new to the flock Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 People always moan about Vets and their prices.....have from day one......but have a think and see if you could get a Dentist, or GP Doctor on a Bank Holiday at all. Remember these folks have lives aswell and would like to be with their families or out shooting on a Bank Holiday as much as you and Il. Be thankful that they are willing to answer their pagers or phones. NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 The thing that annoys me is not the consultant fee,its the price of the drugs or x-ray etc.A lot of the drugs are used for humans and cost next to nothing but stick a picture of a dog on the packaging and the price trebles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 I find having a good friend who is a partner at the local vet's help to keep the cost down But it does mean I am their 24/7 IT support too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGalway Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 Our vet is fantastic There are vets within 12 miles, we get this guy in from 35 miles away should anything go wrong. Has been out at some ****ty times that you would not get a doctor for a person (trust me have experience of that). He definately deserves whatever he charges and I don't begrudge it to him for a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustyfox Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 Look Im sure we would do anything for our friends, so I am sure money doesnt come into it when you want your dog to get better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triscrx Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 People always moan about Vets and their prices.....have from day one......but have a think and see if you could get a Dentist, or GP Doctor on a Bank Holiday at all. Remember these folks have lives aswell and would like to be with their families or out shooting on a Bank Holiday as much as you and Il. Be thankful that they are willing to answer their pagers or phones. NTTF Clearly a dig following my post earlier today! I appreciate they are working today and know the cost of a dentist. however £75 before they even look at the pet is a **** take!! Then you have the cost of the drugs normally around the same. After todays visit although it was re-assuring dropping my dog in every time she mentioned something all I could think about was the extra 0's getting added to the bill.. At the end of the day they have the customer by the short and curlies and they know they do. I will pay whatever it takes to make sure he is right but they know that and thats where the problem is. the £75 fee just for stepping in the door today will just be added to the vet **** up fund I expect. Yeah they do a good job bla bla bla but then they knew that when they were studying to become a vet!! the same as I did when I joined the forces hence why im not moaning I havent been at home for Xmas for 3 years on the trot now. I knew that could happen when I joined so I dont expect praise for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted March 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 triscrx, Sorry Mate but you are wrong. It was not a dig at you, it was a post to try and get people to remember that they have families aswell. Really dont care about the money when it comes to my animals, I am just happy that I can get "MY" Vet when needed....like this morning at 6 am! or 2 am in the past! Oh and I am glad you were able to get your dog sorted. NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phez Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 im a self employed roofer and know the costs of running a buiseness ,pluss would you study hard for years for nowt (dont think so) a good vet is worth every penny . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantheman Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 People always moan about Vets and their prices.....have from day one......but have a think and see if you could get a Dentist, or GP Doctor on a Bank Holiday at all. Remember these folks have lives aswell and would like to be with their families or out shooting on a Bank Holiday as much as you and Il. Be thankful that they are willing to answer their pagers or phones. NTTF Clearly a dig following my post earlier today! I appreciate they are working today and know the cost of a dentist. however £75 before they even look at the pet is a **** take!! Then you have the cost of the drugs normally around the same. After todays visit although it was re-assuring dropping my dog in every time she mentioned something all I could think about was the extra 0's getting added to the bill.. At the end of the day they have the customer by the short and curlies and they know they do. I will pay whatever it takes to make sure he is right but they know that and thats where the problem is. the £75 fee just for stepping in the door today will just be added to the vet **** up fund I expect. Yeah they do a good job bla bla bla but then they knew that when they were studying to become a vet!! the same as I did when I joined the forces hence why im not moaning I havent been at home for Xmas for 3 years on the trot now. I knew that could happen when I joined so I dont expect praise for it. If its any consolation triscrx, I called out a locksmith one morning and he wanted £95 callout plus parts plus vat. I accidently locked myself out and the bill for the morning was £141.00. I was not a happy bunny, but call out charges are excessive and its not just the vets that do it. If your child (god forbid) needed a doctor and he asked for the same call out, would you still be upset?? Its just the way things are, pets come with their costs and we just have to accept them or have no pets. Hope that puts a perspective on it. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triscrx Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Yeah I see your point fella's think I was just a little pi**ed off yesterday knowing they were going to charge an extra £75 just because it was Easter. But looking at it now if going to the vets has settled my dog and he is better then whats £75 in the big picture. Just annoyed me that there was that charge just because of Easter. But your right the cost isn't relevant tbh. They do an amazing job and it comes at a price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 the problem is someone has to be paid to be on call and thats expensive. However vets are learning to charge a lot of money these days on the back of most people insuring their animals and i'm not sure this is right. My dads a vet so we grew up with the out of hours demand but its changed a lot now to the point that some venture capital companies are getting in on the industry as its seen as so lucrative. Hence the way prices are going up and up. Vaccine costs about £4 a dose yet can cost £45 round us and isn't necessary every year yet due to business demands vets are pushing yearly vaccinations as a must have. Wonder why Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignoel Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 true o so true whole 50mill bottle of penicilen £7.50p 1 shot £18.50p at vets they do a wounderfull job but there should be a limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 I did £250 in 45 minutes with two Jack Russels after an accident, 2 shots of steroids a drip and 2 X rays, along with a load of charges for nursing. I was just relieved I got them out and took them to my dads despite the distance because the vet would have killed one and god knows what it would have cost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted March 26, 2008 Report Share Posted March 26, 2008 I had a springer 4 year ago that got his head stuck in a pipe chasing a rabbit,he was in the field at the back of the house and i couldnt find him for twenty mins,by the time i did find him he was unconscious with all the struggling trying to get his head out of the pipe,strangely enough it was easter bank holiday.I took him to the vets(15 mile away)and he did come round on the way and start licking my face so i was feeling a bit better but knew he was still very poorly.The vet seemed optomistic he would make a full recovery after spending the night on a drip,so you can imagine my suprise when i phoned the next day to be told he was no better,they wanted to do an x ray and toxicology test,which i said go ahead with.The next day he was worse and they said he wasnt going to make it.It turned out that i had got to him just to late and (dont understand this bit)his body had started to decompose while he was still alive??I got to say goodbye to him but still feel gutted 4 years later.Anyway the end result was one dead dog and a bill for £500 and odd quid,which they so kindly posted that day and i recieved the next morning. You will never meet a poor vet,even if they cant help they get payed and if they can help they get payed and praised its a win win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Tait Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 We've got to employ someone who is highly trained - 5 years + at university. They've got to be willing to be available 24hrs a day when on call, and then usually work a normal day afterwards., Nurses are needed to look after the animals in the practice, plus the rest of necessary staff We are now only allowed to use drugs licenced for animal use, unless there is nothing else available. Surgical equipment costs an arm and a leg - a modern autoclave starts at about 4K I'm paying 123.9/l for diesel here - can easily cover 120miles + a day I need 3 vets to get any quality of life (you try working a 1 in 2 rota, and see how you end up feeling), where the workload really only justifies 2 There are no subsidies - it's a private business At the end of the day, why do you take your pet to us in the first place? If you're going to complain about fees, take it to be put down if it's ill! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) Vets do years of training (I think it is more than doctors and dentists [based on the different range of animals and the inherent problem that animals can't articulate what is wrong with them]) and given the lack of government funding for higher education, they are probably carrying a serious bundle of debt when they qualify. Also vets as a profession have the highest incidence of suicide. My view, they do the graft and are entitled to charge the money. As a consumer, you pays your money and you makes your choices. I recently coughed for a plumber to do me a new boiler. It would have probably been cheaper had I paid a vet to do it. Edited March 28, 2008 by Mungler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegleg31 Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 i think vets do a good job,yes some of their prices are alittle inflated but when you take into account how much your dog costs over the years the vet bills dont cost that much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 the only thing that ****** me off is the attitude many have to insurance, why can you take a puppy in with a broken leg to have a £1500 quote then when you say in that case as its not insured put it down. Suddenly that bill became £500, I don't begrudge vets a living far from it I've lived on the proceeds for many years but what seems to be happening more and more is unneccesarily expensive treatments that aren't in the animals interest. Elderly cats being given chemo has been a favourite of one of our local vets with very big bills attached and I'd defy anyone to say thats in the animals best interest. Its becoming big business and as you get very large companies taking over with venture capital behind them they have to raise money for shareholders etc so its only going to get worse and is totally unregulated. No one begrudges vets a good living but in reality are they getting the living they ought to be getting when there are big companies taking over the show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 the only thing that ****** me off is the attitude many have to insurance, why can you take a puppy in with a broken leg to have a £1500 quote then when you say in that case as its not insured put it down. Suddenly that bill became £500, I don't begrudge vets a living far from it I've lived on the proceeds for many years but what seems to be happening more and more is unneccesarily expensive treatments that aren't in the animals interest.Elderly cats being given chemo has been a favourite of one of our local vets with very big bills attached and I'd defy anyone to say thats in the animals best interest. Its becoming big business and as you get very large companies taking over with venture capital behind them they have to raise money for shareholders etc so its only going to get worse and is totally unregulated. No one begrudges vets a good living but in reality are they getting the living they ought to be getting when there are big companies taking over the show That's insurance for you, I can remember having a windscreen replaced in an escort van years ago and it cost me about 70 quid. Now my insurance excess is more than that if I have one done. And the cost of the screen is hundreds. Yes I agree that Vet bills are hard to swallow but to be honest I am a time served carpenter and joiner and if you wanted me on call 24hrs a day then my costs would make your vets bill look cheap. In reality there isn't a thing I wouldn't do for my dog, he is my best mate bar none and he is insured. Now if that means that the vet will claim 500 or 1500 for a repair to a broken leg then I really couldn't care, getting my dog back to health is more important than the cost. How many of you wouldn't have health insurance if the NHS didn't exist? How many of you would leave your kids off the policy because it was cheaper? None of you is the answer so why do it with your pet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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