Vets fees do i pay or contest?

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scoobydoo

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Pony came in lame - called vets - requested 3 call outs , same practice sent out 3 different vets - all 3 vets could not diagnose what was wrong and thought hoof ( turned out to be fetlock/pastern area). the third vet cut into healthy frog for no reason and made to bleed plus made pony more lame and sore. 4th visit was from " main man" after i had complained about third vet .

All 4 vets couldn't diagnose the correct area and i was sent with pony to vet hospital.

They have charged me for all 4 visits, X ray on hoof, nerve block on hoof which also blocked fetlock/pastern.

I feel very grieved that vet 3 made my pony very sore and more lame and vet 4 did not nerve block correctly or diagnose result correctly.

Would you just pay ?

Incidentally the vet practice has not been in touch since referral to hospital even though they have had reports etc and should be taking over care !
 
You should pay the invoice.

Whilst it must be frustrating to have a lame horse with an issue that has been difficult to solve this does not mean that you can avoid legitimate fees. If being paid was dependent on getting the correct answer then veterinary surgeons would routinely avoid difficult cases. That your lame horse has proved impossible for four vets to get to the bottom of, and that it required referral to a specialist hospital adds weight to the argument that it was not a straightforward case.

I would imagine they are waiting for you to phone and book and an appointment for a re-eaxmination at a time convenient to you.
 
pay the vet bill and change to another practice if its annoyed you that much. its the risk you take asking a vet for their opinion because everyone will have a differing view
 
thank you for your replies - i am not trying to get out of payment except querying whether vet 3 should have been charged for as he practiced being a farrier and made my pony very lame - their was no need to cut into and dig around in his hoof but thank you for your opinions.
 
Did you not query after vet two why they couldn't make a diagnosis? I would ask for the detailed history and perhaps a meeting with main man to discuss your concerns and see if he can explain the approach taken -vets can only judge what is in front of them after all. What did vet hospital do differently-some cases cannot be solved by your gp practise and that does not mean that you just don't pay, just that unfortunately it's a bit more expensive to go to a referral hospital-is pony insured? What sort of time frame did the problem happen over?
 
scoobydoo said:
thank you for your replies - i am not trying to get out of payment except querying whether vet 3 should have been charged for as he practiced being a farrier and made my pony very lame - their was no need to cut into and dig around in his hoof but thank you for your opinions.
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It's like car garages, you have to pay even if they replace all sorts first before finding the actual fault. But free to walk and move to another vet afterwards. If you think vet 3 was actually incompetent then you should put in a written complaint to the practice head. But in the meantime pay the bill, otherwise for one thing, any legitimate complaint about competency will be looked at as. 'trying to get out of paying', whereas if you've paid but ar still unhappy about something that can't be dismissed in that way.
 
Sometimes lameness is extremely difficult to diagnose .
The 3rd vet was not practising farriery he was looking for infection something farriers do do but are not really strictly allowed to do.
Of course you should pay the bill that's horses.
 
Sadly you have to pay! I have had the same thing happen to me many times. They dig around looking for an abscess when I knew darn well it wasnt! It would be great if they had a no fix no fee policy!! We may even start to getter better care this way!!
 
If the vet will acknowledge that the nerve block should not have blocked the fetlock as well as the foot, then I would discuss with him whether it is appropriate for him to charge you. The other stuff I think you have to pay for, but you are certainly paying the penalty of swapping from one vet to another. If this was not your choice but forced in you by the practice, then I would also query that.

Sorry you are having a bad time.
 
Thank you again, to clarify a few points, i did not ask for different vets on any occasion, vet 2 and i decided to x ray hoof to rule out hoof injury as not sensitive to hoof testers but still had digital pulse, x ray did not show up any hoof injury but as slight shadow near frog vet 2 made small hole down side of frog so when vet 3 visited and frog was clear of infection cutting into healthy frog was not needed. I did complaining letter to practice manager after vet 3 which has never been answered but when i rang to say still not any better Vet 4 whose practice it is came out and couldn't diagnose even after nerve blocking said would ask hospital advise and still didnt get back to me! .

Will no doubt end of paying but think i have received a very poor service from this vet practice which i certainly won't be using for his follow up care or ever again.
 
If you are unhappy ring the vet and explain why. My vet practice have a number of vets so I usually specify which vet I want unless an emergency.
I can understand why you wouldn't be happy that they sent 3 different vets.
Lameness is quite often is a process of elimination particularly if there is no swelling, heat or wound so as frustrating as it is, it usually means you have to pay.
Just read you last comment and think they would rather know you were unhappy than just switch to another practice. That way, at least they can advise why they did what they did and/or, reduce your bill as a goodwill gesture.
 
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