meleeka
Well-Known Member
I paid that for x-rays alone with my corporate vet .
Vet fees under review
- Thread starter Jenko109
- Start date
I paid that for x-rays alone with my corporate vet .
olop
Well-Known Member
My dear old dog that I lost last year to lymphoma was in and out of the vets on a monthly basis (trying to find the diagnosis which unfortunately wasn’t discovered until a few weeks before she passed). Every time she went in it would cost between £1000 and £2000. That would be for an inpatient stay bloods and any adhoc investigation. To get to that diagnosis me and my husband guessed it must have cost us nearly £12000.
Two years ago my horse was very poorly and had various investigations and the price difference between them both is just eye opening.
Ultrasound for horse £90 dog £250
Gastroscope for horse £140 dog £300
X-ray for horse £120 dog £500!!
Sedation for horse £18 dog £90
Me and husband have both said we would not get another dog because of the cost of the vet bills. She was not insured as she was 12 years old but we desperately wanted to find the diagnosis which is why we paid what we did.
Two years ago my horse was very poorly and had various investigations and the price difference between them both is just eye opening.
Ultrasound for horse £90 dog £250
Gastroscope for horse £140 dog £300
X-ray for horse £120 dog £500!!
Sedation for horse £18 dog £90
Me and husband have both said we would not get another dog because of the cost of the vet bills. She was not insured as she was 12 years old but we desperately wanted to find the diagnosis which is why we paid what we did.
TheresaW
Well-Known Member
We use Vets4Pets, I know they're not everyones cup of tea. Although we've only used them for routine stuff with the dogs, we always see the same 2 or 3 vets, and prices are reasonable.
Sadly they don't do OOH care, and when Toby was taken poorly a few weeks ago one night, it was £290, just to get him through the door at VetsNow.
Sadly they don't do OOH care, and when Toby was taken poorly a few weeks ago one night, it was £290, just to get him through the door at VetsNow.
Kaylum
Well-Known Member
I think this is a good thing but needs to be looked at in conjunction with insurance companies. People are paying for other people's pets. It's all about money.
Like human dentists, even the NHS ones push you to see a hygienist at £70 for a sesson.
Like human dentists, even the NHS ones push you to see a hygienist at £70 for a sesson.
oldandgold
Well-Known Member
I'm ok with our vet prices - I think having the NHS protects us from the true cost of medicines. Have a look at how much some of the cancer treatments cost, or how it is to pay privately for a hip replacement. I know some medicines can be purchased from the internet with the appropriate prescription, and in fact when we needed chemo pills for one of our previous dogs our vet actually pointed us in the right direction of where to get them.
I do think vets come in for a lot of unfair criticism - you are paying for a professional service, have a look at how much motor mechanics charge per hour and don't get me started on solicitors fees. My brother has recently passed away and we were quoted a fee of £200.00 for the notice to be put in the obituary column of our local paper - that is £150.00 charged by the newspaper and £50.00 for the funeral directors to do it for us.
I do think vets come in for a lot of unfair criticism - you are paying for a professional service, have a look at how much motor mechanics charge per hour and don't get me started on solicitors fees. My brother has recently passed away and we were quoted a fee of £200.00 for the notice to be put in the obituary column of our local paper - that is £150.00 charged by the newspaper and £50.00 for the funeral directors to do it for us.
BallyRoanBaubles
Buys real biscuits
I think it’s about £60 for a vets consultation at the normal vets I use, which is a lot of money for the time (15 ish mins?) but i think it just is what it is and not sure if it’s really expensive or not 
twiggy2
Well-Known Member
Its about tine, our vets are great, prompt treatmet and great care, prices are not so great, £9 for 3 paracetamol - i didnt take then and just ones from a pack of 24 for less than 30p each, i understand there is a dispensing fee (i was avet receptionist for 14yrs) but the dog had just had £1400 qorth of surgery and antibiotics. I also hate the little packet of shite food etc they dispense after sutgery, i qould rather pay a little less and not get that.
I qould say thats a fairly normal fee depe ding on what they tested for.
Huge prices there but the low income of people is nothing to do with the vets.
Where is used to work a consultation is around £90 now and routine apps have to be booked at least 2 weeks in advance as they are so busy.
Prancerpoos
Well-Known Member
I paid £450 last month for an x ray of both knees, including a GA.
