Vets fees
Our cat has been to the vets today (£20 to enter the room), and we're told she needs 3 teeth out due to an infection (£350).
Luckily we're in a position to pay that, but what about those that work but can't?
If you're unemployed you can pop along to the PDSA in Leeds or Bradford and bingo, it's all done for free.
Some working people may not just have £350 sitting spare, which is why vets should do credit agreements where you pay in monthly installments.
Also, at £350 for taking a few teeth out, maybe I'm in the wrong job!
Luckily we're in a position to pay that, but what about those that work but can't?
If you're unemployed you can pop along to the PDSA in Leeds or Bradford and bingo, it's all done for free.
Some working people may not just have £350 sitting spare, which is why vets should do credit agreements where you pay in monthly installments.
Also, at £350 for taking a few teeth out, maybe I'm in the wrong job!
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I know and that is disgusting.
We're a nation of animal lovers but I just don't get this approach to it.
As an animal and a human lover, I think that no one should undertake pet ownership unless they're able and prepared to fork out the fees for their care, and no one should expect vets (who are not paid for their training like doctors) to do it cheaply to suit their needs.
I know of course that people fall on hard times, but this should be the extreme circumstance, not just walking into pet ownership without commiting the time or devotion to make it work.
No vet I know would 'happily' refuse treatment to a sick animal. My cat died in January, and the vet stayed up through the night without charge trying to save her, and was devastated when she died.
innit. set it against the rspca prosecuting people for failing to seek veterinary treatment and it makes no sense at all to me that a vet can and will do this.
I think that might be down to the vet, some will deal directly with the insurance after the completion of treatment others ask that you pay per appointment during ongoing treatment then will give you receipts and report to submit to insurance.
i know that the vet school here refused to take in a kitten in pain with a couple of grand`s worth of broken leg [who has that kicking about on a sunday night?] and a friend`s dog with a nasty infection requiring removal of a toe while they haggled with the rspca over funding and then refused, by the time a vet was found the infection was serious.
vets didn`t do this years ago, it was about the animal, not the money and you were good to pay in instalments after the treatment, now it`s upfront, credit card or fvck off a lot of the time.
Nope, PetPlan settle directly with my vet - I just pay the policy excess at the time of the visit.
Your local vet sounds like a tosser. I have taken a ran over cat to the vet before and they were happy to help out for nothing.
I completely agree but peoples financial circumstances can change dramatically very quickly. Insurance should be compulsory to safe guard the animal and insurance comps need to simplify the plans.
I will look into that, thanks. I have Tesco insurance but we have to pay 1st & it can take ages to get it back, I just use a credit card if that happens & take the hit on any interest.
the vet school is the university too..
Agree. Insurance should be a compulsory prerequisite to owning a cat or dog imo.
I didn't take issue with the idea of vets not giving treatment, I took issue with you using the word 'happily'. Tell me - did the vet seem happy to refuse treatment? Were they glad that the animal was in pain?
And to a certain extent, I think people should take personal responsibility that they do have the means to pay vet treatments at the drop of a hat. I know that this would drastically reduce the number of people able to own pets in this country, but our pets do not ask to be bred and owned - we take on that responsibility ourselves and should only do so if we're capable. We don't have a biological imperative like with having children to have pets.
In our area it is not an easy option. You need proof of all benefits, plus rent, etc - requires a small folder - and the vet will not see you instantly even if the pet is in pain. Your first 'interview' is to get your pet on their list. You then make an appointment for later in the week, if the system clears you.
Plus, every time you attend with your pet, before you see anyone you are asked for your contribution. It is counted and you are given a receipt. The service is not free and the treatment plan and contribution receipts set out the 'real cost' of treatment to make you feel suitably ashamed.
Our local PDSA mainly treats emergencies (once registered), plus deals with spaying, neutering and yearly injections. Depending on the vet, they will deal with other problems, but nothing they consider 'exotic'.
