how much to have set aside?

[paddy555]

thank you! Tbh 600 for at home surgery etc is quite good I think, NFU don’t insure for my post code so they’re out the window! The vets I’m looking at have good reviews and I know someone who uses them, they have I think 6 equine vets at their practice so I would hope there is always at least 1 available for a call out and they have an equine hospital at their second practice which is a 20 min drive so they seem to be the biggest contender!

that sounds pretty good. When you get nearer the time ask about vet practices on here. There have been several (around the country) which have been very highly rated.

 

[teddypops]

I was thinking if I was to claim on the smaller bills I’d risk my insurance changing and then excluding things I may need for bigger problems if this makes sense?
would definitely be honest from the get go though as I know insurance companies won’t pay if they find any reason not to it’s not worth the risk
Edited - I see what you mean now insurance will know about even the smaller things so won’t matter, that’s a good point thank you!!

If you are going to insure, claim for everything that is over your excess because as soon as something is mentioned on you horses vet history, it will be excluded anyway. I hear of a lot of people only claiming for bigger bills but there is no point in paying for insurance and not using it. I use Petplan and have an excess of £145 with £5000 vets fees. You can choose the level of cover you need.

 

[Birker2020]

You are fortunate in having flexible vets who are solvent enough to allow payments to drag on.

My vet, and most other local equine practices bill weekly.
Mine bill out on a Friday afternoon and payment expected by return, definitely within 4 working days. They then add 5% to anything outstanding by midday the following Friday.
Its pointed out to all clients on registering and tho robust, they have very few defaulters.

Well its probably because I've spent over 30K with them since 2007 and its very rare that I am without a vets bill in my possession and they know that I will pay something, however small every week and they rarely have to chase me. So because they know that they wouldn't get it unless they give their trusted clients this option.

 

[Amylaurenx]

If you are going to insure, claim for everything that is over your excess because as soon as something is mentioned on you horses vet history, it will be excluded anyway. I hear of a lot of people only claiming for bigger bills but there is no point in paying for insurance and not using it. I use Petplan and have an excess of £145 with £5000 vets fees. You can choose the level of cover you need.

yeah I didn’t think that they’ll see the history and exclude it anyway so I may aswell claim for anything if it’s over !
That’s the one I was looking at too, I’ve heard mixed reviews but suppose there’s always going to be people with a bad experience anywhere you go

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Well its probably because I've spent over 30K with them since 2007 and its very rare that I am without a vets bill in my possession and they know that I will pay something, however small every week and they rarely have to chase me. So because they know that they wouldn't get it unless they give their trusted clients this option.

How wonderful!
I cant add more to this....... I'm amazed

 

[Bellaboo18]

Well its probably because I've spent over 30K with them since 2007 and its very rare that I am without a vets bill in my possession and they know that I will pay something, however small every week and they rarely have to chase me. So because they know that they wouldn't get it unless they give their trusted clients this option.

Sorry, I just dont think this is acceptable. There was another poster on the forum that was gobsmacked when the vet wouldnt come out to them as they hadn't completely paid a previous bill but she said she always paid a bit off a month...

Vets are running a business!

 

[Birker2020]

Sorry, I just dont think this is acceptable. There was another poster on the forum that was gobsmacked when the vet wouldnt come out to them as they hadn't completely paid a previous bill but she said she always paid a bit off a month...

Vets are running a business!

I don't care whether you think its acceptable or not. This is what they have always done, they know I'm good for it and I always pay it. I only have around £350 outstanding from a £1K bill from 6 weeks ago.

Most of their clients pay this way, if they don't see they are making an effort they will chase them up.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I don't care whether you think its acceptable or not. This is what they have always done, they know I'm good for it and I always pay it. I only have around £350 outstanding from a £1K bill from 6 weeks ago.

Most of their clients pay this way, if they don't see they are making an effort they will chase them up.

