Vet's fees

[SpokeyDokey]

I saw someone collect a cat from the vet's once. Their bill was something like £1,500 and the thing was dead.

Our friend had an uninsured Springer hip/leg rebuilt at a total cost of £10.5k - 3 weeks after it returned home it wandered (limped) into a neighbouring farmers field and ate a poisoned rabbit and then promptly died.

 

[stephec]

perhaps the insurance at £27/month might not be so bad after all - I'll give it some thought

It's still 2.7 guinea pigs every month though.

 

[Reynard]

£100 is pretty ballpark for that sort of thing.

Just one note about ringworm - it *IS* transmissible to humans, highly infectious and a devil to get rid of, so do be careful when handling your guinea pig. And if you or any family member end up with round red patches that itch, go and see your GP asap.

 

[postman]

£105 i know what you paid for.The Vet's labrador dog and his cat looked it over.

Lab reports and cat scans are expensive.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Been to physio today for a shoulder massage..45quid..and another 45 next week.
Dentist next weds 55quid then another 45 for the hygienist.. and I don't even have a friggin Guniea Pig !!!!!

 

[stephec]

I saw someone collect a cat from the vet's once. Their bill was something like £1,500 and the thing was dead.

At that price it's a good job they didn't have to fork out for a second opinion.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Our vet was content to allow us to pay a quid a tablet for generic anti-histamine tablets. Unimpressed.

 

[Beebo]

Why do you say it's extortionate?

Vets are highly qualified, many have state-of-the-art equipment, drugs are mind-bogglingly expensive, they have staff and premises to find, indemnity insurance, ongoing training etc etc.

Exactly, a vet will have achieved top quality A levels, and has spent at least 5 years at a premium university, they are professionals and charge by the hour like any other business. My cousin is a vet he studied at Cambridge and i was shocked when he told me how much he gets paid, it wasnt very much when compared to similar professions.
We have 2 rabbits, insurance for the pair is over £500 pa, i am happy to take the risk, and self insure but i expect to fork out a few hundred a year minimum.

 

[cosmicbike]

Pets are expensive. My 2 dogs cost £85 a month in insurance. They eat £50 of food a month. They need annual jabs which cost about £75 each. That's before flea treatment, worming tablets, toys etc.
Oh, and their kennel stay costs more than my holiday...

 

[nickyboy]

[QUOTE 4766771, member: 259"]Vet fees for domestic animals in the UK are often mad compared with Belgium, Germany and NL. Drug fees vary wildly, though, and can sometimes be much more expensive in one country than another.[/QUOTE]

Why do you think that is the case? I presume Belgian, German and Dutch vets are similarly qualified to UK ones and have a similar income expectations. I also presume their equipment, premises, staff etc are similarly expensive. Or am I wide of the mark?

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Because they are, if its raining its raining.

That's a bit of a silly answer.

 

[AndyRM]

That's a bit of a silly answer.

Very generous!

 

[screenman]

A vets wages are not staggeringly high, for all the training they have to do.

 

[slowmotion]

A Guardian article (which I may find later) stated that the median pay of a vet who had been qualified for 20 years was about £35 an hour.

My father was a vet. Dealing with pet owners was interesting. He quickly moved on to larger animals like pigs, cows and horses.

 

[slowmotion]

My understanding is that vets are people who, having failed to make the grade as doctors, went on to fail to make the grade as dentists as well.
This may, of course, be a bit of a generalisation and/or not actually true.

A little unlikely. It's harder to get a place to study veterinary medicine than to study to be a doctor.

I may have made that up too.