If your vet was already at yard....

[merlinsquest]

.... and doing a procedure which takes nearly an hour..... and you asked him to take a quick look at the same horses eye while the drip was going in, and he said he had a touch of conjunctivitis.......

Would you expect to pay just for the ointment or would you expect an examination charge as well???? (£16 ish)

Just wondering

 

[pinktiger]

if he gave you a diagnosis and treatment plan, then i wouldnt b suprised to get a bill for exam, but if your vet was in a good mood he could just charge you for the treatment!!!

 

[EquestrianFairy]

Just the ointmoint.

My vet would never charge for the extra examination.

 

[Lottie007]

I got stung like that before, the vet was looking at 2 horses at my yard and I thought my horse might have ringworm - he looked at it for 5 secs said no and I got charged!!!!!

 

[scotsmare]

You will generally get charged for a shared visit or exam - it's how vets make their money!

 

[Skhosu]

charged for both. at the end of the day he has examined your horses eye.

 

[Minnies_Mum]

Some vets would charge you, some wouldn't. Depends on how they feel about it. From a (nearly) vet's point of view, we were told in practice management lectures that we shouldn't be afraid of charging for our time. Seeing as there was treatment needed, I would think they would charge for the examination. If it was just a quick look and a verdict of "no, that's nothing to worry about", I personally wouldn't charge.

 

[merlinsquest]

Suppose I was a bit miffed as he was stood getting bored and had to be there anyway, so I had already paid for his time, and not as if it was a full lameness exam or for anything difficult....... basically I said he has a gammy eye, he said oh hes its conjuntivitis, probably the flies,....... and that was it

The rest of the bill was £650+ for a Tildren treatment, so thought to squeeze another £16 out of me was a bit tight

One little tube of cream cost £23 in all.

BUT a small price to pay for a nice eye

 

[jewel]

£23 for the cream. what was it?

 

[Minnies_Mum]

Hmm, I agree, if he was already there and standing about and your bill was already large, I think charging for the examination is a bit cheeky. I don't think I would have done it.

 

[pinktiger]

my friend had a vet come out to take staples out and coz the vet couldnt get the sedation right the mare objected and he couldnt do it,,,,, the vet charged £100 for call out and time spent (and sedation used) she was left worse than before staples stuck in and a huge vet bill for nothing!!!!!

 

[merlinsquest]

The cream was cloramphenicol (sp) and was only a fiver..... the rest was the examination!!!! He did only charge me for a short examination though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[merlinsquest]

Pinktiger

 

[Nudibranch]

I think it depends on the vet. I know a lot of them will charge a separate examination fee as people will often say, "oh, while you're here....". Then again last time my vet came out to see the arthritic pony, she rasped her teeth at the same time and didn't charge any more.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

As it was the same horse he was treating, I think that's a bit tight!!!

If it was a different horse I would expect to pay.

 

[K27]

Something fairly similar ccurred to me last year with one of mine and I was just charged for whatever was needed not the examination again- mind you if it was something lengthy then Vets should be able to charge in my opinion- in your case though if you are a regular client, I think you should have paid for just the ointment!- I guess its at their discretion!

 

[Dressagebabe]

Its costs around £50k to train as a Vet then depending on the practice a further £250 -£300k to buy into a partnership, 85 - 100hours a week at work so why shouldn't they charge for their expertise regardless how little time was spent for a quick but simple diagnosis! I had to pay my Plumber £120 to look at my heating system then a further £260 to sort it and he lives in our village but still billed me a call out fee.

 

[Bananarama]

My vets are lovely. I would fully expect to pay, more so if it was not the same animal however. But my pony was getting his vaccines last year and my dog [typical dog feeling left out of course] came up to the vet holding up a paw as she ran and the vet offered to look at her and I wasnt sure incase I got a big bill.. but he noticed and said dont worry free of charge

 

[star]

[ QUOTE ]
If it was just a quick look and a verdict of "no, that's nothing to worry about", I personally wouldn't charge.

[/ QUOTE ]

your boss might have something to say about that! there are a lot of times when i see clients and it's just a quick re-check and i feel bad about charging them £27 for a consult, but I dont make the rules and if boss then checks records or see the client next it'll be my neck on the line for not charging. it's up to him what he charges and when, not me as the lowly assistant - i dont get to use my discretion.

