Gobsmacked by my vet bill

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Stasha22

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My horse has had lameness issues since boxing day. She has spent about 2 1/2 weeks at the vets clinic in total, and has had nerve blocks in one foot and x-rays on all feet. Despite all of this, they do not know what is wrong with her and she is being referred for an MRI scan.

What would you expect this to have cost? My bill is for £2,200. I am totally speechless. I cannot believe that they are billing me such a large amount and they have no clue as to what is wrong with her.

I really am stunned.
 
2 1/2 weeks of livery and care at a clinic, along with nerve blocks and x-rays... I'm afraid to say that doesn't sound like an unreasonable amount at all.

Is your insurance company paying?
 
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The trouble is, if the horse stays at the clinic, this runs the bill up enormously. A friend had her pony at clinic and it was about 4/500 a week...
 
Not surprised in the slightest; seems about right to me! In fact, my aunt's dog before she died was at the vets for one week, for brain scans, and her bill was in excess of £3000. I'd say you've been quite lucky!
 
They've done all the work so regardless of if they have reached a diagnosis (would you want to pay them a bonus if they diagnosed??) it still has to be paid for I'm afraid.
Is she insured?
 
I know exactly where you are coming from
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..... if you knew what direction to go in then you would not have been so shocked by the cost, however you still do not know
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.... I do feel for you and hope that they find what the problem is from the MRI! Good Luck!
 
It sounds very un-reasonable to me! My mare has had a lot of problems in the past so I know how expensive treatment can be, but I think this is shocking.

I'll just clarify that it was one lot of x-rays and 2 nerve blocks (coffin joint and sesamoid nerve). No other treatment.

My insurance does not cover the hospitalisation, which was £23.50 per day.

If they had an idea of what the problem was I might not feel quite so bad, I just feel that its a bit of a waste of my £5k insurance limit when the MRI will cost a further £1,200. Doesn't leave very much in the pot for any treatment that she may need.
 
No, I would not pay them a bonus for a diagnosis, it is their job to find the problem and treat accordingly.

It would probably help if you knew the full story, but to put it short, we have been seriously messed around by the vets, to the detriment of my mares health.
 
unfortunatley that sounds about right to me. If they could diagnose what was wrong without any treatment or tests then we would all be happy people. Its just the way things go im affraid. My last main vets bill was £8000 on a horse that was too old to be covered by insurance. He recovered and then died a few days later with colic
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How unlucky was that! I dont begrudge paying any of it if it gave him a chance and thats what you have to be prepared for, if you decide to have horses treated.
 
Ah, I think you're less miffed about the cost than the fact that you still don't know what your mare has got. Unfortunately, whilst they may look and look and look (hence the cost!) there is no real guarantee they WILL find out exactly what's wrong. I expect they tried the cheaper treatments before suggesting MRI. Would you rather they hadn't looked? Do you mind me asking who you're insured with?
 
Sounds a tad high but not much - hospital livery under 24h supervision is expensive. Ireland must be cheaper though, I paid €1.3k for a surgical joint flush under GA, digital x-rays and 12 days of hospitalization
 
Well my first question would be why was your horse in the clinic for 2 1/2 weeks if it was just for xrays and nerve blocks?
 
But that's the problem - they haven't looked and looked and looked!

When she was first admitted she had the x-rays which were clear. They then kept her at the clinic for a further 2 weeks, with no further tests or treatment etc.

Sent her home and said to turn her out as usual but within 20 mins of being in field she was crippled again. Vet came back and admitted her again and then they did the nerve blocks which confirmed lameness was in the foot. 3 days later she was sent home and advised 2 more weeks box rest and then if no better (which she isn't) they will refer for MRI.

I asked about the MRI referral weeks ago as she has had a similar problem (but in other foot) in the past and have basically been ignored.

Yes, of course I am upset about the fact that I don't know why my horse is lame but I am also upset about the amount of time that has been wasted so far and the poor service we have received.
 
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But that's the problem - they haven't looked and looked and looked! When she was first admitted she had the x-rays which were clear. They then kept her at the clinic for a further 2 weeks, with no further tests or treatment etc.

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Why on earth did they keep her then? I had a horse at Rossdales once with her leg in a cast and they asked me if I'd rather take her home. I chose to leave her there because there was no one to look after her while I was at work, but insurance covered it.

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Yes, of course I am upset about the fact that I don't know why my horse is lame but I am also upset about the amount of time that has been wasted so far and the poor service we have received.

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In that case, go over the bill with them and ask them to explain every single point and tell them what you're unhappy with.
 
If the hospitalisation was only £23.50 per day are you saying they charged you approx £1700 for a few x-rays and 2 nerve blocks?

If not what else are the charges for. They must have itemised them.
 
This will be broken down even further, hospitalization, livery, tests. I just don't understand why they kept her in for two weeks. What was their explanation for that? Did you ask why at the time?
 
Why did she have to stay in if they weren't doing anything?? Did you query why she was there? Usually the vets are keen for the horses to go home asap, if all they have done is a few xrays & 2 nerve blocks, then I really don't see why she needed to be there, my vet can xray & nerve block on site. Perhaps ask them to clarify the charges with you, as Jlav says, the bill should be itemised.
 
I would check with your insurance company re the MRI as we are in teh same position with a horse - it has been lame since October and we are non the wiser. he was in teh vets for 2 days - was blocked about 6 different ways on each day and all we know is it is def not navicular, coffin joints or anything below the knee. I take him in on Monday and he will be in for a week as he is having scintigraphy. This we hope may show something. If that doesn't then the only way forward is MRI but the insurance company are unlikely to pay more than half of that. So far this horse has had over £2000 of work done and no idea what is wrong. The vet has been through everything with use - we get a detailed breakdown of all costs and procedures and so we know how much it will cost and how much the insurance company will pay. Too often the diagnostic work uses up the insurance money, leaving little for treatment.
 
