Telly Fanatic
VIP Member
they don't charge for consultation fees when you take your dog back for the post op check on stitches ect.
- Notice
Mamacita
VIP Member
Absolutely agree with your comments about rehoming. This is why I have cats from a breeder which I do feel bad about but I couldn't rescue as I lived in a flat at a time, then when I wanted a second one, I couldn't get one as they all either had to go to a home where there are no other pets or had to be allowed to go outside. As I don't want to have an outdoor cat it's almost impossible to rescue, considering all the other requirements too
Sunflower91
VIP Member
Vets are a business, I’m not naive enough to think that partners don’t get some kind of bonus from profit but being in a healthy profit does mean that practices themselves can benefit - eg better equipment, more staff. But the vet sector isn’t the most morally grey in terms of making profit - you should look into how charities operate and the % money that actually goes to causes. Or how supermarkets advertised cost savings during a cost of living crisis. The business side of things is going to want to stay in profit and is going to seem cold and detached.
vets themselves do care about what happens to animals but it’s hardily their fault if an owner is uninsured and/or cant afford the going rate for treatment. What are they going to do? Offer to pay the costs themselves? Your average vet has about as much control over prices as we do and have to use reputable/ industry mandated suppliers. They can’t just pop on a website and buy a 25p drug and think “ah it’ll do”.
I do feel sorry for people who’ve had a change in circumstance or cant keep up with the rising costs but affordable vet care, subsidised or otherwise feels a million miles away. and tbh If it came to government schemes, as much as I love animals I don’t want to pay extra taxes so people who can barely afford to care for their pet in the first place can get free/ discounted services.
vets themselves do care about what happens to animals but it’s hardily their fault if an owner is uninsured and/or cant afford the going rate for treatment. What are they going to do? Offer to pay the costs themselves? Your average vet has about as much control over prices as we do and have to use reputable/ industry mandated suppliers. They can’t just pop on a website and buy a 25p drug and think “ah it’ll do”.
I do feel sorry for people who’ve had a change in circumstance or cant keep up with the rising costs but affordable vet care, subsidised or otherwise feels a million miles away. and tbh If it came to government schemes, as much as I love animals I don’t want to pay extra taxes so people who can barely afford to care for their pet in the first place can get free/ discounted services.
Mamacita
VIP Member
Well if we're going down that route, why not just skip the pet thing entirely and pay people to interact with the elderly? If it's to cure loneliness.
I guess pets are living, feeling creatures. It's not good for them to bounce from home to home when the elderly person dies and it would really be, like you say, huge logistics nightmare but also not ethical in my view. Just skip the whole operation involving pets and pay for live in carers
Snippysnips
VIP Member
Oh I definitely agree it's not going into the staffs pockets, a friend of mine is a vet (he's a horse specialist down in London now) an while he's very well paid for his job he's far off being paid thousands an thousands per month, so am wondering if perhaps overheads are just more expensive than what we think they are
Above poster mentioned admin fees being taken, I'd imagine vets would also have insurances to pay out on top of business fees, accountant fees, the practice rent/mortgage an its bills, staff, animal food, drugs, an then everything else, ours offers free coffee/tea an hot chocolates as well as biscuits, they look like they have subscriptions to magazines as they have those in the waiting area, they have a little cat area with towers, a quiet room with calming scents, toilets, then they also sell toys, treats, food, beds etc, am not saying that they are financing all of this purely from the sale of drugs an treatment but I'd imagine sales from everything would go into running the entire vet an the drugs an treatment are maybe what they relay on the most, they also have their van that would need taxed, mot, petrol etc
Above poster mentioned admin fees being taken, I'd imagine vets would also have insurances to pay out on top of business fees, accountant fees, the practice rent/mortgage an its bills, staff, animal food, drugs, an then everything else, ours offers free coffee/tea an hot chocolates as well as biscuits, they look like they have subscriptions to magazines as they have those in the waiting area, they have a little cat area with towers, a quiet room with calming scents, toilets, then they also sell toys, treats, food, beds etc, am not saying that they are financing all of this purely from the sale of drugs an treatment but I'd imagine sales from everything would go into running the entire vet an the drugs an treatment are maybe what they relay on the most, they also have their van that would need taxed, mot, petrol etc
Former_Antelopee
VIP Member
Exactly the amount of times I’ve seen people on Facebook say ‘I’ve rescued this dog it’s got *insert issue* the person I rescued from wasn’t helping it but I can’t afford to take it to the vets So what can I do at home’ So it’s in the exact same position it was before you rescued it then… or ‘my new puppy has *insert condition* I can’t afford the vets what can do I do and how do I protect my other dog’ my issue with this isnt even necessarily the new puppy even though that’s an issue as well, but why get the new puppy to begin with if you wouldn’t have been able to afford it if anything went wrong with the dog you had first
ranchdistressing
Well-known member
What concerns me is now you'll be charged a consult fee AND the price of the treatment/medication. It always used to be if they prescribed something, or did jabs etc, you wouldn't pay the consult fee too....but now it seems a lot of places are charging for both at full price and to me that's absolutely unacceptable. I'm okay with paying for a consult, but to charge an obscene mark up on meds AND a consultation fee is just a piss take if you ask me.