 

[H's mum]

i would expect to get an examination charge - Absolutely no qualms at all - fairs fair.. he had to examine it to confirm it was conjunctivitis!
Kate x

 

[Hollycat]

I fully agree a vet should charge for a full examination but I think in this case it was a bit over the top. It may have gained the vet £16 in the short term but you may well go to another practice now. I would. I use two different vets - a equine specialist for the big stuff but a nice local vet for vaccinations etc simply because he is a nice guy and I feel I get good value for money. Goodwill counts for a lot in business and if customers feel hard done by they will vote with their feet.

 

[merlinsquest]

Split opinions here, I am glad I am not the only one who thinks that as it was the same horse and he was already treating it, that it was a bit tight. But can also see that he does not own the practice and when it was seen that he had prescribed a tube of ointment, he could have been questioned as to why there was no exam charge

Best of all was the fact that I had asked for a specific vet who has treated merlin all along, and rejected the offer of the locum as he does not know the history and how merlin usually moves, so could not do a comparison workup..... and a different one turned up who has never seen him before.

So we were unable to do a workup to determine any changes in his arthritis ...... and the original vet now has to come out next friday, which will be another call out, exam and any treatment necessary!!!!

So far in the last 18 months, this practice has had around 9k out of merlin......... so I am a bit disappointed but accepting

 

[Weezy]

I would be making a serious complaint about that Merlin - you ASKED for a specific vet so that one visit would suffice - it is NOT your fault another turned up, so why should you pay out again?

And as for the OP query, I think that is VERY VERY steep indeed - if it had been another horse then fine, but a passing comment by you and to be charged - shocking

PS if you get gammy eye again, just buy some conjunctivitis cream from Boots

 

[Hollycat]

I would be VERY unhappy with this. I would be phoneing and asking for the practice manager and insisting the lameness exam and call out be written off. Something very similar happened when my horse was lame and the practice did not charge me a call out and exam fee as it was their fault the wrong vet turned up. They were very appologetic and nice about it which is sound business practice as they got a lifelong, happy customer who told everyone she knew how good they were.

 

[kizzywiz]

Would definately be complaining that I asked for a specific vet for a reason, like your workup, then to be charged as another turned up is not on, at the very least they should have called you first. You may remember that I was having Kizzy fitted with a marble to stop her coming in to season, my usual vet had 2 attempts, at a cost of £200 & failed. When she was in Lambourn having her leg treated, the vet there did it for £35!!! he said she had failed because she was trying to use a horse size marble on a pony, her mistake my bill apparently!!

 

[Donkeymad]

I'd expect to be charged an examnation fee.

 

[sam72431]

God your lucky £16 for an examination i get charged £30ish i think as well as call out and then whatver they do. With a previous vet i paid £45 call out and £30 for the vet to see the pony trot up he said she was sound but i had box rested her for a couple of days as someone else was having the vet out anyway i thought i'd wait, she was still slightly lame and leg still swollen, he watched her trot up said she was sound and then when i asked him to look at the leg she literally picked up the leg to rest it and this 7ft something jumped back from the 13.3 pony as if she had kicked him! He wouldnt look at it as he said hed been kicked earlier on! I was so annoyed, it was an excellent practice as long as you didnt get that particular vet. I was so angry!

 

[LizzieJ]

My vet came out to my mare a few Sundays ago on an emergency. I already had the old pony booked in for a check the following week as he'd lost a lot of weight and he is 42 now. The vet gave him a good going over, spending quite a bit of time with him. When I got the bill I was amazed to find that I had not been charged anything for the pony! I was also amazed that the call out for a sunday evening was only £30!

I had expected to pay for her examining the pony tbh because it took a little while and he was pretty naughty

In your case though especially after so much treatment I would be a little disappointed. I would also expect the vet I originally asked for to come out foc seeing as to why you had asked for a specific vet in the first place.

 

[pepperandoran]

I would usually get a shared visit charge in that situation

 

[dieseldog]

As it was the same horse, I wouldn't expect to get charged.