Vets Fees

[Snippysnips]

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.

I agree with you on that, as much as I love having animals, I too would not be happy paying without choice into a scheme to help others, pets are still classed as a luxury, every pet I've had I've put away money just incase anything were to happen, I've went without just to make sure I can still put something by for them, I now have insurance an if I had too I would again go without to make sure it's paid (thankfully I am in a better place now with finance an not in this situation) pets help my mental health tremendously an have always been important to me but I would never expect others to be helping me out when it was my choice to own them, I get that some may have gotten before the pandemic and are now struggling, but with how long pets live an not just dogs but others too (my oldest rabbit was 14) people really should think about the "what it's" especially now after what's happened when purchasing a animal an thinking about long term

There are so many ways to go about it if you are struggling as well or want a pet but know you aren't going to be able to pay costs long term, you can become a foster carer an take in animals until a forever home is found, you can do a home for home scheme in which you take animals (mostly dogs I believe) while owners are on holiday/in hospital, both of these the vet bills are covered for you, it's maybe depending on area/vets but we can pay monthly until the bill is covered, there are charity's out there to also help if you are struggling but again may be dependent on area

 

[Merpedy]

There are so many ways to go about it if you are struggling as well or want a pet but know you aren't going to be able to pay costs long term, you can become a foster carer an take in animals until a forever home is found, you can do a home for home scheme in which you take animals (mostly dogs I believe) while owners are on holiday/in hospital, both of these the vet bills are covered for you, it's maybe depending on area/vets but we can pay monthly until the bill is covered, there are charity's out there to also help if you are struggling but again may be dependent on area

This seems to ignore that often these options are further restricted by the requirements on people. As briefly discussed here already, rescues are a great example because they can require that those looking to adopt need to have a garden that meets their standards and whatever else that they’ve thought up - some of it may be legitimate requirements tbf

Pet ownership is increasingly becoming a luxury for many which isn’t a necessarily good thing

 

[Saddlesoap]

Convenient. How can you access the wholesaler's prices if you're not at work? Didn't think we had work from home RVN...

Again, I think you need to suggest finding a new wholesaler because the entire concept of wholesale is getting it cheaper than Average Joe can buy for. So something isn't adding up here at all.

Oh, and we'll wait while you get back to us with what the client pays on top of these wholesale prices....

Wow you're really mad

I can access the wholesaler prices because I have the password for their website saved in my Google drive. I cannot access my practice management system from home.

I'm actually at work now (not convenient, no conspiracy, just my shift), I'm eating my tea after being flat out since I arrived with 2 critical patients who have just gone into theatre and I'll be looking after them in recovery. I will get back to you about the prices, but probably won't be tonight.

You seem very certain of a lot of things despite not working in the sector. I did say 'my practice' passes on the savings, I cannot speak for others. But how can you possibly know that no savings have been passed onto you. You absolutely cannot.

Clavaseptin, for one. You want me to provide invoices? Would that stop you pissing on my shoes and claiming it's raining?

All I was interested it was which drug it was, since you were adamant that 25p becomes £7. As I've said, I'm just genuinely interested. I'll take a look at this one as well. For some reason I thought you were talking about human drugs.

Clavaseptin, for one. You want me to provide invoices? Would that stop you pissing on my shoes and claiming it's raining?



At this rate it's around a 25% increase on what the public pay, so I think you need a new wholesaler. They're clearly taking the piss out of your practice. The very definition of 'wholesale' is that you get products cheaper than the general public. Makes absolutely zero sense that you'd be paying more.

Again, I think you need to suggest finding a new wholesaler because the entire concept of wholesale is getting it cheaper than Average Joe can buy for. So something isn't adding up here at all.

Everyone needs to make profit. Vets have to buy from a wholesaler, who also needs to make profit.

