X rays are they really that expensive?

[weebarney]

My cat is at the vets and they initially said they would take 2 x rays as she has injured her back end. The x rays have shown no injury but I have just been informed they took 6 x rays but are only charging me for 4 but that is still £240 for 4 x rays on a cat. Is that normal ???

 

[mulledwhine]

Sadly it is normal but very expensive

Seems like being a vet at times is a licence to print money

Dons tin hat

 

[dotty1]

£60 per X Ray sound an awful lot......I am sure it was £100 to bring/set up machine and about £16 per X Ray when I had my horse done. But I am afraid vets do seem to charge rather a lot for everything!!!. Its not as if there are any consumables as they are probably digital on a computer.
Is the bill itemised as it may include sedation etc

 

[weebarney]

Yes it's itemised and its 60 per x ray. I have complained and they have now only charged for 2 but that's still 120 for x rays not including consultation fee, sedation, medication etc. think I will give that place a wide birth from now on.

 

[weebarney]

Sedation was another £60

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I paid £30 per x-ray of a hoof in April. And the mare was so unco-operative that I wouldn't actually have blamed the vet for doubling the price. It took ages.

 

[hayley.t]

£60 for sedation sounds an awful lot, does it say what they used or just "sedation"?

 

[weebarney]

All it says is Sedation-cat not very helpful is it!

 

[SusieT]

and did it mention the cost of buying the xray machine? and having trained staff to administer the sedation and the cost of applying radiation risk procedures e.g lead aprons, gloves etc?

 

[glenruby]

Sedating a cat/dog is usually a standard fee - most of which applies to the constant monitoring that is required throughout sedation. Far more risky than in a horse and £60 is an average fee. Small animal radiographs are usually more expensive as the cost of machine and upkeep is spread over a smaller number of annual radiographs. In horses, usually 4 shots minimum are required of each joint (usually both limbs x rayed together also) etc where 2 views is standard in SA. Also most equine practices have an extra set up and interpretation fee where that is incorporated into the radiograph price for small animals. That radiograph fee is standard from what I've seen. Licence to print money? I wish!

 

[weebarney]

Why do a lot of people think it sounds expensive then? I think the fact they knocked £120 off the bill says a lot about the actual cost .

 

[glenruby]

Because, as they have said, they havent had a cat sedated. You can't compare to a horse - thats a whole different ball game. And the lady who mentioned her £18 x rays did mention a hundred pound set up fee which negates the reduced plate fee.

 

[Moomin1]

Yes it's normal.

 

[Llanali]

Three x rays, an emergency consult, sedation, and the PTS after, plus nursing and pain relief was £420 for a cat last year.

It's a lot of money but it sounds normal to me. If we paid for our own health care I think we wouldn't assume vets are so expensive.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Three x rays, an emergency consult, sedation, and the PTS after, plus nursing and pain relief was £420 for a cat last year.

It's a lot of money but it sounds normal to me. If we paid for our own health care I think we wouldn't assume vets are so expensive.

This - you have nothing to compare it to - if you were given a breakdown of the costs involved every time you used the NHS it would put vets bills into perspective.

 

[Chico Mio]

I do find it interesting that vet costs are probably 30-50% higher in the UK than the vets (equine and small animal) I have experience with in Spain. I am assuming that the equipment/drugs cost much the same and that the staff have to be trained in similar ways. There are many more independent and sole practitioners there and without doubt a less litigious populace, which probably means insurance is less.

It is also possible to treat your own animals and many drugs are available to buy over the counter - and if we needed a prescription my vet would supply a phone consultation and prescription at no cost.

In the UK, by and large, people look after their animals and so vets and their services are in demand. In Spain there is a different attitude and vets have to work hard for their money. In order to ensure that people DO look after their animals, many vets offer great service at economic prices - if they didn't no one would use them, to the detriment of the animals. So it is possible our more enlightened attitude has hoist us by our own petard.

 

[weebarney]

Three x rays, an emergency consult, sedation, and the PTS after, plus nursing and pain relief was £420 for a cat last year.

It's a lot of money but it sounds normal to me. If we paid for our own health care I think we wouldn't assume vets are so expensive.

I'm not assuming they are so expensive that's why I asked if this was a normal cost as A , I've never had a cat xrayed before and B I've never used this particular vets before. As it happens I've now found out that my brother has used this vets before and he thought they were ott.

 

[hayley.t]

I only asked about the sedation as we don't charge a standard charge but for the actual drugs used. The cost of the x-rays sounds roughly inline with what we charge I think, we charge £102 for the procedure and then £24 per extra plate.

 

[glenruby]

Chico mio - Spain produces far too many vets, as you say, the Spanish have a different attitude towards their animals. Too many vets drive down the prices resulting in many struggling to make a living. As a result, many come to the UK to work. I have also known many spanish vets who com to the UK and work as nurses/kennel maids as their standard of veterinary education is not on a par with the UK, but the main issue is post graduation. I also know many who say the only way they could get a job in Spain as a new graduate is to set up their own practice upon qualification -and that is what many do with the resultant drop in skill level post qualification. Italy has the same problems. I would avoid individuals ( especially young vets) practicing on their own in such countries.

ETA - drugs, labour, equipment ( and now education) are far more expensive in the UK and as you mentioned the general population here are more likely to sue than in Spain and all of these have a huge impact on prices.