Vet's call out fees and diagnosis fees

[Laafet]

Can someone enlighten me to why these days if I call the vet out I get charge x amount for call out and then another similar amount for diagnosis. A friend commented to me about it the other day as she had had to have the vet out for and there appeared to be two call out fees on the bill. I noticed this too myself a year ago when I had the vet out on Christmas eve for colic, I was charged a fortune amongst which 35 pounds was for diagnosing colic. I'm sorry I had told them it was colic and he took one look at neddy looking sad for himself cast against the wall and said you are right. So why didn't he pay me the diagnosis fee!!! (only joking) Is this a relatively newish thing as I'd only previously had the vet out for routine vaccs and MOT's.

 

[Laafet]

Is this common, just asking?

 

[Maesfen]

It does seem to be nowadays; another reason why I stopped using our local practise who also used to charge £25+ as a callout just 2 miles away to see a horse but only £15 to the same premises to see a cow! How did they work that one out?! Their reasoning was horsey people always find something else to have a look at 'while you are here'!!!!!!!!!
If it's something as simple as a colic (in that it is obvious what is wrong) then I'd seriously question such a high fee for 'diagnosing' it, in fact I'd be hopping!

 

[merlinsquest]

I got charged a diagnosis fee for a session on the lunge only to be told it wasnt worth the (locum) vet watching as he was on danilon at the time and it would be masking the symptoms!!!!!!!!

Would not mind but had told him the fact he was on danilon only 10 mins before he asked me to lunge him!!!!!

 

[Laafet]

My friend who refreshed it in my memory called the vet out to her gelding as he had a very swollen sheath and she was charged £50 for the callout, £37 for diagnosis and then more for anti inflamtory injection etc. in all the bill came to over £140! My Christmas colic was £350 and that was for a bit of buscopan and the other one beginning with F. Next time I call the vet I am going to ask if they charge a diagnosis fee?

 

[Dottie]

You are paying for a 6/7 years qualifed vet to diagnose and treat your horse, not some nobody off the streets!
They can hardly not charge a diagnosis fee for something obvious like colic, choke or a broken leg and then not charge for something that isn't that obvious like lameness issues etc.
I know they can be expensive but thats animals for you!

 

[Laafet]

I know they are very well qualified am not disputing that. But they never used to charge this fee and I never recall being informed that this was now the case.

 

[Dottie]

It's probably because new diagnosis equipment is very expensive to buy, like X-ray machines, digital developers, scanners etc. They have to cover the costs of these. I know it feels like your paying for these expenditures but at least you know you have good quaitly equipment should you (hopefully) not need it!

 

[herbert]

I tend to diagnose horses myself (50 years experience of real life, not 7 at a college) ring the vet and arrange to pick up whatever drugs I need. Far cheaper and vet agrees that nine times out of ten he will say bute and box rest!!

 

[Jemayni]

Yea its tragic isnt it! Our vet charges £35 call out and then diagnosis on top. But I do think "vets time" succeeds that; I had to have Chance doped to clip him when I first had him, so the vet jabbed him & then went to sit in his car & talked on his mobile whilst I was clipping him (I told him to leave, but he said he'd stay just to make sure he was OK?) then vet charged me £85 "time," on top of the £35 call out fee, the drug itself only cost £2 so in total one clip cost me around £120! (There is no need to clarify that horse had to make do without being doped the following year!

 

[Marnie]

We pay call out fee and then time / examination for the vet. The call out fee covers the travelling, and the exmination covers the time that the vet is actually present on the yard. There are then the drugs and any other consumables e.g. dressings, x rays etc.

It is expensive, but then if you think about the costs of running a vet practice, salaries, vehicles, equipment, rent / mortgage etc, it does add up. Many people expect time and a half / double time for overtime or unsocial hours, so I suppose a vet is the same. I know that it still costs less to vaccinate my horse than it does my dog!! Although my horse vet now vaccinates my dog, so that saves some!

 

[star]

of course you're going to pay a call out fee and an examination fee - it's logical. the call out fee is for the time and money it takes for the vet to get to you, the examination fee is for exactly that.

i work as a small animal vet - we dont have call out fees, just examination fees, but if we do go out to a client then there is a visit fee on top of the normal examination fee. that is to cover our time out of the surgery and the cost of the diesel to get there and back.

as a vet i have to bring in £250,000 a year for my boss to start to make a profit out of me - that's a lot of money!

 

[Dottie]

[ QUOTE ]
I tend to diagnose horses myself (50 years experience of real life, not 7 at a college)

[/ QUOTE ]

Well if it saves you money, then good for you! But imo 50 years life experience or not i'd rather have someone qualified to diagnose my horse!!

 

[star]

oh, and it's 5yrs at college. i have no idea where the 7 year myth comes from, but i can assure you that 5yrs is quite long enough.

 

[Dottie]

yeah i couldn't remember, i thought one uni (cambridge?) do an extra year?!

 

[star]

[ QUOTE ]
yeah i couldn't remember, i thought one uni (cambridge?) do an extra year?!

[/ QUOTE ]

yes, cambridge do 6yrs, but the extra year is in a completely separate science, not veterinary related usually.

 

[Tia]

I'm really lucky with my vet, and my previous vet in England, as they are both personal friends of mine.

Like the previous poster; I've pretty good equine and vet knowledge under my belt and diagnosing the problem is usually done before I call my vet, hence both vets have been happy to prescribe medication over the phone to me which means I can collect or they will drop off whatever I need.

Back in England my vet never charged me examination fees and he only charged me a pitiful amount for call-out. He used to sell me drugs at cost price so my bills were always very low.

My vet out here never charges me for callout or examination fees. He also only asks for the cost price on any drugs that I ask for.

I know others are not so fortunate and I do appreciate my vets.

 

[Wishful]

Very common.

Bill will generally consist of call out fee - vets time getting to the location, car mileage etc. This may or may not include some time diagnosing the patient, depending on practice policy - charging for the vet's time and expertise - either by item (i.e. diagnosis and treatment steps) or by time taken. Then you get charged for the drugs.

Difference between horse and cow call out - my guess would be that the practice take a hit on the cow call out fee to get business and don't need the loss on the horse call out. Practices always make a loss on cow caesars as good practice 2 vets and it takes a long time, but they can't (economically) charge much more than a healthy calf + cow is worth...

 

[lucysnapshot]

Ive just had the vet out to vaccinate 2 of my horses , one of which severed her tendon sheath 14weeks ago while he was there the vet had a look at it to see how it was healing and charged me 40 for examaning the horse! quite a rip off for a minutes work

 

[Blizzard]

A few months ago I was charged a £30 call out fee, and £28 examination fee, for vet to literally spend 30 seconds looking at a leg and confirming what I knew!

Then I still had to go 40mins to the f-ing surgery to pick up the injection I needed because she didnt have it with her!

No longer use that vets.

 

[banafunzi]

I box my horses and travel 8 miles to surgery they can examine them and give vacs in wagon! much cheaper than £25 call out and £17.50 fee + drugs for vaccs!!