Drug company > wholesaler > vet > client
Drug company > online pharmacy > client

Maybe we should just give out medications for the same price we buy them for. Sounds like an ideal business prospect

 

[Snippysnips]

This seems to ignore that often these options are further restricted by the requirements on people. As briefly discussed here already, rescues are a great example because they can require that those looking to adopt need to have a garden that meets their standards and whatever else that they’ve thought up - some of it may be legitimate requirements tbf

Pet ownership is increasingly becoming a luxury for many which isn’t a necessarily good thing

I definitely agree that rehoming places need to loosen up a little bit, I said before that we ourselves were denied a dog all because we had never had a dog before even through my mum grew up with dogs, but again depending on area, the foster homes an home for home schemes tend to be a bit more relaxed (at least where I am) my cousin done the home for home, they didn't particularly care much that her garden was small or it was a 2 bed she was in, maybe because it's a temporary thing? the only I guess problem was she never got much a choice with what dogs she took, she could either have small or large (she went with large as her husband could get home to walk it a few times a day) so she would get anything from Labradors to rottweilers to alsatians etc

 

[Former_Antelopee]

It’s no wonder that a lot are rescuing from abroad considering it’s easier than rescuing from this country. I don’t really agree with it but I do see why people do it

 

[Snippysnips]

It’s no wonder that a lot are rescuing from abroad considering it’s easier than rescuing from this country. I don’t really agree with it but I do see why people do it

Not just rescuing but buying as well, I'd love to have a little miniature dachshund but prices are between 2k an 4k, they never come up for rehoming in my around me due to popularity an most rehoming places won't allow you to take if you aren't near them, there was places in England offering re-home but being in scotland I was denied, there's no way I can justify thousands for a dog as much as I'd love one, out of curiosity I looked an I could actually get a pure breed Dachshund from America an have it brought over for just over 1k, obviously it's not something I would ever do, seeing a dog an it's parents if possible is the most important thing an with it being America you know nothing about where the dogs coming from, the health of the dog or the legitimately of the company, but the fact I can bring in a dog from another country an be cheaper than buying from my own is insane

 

[ranchdistressing]

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.

I completely disagree! Supermarkets and charities aren't directly profiting off pain and suffering. When it comes to literal life, death and/or pain, profit shouldn't be allowed. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing I was raking in profits off the back of sick animals and their owners. As it stands it appears that being a vet is a license to print money, as the government have now discovered and are investigating.

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.

Where did I/anyone here say it's the vets fault? If they weren't charging absolutely obscene fees, insurance would be more affordable and less people would be left to make hard choices for their pets. And it doesn't matter how your slice it, or justify it, or blame it on wholesale or staffing costs, the fees are obscene.

And this is very much a UK problem, as people in Europe seem to be getting the same drugs/treatment at less than half the cost we all seem to be paying. Yet they've still got the same amount of overheads to cover.

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”.

Again, no one has said that is even a possibility, but there's no way buying from a wholesaler workers out more expensive than the cost direct to consumer. It doesn't (or at least shouldn't) work like that.

Wow you're really mad

Not at all, I just know bullshit when I smell it. I also know "we can't get it as cheap as you" is an age old pile of bollocks that's spouted by people as a justification for what their charging, when 9 times out of 10 it's complete crap! I know, because I've been in/around similar sectors that love to say that to protect their profits.

I can access the wholesaler prices because I have the password for their website saved in my Google drive. I cannot access my practice management system from home.

Well, don't forget to come back once you've compared the wholesale prices to the client cost.
Can't wait to see how you justify charging 5+ times the wholesale price....or are we then going to have you listing off the cost of the practice's energy bills and what not?

But how can you possibly know that no savings have been passed onto you. You absolutely cannot.

And you absolutely cannot say it has. People love to act like they're doing you a favour by "passing savings on", so even if it wasn't possible to work out, I'm sure someone at the practice would spout that soundbite the second the costs were questioned.

All I was interested it was which drug it was, since you were adamant that 25p becomes £7. As I've said, I'm just genuinely interested. I'll take a look at this one as well. For some reason I thought you were talking about human drugs.

And it does, as I've repeatedly demonstrated throughout the thread.

And why would I be speaking about human drugs on a thread about pet medication?

Maybe we should just give out medications for the same price we buy them for.

As I've said, repeatedly, I have no issue with vets covering legitimate overheads in costs/fees, but again - putting utterly extortionate markups on medication and calling it "overheads" is profiteering. And the prices charged are absolutely extortionate and cannot simply be put down to running costs. It does not add up.

