Well, my 18 year old cat has been attacked by something (think its a dog) and has been lifted and crushed at the back of his neck, he was hardly moving and crying out in pain, i presumed his neck or back was broken and he needed putting down, so after a quick call (and finding out my vets do a 'normal' surgery on sundays :thumbsup:) ........... i whipped him down there immediatly (I hate to see animals in pain) .......... the vet gave him 3 shots, 1 antibiotic, 1 pain relief and 1 sedative, then gave him a physical examination. She told me she would admit him in for the night, give him more pain relief tomorrow, examine him again, anithatise him and x-ray him. She did a quick 'quote' for me .... on best case scarario .......... with no more treatment than stated .......... would be £400 to £450, if anything else was needed, extra charges would be added.

After picking myself up from the floor i explained that i hadnt got £450, she then said .......... she didnt think he had any broken bones , just pain from the crushing which needed pain relief and antibiotics and therefore can do without the over night stay/x-ray and anastetic and he can be treated as out patient for £130 ........... or put down

I left him there for a few hours to be monitored and re-examined when the sedative/pain relief kicked in and im happy to say hes a lot better (just a bit sore), hes home now with antibiotics and pain killers and an appointment for tuesday .......... all for £130.

Are pet owners over a barrel and blackmailed with our emotions to pay out such prices or is it the climate of 'insurance' (everyones got it ..... except me) ..... thats pushed prices so high?

Vets are a nightmare I dread anything happening to mine at the weekend
Just hope your poor little cat will be allright it must have been such a shock for him at his age.

Hope your little cat is ok and the shock wasnt too much-- probably be better monitored by you anyway., thats disgusting the vet backtracking like that on treatment, its either needed or not needed in my book and obviously not needed in this case or they would have done it anyway. Just a way to get more money.

Hope your little cat is ok and the shock wasnt too much-- probably be better monitored by you anyway., thats disgusting the vet backtracking like that on treatment, its either needed or not needed in my book and obviously not needed in this case or they would have done it anyway. Just a way to get more money.

I just couldn't afford £400-£450+ . She wanted to be thorough, unfortunatly my bank balance doesnt run to 'thorough'........ this was the cheaper option, hes comfy in the study now (he likes it in there ....... and its out of the way of the dog/kids) hes eaten a tin of salmon, had a bowl of cat milk and is drinking water ok, hes even responding with purr's when i pet him and moving around really comically, hes still sedated and he looks like hes straight from monty pythons ministry of silly walks. For 18 yr old hes in remarkably good nick, hes a very healthy cat, so hopefully his recovery will be ok. hes more like his old self every hour which is a huge relief, i thought he was a gonner this morning.

I agree pinklady the vets can charge whatever and do.Emotional blackmail thats what it is.Some of the pills given to our pets are as little as £7 on the net but yet vets charge £40+.I have my Santino registered at the vets but take him to vets4pets as they run a booster scheme which is £70 for life and my vets charge just under £30 each time:loopy:I took my 2 for the kennel cough they where given antibiotics £44 then the week following £165 for her spay + £30 for stronghold lotion for mites.I am just hoping when I take her Thursday it doesn't cost me anymore.

Don't get me wrong, they do a very good job and trained for years to do it, but Vets do know they have you over a barrel once they have treated your pet.

It might sound hard-faced, but I always make a point of saying that I want to know how much anything will cost before they do anything, as I'm on a tight budget. Not only does this give me control over what I pay, but it also politely lets the vet know that I'm not going to be a push over, as far as i'm aware there is no law stating you have to keep silent while they run you a huge bill up.

I know it must be different when it's an emergency, i've been lucky so far *touch Wood* and never had to rush a pet in.

Regarding the long standing saga of Josh and his epi, my vet could not get the enzymes he needed and we looked like running out today, he couldnt guarantee delivery until next week. I ordered some off the internet at the cost of £22.80 including postage, they were delivered this morning as urgent medical supplies.

Vet then phoned to say he had managed to get me a supply, I asked the cost £49.50 for the same pot of 100 capsules. I told him this was disgusting, he said the cost from the chemist to him was £36, that still makes nearly £15 profit... a disgrace.

I have agreed to have them because I can claim it back on my insurance, but thats not the point is it..

