So, I've had my vet bill... WWYD?

giddyupalfie

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A bit of a follow on from my previous thread: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=579853&highlight=ringworm


I got my vets bill through the post yesterday for the ringworm treatment. What would you be doing if you were in my shoes? I have paid the bill which was quite a lot of money (as I was expecting) but what would you be saying to YO and to the cattle farmer? Do you think I should ask YO for a month free livery as my bill was only £12 cheaper than what I pay for a whole month. In my opinion it's her fault my horses got ringworm in the first place, if she never double rented my paddock out then the infected cattle wouldn't have been there in the first place!
 
I'd be moving and then settling last month with vet bill.

If staying depends on whether it'll make life difficult.

I would be geting the money back though as cattle shouldn't have been there and you weren't informed of the problem.
 
I'd be moving and then settling last month with vet bill.

If staying depends on whether it'll make life difficult.

I would be geting the money back though as cattle shouldn't have been there and you weren't informed of the problem.

I have been looking around for somewhere else closer to home as they're currently about 15 miles away at the mo, which is making life very difficult especially as I don't drive. Even if I did drive it would cost me roughly £100 a month just for fuel. I know this because a friend who lives in the town works with me and has to drive it 5 days a week and that is what it is costing her.

What sort of thing do you think I should say to YO? I hate confrontation and I get my words all mumble jumbled :o
 
That's exactly what I wanted to do but thought it seemed a bit cowardly? I was going to use the excuse that when I knocked on the door no one was home - which could easily happen as they're hardly ever around :p
 
As PandorasJar said^^ get everything written down in a letter & keep a copy for yourself.
I get it all sounding right in my head and the second I'm standing in front of the person my brain goes into troll-mode, and I just go nuts.
 
Agreed with the copy.

Letter is far easier, you have facts down and can check it. You may not say what you want to face to face.

If anything comes of it, you have the (dated) letter as proof that there was a disagreement on bill and you haven't just retained money owed.
 
As PandorasJar said^^ get everything written down in a letter & keep a copy for yourself.
I get it all sounding right in my head and the second I'm standing in front of the person my brain goes into troll-mode, and I just go nuts.

Me too! I literally end up saying words that aren't even real lol it's so embarrasing, especially when I'm trying to be serious. I think a letter is the best bet for me :D
 
Genuine question, (and not actually answering you), but how did you get a big vet's bill for treating ringworm? I can understand the callout fee, but the treatment is really cheap.
 
Genuine question, (and not actually answering you), but how did you get a big vet's bill for treating ringworm? I can understand the callout fee, but the treatment is really cheap.

When I first called the vet I had a call out fee at £44.63, a horse examination at £38.43 and a skin scraping taken for £14.30. The scraping test came back positive for ringworm so vet said he will drop the treatment out to me (antibiotics and a bottle of ringworm treatment, can't remember name) the next day, which he did. Whilst he was there I also asked him to quickly look over my Miniature Shetland as she was in the yard with me at the time and he said no problem. For this I also had another call out fee charge and a pony examination charge :confused::confused: I thought the second visit was going to be free as he was only dropping treatment off :(

I now know that I could have treated it other ways without the vet needing to be involved *kicks self*
 
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I don't mind saying how much the total cost was, it was £166.44 - technically it should have been £138.70 but had to pay £27.74 VAT which pee's me off!
 
When I first called the vet I had a call out fee at £44.63, a horse examination at £38.43 and a skin scraping taken for £14.30. The scraping test came back positive for ringworm so vet said he will drop the treatment out to me the next day, which he did. Whilst he was there I also asked him to quickly look over my Miniature Shetland as she was in the yard with me at the time and he said no problem. For this I also had another call out fee charge and a pony examination charge :confused::confused: I thought the second visit was going to be free as he was only dropping treatment off :(

I now know that I could have treated it other ways without the vet needing to be involved *kicks self*

Woah. Go back to your vets and get that second call out fee removed if YO won't pay! Do they know you're contesting bill? May be why sticking extra charges on - ours do that if going through insurance - they will charge by the book rather than doing little things for free.

And vet charges mount up easily. Even the treatments, take a tube of sedalin/similar - always more than double through my vets.
 
I would pay my vets bill and then look to move to a yard which offered you 100% certainty that no illness of either a viral or bacterial nature will be passed to your horse whilst on that yard......

£166.44 = pennies when it comes to vet's fees.
 
I would pay my vets bill and then look to move to a yard which offered you 100% certainty that no illness of either a viral or bacterial nature will be passed to your horse whilst on that yard......

£166.44 = pennies when it comes to vet's fees.

I have already paid the bill. Am trying to look for other yards, not very much around in my area unfortunately.

I know it's nothing compared to other cases but it's £166.44 I could do without having to say bye bye to ;)
 
I would pay my vets bill and then look to move to a yard which offered you 100% certainty that no illness of either a viral or bacterial nature will be passed to your horse whilst on that yard......

I am trying to think of a way of saying this politely and failing, so here goes: What a ridiculous comment - how can anyone guarantee that 100%???

OP I think your bill is excessive, so I'd be discussing that with the vet, but I would pay it and then discuss the situation with the YO. From your previous thread I think you have grounds for asking her to pay it (but not for the call out and examination of your pony - that's between you and the vet).
 
I am trying to think of a way of saying this politely and failing, so here goes: What a ridiculous comment - how can anyone guarantee that 100%???

OP I think your bill is excessive, so I'd be discussing that with the vet, but I would pay it and then discuss the situation with the YO. From your previous thread I think you have grounds for asking her to pay it (but not for the call out and examination of your pony - that's between you and the vet).

About the first bit of your comment - I was thinking the same thing to be honest.

Yeah that's what I'll be doing - the second visit I will talk to the vets about and I will be writing my letter tonight when I finish work and posting it through YO's door tomorrow so wish me luck :D
 
Sorry need to rush so haven't read original thread.

Ringworm is endemic at my yard as cattle were there for 20 years before we purchased. If newbies are in poor condition or immunocompromised, they get ringworm. It then cures and gives lifetime resistance.

If you can find a yard where you can guarantee no ringworm/lice/dermatitis then good luck with that!
 
But they can improve the risk by not double renting a field with cattle they admit they knew had ringworm. That would be my annoyance with the situation and why I'd pass on the bill.

That's fair comment - and if that's the case, then apols OP I missed where you said the YO knew the cattle had ringworm.
 
That's fair comment - and if that's the case, then apols OP I missed where you said the YO knew the cattle had ringworm.

YO didn't know the cattle had ringworm - the cattle farmer who is always on site knew they did though. But whether anyone knew if the cattle had ringworm or not the paddock should not have been double rented.

It would have been a different story if YO approached me first and asked if I minded her renting out the paddock as she knows I don't use it (I may have had plans to use it for all she knew) the only reason I don't use it is because it's too boggy, but she doesn't know that's why. OR if the cattle farmer had actually informed me about them having ringworm so I could have moved my horses.
 
YO didn't know the cattle had ringworm - the cattle farmer who is always on site knew they did though. But whether anyone knew if the cattle had ringworm or not the paddock should not have been double rented.

It would have been a different story if YO approached me first and asked if I minded her renting out the paddock as she knows I don't use it (I may have had plans to use it for all she knew) the only reason I don't use it is because it's too boggy, but she doesn't know that's why. OR if the cattle farmer had actually informed me about them having ringworm so I could have moved my horses.

Ah thought both farmer and YO knew.

May be worth just getting the bit double rented removed from bill in that case (from cattle and sheep)
 
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