Nowt as expensive as a free dog.....

[Night Train]

Maybe there should be a sort of NHS for rescue pets in the form of group insurance.

I was just thinking that if I were to buy an old army truck I could get full insurance for about £100 a year as a group insurance through a specialist broker.

Maybe a broker could work through rescue centres so that people who rescue pets there can have a similar group insurance set up. As long as it is the same micro chipped pet from the affiliated rescue centre then the new owner can just pay a flat rate and all costs are then covered.

Not sure how well it would work though.

 

[Cubist]

Becs, try and see past what you are reading as criticism and whingeing to the proper story!

I'll spell it out for you:

I love the dog. I have rehomed a rescue dog because I think it's the right thing to do. I have always rehomed rescue dogs because that's what I do. I know they can be expensive.

I can afford vets bills, I earn a tidy salary and so does my wife, but I cannot help feeling that because I'm a bit of a mug I now face an 800 quid bill for something I took on to replace something that has just cost me 600 quid to ease out of this world in a loving and humane manner. The cyclist in me would rather have seen that £1400 quid spent on a full-suss frame.

I do not begrudge vets their fees. I think vets are great.

Bramble is a "her", not a "him". That and her colour is the only thing the rescue people got right.

Here's a smiley to lighten the mood.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

I think we'll all agree to a to Becs and all those good folk like her. We are all animal lovers after all.

Bill

 

[Becs]

Becs, try and see past what you are reading as criticism and whingeing to the proper story!

I'll spell it out for you:

I love the dog. I have rehomed a rescue dog because I think it's the right thing to do. I have always rehomed rescue dogs because that's what I do. I know they can be expensive.

I can afford vets bills, I earn a tidy salary and so does my wife, but I cannot help feeling that because I'm a bit of a mug I now face an 800 quid bill for something I took on to replace something that has just cost me 600 quid to ease out of this world in a loving and humane manner. The cyclist in me would rather have seen that £1400 quid spent on a full-suss frame.

I do not begrudge vets their fees. I think vets are great.

Bramble is a "her", not a "him". That and her colour is the only thing the rescue people got right.

Here's a smiley to lighten the mood.

It's great there are people like you out there that take on older rescues, although if they didn't even get the sex right then that's a cause for concern! When I went to vet school I never imagined how hard it would be to deal with the attitudes (and abundant whinging) of the general public with regards to paying for fees. There have been a number of "my dog/cat/gerbil is sick so I'll ask a cycling forum instead of seeing a vet" posts and I guess the (albeit tongue in cheek) F*cking vets comment was a bit of a last straw for me! Keep up the good work!

 

[Becs]

(Oh, and by the way, your last sentence makes you sound patronising)

Ditto, although to be honest I don't care. I'm fed up with people (not you obviously) thinking that owning an animal is a basic right then refusing to pay for anything when they get sick. I still think it's a fairly good motto, even if it is a tad patronising!

 

[buggi]

well Becs, i can understand that if you are a good vet then you will get p*ssed of about people slating you, but like in all professions there are bad and good. One vets near me (who have a moderate surgery layout) will bend over backwards to help folk, and i don't mind their charges at all as they are quite reasonable, but another vets nearby who have a SWANKY MASSIVE SURGERY with all mod cons no doubt pay for it with their outrageous charges and £100 out of hours call out charge which starts at 6pm... and enforced when arrived at 6.01pm with a very poorly rat, even though they are still at the premises. Total cost to have a rat put of its misery (it couldn't breathe) = £160.

Obviously I couldn't afford it and phoned my mum to ask for the cash. She came and got me, we soothed the rat in a steamy room, on my mom's promise that if it didn't get better we would call the vet out when he got home so he earn his f***ing call out fee.

As it happened, after an hour in a steamy bathroom, my rat then went on to survive the night and i took her to the nice vets the next day to have her put to sleep... for £17.

I loved that rat. it might only have been a rat to anyone else, but she was my shoulder buddy, and quite frankly at 6.01pm, when there is a vet on the premises, that's just playing on people's emotions to charge that.

 

[Becs]

I agree that sounds steep, a lot of vets will have a lower fee before 10pm and a higher one after that. I would imagine the call out fees are based on your average out of hours patient, such as a very sick dog that requires emergency surgery in the middle of the night following comprehensive diagnostics and followed by a lot of overnight nursing (you don't just call out the vet, you call out at least one nurse as well). It's a shame they still applied these fees to a small furry at 6.01 but if my puppy got sick I would definitely prefer the swanky surgery with a big team. There are some vets that specialise in "exotics" (anything other than dogs/cats/rabbits) that might be more sensitive to your needs.