And frankly, as far as I'm concerned, anyone making any profit off the suffering of an animal (or human) should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

 

[Merpedy]

I’m also a bit ehhh about people saying that people should somehow be prepared for the long term costs of a pet

The majority of responsible pet owners will have an estimate of the things that could go wrong and general costs of having a pet. But it’s hard to account for rapidly changing prices and as mentioned above there’s not really much “shopping” that you can actually do for vets

Weirdly enough, I have heard that my vets has refused to let someone change their vets. Their cat has a long term condition that requires steroids every month (£120+ per month). The owners found a vet practice that was slightly cheaper but the vets we use apparently refused to let them change - I assume they refused to transfer the cats medical records over. I would guess it’s not legal but you’re hardly going to have many people dragging their vets through the legal processes or whatever other complaints procedures

 

[ranchdistressing]

I’m also a bit ehhh about people saying that people should somehow be prepared for the long term costs of a pet

The majority of responsible pet owners will have an estimate of the things that could go wrong and general costs of having a pet. But it’s hard to account for rapidly changing prices and as mentioned above there’s not really much “shopping” that you can actually do for vets

Weirdly enough, I have heard that my vets has refused to let someone change their vets. Their cat has a long term condition that requires steroids every month (£120+ per month). The owners found a vet practice that was slightly cheaper but the vets we use apparently refused to let them change - I assume they refused to transfer the cats medical records over. I would guess it’s not legal but you’re hardly going to have many people dragging their vets through the legal processes or whatever other complaints procedures

Yeah, does anyone take into account the long term costs of having a kid? Or do they consider the child may be born with additional needs? Of course not. Does that mean we should all stop breeding?

No one ever anticipates having to fork out for illness or crises, that's not how the mind works, unless you've got chronic anxiety.

All most people think of is food, vaccines/flea/worm treatment and maybe a pet insurance policy. No one knows how bad and expensive things can get until it happens to them. You can't estimate any care costs anyway....a limp could just be a sprain costing a couple of £100 in pain meds, or it could be a ruptured ACL which costs thousands.

Putting blame on people for not anticipating the costs is utterly ridiculous because it's essentially saying - "unless you have instant access to thousands of pounds, you shouldn't be able to own a pet". Which is a pretty shameful point of view to take.

That's disgusting what's happening with the person you know, and a complete breach of the law. You can access pet records under the GDRP/Subject Access Request. But you're right, people don't want to rock the boat with vets, which again allows them to thoroughly take the piss out of those in need.

Especially as most people know/assume they'll get named as a bad client and their name will likely be blacklisted around other practices, should they dare complain or act out in any way.

Classic example of that was what happened to my friend a few years back. Her dog was in visible and yelping agony with a front leg limp. Tried to get an appointment with the usual vet (in business hours) but was there was nothing until the next morning. It was clear the dog couldn't wait for intervention as the poor thing couldn't lie down for more than a few seconds. So she went to the next closest vet who could see her within minutes.

While she was with the vet, the receptionist called her original practice for the dog's notes and the receptionist there told the new practice that the reason she'd gone to them was because my friend had an outstanding bill there and "didn't want t pay".

It was absolutely nothing to do with it, she hadn't even received a bill at this point either. So you know they all talk when there's money involved. And again, that means the client is trapped with what they can say/do as well as what costs they're forced to pay. It's wrong and has needed to be regulated by the government for years.

 

[Snippysnips]

I am well aware that costs are rising an that things can get difficult out the blue, what I mean is that if money is a struggle at the beginning then really you shouldn't be agreeing to take on the responsibility of a pet, at the end of a day whether we like it or not animals are still classed as a luxury an unfortunately there is too many out there that take them on without knowing just how expensive they can become, an am not talking about being in a position where once it was fine an then it's become a struggle, am talking about the spontaneous buyers that are in no fit position to afford a pet never mind be able to cover vet fees, I have known people to get rabbits then not bother to ever get them vaccinated because of costs which isn't fair to the rabbit, or people that get a dog then dont bother to keep up with health checks or vaccines, there are charities out there to help but most of them struggle because they are paying out for people who were never going to be able to pay in the first place for a pet an the people who once afforded the pet an now have fallen out the blue on hard times are being left because the charities cant help due to limited finances