It's really no wonder so many pets are ending up in rescue centres because loving owners are getting priced out of pet ownership all the time now.
Yep, VetsNow are the absolute worst. They should in no way be allowed to operate, I don't know a single person who's used them who hasn't been absolutely extorted for emergency care. Most independent vets used to run their own A&E/overnight services, which allowed for a great continuity of care and familiarity, which I feel is important for sick pets, but they've almost all sold out to VetsNow and someone needs to find out why....
I'm wondering if VetsNow have bought them all up and is transferring the cost of acquiring these independent practices onto the customer. Because while I understand any out of hour service comes at a premium, their mark up is absolutely disgusting!
Whatever the case, they've absolutely got people over a barrel for emergency care. I know plenty of people who are always anxious on weekends and bank holidays because of experiences with VetsNow and having had to burden the costs for out of hours care. Once you've been there as a pet owner, it certainly leaves a mark and a niggle in the back of your mind wondering when you'll have to turn to those crooks again!
Eirawen
VIP Member
I worked for an animal charity hospital years ago, when the drug order came in I could see the price of everything and some of it was pretty inexpensive e.g saline drips but private vets used to charge people a fortune for very inexpensive items, I expect they still do.
I have a small savings account for my cat it has £700 in it at the moment but I am putting into it every pay day, every bit counts.
I have a small savings account for my cat it has £700 in it at the moment but I am putting into it every pay day, every bit counts.
Oh I can't be bothered with this tonight, we're trying to re-home a dog, I don't feel the need to explain myself to you anymore..,..
Snippysnips
VIP Member
I totally get that but at the end of the day the rising costs of vets are not any different to everything else, maybe it's just me but am just not understanding this hatred because of vets increasing prices when vets too are trying to survive an make a living, vets also have to pay electric bills which are soaring because of company's trying to make a profit, they also have water bills to pay because of company's trying to make profit, food prices are also going up, so it makes sense that medicines are also rising in order to keep up with inflation, our problem is our own wages not keeping up with the constant rising of everything around us
I know it was posted that overseas can be cheaper but when you look at it, overseas is also cheaper for humans, private operations can cost way less than they do in the UK but in the UK we are not only paying for better treatment but also paying with how qualified our dr's/nurses are, an I'd imagine that goes for vets too, am not saying overseas has bad vets but the UK is among the few that the standards an qualifications are the best in the world which our prices will reflect on
An it's not just pet medicines going up either, we are probably paying between 3 an 6x the price of our own compared to how much they can make them for, we just don't see it because of the NHS covering it
I do believe maybe there are some unreasonable vets out there that are taking the piss a bit with prices, I've noticed when it comes to a franchise they are among the most expensive an offer no help towards it like monthly repayments, I've always went to privately owned vets that are run by pet owners themselves an the one am at go out of their way to help you be it monthly payments on bills, giving a few little extras for free to help out, letting you pay monthly towards their club that covers pets vaccines, health checks, flea an worming, nail clipping etc an with what you are saving I really cannot fault them, an if the money of medicines go towards helping them cover that loss they make by offering the monthly club (which will technical be a loss for them) then so be it
GiggleBee
VIP Member
I wont touch vets now with a barge pole. They incorrectly diagnosed my cat, wouldn't even do any physical exams, just went on look. Cost us well over £200 for a tub of cream (which she didn't need!) and an exam.
Went to my vets the next day who actually listened to me and after a physical exam agreed with me about the diagnosis and she got the treatment she needed and was fine.
Anyway, on vets cost prices, to be fair I've never had an issue with my vets, alot of the time if we go in and it's something that doesn't need any treatment ect they'll let us have it for free.
