Went to the vets last night - feeling robbed

BBH

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 April 2007
Messages
9,357
Visit site
How much do you guys pay for nail clipping ?

Took dooglie to vets last night for booster which wasn't done for various reasons and while were there I asked for a couple of his nails to be trimmed.

Was staggered to be charged £14.63 for 30 seconds work. Nice hourly rate if you can get it.

This is the same vets who wouldn't let me have more shampoo ( despite having it for 6yrs ) because they hadn't seen him in 6 weeks without a consultation. So £64 later he had his shampoo.

Time for a new vet I think, my London vet would have done his nails as a courtesy given the amount I spend for his skin problems.


Its becoming a license to print money and take advantage of owners who do the best by their dogs.
 
My dogs are kept on a hard surface and do a lot of road work/are walked on paths, so...nowt! Although that probably sounds like what my 'big' vet would charge.

I take it, it's not a job you feel you could do yourself?
 
I took Harvey to the local dog grooming parlour last Thursday for nail clipping. She charged me £5 to all of his feet. He's a wriggly little toad too, hence why I struggle to do it alone, so it was much more than 30 seconds work.

£5 is their standard charge for the service. If I was taking him to the vets for a routine jab etc, I wouldn't expect to be charged anything for it. Infact, I'm sure I've not been charged when he's been before. If I was booking an appointment solely for nail clipping though, I'm sure it would be about what you paid.
 
Only had dogs nails done once vet did it for free with her health check/booster (she only needed about 4 nails doing)
 
My vets are very upfront, if you take them to see a vet nurse it will cost about a fiver, if you take them to see the vet you will be charged a consultation fee which is about £20. They are charging for the vets time, not just the clipping.

I wouldn't expect such a large charge if he was there for a booster anyway though.
 
I have never been to the vets for any of my dogs nails doing, but I mine would have been included in the consultation for the vacination I would imagine.

( I do mine myself when required, but they are on a hard floor a lot so that keeps them down)
 
As a groomer, I charge £7 per dog for nail clipping as a walk-in (its included otherwise in the price of the groom if a dog is coming in for grooming). I used to charge a fiver for years and felt I deserved a raise! ;) I'm in the minority - most of the other groomers still charge a fiver.

Most of the vets near me will charge round £15-20 for this - and it's for the vet's time that could otherwise be spent consulting other clients for this same fee.
 
You should buy yourself some good toe clippers and do it yourself. If you make a game of it, and just do one toe at a time, before you know it your dogs won't mind. I have whippets and their claws seem to grow like mad, so I snip a little bit off each week. when they are pups they wriggle, so I lay the dog on my lap and my husband plays with the head end, generally being nice to them etc. I try not to make it a fight. My lurcher who was really very anti when I first got her, now lays on her back, on my lap and I quickly snip away and keep her nails in good nick. The new whippet pup is getting better each time.
 
How much do you guys pay for nail clipping ?

Took dooglie to vets last night for booster which wasn't done for various reasons and while were there I asked for a couple of his nails to be trimmed.

Was staggered to be charged £14.63 for 30 seconds work. Nice hourly rate if you can get it.

This is the same vets who wouldn't let me have more shampoo ( despite having it for 6yrs ) because they hadn't seen him in 6 weeks without a consultation. So £64 later he had his shampoo.

Time for a new vet I think, my London vet would have done his nails as a courtesy given the amount I spend for his skin problems.


Its becoming a license to print money and take advantage of owners who do the best by their dogs.

Most vets charging out rate is around £120 per hour plus vat that equates to £23.50 for a 10 minute consultation. You paid for 6.22 minutes of his time. I suspect that 30 seconds to examine your animal and then make the clinical decision not to vaccinate and then clip your dogs nails and then make clinical notes may be an under estimate.

Re prescription: I suggest you put your complaint in writting not to your vet but to your MP, he is your representative in the law making body of this country. The law says an animal has to be "under the care" of a veterinary surgeon for presciption medicines to be dispensed, this rule applies to your doctor as well!
 
Top