Sorry, I just dont think this is acceptable. There was another poster on the forum that was gobsmacked when the vet wouldnt come out to them as they hadn't completely paid a previous bill but she said she always paid a bit off a month...

Vets are running a business!

I agree Bellaboo18.
How can they replace equipment and budget properly if clients just pay when they can?
It's (paying vet bills) part and parcel of owning animals.
Most small animal practices insist on payment before leaving the surgery.
I wouldn't get any other trade out even for emergency work (water, electrics etc) and then pay in dribs and drabs after the event.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

thank you for this! Makes complete sense, and also agree on the bottom part now it’s easy to say I wouldn’t put them through something major etc but when they’re your best friend you’d give them the world, I know I could easily cover the 500 which is why I put that as my excess my worry comes that if it was a total amount more than my insurance would cover that’s where I think I need either a credit card or a good amount of savings!

That is why I find it best to make the decision on the cold light of day, rather than with the vet standing there at midnight. listing the options. There has been (a lot) more than one thread on here where I have thought 'I would pts now' at the beginning, where the owner has tried for weeks and spent thousands of £££, only for the horse to have to be pts eventually.

 

[paddy555]

Sorry, I just dont think this is acceptable. There was another poster on the forum that was gobsmacked when the vet wouldnt come out to them as they hadn't completely paid a previous bill but she said she always paid a bit off a month...

Vets are running a business!

I agree with both you and FF. I expect a vet to be with me within an hour in an emergency, day or night. I expect them to have highly qualified vets, the lastest equipment and everything else. When my horse needed a blood test analysed on a Sunday afternoon immediately, I expected (and got) the results within an hour as they had the lab facilities to do this.
In return for all of that I expect to pay them on the day the monthly bill arrives. It's my job to subsidise my animal's vet treatment not the vet's to accommodate me.
Everyone may occasionally fall on hard times with a genuine problem but not as a matter of course.

As you say vets are running a business and we need them to be there for us.

 

[paddy555]

Well its probably because I've spent over 30K with them since 2007 and its very rare that I am without a vets bill in my possession and they know that I will pay something, however small every week and they rarely have to chase me. So because they know that they wouldn't get it unless they give their trusted clients this option.

what amazes me about this is not so much how you pay but the level of your vet bills. You must have an awful lot of horses.
Between 2007 I have had between 8 and 12 horses as any one time, never less plus always one dog and a couple of cats. My vet bills are nothing like 30K.

 

[TPO]

That is why I find it best to make the decision on the cold light of day, rather than with the vet standing there at midnight. listing the options. There has been (a lot) more than one thread on here where I have thought 'I would pts now' at the beginning, where the owner has tried for weeks and spent thousands of £££, only for the horse to have to be pts eventually.

That was the point that I was trying to make (badly!) earlier in this thread.

Mums TB developed cellulitis. If I'd known that day how the next 5wks would pan out he would have pts that day.

I'm very pragmatic and my vet is a realist. As demonstrated on here regularly sometimes pts is the best option for the horse than the "try anything/everything" approach.

However my vet thought that horse had a real chance of recovery if we could put in 100% to nurse him around the clock. That was done and he was making decent-ish progress. Vet gave horse a deadline and he was still on the path to improvement at that point so the deadline was extended.

Sadly less than a week later the infection came back and spread so he was pts.

With the benefit of hindsight pts that first night would have been 4.5k cheaper not to mention the long days of handwalkkng intend of the world weather and no sleep while trying to hold down my job.

I couldnt have pts in goor conscious at that point knowing that there was a good chance of recovery.

In the first week there were 5 vet visits, 2 were out of hours, 8 or 12 xrays and a shed load of drugs. 5wks later 5k was gone just like that (not including what was spent on other things to try and keep him comfortable and aid recovery).