I'm just glad I took out insurance for our two rabbits.

I consulted the vets when ome of my dogs ears was splitan emergency op was qoted as £500 or apply pressure to stop the bleeding.She had a micropore patch on and was due to have an op on the tuesday to remove a lump they did this and stitched her ear gave her painkillers and antibiotics all for just over £100.

i had to have my cat put to sleep in May, i took her to the vets on the Friday who thought that she had been hit by a car, so they told me that she need to go into hospital for a couple of days to they could do tests and monitor her - i was told that this would cost approx £200 [Bank holiday], when i picked her up on the Sunday they told me that she had in fact got renal failure and that she only had a couple of days to live - would like to take her home to die, she lasted until Tuesday when i had to take her back to the vets to be put to sleep, it was the most distressing day of my life watching her slowing die.

all this cost nearly £700 and at no point did they inform me that the bill had nearly quadrupled and they then wanted to charge me a riduclous [£200 and upwards] amount to have her cremated. i felt that they had used my love for my cat to con money out of me

I am now looking for a new vets for my new Kittens - Baby and Bo

i had to have my cat put to sleep in May, i took her to the vets on the Friday who thought that she had been hit by a car, so they told me that she need to go into hospital for a couple of days to they could do tests and monitor her - i was told that this would cost approx £200 [Bank holiday], when i picked her up on the Sunday they told me that she had in fact got renal failure and that she only had a couple of days to live - would like to take her home to die, she lasted until Tuesday when i had to take her back to the vets to be put to sleep, it was the most distressing day of my life watching her slowing die.

all this cost nearly £700 and at no point did they inform me that the bill had nearly quadrupled and they then wanted to charge me a riduclous [£200 and upwards] amount to have her cremated. i felt that they had used my love for my cat to con money out of me

I am now looking for a new vets for my new Kittens - Baby and Bo

I just dont understand how they could possibly justify that charge- not only that- they dont even bother to find out whether you can afford to pay it, they just assume you can! I am sorry you had this distressing experience and hope you find a more reasonable practice for your new babies.

(£200 for a cremation? How can they charge that much for goodness sake?) Oh and which vets was it?

I think some vets simply assume that the customer has insurance, and it's the insurance firm that will pick up the tab.

Unfortunately, ultimately of course it's the customer that picks up the tab in increased premiums, larger excesses etc.

The vets I use are usually pretty up front about any costs. They either offer the information themselves, or are happy to discuss it when asked.

lauragolf's account is terrible - that's no way to treat either the cat (should have been put down there and then imho) or the customer.

Springfields - the more i think about it the more angry i get:rant::rant:

I've found that pet insurance is only useful in an "emergency" or a new illness.. They won't pay out for anything your pet has already seen a vet about in the last 12 months and you have to pay the first £30 - £40 quid. A checkup and maybe antibiotics etc only costs about £30ish so there's no point to claim.
Still i suppose if the worse should happen and they are hit by a car etc... it pays to have it.
Ummmm, i haven't tho...

I used to have it for the cats but when even the cheaper ones started quoting £13 per cat (and Ive got 8 cats) it was just too much. Have it for the dobermutt though and its about £32 a month - more than our home contents insurance and rising every year. I only pay it because I don't know how I would fund anything major- and my partner's nephew recently had to fork out £1600 when his boxer was hit by a car and he didnt have pet insurance. They have you over a barrel when it comes to vet fees. I have a lot of respect for the work they do but sometimes question how the charges can be justified.

I dont even know about that much respect now, I found out more from an internet support group about Joshs condition, the vet didnt even tell me to soak the enzymes he has to have with his food. That way the food starts to predigest and the dogs tum doesnt have to do so much work, plus if the enzymes are just sprinkled on food then throat and tongue sores can result. More money for the future perhaps?? or just ignorance? either way a customer goes for best advice and we certianly pay for it.
I have contacted my insurance (more than) to see if I can get the cost of the enzymes if I order them via the internet, if I pay the vets price I can claim but its also building my total up. They allow £7000 for any one ongoing illness, this will be for life, he is only four now and we have spent over £1000 in total this year since March just getting it properly diagnosed. So half price drugs every 25 days will make a big difference in the long run.

Hows the little cat by the way Pink Lady, sending her love and healing