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Vet Bill Shock

weepeep50

Alpha Buck
Last week I took one of my bunnies to the vet to be clipped around her tail area. She has been digging a lot lately and had mud stuck to her fur. I had been away for a week and my partner did not check her rear end. I cleaned her as best I could but she had some matts which I could not remove and did not want to hurt her. She was bathed at the vets but apparently she was not happy when it came to drying her, so she was sedated.
Long story short, the bill for this was about £160. I was completely shocked as I’d never been charged anywhere near that amount for a clean up and bottom clip in the past. I was told it would cost just over £100 if she did not need to be sedated. Am I right to feel ripped off or is that standard these days.
 
I would say that this is fairly typical of vet bills; it certainly happened many times to me. I understand that vets have costs to cover, but I was frequently put in mind of squeaking pips.
 
Last week I took one of my bunnies to the vet to be clipped around her tail area. She has been digging a lot lately and had mud stuck to her fur. I had been away for a week and my partner did not check her rear end. I cleaned her as best I could but she had some matts which I could not remove and did not want to hurt her. She was bathed at the vets but apparently she was not happy when it came to drying her, so she was sedated.
Long story short, the bill for this was about £160. I was completely shocked as I’d never been charged anywhere near that amount for a clean up and bottom clip in the past. I was told it would cost just over £100 if she did not need to be sedated. Am I right to feel ripped off or is that standard these days.

I would ask to speak with the Practice Manager if you feel you have been overcharged. Did you receive an itemised receipt giving a breakdown of all costs ?
Most Vets are not just in it for the money. There may be a few who are, but they are in the minority.
 
Hi, I would definitely be :shock: as its a lot. But it does sound like they'd indicated that it would be that much if sedation was required. You could query how much of that was the sedation though. Its rough isn't it, all I've done lately is pay out (disclaimer: yes I chose to have so many rabbits, but I can still moan ;)) x
 
I’ve never received an itemised bill from a vet in over 20 years of being a bunny mummy. Last year I paid about a third of this amount for the same procedure, which is why I was so shocked. I’ve been cutting down on the number of rabbits I have lately by not replacing those who have passed away. I’ve spent thousands on them in the last couple of years and as they get older they have more health issues. I’m now retired and on a pension, so it’s becoming more difficult for me to afford the vet bills.
All my current rabbits have been rescues and are not insured, does anyone know of an insurance company which will accept rescue bunnies.
I think the sedation was about £45.
 
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Wow, I think that’s quite expensive! Where in the UK are you?

I’m with a specialist vet so always pay more than the average, we pay £65 for sedation/ga but still that’s an awful lot to bathe and trim up a bunny.

When my bun had a bad urine infection and they cleaned him up, we just paid the consultation fees which is £55 (based on 30 mins) think we we’re almost an hour in the end but would never pay any extra for a clean up. This is always included! I can understand the fee for sedation but the extra £100 is crazy in my eyes. I too would speak to the vets and ask for a breakdown of what everything cost. I do this loads when we have operations and they’re always happy to show the individual costings, for GA, medication along with the actual procedure and nursing requirements afterwards! Xx
 
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That does sound a lot, definitely query it, especially if you've paid a lot less in the past. They can only say no !
 
My bunnies are both rescues and insured with helpucover, they didn't query their rescue status and have paid out on the couple of claims I've had.

To me it does sound a lot, I've had a full GA for dental work, post op check and three month check for less than £200 for one of mine, but I know prices can fluctuate depending on the practice. They should give you an itemised bill if you ask.
 
I’ve not considered insurance for the rescues before as in most cases the ages of my bunnies were not known, never mind any previous history. I’ve regularly paid a couple of hundred pounds for treatment for ear and eye infections, kidney failure, abscesses etc. Also had one have a scan which cost nearly £300. So am under no allusions about the cost of treatment. It was just that compared to some of the intricate and complicated treatments this particular bunny has had in the past couple of years this seemed a bit over the top.
I really like my vets, they are all very friendly and helpful, although they are very cat and dog oriented. I will probably not say anything, I really am a bit of a coward.
Thanks all for your input.
 
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