So it's easy to say I wouldnt do a £££ surgery but harder to say I wont get this wee cut/puncture/lameness treated because further down the line itll be £££

Really the best advice is to stick with Guinea pigs and avoid horse ownership! Ha ha

 

[Birker2020]

what amazes me about this is not so much how you pay but the level of your vet bills. You must have an awful lot of horses.
Between 2007 I have had between 8 and 12 horses as any one time, never less plus always one dog and a couple of cats. My vet bills are nothing like 30K.

Lucky you! I have one horse. I've only self financed since 2016, the rest of the time I was insured. I never said I'd had to pay all £30K, thank God. But after receiving 6 exclusions I gave up!
I have always called the vet out if I am unsure of something or I am not confident that it is in the horses best interests to delay whether that is on a bank holiday, a weekend or a normal weekday.

I've had expensive treatment including diagnostics for some of the things which don't come cheap especially when you are paying for xrays and interpretation of xrays on top!
When you think that an initial vet visit is £40 for travel, £40 for examine equine, £40 plus pounds for buscopan/bute or whatever else each visit is at least in the region of £120 - £160. Our vets are quite expensive but they offer brilliant service and top notch facilities including some fabby diagnostic equipment.

Tendon sheath injury in field - two visits and medicated with steroid.
Spavin - first medicated with steroid three times over a period of years.
Spavin - Tildren x 3 lots when it became evident steroid wasn't keeping it at bay (£700 at time plus call out, exam equine, etc)
Spavin - Chemical Arthodesis when it became evident tildren hadn't worked
Post spavin issue four years later requiring two visits
2 visits for a bad bacterial skin infection caused by going through a water complex full of bacteria on a fun ride! It could only happen to my horse.
A kick in the field which necessitated two call outs plus stitches and x-rays.
About a dozen or more call outs between 2004 and 2006 for spasmodic colic before learning how to treat it myself and save on the vets bills!
Two left dorsal displacements, 2012 and 2014, with vet attending twice the first time, three times over four days for the second dorsal displacement, needing tubing on each visit. The second one was very frightening and I felt sure I would lose the horse. It was difficult because treatment was limited due to the horse having a pre existing heart issue.
A number of suspensory branch injuries during a 2 year period each requiring initial vet visit and then follow up calls for ultrasound, shockwave, etc, etc
A continuation of a troubling suspensory branch injury requiring PRP and follow up calls with ultrasound and shockwave
Emergency call out for result of horse getting foot stuck in wheelbarrow after spending £5K on PRP to get the same leg sorted! Grrr. (Not my fault, I was at work)
A continuation of even more troubling suspensory branch injury following wheelbarrow injury with vet follow up at least twice and ultrasound.
Emergency call out for nail penetrating foot (farrier worked outside my stable and didn't sweep up, horse stood on nail)
Neck arthritis requiring 2 lots of steroids a number of years apart
Coffin joint issues needing medicating four times over 12 years followed recently with Arthramid
Vets attendance for two bad abscesses in feet, the second one was a deep bruise.
X-rays for possible back issues - nothing of any significance found.
Check ligament injury - initial emergency vet visit and follow up call for ultrasound

I'm sure there are many more I could add to the mix but simply can't remember.

 

[conniegirl]

what amazes me about this is not so much how you pay but the level of your vet bills. You must have an awful lot of horses.
Between 2007 I have had between 8 and 12 horses as any one time, never less plus always one dog and a couple of cats. My vet bills are nothing like 30K.

Not necessary to have a large number of horses to run up huge bills, since 2011 I’ve had probably £20k in vet bills from 3 horses total.
First and second horse had major investigations into lameness and performance issues, around £8k each. First horse was fixed, second horse permanently retired to field as unfixable.
3rd pony had £2k on his tendons and then has a lovely tendency to do stupid things like stick his head in a hedge and get himself stung resulting in an emergency call out on a bank holiday monday because his eyes were swollen shut! Or bitten by a false widow spider resulting in his skin blistering and falling off all over his shoulders and between his front legs (again on a sunday). He averages about £500 a call out.