 

[no-no]

This thread has just reminded me how I paid £32 for a bottle of Indorex last summer from Vets4Pets. They’re £11-15 but PAH were sold out and I didn’t want to wait for delivery. Turned out my dog didn’t even have fleas, I was bitten by something Then I’ve had great service from Vets Now. Lot of valid arguments on both sides, on the whole I think an investigation is welcome, especially when it comes to big chains buying indies. It won’t impact pharma. I saved a lot when my old vet recommended an over the counter human med instead of paying extortionate prices for Pardale V.

 

[Former_Antelopee]

I am well aware that costs are rising an that things can get difficult out the blue, what I mean is that if money is a struggle at the beginning then really you shouldn't be agreeing to take on the responsibility of a pet, at the end of a day whether we like it or not animals are still classed as a luxury an unfortunately there is too many out there that take them on without knowing just how expensive they can become, an am not talking about being in a position where once it was fine an then it's become a struggle, am talking about the spontaneous buyers that are in no fit position to afford a pet never mind be able to cover vet fees, I have known people to get rabbits then not bother to ever get them vaccinated because of costs which isn't fair to the rabbit, or people that get a dog then dont bother to keep up with health checks or vaccines, there are charities out there to help but most of them struggle because they are paying out for people who were never going to be able to pay in the first place for a pet an the people who once afforded the pet an now have fallen out the blue on hard times are being left because the charities cant help due to limited finances

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

 

[Merpedy]

I am well aware that costs are rising an that things can get difficult out the blue, what I mean is that if money is a struggle at the beginning then really you shouldn't be agreeing to take on the responsibility of a pet, at the end of a day whether we like it or not animals are still classed as a luxury an unfortunately there is too many out there that take them on without knowing just how expensive they can become, an am not talking about being in a position where once it was fine an then it's become a struggle, am talking about the spontaneous buyers that are in no fit position to afford a pet never mind be able to cover vet fees, I have known people to get rabbits then not bother to ever get them vaccinated because of costs which isn't fair to the rabbit, or people that get a dog then dont bother to keep up with health checks or vaccines, there are charities out there to help but most of them struggle because they are paying out for people who were never going to be able to pay in the first place for a pet an the people who once afforded the pet an now have fallen out the blue on hard times are being left because the charities cant help due to limited finances

That’s exactly why I identified responsible owners specifically. People who got pets because they can afford them and due to unforeseen circumstances are no longer able to

The rising costs of vets and medications specifically aren’t helping with that. I understand they are running a business and costs are going to rise. However, something is clearly going wrong with the amount being charged for medicines

 

[Saddlesoap]

And frankly, as far as I'm concerned, anyone making any profit off the suffering of an animal (or human) should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

Oh come on, you're just trolling now

What a ridiculous statement. Whose covering the cost of it all then?

Well, don't forget to come back once you've compared the wholesale prices to the client cost.

Can't wait to see how you justify charging 5+ times the wholesale price....or are we then going to have you listing off the cost of the practice's energy bills and what not

My thoughts exactly! It's all well and good quoting the wholesale price, the issue is the markup and what the client actually gets charged, which I guarantee is at least 50% more than the purchase price.

I had a quick look
100x 5.4mg Apoquel is £130
100x 5mg Cardisure £152
10x 250mg Noroclav (Clavaseptin) £14.10 (a box of 100 is £114)

All a very long way 5x, or even from 50% the wholesaler cost, that you guaranteed it would be. Which one is it 5x or 50%?

Those 25p Clavaseptin tablets. £1.41 each.

Again, no one has said that is even a possibility, but there's no way buying from a wholesaler workers out more expensive than the cost direct to consumer. It doesn't (or at least shouldn't) work like that.

Not at all, I just know bullshit when I smell it. I also know "we can't get it as cheap as you" is an age old pile of bollocks that's spouted by people as a justification for what their charging, when 9 times out of 10 it's complete crap! I know, because I've been in/around similar sectors that love to say that to protect their profits.

