rip off vets

[jack1966]

I'm disgusted at rip off vets, i was stroking my dog last night and noticed a wart looking thing on his face, my other half said it looks similar to a tick, this wart wasn't on his face the day before (at least i never noticed and im always cuddling and stroking him,). so we booked him in to the vets for him to have a look.

 

The vet looked and said no its a wart, he then looked for things to do like saying he looks a bit fat, hhmm how much are you feeding him, we said a small tin a day, the vet says feed him 7/8 ths of the tin instead. he got a stethoscope out and listened to his heart, we never asked for this, we said thank you and left the room, we went to reception and asked if there was a charge, and oh boy yes there was 22 quid, 22 quid for a vet to say nope its a wart !!!!.

 

im disgusted.

[hightail]

You were charged a fairly standard consultation fee. Vets are a business and not necessarily a very profitable one. If you break down your 22 quid for a ten minute appointment into business rates, running costs, staff wages etc. there probably isn't that much left over to go into the pocket of the expert.

[cassie2006]

Hi Jack1966

 

I agree with you the prices are a lot.

 

I took Hattie to the vet on Saturday morning - she suffers with really mucky ears and although I clean them regularly, sometimes I can tell she needs drops as she is constantly shaking her head. The consutation fee was £23.50 (it lasted 3 minutes) and the drops cost £15. She's fine now (until the next time!!)

Although I work I don't get paid until next week so I paid by cheque as I had no money (which will now cost me double with bank charges).

 

Cassie x

[hightail]

Are those drops a prescription item or just something the vet happens to sell? There's no need to pay that consultation fee if you can buy the same product OTC. Have you checked? If you make an appointment to consult a vet then it's going to cost.

 

I'm a fan of Thornit ear powder for dogs. I too went years paying out money for recurrent ear problems in a dog. Never had a problem since I discovered Thornit.

[cassie2006]

Hello hightail

 

Thanks for your response.

I don't quite know if they're prescription only - everytime I have a problem with my dog I take her to the vet, probably very niaive (or stupid:(. These were given to me at the surgery when I came out of the consultation. They are called "EASOTIC". Her ear is better now (she didn't have a tic) and they are only good for 10 days after opening, so I can't keep them for future use.

 

Cassie x

[hightail]

Yeah that is a POM-V product. If you Google Thornit you'll see it's very cheap, lasts for months and you'll probably never need to pay the vet again for ear problems. I put a pinch in my dog's ears - well when I remember to be honest and have not had a problem in years.

[cassie2006]

Thanks hightail.

 

Excuse my ignorance:

what does POM-V product mean?

[hightail]

POM = Prescription Only Medicine. The V is added if it is a veterinary product. OTC = over the counter

[Minkiesmum]

Your consultation charge is lots cheaper than mine. That's £35 just to walk through the door !!

No wonder many don't take their animals in till things are desperate.....

 

Cheers, Lynda~

[scouserat]

If it's the first time you've the vet then £22 is a fairly average charge, as it covers the admin and gets the pet registered on their systems. We have two kittens that weren't given the best of starts and when we took them in they had a bit of an infection. Only one of them (Blaze) showed symptoms at first and the bill for the initial consultation, 2 jabs and some eye drops was £30.86 (including £24 for 'consultation' as well as a massive charge of 3p for one jab!!!! ). We then had to take them both in a few days later (as advised by the vet) to make sure the ill one was responding and the second one (Sphynx) was OK, and even though it was Sphynx's first visit they only charged us £14.05 which included another jab for Blaze and some drops for Sphynx. We were suprised, but got told that the higher price on the first visit was down to the initial registering and consultation.

 

I think people get surprised at the prices vets charge, mainly because we have the NHS for us and we just assume it's 'free'. If you had to pay for your medical treatment, you'd see that vets fees are actually quite reasonable.

[Minkiesmum]

Wow, YOUR vet charges are great !! I feel we end up paying more than further up north here the same as we pay more for everything.....under the assumptions we earn more when sadly some of us don't !!!

I'd not be complaining if I paid your prices !!

 

Cheers,

Lynda ~

[scouserat]

Something worth checking is whether your vet allows you to pay in installments. Some vets allow this, especially if people are on benefits and can prove it. Some also have a scheme where you can pay in small increments for any vaccinations that are required in future. These are definitely worth it because you're not getting hit with a massive bill all at once.

 

Also, if you're on a low income check to see if there is a PDSA in your area. They don't charge a set fee, but a donation of whatever you can afford. They're also a registered charity and will gladly accept donations whether you use their services or not.

[Minkiesmum]

I posted here about the PDSA as they do a fantastic job and GREATLY helped me out last year.

 

Love Lynda X

[geoffthechef]

one of the few places left where you do not have a clue how much you are paying until the very end is a vets...it needs looking at as it is such a gamble..

[hightail]

one of the few places left where you do not have a clue how much you are paying until the very end

 

Don't be shy of asking up front. When you have a pet needing treatment you don't want to look as if money matters but vets are obliged to give you the approximate cost of a course of treatment in advance. A shot of antibiotic is a course of treatment and you are entitled to know so ask. Amazingly, when you do start to discuss costs with your vet you may find that alternatives are mentioned. If you make it clear that you don't want to pay for any extras without knowing the guaranteed benefits you'll find your vet being slightly more circumspect in the treatment they suggest. They won't hate you for it, they'll respect you more.