 

[paddy555]

Lucky you! I have one horse. I've only self financed since 2016, the rest of the time I was insured. I never said I'd had to pay all £30K, thank God. But after receiving 6 exclusions I gave up!
I have always called the vet out if I am unsure of something or I am not confident that it is in the horses best interests to delay whether that is on a bank holiday, a weekend or a normal weekday.

I've had expensive treatment including diagnostics for some of the things which don't come cheap especially when you are paying for xrays and interpretation of xrays on top!
When you think that an initial vet visit is £40 for travel, £40 for examine equine, £40 plus pounds for buscopan/bute or whatever else each visit is at least in the region of £120 - £160. Our vets are quite expensive but they offer brilliant service and top notch facilities including some fabby diagnostic equipment.

Tendon sheath injury in field - two visits and medicated with steroid.
Spavin - first medicated with steroid three times over a period of years.
Spavin - Tildren x 3 lots when it became evident steroid wasn't keeping it at bay (£700 at time plus call out, exam equine, etc)
Spavin - Chemical Arthodesis when it became evident tildren hadn't worked
Post spavin issue four years later requiring two visits
2 visits for a bad bacterial skin infection caused by going through a water complex full of bacteria on a fun ride! It could only happen to my horse.
A kick in the field which necessitated two call outs plus stitches and x-rays.
About a dozen or more call outs between 2004 and 2006 for spasmodic colic before learning how to treat it myself and save on the vets bills!
Two left dorsal displacements, 2012 and 2014, with vet attending twice the first time, three times over four days for the second dorsal displacement, needing tubing on each visit. The second one was very frightening and I felt sure I would lose the horse. It was difficult because treatment was limited due to the horse having a pre existing heart issue.
A number of suspensory branch injuries during a 2 year period each requiring initial vet visit and then follow up calls for ultrasound, shockwave, etc, etc
A continuation of a troubling suspensory branch injury requiring PRP and follow up calls with ultrasound and shockwave
Emergency call out for result of horse getting foot stuck in wheelbarrow after spending £5K on PRP to get the same leg sorted! Grrr. (Not my fault, I was at work)
A continuation of even more troubling suspensory branch injury following wheelbarrow injury with vet follow up at least twice and ultrasound.
Emergency call out for nail penetrating foot (farrier worked outside my stable and didn't sweep up, horse stood on nail)
Neck arthritis requiring 2 lots of steroids a number of years apart
Coffin joint issues needing medicating four times over 12 years followed recently with Arthramid
Vets attendance for two bad abscesses in feet, the second one was a deep bruise.
X-rays for possible back issues - nothing of any significance found.
Check ligament injury - initial emergency vet visit and follow up call for ultrasound

I'm sure there are many more I could add to the mix but simply can't remember.

Jeez, I'm exhausted just reading all of that for 1 horse. I shall look more kindly on my lot now.

 

[paddy555]

Not necessary to have a large number of horses to run up huge bills, since 2011 I’ve had probably £20k in vet bills from 3 horses total.
First and second horse had major investigations into lameness and performance issues, around £8k each. First horse was fixed, second horse permanently retired to field as unfixable.
3rd pony had £2k on his tendons and then has a lovely tendency to do stupid things like stick his head in a hedge and get himself stung resulting in an emergency call out on a bank holiday monday because his eyes were swollen shut! Or bitten by a false widow spider resulting in his skin blistering and falling off all over his shoulders and between his front legs (again on a sunday). He averages about £500 a call out.

I am totally shattered by some of the charges. For comparison visit Sunday pm last Aug. Couldn't decide if horse had colic or tied up. Head vet, out of hours visit, examine horse, sedate, finadyne, blood test on their premises (so included lab fee) rectal, stomach tube and the usual follow up phone calls/discussions etc £289.

another horse apparently ate a bee/wasp. It stung him under his tongue. Emergency out of hours vet. Spent quite a time just watching to try and work out what had happened, treatment given. Bill around the £200 I would have expected.