The one time I had an issue was when my cat became poorly and we weren't to sure if she ate some kids fake snow and the poison control people charged us £50 just to tell us if anything in it was poisonous to cats. They have to over a barrel that way as you need to know if your pet has been poisoned or not. Thankfully she wasn't and she just had a viral infection!
ranchdistressing
Well-known member
It would have been. They'd be risking the animals welfare to charge for the removal of stitches separately. I'm sure many owners would bypass the vet and try removing them at home and cause God knows what complications as a result. So the cost has to be included for the animals protection.yes coming to think of it possibly the payment for the after care was already in the bill and paid for
Snippysnips
VIP Member
Our vets just posted a thing about costs an why some are going up, it gave a breakdown of everything an mentioned that they also had to think of shareholders an that was why prices where going up, it's a private practice so I don't know if maybe it's shareholders that contribute to it so it's why they needed to think of them when discussing why prices are going up
Honestly am kindi happy with mine, I do love that they do a monthly payment scheme an you get your check ups, medication, vaccines, dental care, flea care etc all in with the monthly payment, I do have insurance which am grateful for cause bunny cost close to £500 when he took unwell with his operation which he needed to get an the vets dealt directly with the insurance as well, thankfully he's only there twice a year once for his vaccines and check up an the other for his check up an it's like £40 per visit which seems to be the normal
Honestly am kindi happy with mine, I do love that they do a monthly payment scheme an you get your check ups, medication, vaccines, dental care, flea care etc all in with the monthly payment, I do have insurance which am grateful for cause bunny cost close to £500 when he took unwell with his operation which he needed to get an the vets dealt directly with the insurance as well, thankfully he's only there twice a year once for his vaccines and check up an the other for his check up an it's like £40 per visit which seems to be the normal
Former_Antelopee
VIP Member
Don’t get a pet then
pets are a privilege and it’s up to the person who gets them to be able to afford them. - just saw someone said that but it’s true so I’ll also say it. They are a business, how much do energy companies charge and how much profit do they get, a lot more profit than vets. And people need heat etc.If comparing the price to online pharmacies the vets won’t get them at that cost?
Private human health care does matter, doesn’t matter about the NHS, we are lucky to have that, but at the end of the day vet care is like
Private human healthcare, a business and if getting a pet that should be thought about first. And I’ve seen people say vet care is a lot cheaper than human private healthcare.
As I said they don’t do out of hours themselves due to staff not wanting to do it, how can they do it if they cannot get the staff. As I said it can affect their day running which I bet people would also complain about.
Pet insurance helps as most people who don’t have it will have a limit on what they can pay and vets need to save money on testing for the animal to then be treated, even though they’ll offer every option a lot will opt for the cheapest. If pet insurance is involved then the vet has more scope to do more tests, which helps as your more likely to get answers quicker and not have to go back again if the first test was negative but it maybe be another condition that needs another test. I know I’d rather get all the tests done at once, get results quicker than do one at a time from most likely to least likely to be the issue. I couldn’t afford a variety of tests at once without pet insurance. Even if I wouldn’t put my pet through certain things like chemo, at least the pet insurance will help me
Former_Antelopee
VIP Member
Yeah fair enough if you had a downfall but I’d say the majority that isn’t the case and most have got pets without having a plan to pay for care. Like my example of spending thousands on a pup then not affording treatment when somethings happens quickly. It depends if the persons picked a breed known to have health issues then have to pay out for them then that’s their own fault for not doing enough research into the breed they got.
Ok if there isn’t private emergency care then why is it a shock that it costs more. I think it is too much for emergency ooh care I never said I didn’t but it makes sense it costs more.
I do believe if you can’t afford a kid don’t have one, obviously not to do with health as we have the nhs which I also as I think I said shouldn’t really be taken into consideration with vet fees apart from the fact that we don’t realise how much stuff costs because of it
Ok if there isn’t private emergency care then why is it a shock that it costs more. I think it is too much for emergency ooh care I never said I didn’t but it makes sense it costs more.
I do believe if you can’t afford a kid don’t have one, obviously not to do with health as we have the nhs which I also as I think I said shouldn’t really be taken into consideration with vet fees apart from the fact that we don’t realise how much stuff costs because of it
ranchdistressing
Well-known member
I'm not saying the medications should be free, but they claim the absolutely insane mark up on them is to cover overheads (which includes fees for their expertise) and what not. So if that's being covered by the price of the medication, what's the additional consult fee for? They literally sell drugs that go for 0.25p (inc VAT) a dose for £7 each!
