My Daily Bunny Update

[Lord Trellis]

So its Friday again and I still can't get anywhere. Vets4Pets wont even answer there phones now and everywhere else is pretty much doing the same not answering phones or they don't deal with rabbits. I've gone back to trying the PDSA "I'm out of options" PDSA are better than nothing at all although its a long process doing the online application plus scanning in documents and the waiting times will probably be dire as well. I feel like going back to Vets4pets and making a scene. I'm getting fed up and I'm on the urge of giving up. What are the other options? get ripped off and pay several hundreds of pounds for a simple neuter because people are too greedy or keeping phoning/traveling to vets and being told there is a long waiting list, either way I'll be waiting a long time. My last options now are PDSA or vets4pets. I could be waiting months to years.

 

[InspectorMorse]

https://twitter.com/RSPCA_SthLondon/status/1552228810501885956?s=20&t=7jRr2PyYBsKWW6tSIXX2fw

https://www.paxtonvets.co.uk/about-us/pricing

 

[Lord Trellis]

https://twitter.com/RSPCA_SthLondon/status/1552228810501885956?s=20&t=7jRr2PyYBsKWW6tSIXX2fw

https://www.paxtonvets.co.uk/about-us/pricing

I've already tried the RSPCA They wont even answer there phones and when you visit they don't even open there doors to the public and those with appointments are left standing out in the rain with there pets for hours. There is a notice outside that says ring the buzzer then wait. I waited 30 minutes for them to answer the buzzer only to be told they can't do it.

Paxton looks like they are charging sensible prices.

Neutering 140 pounds

Spay 142 pounds

I'll skip the Consultation. If I can get an appointment with these then I'll be happy. Probably still a long waiting time tho.

 

[Shimmer]

A vet would normally need to see and assesss an animal before they agree to surgery - so skipping the consultation may not be an option.

 

[Zarla]

There are about 200 Medivet branches in London, one on every high street just about. All neuter rabbits. Details at link.

https://www.medivet.co.uk/pet-care/pet-advice/rabbit-neutering/

 

[Lord Trellis]

There are about 200 Medivet branches in London, one on every high street just about. All neuter rabbits. Details at link.

https://www.medivet.co.uk/pet-care/pet-advice/rabbit-neutering/

They must be laughing there way to the bank. What is it with London. I'll find somewhere out of London if it means getting a decent price. I know its not about the money but I don't want to be supporting this greed. I'd happily pay more money to travel out of London to find a vet who isn't greedy.

 

[Liz47]

I work for Medivet, each branch is priced differently depending on the area, obviously London prices are higher. But their anaesthetic protocols are good and they have changed things for the better in my previously independent practice generally as they have strict regulations. Vets4Pets won't not be answering their phone, perhaps they were very busy with emergencies etc or had issues with their phone line. Vets have a lot of outgoings (wages, bills/utilities, training, equipment, maintenance etc) generally a vets won't be greedy, these are just the prices unfortunetly going up as sadly is everything else. A one of castration price shouldn't be an issue, although I'd question whether the prices you were given before £300 ish were for a cat/dog not a rabbit by mistake, as the price shouldn't vary so you should have been told one price not a range like a dog would have a range depending on the weight of the dog... having said that I did pay £250 years ago for a guinea pig castrate at a specialist.

 

[Lord Trellis]

I work for Medivet, each branch is priced differently depending on the area, obviously London prices are higher. But their anaesthetic protocols are good and they have changed things for the better in my previously independent practice generally as they have strict regulations. Vets4Pets won't not be answering their phone, perhaps they were very busy with emergencies etc or had issues with their phone line. Vets have a lot of outgoings (wages, bills/utilities, training, equipment, maintenance etc) generally a vets won't be greedy, these are just the prices unfortunetly going up as sadly is everything else. A one of castration price shouldn't be an issue, although I'd question whether the prices you were given before £300 ish were for a cat/dog not a rabbit by mistake, as the price shouldn't vary so you should have been told one price not a range like a dog would have a range depending on the weight of the dog... having said that I did pay £250 years ago for a guinea pig castrate at a specialist.