I have provided you with evidence to the contrary. I've tried to be transparent. I'm sure you still think you know better, or that i'm lying, and will come back with some sort of passive aggressive response.

Now you've decided we should all work for free, I'm pretty certain you will think a very normal mark up on goods is unacceptable profiteering.

Non profit does sound like a dream though. I'd love to not have to worry about what my clients can / can't afford. Sadly though, I can't work for free because I have a mortgage to pay.

You seem like you've had a lot of bad experiences with vets, and since you have so many experiences to quote, many ill pets on various medications or requiring treatments. Which is unfortunate and I'm sorry you have been disappointed and let down by the vets you are chosen to use.


*All prices quoted are from the practice I work at, and I cannot comment on the prices available to other practices from other wholesalers or the mark ups they add.

---

I would just like to add that I can see that some Vet practices are charging a lot. These are often corporates whose prices are dictated by higher management.

Support an independent practice if you can, owned and run wholly by people living in the local area. I know this is difficult in some parts of the country, but sadly running and staffing a practice is expensive, time consuming and emotionally taxing. Newer graduates are taught that clients will sue you (which they will), that just didn't happen 30 years ago. This is part of the reasons that 'old school vets' seem so different, the clients just didn't have those demands 30 years ago. Vets have to offer x,y,z because otherwise we get slandered all over Facebook and the wider media. Only recently a vet for physically assaulted in his practice after a dog died.

We aren't all monsters that some people would have you believe.
We do care, a lot.
We aren't in it to make money, (before a certain poster comes at me again, we are not earning that much). We are in it to look after people's beloved pets. That's why 6 of my colleagues worked late last night to try and save 2 lives. The clients won't be charged anything extra for that overtime that the team will be paid.

I'm not ashamed of myself. I'm a really good nurse and worked my arse off for 16years to be this good. I have helped save 1000s of animals. I have cried with clients. I have cried with my team.
Now I'm waiting to hear if those patients survived the night and I'm going to decompress with a long dog walk.

 

[Snippysnips]

That’s exactly why I identified responsible owners specifically. People who got pets because they can afford them and due to unforeseen circumstances are no longer able to

The rising costs of vets and medications specifically aren’t helping with that. I understand they are running a business and costs are going to rise. However, something is clearly going wrong with the amount being charged for medicines

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

 

[ranchdistressing]

What a ridiculous statement. Whose covering the cost of it all then?

So you think it's acceptable to profit of sick and dying animals? Good to know.

The owner/client is covering the cost, obviously. Costs of the products/service which includes overheads. That's plenty to keep a business running, but it's clear profits are being put above all in most instances.

I had a quick look
100x 5.4mg Apoquel is £130
100x 5mg Cardisure £152
10x 250mg Noroclav (Clavaseptin) £14.10 (a box of 100 is £114)

All a very long way 5x, or even from 50% the wholesaler cost, that you guaranteed it would be. Which one is it 5x or 50%?

What you alleged is simply one example, it's not reflected of the entire veterinary sector and OF COURSE you're going to paint the picture that benefits you (by chosing certain drugs, perhaps) to prove your point - you're literally in the industry that people are complaining about.

I've got invoices going back years, I have friends and family I'm sure do too - from up and down the country, all which show the mark up on medication direct from the vets is at a bare minimum double the price it can be bought direct.

Those 25p Clavaseptin tablets. £1.41 each.

Where? The wholesaler/supplier? You are being had!

And again....."all a very long way from 5x or even 50% of the wholesaler cost"....really?

0.25p x 5.5 = £1.37 - that's 5x the price....which is being passed onto the client, along with the business running costs and the "profit".
So thanks for proving my point!

I have provided you with evidence to the contrary. I've tried to be transparent. I'm sure you still think you know better, or that i'm lying, and will come back with some sort of passive aggressive response.

You didn't prove anything! In fact, you've proven my point on the Clavaseptin. If a vet is paying 5x the price from a supplier - they need a new supplier. How is that not adding up?

Now you've decided we should all work for free, I'm pretty certain you will think a very normal mark up on goods is unacceptable profiteering.

