The Cost of Vet Care - Add Your Responses

[lizzyjm]

Just found this thread as I was wondering what other people pay for dentals. My two had their free RAW check-up last week and the vet said they both had the beginnings of dental spurs and that it may be worth thinking about them getting dentals some time this year. I asked how much it would be and he looked it up - £160 each. :O

He said it may be worth getting a second opinion so when they're due for the jabs in September I'm going to book them in with the rabbit expert vet there (it's the animal hospital attached to the Royal Vetinary College so ought to be pretty good) so she can advise.

If I do have to get them done, is this likely to be a regular thing? £320 every year is quite a lot.

As for the insurance argument earlier in this thread, the premiums I was quoted from various companies was extortionate, presumably as I live in London, so was certainly not worth it. And that was when they were just a few weeks old - now they're 3 I imagine the premiums will be even more stupid. And none of them covered dentals.

 

[BettyLu]

Patricks vet bill yesterday was £260. I don't have insurance :/

All I know is, I've never ever seen a poor vet. Think it's all a bit of a joke really.

 

[Hesperus]

Patricks vet bill yesterday was £260. I don't have insurance :/

All I know is, I've never ever seen a poor vet. Think it's all a bit of a joke really.

What was that for?

 

[BettyLu]

What was that for?

Skull xray, C&S, neuter and some abx and metacam!

 

[nessar]

Patricks vet bill yesterday was £260. I don't have insurance :/

All I know is, I've never ever seen a poor vet. Think it's all a bit of a joke really.

Well, they train for longer than doctors;that's a long time, an awful lot of work and mega amounts of debt... I think they deserve to make a good wage!

Besides, I used to have a cheap vet that wasn't rabbit-savvy and it very nearly cost Barney his life, and has probably exacerbated his problems and shortened his life. My rabbit savvy vet is worth every penny, even though they are 4 times as expensive. I'm not saying expensive vets are always good vets, far from it, but a good vet is well worth the vet fees.

 

[Elena]

Well, they train for longer than doctors;that's a long time, an awful lot of work and mega amounts of debt... I think they deserve to make a good wage!

Besides, I used to have a cheap vet that wasn't rabbit-savvy and it very nearly cost Barney his life, and has probably exacerbated his problems and shortened his life. My rabbit savvy vet is worth every penny, even though they are 4 times as expensive. I'm not saying expensive vets are always good vets, far from it, but a good vet is well worth the vet fees.

:thumb:

Although my rabbit savvy vets is about the same, if not cheaper than my old non rabbit savvy vets.

 

[Vita]

There is no NHS for pets (unless you are on the few benefits which qualify you for the limited care offered by the PDSA). So most prices only seem shocking because they're not seen in comparison with those of private consultations with doctors for humans. Vets have to train in the care of more than one species as well.

Pets are expensive.

And as far as insurance is concerned, considering how often people's pets get ill versus how often someone's car or house is broken into (and that's even without considering this board), I can't believe what a good deal pet insurance is and I don't quite understand how the companies make money. £130 a year when I've seen £1000 worth of bills pile up in a couple of months? No contest. Even if a few things aren't covered.

 

[lizzyjm]

The quotes I got were nowhere near £130 a year, more like £70 a month if I remember correctly.

 

[shadow05]

one castration this includes op and meds needed £60 that was in 2010 i think. Rotherham south yourkshire

 

[BettyLu]

Well, they train for longer than doctors;that's a long time, an awful lot of work and mega amounts of debt... I think they deserve to make a good wage!

Besides, I used to have a cheap vet that wasn't rabbit-savvy and it very nearly cost Barney his life, and has probably exacerbated his problems and shortened his life. My rabbit savvy vet is worth every penny, even though they are 4 times as expensive. I'm not saying expensive vets are always good vets, far from it, but a good vet is well worth the vet fees.

I have mega amounts of dead from my job training, i think a lot of people do. I'm not suggesting they don't do a great job or that they don't deserve a good wage.
I'm just saying that personally, I think sometimes it takes the biscuit compared to what people in other professions earn.
Plus not many people will turn down treatment for a beloved pet, no matter what the cost and I have unfortunately known vets which take advantage of this.
In a bad mood so can't be bothered to debate, was just a throw away comment really!