Bradsmum
Well-Known Member
i am registered with a small independent vet practice and am very happy with them and their pricing. They don’t appear to push for extra tests and are happy to talk through options and the benefits or not of those options. It was interesting on the tv report I saw that vet practices themselves get charged more for some medications than we the customers can obtain via a prescription. That is just mad. I hope this review will benefit both vet practices and the customers.
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CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
I don't wonder why you all lose vet practices over there.
In Germany there was a standardized fee schedule for many things across the board. That worked out alright. You knew what to expect with some things, at least. There could still be some differences though.
While vets should not be allowed to take the p, some people need to realize that having a pet is a LUXURY and not a necessity or a right, really. Prices are going to go up, because prices have or are going up on everything.
I do think that some things in respect to animals were priced too low for too long in the UK. I also don't like the wild variance in the fees that some report on here. Assuming that everyone is comparing apples to apples (identical services). There are also higher cost of living areas vs lower cost of living areas, so that can account for some variance.
It's fine to want fair pricing and even some standardization. Just tread carefully here.
In Germany there was a standardized fee schedule for many things across the board. That worked out alright. You knew what to expect with some things, at least. There could still be some differences though.
While vets should not be allowed to take the p, some people need to realize that having a pet is a LUXURY and not a necessity or a right, really. Prices are going to go up, because prices have or are going up on everything.
I do think that some things in respect to animals were priced too low for too long in the UK. I also don't like the wild variance in the fees that some report on here. Assuming that everyone is comparing apples to apples (identical services). There are also higher cost of living areas vs lower cost of living areas, so that can account for some variance.
It's fine to want fair pricing and even some standardization. Just tread carefully here.
Slightlyconfused
Go away, I'm reading
blackcob
🖖
I paid not much less than MM for hips and elbows recently, and that’s with 50% staff discount, so you can imagine the normal price! However I was able to be in the room and ensure the positioning was absolutely to my liking for which I was happy to pay more, if I’d traipsed off to a cheaper practice I would have had to behave like a normal client. 
NoodlesHalloween
Well-Known Member
I have registered the new puppy at a completely different vets to the one I have used for over 20 years purely because they publish a price list for all basic treatments and I just find this transparency a breath of fresh air. When our beloved dog was ill last year the old vets gave me a treatment price range of 500-3500 for diagnostics that consisted of blood tests and a scan
The Xmas Furry
🦄 🦄
I do think that each practice should have at least standard fees listed for pre booked appointments - small and large animal, plus OOH costs - if offered - too.
Also pricing for other 'routine treatment' standard costs, eg bloods taken and run to basic level etc.
Just looked around locally - not one single small animal vet has pricing in any form, except mention of the 'healthy pet club' monthly subscription.
One equine vet (out of the 4 I looked at) has std callout fees on website and includes maps of zone visit areas.
Also pricing for other 'routine treatment' standard costs, eg bloods taken and run to basic level etc.
Just looked around locally - not one single small animal vet has pricing in any form, except mention of the 'healthy pet club' monthly subscription.
One equine vet (out of the 4 I looked at) has std callout fees on website and includes maps of zone visit areas.
Annette4
Well-Known Member
I do find it varies vet to vet but found the most expensive locally was a chain practice which hides the fact its a chain who then also tried to upsell on every visit.
Our vets is independent and I'm happy with their pricing, they're not the cheapest but reasonable. They also recommend over the counter meds or offer prescriptions if you get it cheaper than from them which I respect.
Our vets is independent and I'm happy with their pricing, they're not the cheapest but reasonable. They also recommend over the counter meds or offer prescriptions if you get it cheaper than from them which I respect.
Morwenna
Well-Known Member
I think a review is welcome but I don’t think vets are overpriced at all in general. Certainly compared to the costs of private healthcare! My dog was spayed last week and it cost me around £300. For a human the equivalent private procedure would be more like £7,000.
My vets are very good about giving you the choice to have drugs through them or to buy them over the counter if that’s cheaper.
My vets are very good about giving you the choice to have drugs through them or to buy them over the counter if that’s cheaper.
teacups
Well-Known Member
We had a dog spayed last year and it cost £200. If she'd been over 20kg it would have been £250.
