Why are Vets so Expensive?

[trt]

I phoned 2 local vets for the cost to have my pup have her first and 2nd injections, the first said it would cost £74.00 and the 2nd quoted me £54.00.

I appreciate that it it takes 6/7 years of training to be a vet but for just an injection which takes 5 minutes I find it very expensive, unless the anti distemper medication is costly!! .

[icemaiden]

Consult @ £25!

Took Dog to vet on Monday last week. Dog had conjunctivitis-2 mins in the room with vet-one tube of cream, that will be £45.00 please!!!!!

The cream was only £8.00! That's £37.00 for a 2 min chat. I read that Vets are the most profitable business. And I have the bills to prove it! And before you ask he is insured but as I pay for the first £70 on each claim that makes this trip null and void.

This is why so many people do not take their pets to the vet when they should. Most insurance companys , if not all, have an excess to pay so these little £50 here trips, £45 there trips all add up and some people just can't do it.

Someone should regulate them.

Rant over
Sorry.

[milly143]

I used to have to inject the cat with insulin twice a day. It's so easy. I wish you could buy the vaccines yourself.

[Lil'Lucy]

Ice Maiden,

I'm guessing you are in the south? There are definite regional variations like most things. £37 is certainly towards the more expensive end. Bear in mind - your £37 is not just for the cream - but the skill and experience in being able to diagnose the condition in such a brief time!

________________

Also with the threads about the vaccine - when you have vaccination you are also usually having a full health check, and also the vaccine does cost the vets money to buy as well!!

[ladybirder]

To be fair to the vets I suppose the PDSA and on-line companies buy their drugs in bulk as well, whereas the individual veterinary practices can't do that. But on the other hand my vet charges £8.50 for a one item prescription so that negates any savings I might have been able to make by buying on-line so he's gauged that about right.

[icemaiden]

I'm no vet but even I knew it was conjunctivitus. And believe it or not, the cream he gave me was one that I could buy over the counter for humans for less than a fiver.

I am in the south lil' lucy. Like everything down here, more expensive.

[Lil'Lucy]

@Icemaiden - not wishing to labour a point ( I am not here to be inflammatory!) but I have seen a number of dogs with owner diagnosed "conjunctivitis" and it has turned out to be other (sometimes more serious, sometimes less) problems.

@Ladybirder - you are absolutely right! We often get people asking us to "match" the price they can get online and actually we have found many drugs that we can actually get online CHEAPER than if we were to buy them from out wholesaler! Big companies drive big deals. Most vet practices are not big companies.

The charge for the prescription is inline with all other professions and is meant to reflect the time taken to decide-complete-check-countercheck. The maximum legally allowed to charge for a prescription is around £12 and not many vets will charge that much.

[boxtops]

One point I would make is that although yes, some meds are the same for animals as for humans, some human medication is positively dangerous for animals - so we shouldn't assume that "if it works for me, it'll work for Rover" - it actually might kill him.

[trt]

In the end took my pup to the vets this afternoon and they charged me £47.00 for the first injection and the 2nd in weeks..

The vet said that I should spray her for fleas every 2 months and it was available at the reception. On paying for the injections I was given the spray which they charged me £24.70 called Front-line.

I thought this was expensive when I got home and looked at pet shops on-line and most were only charging about £7.00 to £10.00.

I am going to call them tomorrow to return it as I don't like being ripped off,

[Sir Alec]

My dog is 14 and suffers from hormonal spots. They are big and grey and I have to groom him very carefully. When the vet saw him, he brutally sliced the spots of with a scalpel, leaving him bleeding for ages. I them had to pay for antibiotics "to stop infection". If I had known what he was going to do, I wouldn't have bothered and left the spots to fall off, as they have done in the past. My dogs' nose looks a total mess now and there's nothing I can do about it.

[pastafreak]

Are you sure it's Frontline spray that you've seen online?
I just looked over the weekend,and it was around £15 minimum-with some charging £22+

[trt]

Sorry pasta,
I should have said that there were other flea repellants at a lower cost, I assume just as good as frontline.

[boxtops]

That's a sad story sir alec, I hope you took it up with the vet concerned.

[lankeela]

Frontline spray is only available from a vet or with a prescription and the spray is much dearer than the other treatment, but it is well worth the money. However I would only use it if you see evidence of fleas, and then sparingly and do not shut the dog in a closed room, as dogs have died when shut in kennels after treatment.