I am angry as I still, after all these years, actually do care immensely for the patients. And if I can't be angry on their behalf, then shoot me now.