AmyMay
Situation normal
On Radio 4 now.
meleeka
Well-Known Member
I think some posters are getting mixed up with what things cost and what is charged. There’s absolutely no way a tooth extraction and descale costs the vet over £1k to do. If you consider a GA is usually under £200, then the other £800 must be for the equipment and the ‘labour’. The vet definitely isn’t getting paid a large percentage of that, so it must be profit for the corporates that own them.
I don’t think I’d mind so much if the people that study and train for years to be vets were getting it, but in most cases they aren’t.
I don’t think I’d mind so much if the people that study and train for years to be vets were getting it, but in most cases they aren’t.
The Xmas Furry
🦄 🦄
I've just been quoted £389 for a just under 5kg for lapariscopic spey.
This is NOT the cheapest round here, nor the most pricey....
Clodagh
Well-Known Member
My vets are not the cheapest around, but it’s Devon and I always find them cheap compared to Essex. There is a cheaper practice not much further away but I am pretty sure the vet hates dogs and will never take one of mine there again.
Marcella, my wonderful vet, did so much for Tawny last year, speaking to specialists and ages on the phone to me, extra uncharged consults, researching possible illnesses. As long as she is at my practice so will I be.
X-rays for hips and elbows about £400.
Scout had full blood panel, urine test and consult for £165 last week. That was ok by me.
Marcella, my wonderful vet, did so much for Tawny last year, speaking to specialists and ages on the phone to me, extra uncharged consults, researching possible illnesses. As long as she is at my practice so will I be.
X-rays for hips and elbows about £400.
Scout had full blood panel, urine test and consult for £165 last week. That was ok by me.
Rowreach
Adjusting my sails
I've just moved the small animals to an independent who has opened up literally a 2 minute walk away. I've left a practice I've been with for over twenty years, that used to belong to a friend of mine, but she's sold out to a corporate and it has gone crazy in the past couple of years with overpricing, a random selection of vets working there, difficulty with getting appointments (even though when you go in the place is empty) and a tendency to try to sell you add ons to every single thing you go in there for.
It's time UK vets had a shake up. They know that a large proportion of the pet owning public will re-mortgage their houses to pay for treatment if necessary, and they take advantage of that.
It's time UK vets had a shake up. They know that a large proportion of the pet owning public will re-mortgage their houses to pay for treatment if necessary, and they take advantage of that.
Aperchristmas
Well-Known Member
From what I understand, most vets aren't making mega bucks themselves and they have one of the worst rates of mental health for any profession. I hope the review is done sensitively. That isn't to excuse price gouging which I'm sure does happen.
Rowreach
Adjusting my sails
Yeah I think the problem is with the corporates making the money while the actual vets don't.
But my main sympathies lie with the animals that need treatment that owners can't afford these days.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
The corporates are milking their clients and are overworking their junior qualified vets to maximise their profits.
TheresaW
Well-Known Member
To be fair to our Vets4Pets, when Aled was on long term paracetamol, Vet told me to buy it from the supermarket. They were also very apologetic when I had to get a bag of Ellie’s kidney food from them as they knew I could get it about £30 cheaper on line. I needed it in a hurry though as my own fault we’d run out.
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Yes I heard that too and pricked my ears up.
Recently we had to pay £80 for a one Nexgard Spectra tablet for our dog. When we got it home we discovered there was only one tablet in there instead of the three (for three months treatment) showing on the box.
We rang and complained and was told they will only supply one at a time, and the price was correct for the one tablet!
The next month we got a prescription which worked out about £18 and was able to then purchase three tablets for under £70 on the internet.
I've just saved £113 on Lari's bute by getting a prescription and buying online. I can't believe how much they cost, at my old vet practice I used, we were told because CVS group had taken over the prescription drugs that were used most regular (of which bute is in the top 3) would be significantly lower priced. They ended up being £1.15 a sachet!
flat3
Well-Known Member
In one of life's weird coincidences, my dog is just about to have a similar surgery to one I had a few years ago. I went private and what I'm going to pay for my dog isn't far off what I paid for me. Somehow both surprising and not surprising at the same time!
Sandstone1
Well-Known Member
There needs to be a standard price for prescriptions for a start. Standard prices for routine stuff like vacs etc.
webble
Well-Known Member
Agreed, a friend was recently told by a local vets that it is their policy to make 100% mark up on all medication