Vets - Facilities v costs

WelshD

WelshD

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19 October 2009
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The fees from my vets have shot up in the last year, the lowest increase I have had for the same procedure/medication has been 25% and in one case something was five times more than previously.

The surgery is highly equipped and has an excellent reputation

Where would you draw the line with this sort of thing, would you go elsewhere and accept that they may not have the facilities to deal with something meaning a higher chance of the horse having to be transported elsewhere in an emergency

Yes I know they train for years etc and the facilities dont come cheap but the sudden sharp rise in fees is eye watering and extremely noticeable compared to previously

I have insurance but have an equine with a few ongoing problems for which I foot the bills myself

I've removed my location to protect me and the vets so no speculating please!
 
That's a hard one! Have you had a word with them and just expressed your concern at the sudden price increase? Our vets did something a bit similar and then later dropped costs and call out fees. I don't mind paying a bit more for their expertise but ultimately they do have to remain competitive with other practices in the area.
 
If I wanted to stay with this practice I'd query the increases and then make my decision ie if the bills are incorrect then there's no problem staying but if they are correct then I'd have to think about moving
 
In my experience, a lot of vets without facilities refer you to other practices that do have better facilities in emergencies anyway, so unless you're regularly needing those facilities you may be better at a cheaper vets with less facilities and just being referred to the all singing practice when needed?
 
I did just this. My vets kept putting fees up until they tried to charge me £120 for teeth rasping and I decided enough was enough!

I'm now with a much smaller practice that does not have operating facilities but the clinic is well equipped and the vets are incredibly experienced (and really nice people too!) and I trust them all with my ponies. They have set charges for things like dental visits (£50) so their are no nasty surprises when you get your bill!
 
I asked my vet why he didn't have a hospital when I was still with one who did. He said it was quite simple, that if my horse needed hospitalization, he wanted me to go to the best one in the country for the problem that the horse has got.

When the vet I was with built a hospital, suddenly nothing that used to be done at home could be done without an overnight stay in the hospital, and once they had the horse there they ran the bill up with the owner not there to say stop.

I'm much happier with the one I use now, who will do everything sensible to try to keep the horse at home.

For less experienced people who might need more check up visits, though, hospitalisation can save on visit fees.
 
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