Vet Rip Off

[jeff 100]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

A FRIEND OF MINE HAS A LITTER OF TERRIERS, AND HE NOTICED ONE OF THE PUPS HAD A HERNIA WERE THE CORD WAS SO HE TOOK IT TO THE VETS, THE PUP IS ONLY 3 WEEKS, HE WENT IN AND THE VET SAID WHATS THE PROBLEM, HE SAID THE PUP HAS AN HERIA, ALL THE VET DONE WAS TURN THE PUP OVER AND SAID YES YOUR RIGHT BRING IT BACK IN 2 WEEKS, SO OUT HE WENT, HE WENT TO THE DESK AND SAID I NEED TO COME BACK IN 2 WEEKS. THE LASS BEHIND THE DESK SAID THAT WILL BE 28 POUND FOR TODAY , HE SAID THE VET DONE NOTHING SHE SAID IT FOR THE VET TO HAVE A LOOK, HE SAID BILL ME AND WALKED OUT, ITS KNOW WONDER PEOPLE JAB AND TREAT THERE OWN DOGS WHEN THEY CAN, jeff

_________________

 

[*Lesley*]

I think thats usual for a vet consultation, not saying I agree with it but I think mine charges about that maybe a little less for a consultation even if he's just looking at the dog nothing else, I suppose if they didnt vets would be rushed off their feet cos people would bring their dog in if it had a pimple on it's head (w00t)

 

[FeeFee]

That's pretty normal, our vet charges £27 for a first consultation. It goes down to £17 for any follow up visits.

With four dogs, two of whom are very old and on various medications, I spend a fortune at the vets. Worth it to know they are OK and getting the best treatment, though.

I hope the pup will be OK :wub:

 

[lalena]

some hernias close up by themselves, if theyre small, which must have been the case here, but yes, its a rip off :angry: dont get me started on that train of thought please, i dislike my vet enough as it is

if the pup is a bitch, the only advice i can give, is it might not be a good idea for her to be mated when shes older, because pregnancy could put strain on it, causing a reopening :unsure: its something for your friend to look into :luck:

 

[Whippets Rule]

:blink: our vets charge £15 for the first consult nad £8 for all follow ups....suddenly i like my vet even more.

 

[kris]

ive cured lots of hernias.heres how.every time you pick the pup up press firmly on the hernia till you feel it pop back inand keep your finger there for as long as you can.if you do this as much as possible especially when the pups had a feed then eventually it will stay in for longer periods of time till one day it stays in forever.its not complicated and it saves an operation.i did this with most of my manchester terriers as mum was a bit rough in pulling the pups cord.none that i got back in ever came out again.the earlier you do it the better.i used to sit with newborn pups on my knee putting gentle pressure on their hernias.the more you do it the quicker it will go back.in the olden days they used to tape a farthing to a piece of cork and tape it round the pups tummy.but this works just as well if not better and you dont have the problem of trying to keep a piece of tape round the pups tum

 

[alfyn]

:blink: our vets charge £15 for the first consult nad £8 for all follow ups....suddenly i like my vet even more.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Ditto :thumbsup:

 

[~elizabeth~]

:blink: our vets charge £15 for the first consult nad £8 for all follow ups....suddenly i like my vet even more.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Ditto :thumbsup:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Double ditto (actually I think it may have gone up to £17 very recently). Sometimes they don't even charge for follow ups at all, and they don't seem to add a huge mark up on medicines like some other vets in the area do ( only about 5-10% over online pharmacy prices, I've checked :thumbsup: ). They are also a specialist greyhound practice.

 

[Strike Whippets]

:blink: our vets charge £15 for the first consult nad £8 for all follow ups....suddenly i like my vet even more.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

My vet charges me £8 for a visit ........and never charges for a follow up consultation .........as a matter of fact Ken has only charged me for Miyas meds and bloods in the last 2 odd years and this is with him checking her oxygen levels, heart and reflexs each visit (every 3 months) .......Oh I do love my vet ......Its true though you can see why people don't always seek vet treatment

 

[Trish]

think ours is £19.00 and £15.00 follow up.

so i think where not too bad considering what some of you are paying

 

[Seraphina]

You do not pay vet for "doing something", you pay for the consultation. The vet has to pay morgage or rent on the premises, wages to his receptionist, nurse and cleaner, power bills etc. In some areas the overheads may be higher than in others, so the vet has to set his charges accordingly.