Before this covid business there were vets who would charge 40 pounds for a rabbit neuter. Some vets like Vets4Pets charge 91 pounds while other vets are charging 200 to 300 or more for a simple rabbit neuter. 91 pounds is still reasonable but 200 to 300 pounds or more is just robbery and wrong.

 

[Liz47]

many of my close friends are vets and it's an incredibly hard job with a high suicide/depression rate. Vets I know are on as little as 28k a year, they do not earn a lot, often given the hours they work they would actually be earning less than minimum wage if you worked it out hourly. Running a vet practice is an expensive job and the individual vets sadly don't see much of the money. I get prices are difficult and going up, but it's not the vets fault and it's not greed/robbery. The number of vets now is very low given the huge quitting rate of the profession due to stress etc. One of the reasons you will struggle to book a simple neuter

 

[Zoobec]

Before this covid business there were vets who would charge 40 pounds for a rabbit neuter. Some vets like Vets4Pets charge 91 pounds while other vets are charging 200 to 300 or more for a simple rabbit neuter. 91 pounds is still reasonable but 200 to 300 pounds or more is just robbery and wrong.

I can’t remember ever paying as low as £40 for a rabbit neuter tbh. Certainly not in recent years. Vets have drugs, premises, utility bills, wages etc etc to pay for, and they are highly skilled people who spent an awful long time studying to get qualified. It isn’t robbery or wrong so long as they quote beforehand what the price will be.

 

[Omi]

Can Lamb Chop not be neutered at the same vet you used for Lucky's neuter? Were you satisfied with the price of that and were you confident in the vet?

 

[Shimmer]

My vet gives a breakdown of the costs on an invoice for procedures, so anaesthetic, disposables, drugs, time, etc are all listed. Then there's all the equipment that has to be bought, serviced, updated, etc, which are essential kit. It is very expensive running any technical, science-based business (I used to be in one). Any business in London also has a premium on property costs and wages. There are a lot of additional staff needed to keep even a solo vet surgery (like the one I use) going - mine usually has 3 other people in, that's with reception being covered by everyone. Please stop assuming all / any vets are greedy. There are much easier ways to earn a much better salary.

I can't remember having ever had a procedure needing an anasthetic which cost much less than £100 for any animal (that's guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs). The cost of the anaesthetic drugs alone can account for most of that. One of my dogs had a dental and some X-rays last month. The anaesthetic cost alone was in the region of £250...

 

[Liz47]

This may help explain the waiting times: posted in the agria veterinary community:

'A survey conducted by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons found that 80% of veterinary professionals saw an increase in their caseload due to the rise of animal ownership. (This is why we are so booked up) 65% found they experienced conflict between their wellbeing and professional role (this is why you might receive a call with test results at 8pm, because the vet has stayed late to ensure its completed) all of this is wrapped in a storm that collides with supply shortages, pet ownership rocketing and loosing 60% of veterinary professionals due to Brexit.
The main causes of stress within the industry include giving bad news, managing adverse events, interacting with difficult clients, balancing work and home life and dealing with ethical dilemmas.'

I maybe should add I don't just advocate for vets as that's where I work and my friend circle, it does depend on the vet and some are more knowledgable than others, you do need to check if they are rabbit savvy. I've actually lost a rabbit directly due to a vets specific actions (not one of my friends luckily!) and took it to the RCVS who sadly did nothing, it made me question continuing to work within a vet practice. However, it was just a very sad set of events and one that has made me chose who looks after my rabbits veterinary needs very carefully. So sometimes a savvy vet is worth the wait, but as you've mentioned for a simple neuter you should be ok. Sorry that is a bit of a tangent!

 

[Graciee]

Everyone else has made great points so I won't repeat, but it's pretty common knowledge that vets4pets are one of the cheapest for neutering, other vet care actually tends to work out more expensive and the sad fact is they're all franchises, and most are not rabbit savvy, and other than the owner of the franchise they tend to employ young newly qualified vets... Which is fine.. But from what I've seen that's all they employ basically because they're cheap to employ. Everyone can decide how they feel about that ofc and as they're franchises, they will obviously vary! But from the 4 I've been to, that seems to be the case. And also from what my vet told me who nearly went into it with another vet I know.

