How much does a vet visit and lethal injection cost?

Leo Walker

Leo Walker

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This is awful and I really, really, really, REALLY do not want to get in a fight about it! But having made the horrific decision to have Frankie PTS I'm stressing about the final bill :( I, well my OH paid the disposal people to take him away. I asked the vets the total cost and was told £280 but I was in a hell of a state so could feasibly have misunderstood. I sent my OH to the cash point as I wasnt in any state to deal with that. When they did the deed I hid away and he paid the disposal peope. They asked for £220. All fine and I knew there would be money owing, but I've not had a final bill from the vets.

I MADE myself call a few days ago. It was awful but I did it. They couldnt tell me exactly what was owing but thought it was £390 I was a bit surprised but they were going to call back so I parked it. They havent called back and its been about 5 working days since. No worries really as I assumed it was a mistake, but today I got the final balance through from the insurance company which shows a balance owing to the vets of in excess of £400 for PTS and disposal.

I'm border line hysterical even typing this, but he was PTS by lethal injection and was taken away, I assume to be cremated, I didnt actually ask any details other than saying I didnt need any ashes back. But how the hell can PTS by lethal injection cost more than £600??

I'm hoping its just a financial mistake but if it isnt then bearing in mind the local hunt charges less than £200 for PTS and disposal I should really say something, but in all honestly I dont think I can do it without losing the plot as it is still so, so, so raw and painful for me :(

If thats the cost of it, then fine no issues, hes not suffering, it was so sympathetically done etc, etc. But if any of you could bear to tell what you have paid that would help me either to know its ok, or it really isnt and I need to put on my big girl pants and deal with it :(
 
I'm so sorry you've had to go through this, it's beyond awful to have to make that decision.

I had both my veterans pts last summer, I'm not sure of the entire bill because I couldn't really process anything that was going on. My 14:2 cost more than my 16:2 in drugs etc, I do remember that and thought to query it but couldn't bring myself to.

I think all told I was nearly £800 for both, but that included emergency visits and medication for both beforehand. I was fortunate my vets let me pay it up. My disposal costs were less than yours, I think £70 for one and £60 for the other, I ended up using different companies for uplift.

Hugs to you, it'll get easier in time, they always have a place in your heart and the grief does recede.
 
could your oh call them and ask for a detailed breakdown? the cost of disposal could easily have been included especially from the insurance saying pts and disposal and if so would make sense of the total. Its a horrible thing for you to have to start going into at this point so if someone else could call tham or perhaps you could write an email it may be easier for you :(
 
So sorry you are going through this, don't know if this helps any but my mum had her pony pts about 2 years ago now. The total bill inc disposal was £280, I'm sure £200 of that was the knackerman. But it was a bullet not injection.
 
I had my two pts in September. My bill was just shy of £700 for both. That included all drugs, and disposal. Horses not insured, and paid in 3 installments.
Still feels raw. I cried this morning over them when met up with a friend I hadn't seen for a few months. Not a day goes by when they are not thought about.

Many hugs OP. x
 
Sorry for your situation and the worry you are experiencing over the total costs.

If it helps, it cost me about £400 in 2014. It was circa £280 for the vet and the injection and a further £120 (cash) for the knackerman to come and collect (would have been £160 for the knackerman if I'd have been invoiced with a month to pay).

The vets bill came about a week or so afterwards with the usual 28 days to pay.
 
I had one pts by my vet, he was smaller than your boy so probably required a less drugs but the visit etc would be similar, vet bill was £188 last year so I would definitely question it, they may have made an error and added the disposal on but it is not an acceptable error when they must know the client is distressed.
The disposal without returning ashes sounds about right, I have paid £200 and £280 recently, again no ashes returned.
 
If you paid the disposal people in cash...why is the vet billing you for PTS and disposal? Surely the disposal has been accounted for twice.
 
I can't remember exactly but one was in the region of £800 but that included an emergency call out, some minor treatment, pts and disposal. Another was about £600 which didn't include disposal. I paid that seperately straight to the company. Not sure how it came to that much as he had an emergency call out, an examination fee and the pts. The 3rd (yup 3 in just over a year having not had one pts for nearly 14 years!) was about £200 as we took her too the vets and she was pts, no examination or anything.
 
sorry- misread.
So you paid the disposal and it was purely the vets fees for pts were £400?
That sounds alot - unless if was anemergency call out?
I'd ring practice and ask for a breakdown
 
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It can depend on how long the vet was with you. We paid £800 for PTS in 2015 - plus £600 for disposal. For various reasons I won't go into we had to delay the final act about 5 hours. (The horse did not suffer) The vet was brilliant but had a right to bill for their time. Disposal was a rush job as I didn't want children coming on yard the next day to find a body so I had to pay extra.
 
It does sound a lot, can you task a friend to ring the vets and ask for a breakdown?

Hugs, getting the bill afterwards is absolutely horrid anyway, I got my OH to deal with all the financials when my maxocob was pts, I refused to look at the paper documents.
 
The costs round my neck of the woods (NW Surrey) for vet to pts is around £250/300 inc VAT, this for pre-planned callout and injection. A lot more if in an emergency situation or out of hours.
Removal if booked elsewhere is around £200 - £250+ depending on size.
If knackerman with bullet & removal, its around £200/£280 all in depending on size.

OP, I would def contact the vets to query bill, can you do this by email, simply letting them know that you paid the disposal costs direct to the carrier? Also that vet originally quoted you approx £280 when you made 1st enquiry.

Hope you resolve this as does sound v expensive xx
 
In 2014 I had to have my 14.2 cob pts, it was a pre planned call out and the vets bill was £160. I paid for disposal separately direct. It sounds as if they have charged for both pts and removal, I hope you can get it sorted out x
 
It was just a standard call out no examination or anything. He did have sedation prior though.