For example, my dog had a skin infection, but as she had come from Spain originally, I was told she could not be treated as she may have Leishmaniosis and that would require a private vet. She didn't have Leish. It was a plain old minor skin infection caused by her 'worrying' an insect bite, but in any case, Leishmaniosis is actually treatable and the medication is very cheap (or at least it is in Spain, where the pharmas haven't yet decided to fleece pet owners in quite the same fashion), but the PDSA vet saw it as an expensive illness which they did not cover.
For the hassle you go through at the PDSA, unless you are totally destitute, it really isn't worth it.
I now pay a pretty comprehensive monthly pet insurance, but I still hope that if my dog goes down with anything, it will be on the insurer's treatment list!
I do agree though that vets fees are way too high. The private one I now use charges £35 to enter the room!
£350 for teeth extraction does sound high, but I'm guessing they use an anesthetic?
Our vet does do claims direct to the company but it is only worth it if it is a lot. My parents for example for the past two years have had to spend nearly £6k sorting out two of their cats, one needed a blood transfusion and nearly died on the operating table and was in the hospital for a week and then last year they had to spend nearly £3k sorting out another cat who did unfortunately die but you don't know that would be the result unless you try and that is what costs money. Both claims were done directly and if you owe them money after the claim they don't chase you for it, they wait until you are next in and then gently mention it.
thats very true, but iam sure that some of the meds and treatments are way over priced, my dog was catheterized the cost for the catheter alone was £7 for the vet to do the procedure the cost was £17, plus there was a consultation fee of £29 on top of that. £53 for just 10minute job just seems excessive to me, as i said above the toatal bill from the emergency visit to a vet to the actual diagnosis was £1,300. we were gobsmacked to say the least but we love our dog to bits and were lucky enough to be able to pay the fees, but somebody else may not and would have to make the agonising decision of having an otherwise perfectly healthy dog put to sleep.
a person may have been in a situation where they could afford a pet and all it entails, but things in life happen, but some of these people still do not qualify for PDSA assisstance so its unfair to say that you shouldnt have a pet unless you can afford the vet fees really, vets dont do a weekly payment system they wont treat animals if you cannot pay the fee at the time. they often put reasonably healthy dogs to sleep because a person cannot pay a fee, even to destroy a dog costs around £70 but i suppose its easier to find that rather than £100s of £s
They are using anaesthetic.
Add rabbit to that! They cost just as much, and because rabbit insurance is readily available (unlike say a hamster or rat), vets tend to push their prices up to cover that.
If people had to pay for their own healthcare, then vet fees would be put into context. The costs of X rays, CT scans, anaesthetics, blood tests and many drugs are comparable with what they cost the NHS - but people just don't see those costs. I'm aware of the costs because I'm a senior ITU nurse in the NHS where each patient costs us over £2000 per day, just for the bed! I agree that some of the costs are excessive but blame the drug companies and other private companies that the NHS, and vets, deal with.
We don't have a pet NHS so need to use ''private'' healthcare for our pets.
My 3 cats are insured with Petplan who are very good, in my opinion, always pay up without hassle. Although Petplan are happy to deal with the vet directly, it does depend very much on the individual vet practice. My cats get seen at a small local surgery which is aligned to a much larger practice further away. When my late cat was being treated for cancer she needed to be treated at the larger practice (much more facilities) and Petplan settled with the vet directly - about £3500.
One of my current cats has a fungal skin condition (apparently caught while foraging for mice) and is being treated at the smaller surgery who refuse to deal with Petplan direct. So far, she's had blood tests, a skin biopsy under anaesthetic, numerous consultations, courses of steroids and antibiotics and now she's on a 6 week course of anti-fungal medication (a tiny bottle cost £86). I've paid over £800, over the past few months, but Petplan have reimbursed me within a couple of weeks of me paying the vet. It would be even quicker if my vet practice sent the claim form more promptly.
I don't understand why people take on pets without taking out insurance. If there was no NHS, very few people would be able to afford the true costs of healthcare. Most private patients have private health insurance - only the rich could afford private healthcare otherwise.