Vet call out fees!

[SNORKEY]

Hi, just wondering what people are paying for call out fees from their vets?
I called mine today and it's now £43 to come 4 miles up the road! I called another who are about 15 mins away and it was £49!
I have my horses at home and can't share the call out charge, and have no transport to take them there.
It's such a lot to pay just for a jab!

 

[Polo*Pony]

I forked out £74 recently for a vet to come and do a blood test - blood test was free so the cost was only call out and storing the blood! £74!

Made me double check that my first aid kit was all up to date and fully stocked, as the cost would definitely make me think twice calling the vet if the horse had an injury (I hope no one twists that into saying I don't care about my horses - I do - but I am also trying to be practical!).

 

[SNORKEY]

I'm thinking in hard times people just won't get the vet out unless it's an emergency. I also asked if I could give the second tetnus jab myself to save another call out, but the vet refused.

 

[ribbons]

Wow, those are huge call out charges. My vet was about 15 miles away and standard call out was £28. Out of hours was £45. They have now moved premises and are now about a mile from me. Standard call out for my area zone is £6. Yes £6. Not needed out of hours yet, must ask.
As for tet jabs, most vets in our area will let you give it your self as it's IM not IV but you don't get vaccination papers done obviously which is necessary for some people not for others.

 

[moana]

Last call out in December 2011 was £49 and he had to come about 20 miles.

 

[Blitzen]

I took my mare to the vet on the trailer to save the £40 call-out, and got charged a £29 consultation fee instead (!!!). I wouldn't mind, but the "consultation" took 5 seconds - vet hopped into the trailer, gave the jab, then walked off! AND she gave the jab sub-cut, when it was recommended by the equine vet (turns out the one who gave the jab was a hamster vet. Pfffft) that it was given IM. Good job it wasn't imperitive that it was given IM! When I got the bill, I rang the vets to check, as I thought there had been a mistake, and got an ear-full off the practice partner about "expertise" and "risk involved" with being a vet. Puh-lease! My mare is a little lamb - I'd be more worried about injecting a jack russell!
When I had the (young female) vet out for a routine vaccination I had to tell her to stop, take the needle off her and do it myself as she had taken 5 attempts to put the needle in THEN try to attach the syringe, making my 3yo rear repeatedly. She was trying to be "nice" and give him polos to calm him down *rolls eyes* Expertise my ar se! Youngster is now terrified of vets. Needless to say I'm not with that practice any more!

 

[fidleyspromise]

Last years call out was £28 and vet is 8 miles away.

 

[Quantock-cob]

Out of interest has anyone tried calling a plumber out - how much do they charge? A lot more than most vets I think.

 

[ihatework]

My vets have introduced free call out's on set days for specific areas. You get the junior vet though!!! However it's good for keeping down cost for little things, you still get charged £25-30 consultation charge before anything is done though.

To be honest, I rarely resent what I pay my vets. They are professionals who have studied long and hard. They have to be insured to the hilt. They have to account for ever increasing fuel costs, they have to pay staff, cover for sick, locums etc. They need to invest in the ever expanding array of diagnostic equipment that clients expect them to have.

If you think you are going to get much change from £50 for a call out and consultation then you are probably being a little unrealistic.

 

[Blitzen]

I don't resent paying for a competent service, but I do resent paying for an inexperienced young girl to stab my boy repeatedly until I had to do it myself. And I also resent being "told off" for daring to (politely!) question part of my bill. x

 

[JackDaniels1]

30 pounds

 

[ebonyallen]

Ours is £60, we have a zone day which is free but they will only do jabs and teeth on these days, so everything else is the above, they travel about 30 miles to get to us.

 

[Ali27]

I have no clue how much mine cost for a call out! However that didn't even cross my mind today when I called them out to check our mare who is sneezing like mad!

 

[glenruby]

Polo pony - that would be a call out and a consult few. I happen to think £70 odd is quite good for that. What was the blood for?

 

[vieshot]

£11. Love my vets.

 

[shelly19]

£30 and about 11 miles away.

Last yard I was on had a free monthly vet visit which meant everyone who signd up with that vet could get any vaccinations and routine stuff without paying a call out fee. You didn't have to be there either as yard owner would sort it, everyone would just write on the board what they wanted and yo would ring the vet the day before to inform of what people required.

 

[Theocat]

Out of interest has anyone tried calling a plumber out - how much do they charge? A lot more than most vets I think.