At absolutely no point have I said that? I have in fact said to the contrary. So either you're trying to make me the bad guy, or your reading comprehension could use some work.

I have absolutely NO issue with a vet charging for overheads (which include decent wages for staff etc) I understand they run a business, I understand it's a difficult job.

What I have an issue with, and anyone with a half way functional moral compass should too, is people (be that the vets directly or whoever owns the business) making profit off illness and vulnerability.

It's abhorrent.

I'd love to not have to worry about what my clients can / can't afford. Sadly though, I can't work for free because I have a mortgage to pay.

You know what's so funny about your posts?

Every single time I've ever discussed prices with a vet or nurse, they always clam up and say they don't know anything about the prices, or the insurance side of things, etc. Yet here you are - seemingly the fountain of all knowledge on pricing! Interesting....

Support an independent practice if you can, owned and run wholly by people living in the local area.

I do. And they are just as bad in most cases. They're not going to charge £2.99 a pop for medication when *Insert Chosen Corporation* up the road are still getting business charging £20!

Newer graduates are taught that clients will sue you (which they will), that just didn't happen 30 years ago. Vets have to offer x,y,z because otherwise we get slandered all over Facebook and the wider media.

I struggle to believe this. I unfortunately have had, and known many people, both personally and those I've met online, who have had absolutely horrendous experiences with vets and not one of them has sued - despite having incredibly strong grounds to.

And every week there's at least two posts on my FB neighbourhood/area page asking for recommendations, even for the vet that everyone knows is a butcher with inflated prices there is never any slander.

For however many vets there are getting bad experiences with clients, there's just as many (if not more) clients having a bad experience with a vet, so it cuts both ways.

We aren't in it to make money, (before a certain poster comes at me again, we are not earning that much).

Yeah, here we go again. Trying to make me look like the bad guy. (Signs of a losing argument btw) Where have I disputed staff salaries? I'm disputing PROFIT which you don't see either, allegedly!

The clients won't be charged anything extra for that overtime that the team will be paid.

I don't believe that a premium wouldn't be charged for "out of hours". If it isn't then please pass on the name of your practice because it should be nomintated for one of those awards Pet Plan give out or something.

I really love that you keep coming here singing your own praises about how much you care on one hand, while trying to disprove/downplay and justify what numerous pet owners are saying about their experiences with vets and the cost of care. AND literally stating you have no issue on profiting off animals suffering....so forgive me if I'm not buying the saintly statements.

And again, just so it sinks in - never have I disputed people being paid appropriately for their expertise, or paying to cover overheads. I am disputing people (be that vets and staff or those we never see the face of) making huge profits from suffering and distress/vulnerability.

It's disgusting and there's no sob story you could possibly tell me that will ever make that acceptable.

Bottom line is....there is clearly a massive issue at play here if the government are launching an investigation! It doesn't take just one person blowing the whistle. It takes hundreds, if not more, repeatedly. You can use examples from your practice until the cows come home, but it's clearly not reflected of the wider experience in the sector. Just take a look at some of the comments on the articles about this, very few of them have any praise for vets and their charges.

 

[Saddlesoap]

At absolutely no point have I said that? I have in fact said to the contrary. So either you're trying to make me the bad guy, or your reading comprehension could use some work.

I have absolutely NO issue with a vet charging for overheads (which include decent wages for staff etc) I understand they run a business, I understand it's a difficult job.

What I have an issue with, and anyone with a half way functional moral compass should too, is people (be that the vets directly or whoever owns the business) making profit off illness and vulnerability.

It's abhorrent.

I think my reading comprehension must need some work.
If a veterinary business isn't making profit from sick or healthy animals, then where is the pay coming from? How are we investing in new equipment, resources. Surely no profit = no money for salaries. I'm honestly baffled at this point.

Quite frankly you've insulted me enough in this thread.
I've tried to be balanced.
I've tried to explain that we have to pay a wholesaler, not get drugs direct.
I've tried to show the practice mark up on drugs is less than 30% in most cases.
There's no conspiracy on my part, I have access to information at work. I can see what we buy it for and sell it for I'm sure other people could access that information if they wanted to. I can't comment on that.