I'm not saying they shouldn't be charging, I'm saying their fees shouldn't be so extortionate because it's beginning to look like profiteering when so many practices (usually franchises) are pricing pet owners out of ownership and contributing to the rescue center crisis.
Not to mention, potentially leading to animal suffering and death. As it was reported yesterday people are treating their pets with human meds because they can't afford the treatment they need - that is beyond messed up!
It's not in any way comparable to say "oh, a private doctor charges for x, y and z" because we always have the NHS to fall back on regardless. People go private for quicker, more bespoke care. They don't HAVE TO pay to access treatment in the same way pet owners do.
There's also no private emergency care, so people are never in the situation of being faced with the horrific choice of being unable to avoid to save someone they love in the same way pet owners are in critical conditions. In those cases, vets absolutely have folks over a barrel and there should be laws against profiting on that, if only in the name of animal welfare.
There is literally no alternative to consulting a vet when your pet is sick, and putting accessing that care (which is essentially an otherwise inaccessible resource/commodity) at such an extortionate price is, as I said, essentially profiteering.
I have no doubt that Brexit is responsible for a lot of this, including the massive hikes in treatment prices since around 2019. And yes, I understand it's difficult to get staff to do any kind of night shift in any profession, but speaking from what I've seen in my area - there are eight vets within a 10 mile radius. In 2016/7 - eight of them did their own overnight care, with a veterinary nurse in-house, with a vet on call. Now, 2024....not a single one of them offer their own emergency or overnight care. Even when an animal is admitted in office hours they have to be transferred (by the owner) out to VetsNow for monitoring, or as you say, they're left alone all night.
I don't think it's right to leave sick animals (sometimes critically ill) with no care through the night, but I think it's just as wrong to expect owners to pay ridiculous trumped up charges at a franchise to monitor their pets while their usual vet is closed. It's not only ridiculously expensive, it's also distressing for both the animal and their owners.
Companies like VetsNow have an absolute monopoly on emergency pet care and that is not right, regardless of the reason for vets selling out to them.
Some do and if they don't it's all included in the overall price of the surgery. And when they charge ridiculous sums for more minor 'treatments' (for example just shy of £10 to put a piece of dental floss around a skin growth) I don't think it's saying much that there's no charge for signing off on an actual surgical wound.
I'd say it's probably because your vet is not a franchise. Most independent vets don't advertise the fact they're owned by a franchise though, so it looks like a good independent practice, when it's far from it. Most indies are selling out to franchises/corporations on the quiet.
I think a lot of it also depends on pet insurance. I've seen several vets eyes light up when they know my pets are insured. I've also compared the cost of my 'insured' care to the costs for the same/similar care friends and family have received for their uninsured pets and there is definitely more/higher charges when insurance is involved.
And again, this is why we should be terrified of losing the NHS.
Mamacita
VIP Member
I live in Scotland so don't pay for prescription meds so maybe I'm spoiled
but Doxycycline in superdrug is 0.65 per capsule. A course of Doxycycline for my cat is like max 10 capsules so 6.50. A long way from 60 quid
Mamacita
VIP Member
I have to agree that medical care is expensive and in general vet fees are probably justified but I'm sticking with my original comment about mark up on medication being ridiculous.
However in the end owning a pet is a privilege and is not mandatory, so people shouldn't get one if they can't afford vet fees and/or insurance.
However in the end owning a pet is a privilege and is not mandatory, so people shouldn't get one if they can't afford vet fees and/or insurance.
Snippysnips
VIP Member
In a sense I do agree with that, pets are a privilege, but I do know from personal reasons that pets do wonders for mental health, having a little companion especially when you are on your own can really make a difference, I feel like if you are struggling then being more a foster home is better as the company's that do it will cover the vet fees for you but you get the benefit of having the pet
JodieGreen123
VIP Member
To clarify, I don’t pay a consultation fee for routine vaccines, follow ups etc. for my dogs. In my opinion the consultation fee is money well spent when I’m getting generally 15 mins one on one time with the vet. It’s not a case of walking in and they throw some antibiotics at me and off I pop, they give my animals a really thorough checkup and provide me with a wealth of options and information and advice before deciding on a treatment course.