 

[elmoandfern]

The quotes I got were nowhere near £130 a year, more like £70 a month if I remember correctly.

:shock::shock: that's almost as much as I pay for all 7 of my pets!! How on earth did they justify charging that much??

 

[kayleighjennifer]

Dentals- £72-£85 depending on what medication is given.

Vacc's- £44 or £99 for vaccination for life.

Stasis- £10-£20

Gas- £10-£15

Neuter- £64 including 2 post op checks

Vet checks are £25, dental checks are free

Im lucky that all of the treatments Lola receives are at a high discount as she is at the vets on a monthly basis and my vet feels sorry for me :lol:

 

[BattleKat]

And as far as insurance is concerned, considering how often people's pets get ill versus how often someone's car or house is broken into (and that's even without considering this board), I can't believe what a good deal pet insurance is and I don't quite understand how the companies make money. £130 a year when I've seen £1000 worth of bills pile up in a couple of months? No contest. Even if a few things aren't covered.

The excess is usually £50+ so for stuff like a course of antibiotics or some gut stimulants they don't have to pay out at all. It's only on big stuff that they have to pay out and most pets don't get seriously ill and require expensive treatment. Don't get me wrong, for some people insurance will/would save them a fortune, and if nothing else it certainly buys peace of mind, but they make money because most people are financially better off without it.

 

[happysaz133]

So far 2013:

5 x Combi Vaccination - £100 (£20 per vaccination for 5 bunnies)
£23 consultation for that.

 

[nessar]

The excess is usually £50+ so for stuff like a course of antibiotics or some gut stimulants they don't have to pay out at all. It's only on big stuff that they have to pay out and most pets don't get seriously ill and require expensive treatment. Don't get me wrong, for some people insurance will/would save them a fortune, and if nothing else it certainly buys peace of mind, but they make money because most people are financially better off without it.

Exactly, that's how all insurance works. For every person that makes a claim, several people won't because their pet is either healthy or didn't cost over the excess. I had Annabella on Petplan for 2 years and didn't claim a penny, but with Barney I claimed around £130 the first year (still less than I paid them though), around £800-1000 the second year and so far around £200 this year. They still upped Annabella's excess from £50 to £80 and increased my premiums by £50 a year though, so I took her off insurance. They did the same to Barney's but it still makes financial sense to keep him on it.

Insurance is one of those things that you moan about when you don't need it and think it's a terrible waste of money, but when you do need it you are so grateful you've been paying for it.

 

[mini lop1]

Exactly, that's how all insurance works. For every person that makes a claim, several people won't because their pet is either healthy or didn't cost over the excess. I had Annabella on Petplan for 2 years and didn't claim a penny, but with Barney I claimed around £130 the first year (still less than I paid them though), around £800-1000 the second year and so far around £200 this year. They still upped Annabella's excess from £50 to £80 and increased my premiums by £50 a year though, so I took her off insurance. They did the same to Barney's but it still makes financial sense to keep him on it.

Insurance is one of those things that you moan about when you don't need it and think it's a terrible waste of money, but when you do need it you are so grateful you've been paying for it.

this esp when you have a rabbit who becomes poorly and then ends up on meds for life

 

[liv862]

Marlborough vets surgery, cardiff

spay: £104 (included post op check nd emergency appointment for stasis afterwards)
neuter: £82 each (got 10% discount for doing 2 boys at once)
combi vaccine: £48 each

im not gonna add that all up cos its too depressing and its all been in the last month so i mite actually top myself lol! my buns are worth all the money in the world!!!!

 

[foxy2279]

Newton Abbot Devon, Milestone vets

Neuter boy £40 x 2
Spay female £60 plus £8 for take home metacam. All post checks free
Combined vaccinations £30 x 4
GI Stasis £30 consult, Meds and recovery food.

Luckaly my vets do a saturday and sunday morning clinic so not had to use emergancy visit with mine yet. All are insured with pet plan.

 

[GrunBunMum]

15 injections of 0.2 depocillin £10.21. To take Boris vet ever other day for them to do £8.61 a trip. So glad she was willing to train me how to do them at home X