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At a loss as to what to do now =[

loobie_lou

Mama Doe
A few weeks ago I contacted the PDSA regarding Kitt, and to see if I was eligible for free vet care as I'm a student, experiencing hardship and exempt from paying council tax. The lady who e-mailed me back said that they have taken in to account students, and therefore I was eligible but needed to contact the PDSA which serves my area. I took Kitt and was told he needed his left molar burring (which I knew anyway), but as it wasn't an emergency to take him back in today (2 weeks later).

I took him back in today with a letter from my university, council tax exemption form and hardship letter and was told that I couldn't register but could leave him, where he would have emergency treatment. So I left him at 9:30am - I was really reluctant as he was kept in one of the baskets, as opposed to his own carrier :(. I phoned up the PDSA at 13:00pmish and asked how he was doing, and when I could pick him up, only to be told that they hadn't done his teeth because my forms weren't complete - WHY couldn't they have phoned me and told me this?!!? I went all the way back to the PDSA (which is 2 bus journeys away taking up to an hour) and was told that I'm not eligible and given a letter to give to a private vet saying what treatment he needs. Furthermore I sent Kitt in with some packed lunch of hay and vege only to be given the bag back with some hay left in and a bag of muesli - I don't feed my rabbits muesli, so I am a bit annoyed as this may cause further problems in form of a stomach upset!!

I've had money problems for a while, but luckily Kitt's teeth only need burring every 4 months or so... and the last time he had his teeth done my mum was in a position to fund him - yet she has now been told that, at the age of 61, she is being made redundant (luckily for her she has got fostering to fall back on, but that's not going to happen overnight).

I've contacted several vets for quotes, and I've been quoted between £120 and £160 for the treatment. Does anyone know of any vets which wouldn't charge so much?

I'm so upset at the PDSA, the waiting room was full of dogs who were all pedigree and all being bred from - one teenager was sat in the waiting area with a cardboard box full of puppies advertising them for sale.

All I wanted was help this one time, as next time I will have my loan through and be able to afford it. It seems that help goes to the wrong people alot of the times =[

Sorry for my rant, but I have had the day from hell and I just don't know what to do. Rehoming isn't something I am prepared to do, there hasn't been problems with Sapphire and Jamie (touch wood) and whenever I get my loan I buy the hay, megazorb and pellets in advance, and buy big packs of vege weekly.

All my rabbits are insured but because my ex used to pay the insurance they cancelled Kitts policy because they claimed they didn't receive my mums Direct Debit mandate to take over payment for them (she is doing this until I graduate) - therefore I don't think Kitt would be covered as it's a condition which has already been treated?? :(

Any advice would be gratefully received. Please don't critisize me for taking on rabbits that I can't afford - it hasn't always been this way, my rabbits vaccinations are all up to date, they are all neutered, friendly and fed... I'm just having problems right now which I can't find the answer to.
 
How infuriating :evil:

I know it won't help but I would definately write a very strongly worded letter of complaint to them
 
I'm so sorry, it must have been very frustrating for you. I agree that you must write and complain. They should have checked all the paperwork was in order before you left Kitt, and it wouldn't have taken long to call you when they discovered it wasn't

Is there a number for the PDSA head office that you can phone and get a definitive answer on whether you should be eligible? Then ask them to call your local branch and explain that.

I only paid £60 for Bubbles to have her teeth burred a few wks back, but that's no help at all for you because I live nowhere near. :(:(
 
have you tried the RSPCA vets? i think you still have to pay unlike the PDSA which is donations but its a fraction of what private vets charge
 
Did they say why you're not eligible? I was under the impression that they would treat him because your exempt from paying council tax.
I'm not a great fan of the PDSA :cry: My other half got paid off (a few years ago) and 1 of our cats was attacked by a dog. The PDSA refused to treat her because my partner didn't take his signing on book with him (which he didn't have because he hadn't actually signed on yet) Luckily we found a vet that treated her and allowed us to pay the bill in 2 instalments. Would your normal vet not let you pay it up? (if you're in a position to do so)
 
I feel frustrated for you just reading this, I agree that you should complain, at the end of the day, a hour on the bus in a carrier and left vets is always going to be very stressful for a bunny (obviously worth it if they were going to do the treatment as you thought) but for them to just leave him is not in the animals best interest, and return him with muslie food! thats terrible! Probabaly a last resort idea, but you could get a student credit card quite easily, and ONLY put the rabbits treatment on it, and pay it off as soon as you get your loan?
 