Anyway most neuters typically cost over a hundred if you're going somewhere with rabbit savvy vets, putting a rabbit under a general anesthetic is considered risky by normal vets, but not by rabbit savvy ones [emoji849] I personally wouldn't be looking for the cheapest place to get surgery done, but the best place I could afford to get it done which knows exotics, gives gut stimulants as standard, and loxicom is prescribed as dog strength and twice a day.. I could go on.. But basically I'd want the right place to be cutting my pet open.

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[Zarla]

Dusty (a doe) was neutered at a London Medivet last October and it cost £180 for everything including the consultation. The vet who performed the operation also neutered two of my bucks years ago. Obviously a buck would be cheaper to neuter but it isn't going to be under £100. £60 is what it cost me ten years ago. You said you had set aside £2k for your rabbits so this should be fine. I haven't had issues getting appointments with London vets and nor has anyone I know because there are so many covering a small area.

 

[KarenM]

It's probably important to bear in mind too that a lot of vet practices will price neuters as a loss leader - price them low to get clients through the door & hope they stay with you for any further treatments.

So, if prices have risen so much (or are considerably higher at one vet than another) it's highly likely that the dearer one has changed their pricing structure to ensure they can cover overheads and make a small profit. They've probably realised that owners are actually very disloyal & might use one vet for cheap neuters & a different one altogether for everything else.

I think it also helps to compare vet prices to that of private human medicine - the NHS here in the UK means the majority of us have no idea just how much even simple procedures like a blood test actually cost because we don't pay.

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[KarenM]

Before this covid business there were vets who would charge 40 pounds for a rabbit neuter. Some vets like Vets4Pets charge 91 pounds while other vets are charging 200 to 300 or more for a simple rabbit neuter. 91 pounds is still reasonable but 200 to 300 pounds or more is just robbery and wrong.

Anything pre-covid was much cheaper and vets overheads (electricity for starters) have risen just like any other business. My OH is a glazier and his supplier used to have a price rise of maybe 5% annually. During covid, prices were going up every couple of months by 10% plus. He's tried to absorb some of that increase himself but a large proportion of it has been passed on because otherwise it wouldn't be worth him working.

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[Graciee]

It's probably important to bear in mind too that a lot of vet practices will price neuters as a loss leader - price them low to get clients through the door & hope they stay with you for any further treatments.

So, if prices have risen so much (or are considerably higher at one vet than another) it's highly likely that the dearer one has changed their pricing structure to ensure they can cover overheads and make a small profit. They've probably realised that owners are actually very disloyal & might use one vet for cheap neuters & a different one altogether for everything else.

I think it also helps to compare vet prices to that of private human medicine - the NHS here in the UK means the majority of us have no idea just how much even simple procedures like a blood test actually cost because we don't pay.

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Very true! I've realised this, people think medical stuff is cheap, a blood panel can cost a couple of hundred pounds or more depending on what you have done!

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[KarenM]

Very true! I've realised this, people think medical stuff is cheap, a blood panel can cost a couple of hundred pounds or more depending on what you have done!

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Exactly. I guess people have an idea in their heads of what they think these things should cost, or what it's worth paying, but the reality is another thing. And I'm not criticising those costs as I know diagnostics machines, overheads etc are all factored in, just saying that we're privileged really to not often have to worry about those costs ourselves.

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[mini lop1]

I can’t remember ever paying as low as £40 for a rabbit neuter tbh. Certainly not in recent years. Vets have drugs, premises, utility bills, wages etc etc to pay for, and they are highly skilled people who spent an awful long time studying to get qualified. It isn’t robbery or wrong so long as they quote beforehand what the price will be.

Me either cheapest paid from memory many years ago 24 years ago must been in he £80-£90 range for a male neuter