 

[midlanderkeith]

You do not pay vet for "doing something", you pay for the consultation.  The vet has to pay morgage or rent on the premises, wages to his receptionist, nurse and cleaner, power bills etc.  In some areas the overheads may be higher than in others, so the vet has to set his charges accordingly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

This is RIP OFF BRITAIN, and thats exactly what our vets do, rip us off

 

[dessie]

Well, I just hope that that the dogs belonging to some of you cynics don't ever get so injured/ill that they will be denied the professional help that you obviously begrudge paying for.

I happen to be very lucky with my Vet but we have worked together over the last 25 or so years and have become friends as well but she does go off on holiday and if one of my dogs needed to see a Vet badly during that time I would certainly have no hesitation in taking them to see any of the Vets in our practice, even the emergency ones. I think I would probably have a shock when I am charged the REAL price because I am spoilt BUT my dogs owe me nothing and I would NEVER stint on Veterinary help just because of money.

I don't believe in this 'shopping around for the best price' lark ........ how can you ever expect to build up a rapport and trust with a Vet by doing that? I like continuity and if I was starting out with a new Vet practice I might see all the Vets to find out who I got on with and then try and see the same one because then they get to know the dogs and you. Like with everything in life, you only get out what you put in.

 

[PINKY P]

£28 :blink:

 

[*Lesley*]

Well, I just hope that that the dogs belonging to some of you cynics don't ever get so injured/ill that they will be denied the professional help that you obviously begrudge paying for. 
I happen to be very lucky with my Vet but we have worked together over the last 25 or so years and have become friends as well but she does go off on holiday and if one of my dogs needed to see a Vet badly during that time I would certainly have no hesitation in taking them to see any of the Vets in our practice, even the emergency ones.  I think I would probably have a shock when I am charged the REAL price because I am spoilt BUT my dogs owe me nothing and I would NEVER stint on Veterinary help just because of money.

I don't believe in this 'shopping around for the best price' lark ........ how can you ever expect to build up a rapport and trust with a Vet by doing that?  I like continuity and if I was starting out with a new Vet practice I might see all the Vets to find out who I got on with and then try and see the same one because then they get to know the dogs and you.  Like with everything in life, you only get out what you put in.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

I agree with your point about rappor and trust Dessie, I dont know if my vet is expensive compared to others but I wouldnt change even if they are, because my dogs get quality care there and I'm happy with everything they've done for mine from day one, took them all there from babies and if I have a problem they will see them straight away, so if I do pay extra which I'm not sure I do it's worth it for that peace of mind :thumbsup:

 

[kirsty]

My vet charged me £21.80 for getting my 10 yr old cat looked over the other day up here in Edinburgh. My friend in Leeds only gets charged arond £11 for a consultation! It seems unfair but I suppose it comes down to what area and which town the vet is situated?

 

[chelynnah]

I wrote this on an email list the other day when people were bemoaning vet prices and complaining about vets just being a rip off. BTW yes, area does play a huge role in costs as well - I would expect to pay about 3x the amount (or more) in London than in a small town/city. I certainly know I pay more down here than I did up in Dundee because I live in one of the areas of the country where the cost of living/property etc is the highest.

Anyway, here's what I wrote on the other list, and I still stand by what I said there:

____

I have to say that TRUST is more

important than COST. I say all the time on all the discussion lists I'm on that

the most important and critical relationship a pet owner will have is with their

vets. If you don't have a good mutually respectful relationship with your vet

then find another one! My vets are FAR from the cheapest in the area. They

aren't the most expensive, but they're higher than average. Do I care?

Absolutely NOT! What matters to me is that I TRUST them implicitly! They have

gone well above and beyond for each and every one of my girls, they have

literally saved the life of one. They try to be conservative in treatment (ie

surgery is NOT the first form of defence like you'll find with some vets), so if

they do recommend surgery, then you know it's because they truly feel that is

what is necessary.

But not only do I trust and respect them, but they trust and respect me. They

know that I know my dogs, so when this past 2 months each of my dogs has been in

with various strange things - they know I'm not just a hypochondriac doggy mum -

I'm just having a spate of bad luck and they've been extremely supportive. And

they've squeezed me into app'ts that just weren't there because they know I

don't panic over nothing. I just dropped them off a HUGE bouquet of flowers and

a giant box of chocolates in appreciation!

I *do* buy into the insurance thing - thank goodness because this year alone it

will have paid out over £2,000 - way more than my premiums for most of the lives

of my dogs. But even if I didn't have it and I had to pay their prices I would

without hesitation. Because I'm getting what I pay for. There are 3 vets in

the practice. I trust each and every one of them. They have the same ethos,

they believe and practice the same and they respect their clients (both human

and animal). They are well trained, excellent surgeons as well as clinicians.

