Kittens Vet Bill!

[epeters91]

Pretty sure I have been robbed by the vets...

My smallest kitten has ring worm, after phoning for an appointment and explaining I was 100% sure it was ringworm (because I also have it now) I was told they had to do a skin scrape to be sure. Ok fair enough. They booked me in for an appointment at 4 and I explained on the phone I was having to book time off work that afternoon to make the appointment...

When I got there vet got the cat out of the carrier took one look and said oooo that's definitely a fungal infection... yeah definitely ringworm.... ok we need to do a skin scrape. She then explained I had to bring the cat back the next morning for 9am for the skin scrape. This is annoying because it meant taking more time off work and surely they could've just booked me that appointment originally rather than pulling me in for the afternoon knowing they couldn't do anything but ah well cats come first!

So the next afternoon I go to pick up my kitten he's had a skin scrape, I've been given one bottle of anti-fungal shampoo and a total bill of £197.00!!!! That is more than the cost to get my young horse a full lameness work up including x rays.....

Luckily I had 4 free weeks of insurance and I think I can claim the money back but I still had to pay it on the day which was a bit of a shock! I was going to use this vets but now feel I've been robbed so maybe I will look elsewhere, does this seem like a normal cost to you?!?

 

[MotherOfChickens]

used to be that ringworm was diagnosed by shining UV on it although that doesn't work for all strains. I'd be a bit peeved myself really-I don't see the need for a scrape when you have it yourself. Did they send the scrape away? A proper scrape should penetrate the skin and most vets can't do a good one IME (I am a parasitologist)-if they sent it away, well they are not allowed to drastically mark up lab tests that are done out of house these days but they can add an admin fee. SA fees are large, if you can I would try and find a mixed practice that might be a bit more pragmatic about treatment and costs although those practices depend on the SA side to support the rest of it.

I am not sure what you can do seeing as the kitten has now had the scrape-but personally I would complain and then vote with my feet.

 

[ester]

Wow! I would be incredibly peeved, no need to scrape- treat with antifungal and if it clears up it was ring worm.

What is the breakdown of the bill? Why couldn't original vet do skin scrape? Mad, I would definitely be going elsewhere!

 

[epeters91]

They've sent the scrape off and said the results could be back in a couple of weeks or a couple of months depending on whether they need to grow something out of it. They said in the mean time the shampoo might clear it up so I do feel the scrape is pointless! Half of this is my own fault as I was rushing and didn't think to check the price because they were refusing to prescribe anything until it was done and I stupidly assumed it wouldn't be too expensive hahaha!

There is another vets locally that my parents use I can switch to I'm only using this one as I got my kittens through cat protection so they have to go there for neutering/spaying and final injections. I'm wondering if they've bumped it up knowing I'm still within my free insurance but was also curious to see if I am right in feeling this is very expensive and not necessarily required for them to give me some shampoo! I will definitely make a complaint and explain this is why I will not be using them in future maybe it will make them think twice next time.

 

[epeters91]

original vet gave no reason to not be able to do the scrape just said they only did them in the mornings and if I couldn't do it the next day I would've had to wait a week and been given nothing to treat the kitten.

The shampoo they have given me I've been advised to leave to sit for 20 minutes on his skin before washing off so we're having great fun now haha just hoping it clears up quickly my female kitten is fine but my little man is suffering. Both are being bathed but he's getting 3 a week where as she will have 1.

 

[ester]

So they aren't even treating on the results of the scrape....

did they take it to confirm the ringworm or in case it is something else?

 

[webble]

Ouch that's expensive. Which vets do you use if you don't mind me asking? PM if you would rather

 

[epeters91]

I will pm you now webble and apparently it's to confirm ringworm so I'm unsure if this means they can give further medication if it comes back in time?

 

[Goldenstar]

This sort of story makes me angry.
Some vets are just either milking the insurers ( or the pets owner ) or they have a common sense bypass while at vet school .
Always a dodgy moment when a young vet asks me if I am insured I can see my OH looking at me as if to say 'play nicely '.