Our local PDSA office is awful. I went with a friend and it was full of people bragging how much they had paid for their dog - one man had an Italian Greyhound costing £450 but erm could not afford the vet fees!:shock::evil:

If you contact the RSPCA they can help with some of the cost.

For more information about subsidised neutering and veterinary treatment please contact the Branch office on 01924 299170 or by email

(Leeds Branch)

Im from Leeds so if you need any help just holler!!!
 
Thanks for everyones replies, and for the link you e-mailed me Cat... I really appreciate it, I live in Liverpool now though :( Thanks though xx

Just to point out Kitt is still eating hay and vege... he has started to drool which mean that his back teeth are getting worse. I'm going to come up with something xx
 
I think you need to ring around every vet in your area. Depending on what treatment he needs it shouldn't necessarily cost as much as you were quoted. I used to pay around £40 for basic dental of burring molars, my new practice charge 100-120 for the same treatment, so it really does vary from vets to vets. I would have him treated soon though, before any further damage is done inside his mouth that will potentially end up costing more.
I'm sorry you are struggling... It's awful when you are having financial difficulties and a sick pet. :(

I'm not sure how the PDSA work in terms of students, I think it is only if you are in receipt of housing benefit, job seekers etc.
 
my vets are not cheap but they did a dental on bunlovers foster bun for £80+
.
When you find a vet please pm my daughter bunlover with vet address (as I am not on here much)and I will send a £5 donation to them to help with dental cost. -Sue:wave:
 
Thank you for everyones kind offers, I really appreciate it I have started ringing around vets and I have contacted Pet Plan to see if Kitt is still insured for dentals... it's much easier raising £50 for the excess than £120+ for the actual treatment. So fingers crossed!

In the meantime I have sent this e-mail to PDSA, back to the person who said I was eligible -

'Dear Ms Wyatt,

I am e-mailing you has I have now attending Pet Aid hospital in L20 and am completely disgusted with the run around I have been given!! My rabbit saw a vet two weeks ago and then booked him in for an operation today, I turned up this morning with my council tax exemption form, letter from university confirming I am in attendance and a letter proving an access to learning fund I received in January. After an hour wait I was told that I could leave Kitt and it will be treated as an emergency appointment. I phoned up the practice at 13:00pm and asked when he would be ready to be collected only to be informed that he hadn't had his operation as they were waiting on paper work for me!!! By the time I got to Pet Aid to collect Kitt he had blatently been in the awful carriers you have for rabbits - so you're looking at 6 hours! I also packed him up with some hay and vege as I don't feed him pellets as I don't find this helps his digestive system - only to get the bag back with some RABBIT CEREAL inside... which certainly wasn't mine. I am surprised that your vets don't know that changing a rabbits diet can cause major upset!!

It seems unfair that I have been turned away for treatment, and that you have turned away a sick animal. Up until now I have been able to afford vet fee's - I have 3 rabbits, all of which are insured, neutered and vaccinated up to date, yet in light of the financial climate I am having difficulties even feeding myself let alone forking out £50 excess which is required from Pet Plan. All I wanted was for this treatment to be carried out this once, and then hopefully my situation would have improved.

PDSA services just remind me of how unfair this country is - almost everyone in their has a dog, a dog which is a pedigree - pedigree's costing anything from £100 to over a £1000, all of the bitches having being bred for puppies - sold for profit!! Why do these people need free vetinary treatment when they must have the money to buy the dogs in the first place?! Bad case of double standards, and once again a so called 'charity' gets things wrong.

You help all the wrong people, and I for one am disgusted that because I am a student as opposed to a benefits scrounger I get turned away.

Yours,'

I'll await her reply

xx
 
So sorry poor kitt had to spend 6 hours in that dreadful place :(
It infuriates me people like yourself are turned away, and theres people like my niegbhours who negelected and abused 2 rabbits, then got a dog and couldnt afford its vet bills, so take it to the PDSA and leave a £5 donation for £100's worth of treatment :censored:
I had problems with the PDSA when i was on jobseekers, but got told i couldnt get help - because i didnt get help with my housing (because I live with my mam and dad)
Hope Kitt is feeling better soon xxx
 
as mum sadi jason in gloucester did it for coco at £86 and i know some vets do concious dentals which are cheaper..such as ivan in bracknell(and there must be more) if you want the donation from mum i will send it direct to vets. but you will need to pm me the vet address who is doing the op as i would prefer to send the money direct to them! many thanks x
 
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