Honestly, as callous as it sounds, the hunt would have charged me £250 inc but I went with the vet as it was about the same price and it seemed easier in my mind. I wouldnt have used them if I had known it was going to be closer to £700.

This is just being made needlessly hard for me by them not sending a bill, or having an accurate balance when I rang or even ringing me back. I supposed being really cross is better than being heartbroken though!
 
I'm sorry for your loss. I would ring the vet and ask for a clear breakdown of costs.
Have you been charged for disposal twice.
I would question it.
 
As you would for any other business insist on an itemised invoice as it was significantly more than quoted, once you have that contact the practice manager suggesting you will be paying the price that was quoted otherwise you would have gone elsewhere. I know it's crap but ATM I would try and treat it like any other business transaction
 
It sounds quite expensive perhaps they have charged you for the disposal that you have already paid for, I would give them a call it could just be an error on their part I hope it is for your sake x
 
I suspect you are being charged twice for disposal
Probably just a mix up which can easily be sorted with a phone call
I had 2 emergency call outs and treatment given on a Sunday for colic and that didn't even come to £400
 
It does seem rather high. In the past I have paid the disposal fee (approx £250) direct to the people when they turn up. The vet then invoices their piece about a month later. The last time I had one pts was about 3 years ago and I think I paid the vet about £260 for call out and injection.
 
Leo Walker said:
This is awful and I really, really, really, REALLY do not want to get in a fight about it! But having made the horrific decision to have Frankie PTS I'm stressing about the final bill :( I, well my OH paid the disposal people to take him away. I asked the vets the total cost and was told £280 but I was in a hell of a state so could feasibly have misunderstood. I sent my OH to the cash point as I wasnt in any state to deal with that. When they did the deed I hid away and he paid the disposal peope. They asked for £220. All fine and I knew there would be money owing, but I've not had a final bill from the vets.

I MADE myself call a few days ago. It was awful but I did it. They couldnt tell me exactly what was owing but thought it was £390 I was a bit surprised but they were going to call back so I parked it. They havent called back and its been about 5 working days since. No worries really as I assumed it was a mistake, but today I got the final balance through from the insurance company which shows a balance owing to the vets of in excess of £400 for PTS and disposal.

I'm border line hysterical even typing this, but he was PTS by lethal injection and was taken away, I assume to be cremated, I didnt actually ask any details other than saying I didnt need any ashes back. But how the hell can PTS by lethal injection cost more than £600??

I'm hoping its just a financial mistake but if it isnt then bearing in mind the local hunt charges less than £200 for PTS and disposal I should really say something, but in all honestly I dont think I can do it without losing the plot as it is still so, so, so raw and painful for me :(

If thats the cost of it, then fine no issues, hes not suffering, it was so sympathetically done etc, etc. But if any of you could bear to tell what you have paid that would help me either to know its ok, or it really isnt and I need to put on my big girl pants and deal with it :(
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Sorry your in this position

I would contact the vets and the disposal company and get an accurate quote in writing from them
 
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FRiend just had her horse pts on Friday. Disposal was £250. The pts from memory of mine was about £200. Minto was cremated and ashes back and was £860. I think you have been charged disposal twice.
 
Cecile said:
I suspect you are being charged twice for disposal
Probably just a mix up which can easily be sorted with a phone call
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I agree with this. Not easy when you are still dealing with the loss of your friend, but perhaps you could ask your OH to call the vets for you? If you paid disposal on the day then it should not be on your bill.
 
Firstly I'm so sorry - I can only imagine how upsetting it is to have this on top of everything else.

We had one PTS at the vet a couple of years ago - he was in there for surgery that didn't go as expected so he was euthanized while still under GA - the PTS part of the bill was £200 and disposal was £250 - vet asked whether we wanted to pay direct for disposal or for them to put it on our bill. We paid direct.

When we had the old girl PTS last summer we had the knacker man out - £150 for shooting and taking away.
 
I agree that it sounds like a mix up, the last horse I had put down was an emergency situation so cost was not discussed before but I got the bill from The Grafton for disposal within a couple of days which I paid straight away. About a week later the vet bill arrived which included disposal, I rang & explained that I had paid them direct, it was easily cleared up.
Get some body else to call if you can't face it.
 
I have had two euthanized by injection after hours as an emergency in the last three years. The vet in total fees are about £250+vat, but the vet I used is very reasonable , disposal through a fallen stock company is £300.
If its possible I try to use the hunt, its cheaper and you know you have paid all the cost on the day. Its one of those things that it pays to shop around for before you need to use them.
 
Vet (by injection) is generally much more expensive because of disposal costs. If shot the hunt will take the horse away and use it for the hounds. This is not an option with thr injection. The drugs aren't cheap, about £120 other than for the smallest pony or donkey - generally there's a bit of local and a catheter as well as the somulose. Plus vet time and getting them there. Minimum total I've seen is about £200 plus disposal on top.
 
Mine was put down in 2013. PTS by lethal injection (non-emergency) although she did have to have extra as a just in case because she had been on barbiturates for many years and the vet and I did some checking with the manufacturer first, then group cremation and no ashes returned by a separate company who travelled quite a long way to collect. As I remember the total was around £600. I made the decision some months in advance so ring-fenced the money.
 
Ask your vet if the total bill includes removal costs. When I had my horse put down the vet arranged it all for me and told me not to pay the disposal costs, they would pay and then invoice me, which they did and if I remember correctly for a 14.3hh to have injection and then be collected, no ashes returned, it was about £450.

So sorry for your loss, it's bloody awful isn't it.

Sorry - didn't read all the other posts - definitely get someone to check if you have been double charged as others have suggested. And the costs for my horse were from about 6 years ago so may have gone up a bit since then.
 
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