 

[conniegirl]

another horse apparently ate a bee/wasp. It stung him under his tongue. Emergency out of hours vet. Spent quite a time just watching to try and work out what had happened, treatment given. Bill around the £200 I would have expected.

The bank holiday emergency call out fee was £160 alone for my lad, then you have an examination fee, the medication given to bring swelling down, the eye dyes to check he hadn’t damaged his eyes etc, it was over £300 that time.

For the spider bite it was the bedt part of £1k but did include a 3 visits, a lot of drugs, flamazine and dressings.

 

[Dexter]

I always have at least £5K savings but my savings are more for something drastic like the car dying on me than expensive vet bills for the horse which I tend to pay off weekly. My vets are very good and as long as they can see you making an effort to pay something every week/month don't seem to mind you taking your time - I think they add 1% every month interest.

You have 5k in savings but dont pay your vet bill and instead drag it out over months by paying dribs and drabs? My vet would have had me in court with a CCJ if I tried that!

 

[paddy555]

The bank holiday emergency call out fee was £160 alone for my lad, then you have an examination fee, the medication given to bring swelling down, the eye dyes to check he hadn’t damaged his eyes etc, it was over £300 that time.

For the spider bite it was the bedt part of £1k but did include a 3 visits, a lot of drugs, flamazine and dressings.

I know the area you are in as I grew up there. I am really surprised at such high charges.

 

[Birker2020]

You have 5k in savings but dont pay your vet bill and instead drag it out over months by paying dribs and drabs? My vet would have had me in court with a CCJ if I tried that!

You don't know me or my circumstances so I suggest you get your facts straight.

I already had around £350 in my account with the vet as I'd been saving up to have my horses Arthramid procedure done. The two previous vets call outs were paid within a month.

My savings are all i have for an emergency, if the boiler breaks down and needs replacing or if the car fails and I need to find a reliable vehicle to get to work and back. I don't have to justify myself to you. But if you'd read my previous posts since IR35 on 6th April I'm actually losing £71 per week, YES PER WEEK from my salary, yet my outgoings are still the same. My savings are my lifeline and I am sure I will be digging into them soon in order to just buy food and pay the household bills.

I don't go out (even before lockdown), never waste money on booze, I gave up smoking to save money and rarely buy new clothes. So if you don't know someone's situation its really not fair to comment.

I pay the vet £40, £50 or £60 per week straight into my account via internet banking and I envisage what i owe will be paid in around 6 - 8 weeks from todays date. I certainly don't drag it out over months like you imply.

 

[Birker2020]

Jeez, I'm exhausted just reading all of that for 1 horse. I shall look more kindly on my lot now.

yes a lot of people would have got rid years ago but i love the bones of her, she's my world and I'm grateful to the vets for all they have done. She came trotting across the field today whinnying at me and its worth more than a pot of gold that.

 

[scats]

I insure my horses, but if the exclusions pile up, I stop the insurance. Tobi, for instance, there was really no point insuring him after all his claims. I knew I wouldn’t put him through anything major anyway and I could always find the money needed to treat anything else.

I ended up having to fork out for Polly’s bill a few years ago, as I was one day within the 3 month initial period for claims. Think it came to £3k altogether. Bit of a pain, as it was a week before Christmas, but it is what it is.
I have an emergency credit card with a decent limit.

 

[Birker2020]

Not necessary to have a large number of horses to run up huge bills, since 2011 I’ve had probably £20k in vet bills from 3 horses total.
First and second horse had major investigations into lameness and performance issues, around £8k each. First horse was fixed, second horse permanently retired to field as unfixable.
3rd pony had £2k on his tendons and then has a lovely tendency to do stupid things like stick his head in a hedge and get himself stung resulting in an emergency call out on a bank holiday monday because his eyes were swollen shut! Or bitten by a false widow spider resulting in his skin blistering and falling off all over his shoulders and between his front legs (again on a sunday). He averages about £500 a call out.

