Why are rectals so expensive?

[SO1]

Pony has had to have emergency vet for colic a couple of times so far whilst on box rest.

Cost of colic exam rectal is £120.
Cost of scan of for tendonitis is £175.

Why are rectal exam so expensive compared to cost of a scan which involves expensive machinery and shaving of legs. Rectal exam is very quick and does not use much equipment.

Vet treatments are mouthwateringly expensive, insurance is covering tendonitis but not colic as he has had gassy colic before several years ago

Thankfully pony better once administered antispasmodics and pain relief but an emergency call out is £120 and with rectal exams and treatment you can easily rack up £1000 of vet bills - I do put aside money every month for vet bills not covered by insurance.

 

[View]

You are paying for their expertise and all of the equipment that they use during the examination. It’s also not without danger for the vet.

 

[SO1]

The rectal involves no equipment apart from a glove but it is not much cheaper than the scan which I totally understand is expensive because of the cost of buying a scanner and the time it takes to set it up and view it.

You are paying for their expertise and all of the equipment that they use during the examination. It’s also not without danger for the vet.

 

[Gloi]

Danger money

 

[milliepops]

You're not renting the equipment as part of the cost when you get a vet to scan a leg though, any more than you rent the rasps when they do the teeth, it's probably all bundled up somehow in a scheme of prices which tots up time, expertise and overall costs of running a practice.
there's risk to the horse as well I'd have thought, it's not an unskilled thing to do, you may as well question the cost of any examination or procedure.

 

[quizzie]

A rectal in a horse is definitely a skilled procedure….it is not only high risk to the vet, but also to the horse. It is entirely different to a rectal in a cow as the equine rectum/colon is much more fragile and liable to tear.

 

[SO1]

Teeth is £60 which is with electric rasp.

It is not that they send the most experienced vet to the colic calls out, I could understand if you were getting the senior partner. The emergency vet is often the most junior vet.

I absolutely expect procedures that require expensive equipment or only seniors vets can do to be priced according.

I was just surprised that the rectal was so much compared to the other procedures.

You're not renting the equipment as part of the cost when you get a vet to scan a leg though, any more than you rent the rasps when they do the teeth, it's probably all bundled up somehow in a scheme of prices which tots up time, expertise and overall costs of running a practice.
there's risk to the horse as well I'd have thought, it's not an unskilled thing to do, you may as well question the cost of any examination or procedure.

 

[milliepops]

the consequence of a rectal exam going wrong are much worse than needing to spend longer on a scan though. the price of a dental being cheaper illustrates my point about it not being related to equipment.
i guess if you're dissatisfied the only thing to do is question it with them or shop around, not something you can really do with a colic though.

 

[SO1]

I am not really dissatisfied just didn't really understand the pricing structure. It didn't seem to make sense to me, I don't know how much the procedures cost at other vets.

My previous vets who covered a different area never had to do these procedures thankfully apart from teeth.

the consequence of a rectal exam going wrong are much worse than needing to spend longer on a scan though. the price of a dental being cheaper illustrates my point about it not being related to equipment.
i guess if you're dissatisfied the only thing to do is question it with them or shop around, not something you can really do with a colic though.

 

[SO1]

Gosh, I am now concerned that on call vet is nearly always the most junior vet in the practice when really it ought to be the more senior ones dealing with emergencies.

A rectal in a horse is definitely a skilled procedure….it is not only high risk to the vet, but also to the horse. It is entirely different to a rectal in a cow as the equine rectum/colon is much more fragile and liable to tear.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

It might be a relatively quick procedure, but it’s only quick because the vet has practiced. Plus a rectal exam is much harder to interpret than a scan a lot of the time. If you think about it, the extra £55 for a scan is probably the equipment cost, the £120 is for the vets time, expertise/training in interpreting results, giving a diagnosis, and coming up with a plan.

I don’t know how your practice prices it, but usually the rectal is part of the total colic consultation cost, which isn’t JUST for a rectal exam, it’s for the rest of the examination of the horse and interpreting the findings.

In terms of senior/junior vets, unless it’s a very large practice normally the vets share the OOH fairly equally. It might just be that the more junior vets have less in their diaries that HAS to be done by that particular vet so they’re more flexible and able to fit an emergency in at short notice.

 

[SusieT]

Interesting- so you value the ultrasound machine as higher value wise than the vets life/health which is generally put at risk doing a rectal ?
The reason the vet does the rectal rather than you is that they have years of training to perform the rectal and assess what they can feel. When you don't need the vet to advise you based on their rectal exam of the next course of action, then you can query how much you pay for that expertise and the risk in obtaining it.

 

[honetpot]

I just not believe your quibbling over a £120, there is a lot of skill involved, and if the vet can diagnose the problem quickly it could save your horse's life.

 

[paddy555]

when my horse had colic and vet had to do a rectal I got an itemised bill detailing each procedure, call out, meds etc. The rectal cost was £22.52 plus VAT. That was the senior horse vet on a Sunday.

 

[criso]

I've had a couple of out of hours colic callouts in the last year so checked the bill. My vets charge £23 for a rectal. However this is on top of the £42 basic exam fee that you pay whatever the ailment. With drugs it's usually around £200 for an out of hours colic, callout is £86, double the office hours callout.

My vets all take their turn on nights and weekends. It happened that it was the head of equine practice who I've known for years that night which apart from being my first choice of vet also lives very close to the yard so was there really quickly.

 

[SO1]

My bill was way over that over £300. He some buscapan and some pain relief and sedation and was thankfully fine. I obviously grateful that he was fine.

You are at my old vets so not in a massively different area. My vets are obviously a bit more pricey...

Out of hours call out is £120 before they have done anything. Normal call out is £30 and normal examine horse is £85.

I've had a couple of out of hours colic callouts in the last year so checked the bill. My vets charge £23 for a rectal. However this is on top of the £42 basic exam fee that you pay whatever the ailment. With drugs it's usually around £200 for an out of hours colic, callout is £86, double the office hours callout.

My vets all take their turn on nights and weekends. It happened that it was the head of equine practice who I've known for years that night which apart from being my first choice of vet also lives very close to the yard so was there really quickly.

 

[criso]

Yes I think my vets are pretty reasonable especially considering they are part of a big equine hospital. On top of the exam basic first exam, they have a reexam when they come back which is cheaper and I once incurred a brief exam for £10 when I trotted a horse up while the vet was there for vaccination s.

Their flat call out fee is a bit more expensive at £43 than some and they don't do zone days but I've been on yards where we try to coordinate visits so I only end up paying a percentage of the callout.

The only thing you have to watch is their charges for consumables like vet wrap but those in the know have their own stash ready.

 

[scats]

I honestly think horse vet fees, compared to small animal, are really reasonable.

 

[Regandal]

Danger money

???