But as you say, nothings going to change your mind, I already agreed that some practices do overcharge. Practices are different.

I'll sit on my supposed morally corrupt side of the fence with all the other private sector healthcare workers all over the world.

 

[Sunflower91]

completely disagree! Supermarkets and charities aren't directly profiting off pain and suffering.

Depends on how you define pain and suffering. Personally I’d argue that only a small portion of donations going to food banks, research into diseases, hospice management is linked with pain and suffering but we can agree to disagree.
The pharma industry as a whole profits from sickness, pain and suffering - it’s not going to change for humans any time soon let alone animals.

Where did I/anyone here say it's the vets fault?

I mean you have berated a vet nurse for the last few pages for trying to give stats and insinuated that they think it’s okay to profit of pain and suffering and have repeatedly said vets aren’t passing on cost savings - apologies for misinterpreting.

]What I have an issue with, and anyone with a half way functional moral compass should too, is people (be that the vets directly or whoever owns the business) making profit off illness and vulnerability.

Unfortunately we live in a capitalist society where money and profit come ahead of most things- in all likelihood an investigation might set some increase limits but profit will still be there.

 

[ranchdistressing]

I think my reading comprehension must need some work.
If a veterinary business isn't making profit from sick or healthy animals, then where is the pay coming from? How are we investing in new equipment, resources. Surely no profit = no money for salaries. I'm honestly baffled at this point.

Quite frankly you've insulted me enough in this thread.
I've tried to be balanced.
I've tried to explain that we have to pay a wholesaler, not get drugs direct.
I've tried to show the practice mark up on drugs is less than 30% in most cases.
There's no conspiracy on my part, I have access to information at work. I can see what we buy it for and sell it for I'm sure other people could access that information if they wanted to. I can't comment on that.

But as you say, nothings going to change your mind, I already agreed that some practices do overcharge. Practices are different.

I'll sit on my supposed morally corrupt side of the fence with all the other private sector healthcare workers all over the world.

You literally said you couldn't be bothered to debate this, a few pages back, and yet you keep coming back with intent to try and undermine everything I say from personal experience and understanding of friends/family etc experiences too. Giving it the victim card by saying how much of a wonderful job you're doing, implying you can't be questioned for anything because of it. You're not going to convince me that vet practices aren't run with profits at the forefront of pricing, as this investigation will potentially confirm, and you're certainly not convincing me that wholesale prices are to blame for the price of medication.

I mean you have berated a vet nurse for the last few pages for trying to give stats and insinuated that they think it’s okay to profit of pain and suffering and have repeatedly said vets aren’t passing on cost savings - apologies for misinterpreting.

I didn't insinuate tit, she literally scoffed at me and called me ridiculous (#74) when I said I thought it was wrong that people profit off the suffering of animals. That tells me all I need to know about the agenda here.

And for the record....I think people who make profit off the illness and suffering of humans are just as bad. I also understand the world will not change, but that doesn't mean I'm not entitled to find it disgusting and to judge those who cash in on the profits. (Again, just so SaddleSoap doesn't get their knickers in a wad - I'm not talking about frontline staff!)

 

[Snippysnips]

Depends on how you define pain and suffering. Personally I’d argue that only a small portion of donations going to food banks, research into diseases, hospice management is linked with pain and suffering but we can agree to disagree.
The pharma industry as a whole profits from sickness, pain and suffering - it’s not going to change for humans any time soon let alone animals.

I agree, everyone is out to make profits, the amount of times I've seen items in grocery stores or shops that mention the proceeds go to charity an then you look an it's 1p from every £1 or it will be £5.99 for something with only 25p going to the charity, it's ridiculous how small they actually give to the charity themselves

There are charities giving their CEO's over 200k a year, why the hell does someone need that kind of yearly income if not for greed, an who suffers...the people do, supermarkets an charities are profiting off pain and suffering an making as much profit as everyone else does because it's a business an every business is only ever thinking about profiting, personally I think it's a damn disgrace my mate is paying around $100 in America for insulin for his diabetes when insulin is about $2 to $4 to make, so yes, everywhere profits off the sick an suffering