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Sounds a tad high but not much - hospital livery under 24h supervision is expensive. Ireland must be cheaper though, I paid €1.3k for a surgical joint flush under GA, digital x-rays and 12 days of hospitalization

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Yup Ireland is much cheaper, despite the ultimate in modern, well-equipped equine hospitals.

My horse has recently had two lots of surgery to a tumour - the vets/lab have no idea what form of tumour it is - but I still paid for the two operations (one of which was under general and involved the horse being hospitalised for several days) even though I don't have a proper diagnosis. The vets have still done their job, carried out the treatment, dispensed the drugs and looked after him while he was there. Like I said to my OH, it would be a fascinating case study if it wasn't my horse
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Oh, vets sure do know how to kick you when you're down....

My little dog got attacked and I had to rush her to the vets - she was kept in over night and it cost me £200. Then I had to pay for medicines etc..... But I have to say, I would have paid it if it was £2000 - and I think the vets know this. Our love for our animals has no value of money.

Money wise my little dog is worth about £350 but to me she is priceless.
 
If you feel youv'e been hard done by and haven't had suitable treatment I suggest you report the acting Vet to the Royal College, they will look into the treatment and decide whether the Vet was negligent, MRI isn't usually covered by your insurance so check your policy before pushing for one. It will only show up soft tissue damage so if it is mechanical and in the foot it may not show anything either!
 
I have read all your posts about Lottie and although I am not surprised about the amount they are charging, what does seem very wrong is that they kept her in at all - I know she was incredibly lame (I have had two that have been crippled with laminitis and at no time did my vet suggest moving them or keeping them in the clinic), but she could have been boxrested at home and then taken for nerveblocks and xrays. I would guess she was on pain medication (bute/finadyne etc.) and as the nerveblocks need to be done when the horse is medication-free, I don't know how they could have hoped to get a clear picture. I know she suffers from gastric ulcers and the fact that they practically starved her was IMHO obviously wrong - laminitics should not be starved (if I remember rightly, this was your vet's first diagnosis of Lottie's lameness) and neither should horses suffering from gastric ulcers. I also remember reading that she might have picked up ringworm while she was there. The MRI scan should give you some answers and then, if I were you, I would see if I could find a new vet. I really feel for you and hope everything works out well for Lottie.
 
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Oh, vets sure do know how to kick you when you're down....



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you know, you've been talking crap since you joined so I dont why I'm surprised you still are
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so the years of vet school, the fact that they are professionals in a high stress job with big overheads means they shouldnt charge very much? they arent charities they are businesses but I have never met one vet who relishes 'kicking clients' when they are down. they toughened up sure but only because people took the mick-it wasnt unusual for practices to be carry tens of thousands in bad debts-why should they?
 
Well said Dutch Viscount, My husband works 108 hours a week when he covers the weekend on call as well as the week, We have £112,000 bad debt on our books 82% are horse clients It took 5yrs to train at Cambridge and he has been CARING for animals for 25yrs now, even when he is not on duty he gets calls from friends or neighbours about their pets, he doesn't get a moment away from his thoughts about the cases he has been treating that day and then he is expected to spend time as a Father & Husband, no wonder Veterinary Medicine has THE Highest suicide rate in the country. How much does it cost to call out a Plumber at 2am in the morning.....£175.00 a Vet........£42 where does that balance out!!! Vets are very intelligent people that keep our country afloat with their seriously heavy tax bills.
 
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Well said Dutch Viscount, My husband works 108 hours a week when he covers the weekend on call as well as the week, We have £112,000 bad debt on our books 82% are horse clients It took 5yrs to train at Cambridge and he has been CARING for animals for 25yrs now, even when he is not on duty he gets calls from friends or neighbours about their pets, he doesn't get a moment away from his thoughts about the cases he has been treating that day and then he is expected to spend time as a Father & Husband, no wonder Veterinary Medicine has THE Highest suicide rate in the country. How much does it cost to call out a Plumber at 2am in the morning.....£175.00 a Vet........£42 where does that balance out!!!

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applauds
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cant afford 'em, dont have 'em or dont stint on insurance. the worst payers were always the equine clients becuase they were somehow convinced that everyone else should subsidise their hobby, their luxury item.
 
Thanks Jaylen, you have summed up the situation incredibly well, an awful lot better than I obviously have given some of peoples replies!!!

Thankfully, my insurers are happy to pay the full cost of the MRI, and have been happy to do so since I first enquired about 3 weeks ago rather than prolong the stress and suffering Lottie is going through.

Unfortuately, the vets do not seem to share this attitude and seem to be quite happy to leave her on box rest and incredibly unhappy. Despite agreeing that she needs the MRI on Tuesday, no appointment has been made yet.

And yes, she did catch ringworm during her stay.
 
There are good and bad in all professions, we are fortunate and have an excellent vet now. Locally, however there was one who was so unethical that he left signed animal health forms at a slaughter house. I assume he had also spent 5 years training. The profession of a person does not dictate their morals.
 
I can't say whether this is unreasonable or not as I haven't seen the fee breakdown nor know the reason behind the hospitalisation. However, before I got too deep into my pony's treatment, having realised that it was starting to get pricey, I asked for the very best estimate/quote on each bit and decided then, what to do. Since it hasn't been a snap decision (ie colic surgery or not and you have five minutes to make your mind up) then keeping abreast of the charges might not reduce them - merely the shock of hearing them!
 
Is this your usual vets that you've had trouble with, or the vets that are going to do the MRI?
Horribly frustrating and upsetting I'm sure - hope you get a diagnosis from the MRI.
 
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