P.S. Just because they are still on the premises it doesn't mean that they are not off duty! When you are working a 60 -70 hour week for 37 hour money your free time becomes very precious!

 

[Night Train]

When my last cat, Fizzy, was ill just before she died my local vet's fees were the usual that I was used to, costly but not unexpected and quite reasonable for private treatment.

Then one Friday evening Fizzy needed the vet but my local wasn't staffed that Friday night so I had to take Fizzy to a 24 hour vets. There I had to put down a £250 deposit before they would even look at her. They kept her in over night for observation. The next morning when I went to get her the receptionist asked me for £280. I offered her £30 as I had allowed for the deposit and thinking it was steep compared to my local. She corrected me and said it was £280 in addition to the deposit! I even had to pay an additional £5 for a half tablet in a bottle.
When I told my local vet even she was surprised at the cost especially as there was no medical report passed back to them.

When I get another pet I will ask it not to fall ill on Friday evenings unless they want their piggy bank raiding for the fees.

 

[Becs]

"Vets Now" by any chance?

 

[Night Train]

"Vets Now" by any chance?

Pet Medic I think it was.

Anyway, I will keep to my own vet I think, she has seen me through 6 cats and 3 dogs.

 

[vernon]

The very thought of vets bills has been the biggest disincentive for me acquiring any furry/hairy quadrupeds.

It's not that vets fees are exorbitant.

I'm just a tightwad.

I think I've undergone some osmotic gene therapy or subliminal behavioral modification since moving to Yorkshire in 1977.

My last ever pet was Gary.

He was a crayfish.

He was amenable to being hypnotised.

I still miss him.

 

[asterix]

It's great there are people like you out there that take on older rescues, although if they didn't even get the sex right then that's a cause for concern! When I went to vet school I never imagined how hard it would be to deal with the attitudes (and abundant whinging) of the general public with regards to paying for fees. There have been a number of "my dog/cat/gerbil is sick so I'll ask a cycling forum instead of seeing a vet" posts and I guess the (albeit tongue in cheek) F*cking vets comment was a bit of a last straw for me! Keep up the good work!

Yes I put up a post when it was apparent my cat had worms, asking what other forum members used for worming treatment.

After all any cat may get worms and a lot of 'em do, what's more a lot of people on this forum apparently have cats, so it didn't seem unreasonable to ask rather than doing an emergency call out on the vet!

As it turned out at least one poster advised me to seek veterinary advice and I duly did the same day. Sadly it was more than just worms and the poor beastie had to be put to sleep after a week or so of palliative treatment.

Indeed there are all sorts of vets. My 3rd York vet is very good - a tiny run-down practice competently staffed.
The French vet I use is also excellent, speaks good English and has been very understanding of Brits who have ferries to catch! Also much cheaper than in the UK, don't ask me why.

Becs, you may be upset by criticism but I wonder how being a vet compares to treating people for the NHS!

 

[Cubist]

It's great there are people like you out there that take on older rescues, although if they didn't even get the sex right then that's a cause for concern! When I went to vet school I never imagined how hard it would be to deal with the attitudes (and abundant whinging) of the general public with regards to paying for fees. There have been a number of "my dog/cat/gerbil is sick so I'll ask a cycling forum instead of seeing a vet" posts and I guess the (albeit tongue in cheek) F*cking vets comment was a bit of a last straw for me! Keep up the good work!

Oh Becs FFS!

They got the sex right, you didn't.

If you don't like public criticism try doing my job.

 

[snapper_37]

If you can't (or won't) afford the vet, you can't afford the pet!

Isn't that what the PDSA is all about? Assistance for people who *shock horror* have pets but may struggle with the hefty bills.

I do find the crafty excess on the insurance policies more annoying. Most trips to the vet - examination, maybe a jab or tablets has normally come to about £50 - £60. Insurance excess - £55.

Hope you come to some suitable arrangement Cubist. I was told that my rescue dog had been spayed and it turned out she hadn't and cost her 2 emergency operations and us around £500.

 

[Paulus]

The PDSA like other animal charities will normally only see animals if the owners are on benefits, and even then the client will be asked to make a donation towards the cost of the treatment. My wife a 33 year qualified Veterinary nurse now works for the Wood Green animal shelter, and their policy is the same as the PDSA.