 

[webble]

This sort of story makes me angry.
Some vets are just either milking the insurers ( or the pets owner ) or they have a common sense bypass while at vet school .
Always a dodgy moment when a young vet asks me if I am insured I can see my OH looking at me as if to say 'play nicely '.

Love it!

 

[epeters91]

Missed a phone call off the vets today but my voicemail anounced wait for it..... he has ringworm!!
Almost fainted with shock and surpise.... or not! Haha!

Apparently they can now order in additional treatments for my kitten but the vets gone home for the day (so exhausted for extorting money from the local pet owners ) so I will speak to him tomorrow and find out what he can offer now. Probably a miracle cream at £500 pounds per 30ml tub

 

[SusieT]

Not sure why you equate a lameness work up at the vets to a exam, investigation and treatment - just because your kittens value is low doesn't mean healthcare comes cheap - I would say if 200 is a price you don't like paying definitely keep the insurance - out of interest have you abreakdown of the bill? It does sound a little steep but depends what all was involved

 

[I*HM]

Bit of a heft bill imo so I wouldn't hesitate in asking for a full breakdown of it on paper - find out exactly what they are charging for each stage. Realistically, a skin scrape can be done in a couple of minutes by vet or vet nurse- shouldn't require much in terms of equipment used (sterile scalpel blade is hardly going to cost that much!). In the mean time, wouldn't take a minute to flick off the lights and shine a UV woods light over the kitten - glowing kitten? bingo! ringworm (though lack of a UV glowing cat still means possibility of ringworm - woods lamp only picks up 50% of cases).

definitely worth seeing a step by step bill though!

 

[3OldPonies]

This sort of story makes me angry.
Some vets are just either milking the insurers ( or the pets owner ) or they have a common sense bypass while at vet school .
Always a dodgy moment when a young vet asks me if I am insured I can see my OH looking at me as if to say 'play nicely '.

I so agree with this. Twice I've had treatment options changed as soon as I've said the magic words 'not insured'. First time was with P when his spavins were diagnosed - we went from injections into the joint to fuse it to field rest until the fusion took place naturally and bute for about 3 weeks. Second was for H when he colicked we went from boxing him to the hospital and overnight observation to a stomach tube and linseed oil/electrolytes in water and me 'keeping an eye on him'. It's made me very wary of agreeing to anything before uttering those two little words!

 

[Serianas]

This happened to us also. When Salem was going through his bladder problems, we used up the whole of our insurance allowance, and the vet sent him home for 'obervation' with us. He was put to sleep the next day as he was blocked again and we couldnt put him through any more.

The minute the insurance runs out they are your problem despite the fact we could have paid

 

[Boulty]

To be fair to them ringworm is a PITA to conclusively diagnose and yes it is normal for the test to take that long. They are likely trying to cover their own backs with the testing in case treating as a fungal infection doesn't work (having said that if you've had a confirmed diagnosis yourself they could have tried shining a special UV light on the kitten's coat, not 100% reliable but if positive may have been strong enough evidence to try treatment?) and yeah external lab tests are expensive anyway and won't have much markup on them. Cost of them performing the test will likely also have to take into account PPE needing to be worn by all staff members dealing with the kitten and any special cleaning measures needed to kill fungal spores.

Bit rubbish that you weren't told they wouldn't do the test in the afternoon appointment (I'm guessing the person who booked it didn't realise) and that I'm guessing you've been charged 2 appointments due to this. May be worth querying this part of the bill if you feel you gave them enough info at time of booking for them to know the test was likely.

PS I have yet to meet a vet who actively seeks to "milk" money out of anyone (most that I meet actually underprice by quite a bit a lot of the time in that they don't always charge for everything that they could charge for) but practices need to turn a profit to stay in business and continue to invest in their facilities and a lot of policy on what is and isn't charged for won't necessarily be decided by a lot of the vets. Such is private healthcare I guess.