As I said, they saved the life of one of my dogs (a serious bowel impaction)

when minutes counted and they still weren't sure she would survive. This is

something I can't put monetary value on.

The thing with vets is that they almost have to know MORE than most human Drs.

My husband is a human Dr and he says he would NEVER have made it through vet

school! They have to know everything about everything. Human Drs have to know

everything about some things, or a little about everything (hope that makes

sense).

So if you think your vet prices are too high for what you get from them - shop

around for a better VET, not necessarily a better PRICE.

Just my .02

Wendy

 

[~elizabeth~]

I wrote this on an email list the other day when people were bemoaning vet prices and complaining about vets just being a rip off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

I think the point I would make is that our vets, as well as being by far the cheapest around (and this is in Oxford, which is an expensive city) are by far the BEST in my experience, and that of many other people hereabouts.

We changed from a very large (and very expensive) chain mainly because we weren't happy with the quality of service. Only after I changed did I find the practice was a greyhound specialist that people travel half way across the country to consult for racing injuries.

The original practice raised their fees a lot when they were in an obvious phase of business expansion, opening new surgeries around town and I didn't feel the rapid rise of consulation fees was proportionate to either normal inflation, increased expertise on offer or improved facilities. They also mark up medications very significantly; we have checked this against bills from our own vets for comparable medications.

So don't assume the most expensive vets are necessarily the best ones; sometimes the reverse can be true.

 

[chelynnah]

I wrote this on an email list the other day when people were bemoaning vet prices and complaining about vets just being a rip off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

I think the point I would make is that our vets, as well as being by far the cheapest around (and this is in Oxford, which is an expensive city) are by far the BEST in my experience, and that of many other people hereabouts.

We changed from a very large (and very expensive) chain mainly because we weren't happy with the quality of service. Only after I changed did I find the practice was a greyhound specialist that people travel half way across the country to consult for racing injuries.

The original practice raised their fees a lot when they were in an obvious phase of business expansion, opening new surgeries around town and I didn't feel the rapid rise of consulation fees was proportionate to either normal inflation, increased expertise on offer or improved facilities. They also mark up medications very significantly; we have checked this against bills from our own vets for comparable medications.

So don't assume the most expensive vets are necessarily the best ones; sometimes the reverse can be true.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Oh I totally agree, and my point was about being happy with the vets - not about the price. It's not about price/cost to me, it's about being happy with the treatment my animals get and the respect that I get. I refuse to go to the most expensive ones in the area. I HAVE watched them rip off people with unnecessary tests. One of our elderly clients had a cat with them, and I was appalled at their treatement of it and the prices they were charing, and the tests they were doing 'just because'.

So no - I wasn't saying you can't find a good cheaper vet - just that price shouldn't necessarily be the deciding factor - the relationship is more important to me than the cost. If my vets were cheaper I'd still be with them - but because of the relationship - if they were more expensive - again I'd still be with them.

Wendy

 

[dessie]

I wrote this on an email list the other day when people were bemoaning vet prices and complaining about vets just being a rip off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

I think the point I would make is that our vets, as well as being by far the cheapest around (and this is in Oxford, which is an expensive city) are by far the BEST in my experience, and that of many other people hereabouts.

We changed from a very large (and very expensive) chain mainly because we weren't happy with the quality of service. Only after I changed did I find the practice was a greyhound specialist that people travel half way across the country to consult for racing injuries.

The original practice raised their fees a lot when they were in an obvious phase of business expansion, opening new surgeries around town and I didn't feel the rapid rise of consulation fees was proportionate to either normal inflation, increased expertise on offer or improved facilities. They also mark up medications very significantly; we have checked this against bills from our own vets for comparable medications.

So don't assume the most expensive vets are necessarily the best ones; sometimes the reverse can be true.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Oh I totally agree, and my point was about being happy with the vets - not about the price. It's not about price/cost to me, it's about being happy with the treatment my animals get and the respect that I get. I refuse to go to the most expensive ones in the area. I HAVE watched them rip off people with unnecessary tests. One of our elderly clients had a cat with them, and I was appalled at their treatement of it and the prices they were charing, and the tests they were doing 'just because'.

So no - I wasn't saying you can't find a good cheaper vet - just that price shouldn't necessarily be the deciding factor - the relationship is more important to me than the cost. If my vets were cheaper I'd still be with them - but because of the relationship - if they were more expensive - again I'd still be with them.

Wendy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Hear, hear!! My point exactly.