[Johnny Blue]

We've been having an ever-escalating argument with our vet about repeat prescriptions for our dog with an under-active thyroid. We've had blood tests every year or two (she's now 6 years old) and the dosage of her medication hasn't fluctuated for years, but now the vet is insisting that it's a "legal requirement" that her bloods are checked every 6 months (at over a £100 a time!).

 

Then there's the argument over the cost of her meds: the vet charges about 3 times as much as they are available for on the Internet, so we pay the vet over £10 for printing out a bit of paper with a signature (it's called a prescription), so we can get the meds online!

 

Now our other dog has an infection and needs a prescription antibiotic: we were charged £1.90 per tablet, when online they're available for 45p.

 

I know the old chestnut about vets' overheads compared to the Internet, etc., but surely they make enough money from their fees and charges, without adding a 400% mark-up on meds that they insist our pets need.

 

We're so fed up with our vet's increasing profiteering, we've investigated paying the PDSA for our pets' treatment, but we don't qualify...

[hightail]

Your vet does have to check your dog every six months. Annoying but true. When I pop into mine for something like prescription wormers I pick up loads but they put it under the name of whichever cat they have seen within the last 6 months for forms sake.

 

When it comes down to it vets are private medicine so will always be expensive. They charge less than a private GP and most of them have much more expensive kit in their surgeries. There's not much anyone can do about the price of consultations and one-off prescriptions I'm afraid. Vigilance is the key for everything else they try.

[Johnny Blue]

Your vet does have to check your dog every six months.

...

 

Says who? If it is a 'legal requirement' (as my vet is now claiming) when was the law changed (because we never used to need 6 monthly blood tests)?

 

I suspect there's just been a re-reading of the drug companies' recommendations and an opportunity for more profiteering by all involved (the vets, the drug companies and the testing labs).

 

I'd compromise on an annual check-up but this new insistence on a 6 monthly blood test (the results of which I never see and which in any case never vary) is just a money-making exercise for all involved (except me).

 

EDIT:

 

Just found this from the RCVS (nothing about 6 months!):

 

Frequency of re-examinations

 

Before prescribing a POM-V medicine, a veterinary surgeon must have the animal in

question ‘under his or her care’ and have made a ‘clinical assessment’. This requires a

veterinary surgeon to see or examine an animal, or to have seen or have examined an

animal recently enough to have the animal ‘under his or her care’.

 

9) The RCVS provides an interpretation of ‘under his or her care’ which forms the legal basis

for the frequency of consultations. On the basis of this interpretation, the frequency of

re-examination is a professional decision for the veterinary surgeon.

 

Under his care

5. The Veterinary Medicines Regulations do not define the phrase 'under his care' and

the RCVS has interpreted it as meaning that:

a. the veterinary surgeon must have been given the responsibility for the health

of the animal or herd by the owner or the owner's agent

b. that responsibility must be real and not nominal

c. the animal or herd must have been seen immediately before prescription or,

d. recently enough or often enough for the veterinary surgeon to have personal

knowledge of the condition of the animal or current health status of the

herd or flock to make a diagnosis and prescribe.

e. the veterinary surgeon must maintain clinical records of that

herd/flock/individual

What amounts to 'recent enough' must be a matter for the professional judgement

of the veterinary surgeon in the individual case.

(RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct, Part 2H)

 

10)Due to numerous variables (for example, condition, age, weight, medicine,

species/breed), how often an animal should be seen or examined will depend on the

specific circumstances of each individual case and is a matter for the professional

judgment of the veterinary surgeon. This is a professional decision, made in the best

interests of the animal and should not be made on commercial grounds.

 

Edited February 19, 2011 by Johnny Blue

[hightail]

The blood test may only be a recommendation but I'm fairly sure you'll not find any vet prepared to prescribe for more than six months without seeing the animal.

 

the results of which I never see and which in any case never vary

Ask for it! You are entitled to see it - you paid for it. I've once had a junior vet first refuse to give me a copy of results then told me I'd have to pay £1.50 for a copy. Two days later when my SAR dropped through their letterbox the senior vet phoned me and apologised for the 'mistaken actions of a new colleague'. My £10 cheque and the paperwork I wanted was (by agreement) through my letterbox the next day

[Johnny Blue]

Oooh! I like this site!

[hightail]

As I so reasonably pointed out, it was a matter of simple economics. £1.50 for one sheet of paper against a tenner for everything. As I'd had a number of animals registered with them for quite a few years plus many litters of kittens vaccinated at that surgery the SAR was simply better value

[Johnny Blue]

As I so reasonably pointed out, it was a matter of simple economics. £1.50 for one sheet of paper against a tenner for everything. As I'd had a number of animals registered with them for quite a few years plus many litters of kittens vaccinated at that surgery the SAR was simply better value

 

Tried following your link about "subject access request", but it doesn't lead to the letter to which you refer.

[hightail]

Links happen automatically when you type certain phrases on this forum - nothing to do with me.

[Minkiesmum]

I was told by a vet I used to use that their meds are more expensive because they HAVE to get theirs from approved suppliers only and they are limited.

I don't understand that about because they're private they're more pricey because private prescriptions in human cases are usually way cheaper than a standard prescription charge of £7+ and you only pay what the meds are worth instead of the standard NHS charge.

 

Lynda~

[hightail]

Mine told me that too but it doesn't mean they don't put a huge mark up on them. They don't sell them on at little or no profit.