The last time I had to call a plumber he charged me thirty quid all in and apologised because he'd had to put his prices up.

I was on the verge of calling the vet on Saturday (bank holiday rates) and YO said the call out and consultation would be £100+ - luckily I got by with free advice by telephone instead (horse is fine, I was just being cautious). We get free visits once a month as well, and the vet is happy to have a look and not charge on those visits if nothing needs doing.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Out of interest has anyone tried calling a plumber out - how much do they charge? A lot more than most vets I think.

I called a local plumber out two years ago, the overflow was running [ballcock adjustment needed], he was up and down in ten minutes and asked for forty pounds, I offered him £25, which was more than fair, he refused and is still waiting to be paid, it turned out someone else had sorted it anyway, an hour before he came!

 

[DougalJ]

My independent vet charges £25 for a 5 mile journey. When she was on holiday and we used the vet covering her clients they charged £65 call out being just 12 miles away!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Out of interest has anyone tried calling a plumber out - how much do they charge? A lot more than most vets I think.

Our place charges £60 + VAT callout, includes 30 mins labour but plus parts - in working hours.
(prices same since Jan 2008)

My vet charges £49 callout inc consultation.

Both professions have the appropriate insurance covers............

 

[Jesstickle]

Your call out doesn't just cover the vet's time.

It also covers their diesel to get to you, the receptionist's time to answer your call and schedule you in, their time again when you pay the bill and the cheque needs cashing or the card payment needs taking etc, the practise managers time etc etc

It isn't cheap to run a vet practise and just because you only see the vet doesn't mean there isn't other stuff going on back at the surgery to support their trip out to you.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

£20. The practice is about 20 miles away, although the vet lives five miles away. The cost was part of the bill for castration and first jabs, and the total was about £200 - you can apply a 5% discount to the bill if you pay within five days, I always go for that.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I have bill before me, £20 for call-out [shared], plus £18 to determine lameness.......... that took five minutes, then £18 to pare out abscess [five minutes], all a bit picky to be honest, other vets usually include 20 minutes in their callout fee, but as far as I could see there was no free consultation. I expect my fee to include telephone advice for the same episode.
I keep my first aid kit fully topped up with everything I can get hold of, and am very careful with feeding/rugging, and so on to avoid colics and sore backs which is only sensible, but I really don't want to pay out £60 for something I could have avoided.

 

[nat_1]

£24 call out, £12 on our zone day.

 

[alext]

I think mine is about forty plus with the consultation fee on top it comes to about £90 just for them to look at the horse.
In November my mare had spasmodic colic poor girl didn't know what to do with herself the call out for that was £80.!! It wasn't late I think seven but eight o'clock by the time he was with us and I've had vets out that time before and paid more obviously but not that much.
I've had people tell me I shouldn't of bothered and just got the horse walking round till it wore off. I personally wouldn't of risked it , but I could see why someone else may think twice about calling the vet at all which is worrying!

 

[Sophstar]

Call out fees are usually between £40 and £50...we try and have shared visits at our yard as most of us use the same vet which usually makes it about £21 each...makes a big difference!

however this has just reminded me i need to pay my £205 vet bill...

 

[Littlelegs]

I use 2 different vets. The first was charging £40 a few years ago, but has a lot of portable equipment, a local small clinic that can do most ops & I'd always call him. The other is a 2 man band, very good but v little equipment so they have to refer anything that can't be done on a visit & no portable X-ray, £25 call out so I just use them for routine jabs.

 

[NooNoo59]

£47 plus the procedure charge plus the drugs, just paid 121 for a sedation, vet is ten minutes away, stayed for fifteen minutes, if longer would have been more, paid on the day - no discount! asked for a breakdown two weeks ago and am still waiting - dont mind paying the money vets are good, administration poor. Some practices get too big and then lose the personal touch which when you are dealing with peoples animals is very important.

 

[Becki1802]

I box up to my vet (5 miles) to save on the call out fee - they used to be hacking distance which was even better!! It has to be an emergency now to get them out as after a couple of £70 visits confirmed what I knew already (i.e. horse has hurt back & so needs the physio out)

Although to be fair to the vets everyone charges call outs to horses these days - back people, massage people, dentists, some instructors...!

 

[caramel]

Mine's about £35, cheaper on a zone day (can't remember how much). Then out of hours/weekends it's more. However the vet has to travel 30 mins to get to us, depending on traffic!