It's funny how most emergencies happen on either a weekend or a Bank Holiday! I'd say nearly everyone of mine has been on one of those days.
The false widow spider incident sounds horrifying.

 

[Dexter]

I pay the vet £40, £50 or £60 per week straight into my account via internet banking and I envisage what i owe will be paid in around 6 - 8 weeks from todays date. I certainly don't drag it out over months like you imply.

You said yourself that yourself though. That system is great if it works for you and them. I've never heard of it and neither has anyone else on the forum, therefore I was just commenting that my vet would apply for a CCJ. They are pretty robust about debt collecting and absolutely would not allow a dribs and drabs payment of a bill unless there was extreme circumstances and absolutely no funds available. Anyone reading, needs to know that is not normal or acceptable in any other vet practice.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

You don't know me or my circumstances so I suggest you get your facts straight.

I already had around £350 in my account with the vet as I'd been saving up to have my horses Arthramid procedure done. The two previous vets call outs were paid within a month.

My savings are all i have for an emergency, if the boiler breaks down and needs replacing or if the car fails and I need to find a reliable vehicle to get to work and back. I don't have to justify myself to you. But if you'd read my previous posts since IR35 on 6th April I'm actually losing £71 per week, YES PER WEEK from my salary, yet my outgoings are still the same. My savings are my lifeline and I am sure I will be digging into them soon in order to just buy food and pay the household bills.

I don't go out (even before lockdown), never waste money on booze, I gave up smoking to save money and rarely buy new clothes. So if you don't know someone's situation its really not fair to comment.

I pay the vet £40, £50 or £60 per week straight into my account via internet banking and I envisage what i owe will be paid in around 6 - 8 weeks from todays date. I certainly don't drag it out over months like you imply.

I don't agree with your payment method.
I, like many others on here would settle bill by savings, credit card, whatever and then pay myself - or card - back after.
I don't know any vets round here that would let payments come like yours.
Astonishing, I guess we have different priorities.

 

[Goldenstar]

I was amazed when I found out from a vet that some people use vets as a payment plan and not just when there’s been a terrible emergency .
I have met some some who said not a care in the world oh I always make sure I owe the vet money .
Frankly I was a bit pissed off it means that I ( who would put big bills on a credit card when I was younger ) was paying the cost of these people credit worked into my bills

 

[ycbm]

You said yourself that yourself though. That system is great if it works for you and them. I've never heard of it and neither has anyone else on the forum, therefore I was just commenting that my vet would apply for a CCJ. They are pretty robust about debt collecting and absolutely would not allow a dribs and drabs payment of a bill unless there was extreme circumstances and absolutely no funds available. Anyone reading, needs to know that is not normal or acceptable in any other vet practice.

Yes it is.



For everyone having a go at Birker, there used to be vets in my area whose terms were pay by instalment with interest added, and hers is clearly one like it. She states in one of her posts that interest is added.

If her vet has those terms she shouldn't be being attacked for using them, it's up to them what their commercial arrangements are.
.

 

[conniegirl]

my vets bill at the end of the month and do make arrangements for paying large bills in instalments (with interest though)
They also deal directly with insurance companies.

I currently have about £300 on my bill, i will need to pay it by the end of the month or phone them to make a different arrangement.

 

[paddy555]

I was amazed when I found out from a vet that some people use vets as a payment plan and not just when there’s been a terrible emergency .
I have met some some who said not a care in the world oh I always make sure I owe the vet money .
Frankly I was a bit pissed off it means that I ( who would put big bills on a credit card when I was younger ) was paying the cost of these people credit worked into my bills

exactly

 

[Birker2020]

Astonishing, I guess we have different priorities.

Yes everyone has different priorities, mine is paying the rent so I have somewhere to live, buying food, servicing the car, paying for diesel and £3.50 parking everyday at work, paying all my DD's and my horses stabling and grazing, pension, etc, etc.

I make an effort and make substantial payments every week, they see that and accept it.