Vets Now - Prices stopping people using vets?

[BobbyBunny 10]

I go to Spires in chesterfield and I admit they are great for out of hours care. I had to take my hamster in once (she had an infection in her "you know what" and had to be PTS, plus she was VERY old) and I didn't take my money with me. As all their patients are registered, they have the owners address and you just take the money in when you have it

[KATIEB_23 10]

Thanks for bringing all this to my attention Globule...

I thought our vets had an out-of-hours service and thought I was all organised in case of an emergency as our vet is walking (or carrying) distance from where I walk Gadget.

I just phoned to check and they also use the pdsa centre - which is bloomin miles away, past Don Valley Stadium

How on Earth would I get there if Gadget had an accident?! Now I'm really worried. OH has a car but what made me feel reassured was that if I was with Gadget alone I could still get him to a vet.

I might need to change vet now.

[medusa 16]

I think you'll find that the vast majority of vets now use the out of hours service, and there are very few that don't plan on changing to the service in the near future- at least that was the impression I got when calling round a lot of Sheffield vets when deciding whether to change.

 

I think the idea is that you can magic a taxi out of nowhere at whatever time of night- you also need to be aware that the basic out of hours fees come near to £200 per occasion used (which is neither here nor there if your pet is insured, but a huge hole in your budget if they aren't).

[biffalo 10]

well to be perfectly honest if my dog had an accident at 3 in the morning i think i would prefer to use the emergency service! i would rather see a vet that is wide awake (not just dragged out of bed) and has not had to work 8-10 hours during the day. plus i wouldnt appreciate standing at the surgery door waiting for the vet to arrive! at least at vets now they are ready and waiting with all the necessary equipment and staff on hand.

[Lindseyw 10]

We had to take a dog with a ruptured disc to the RSPCA out of hours...

 

Has anybody any idea how many pot holes there ARE in Attercliffe?

 

I got the impression the vet thought he was a gonner and just gave him a morphine shot, although I told her his distress was most likely to be due to his bladder not having been emptied all day

 

Springfield don't have an out of hours

 

Do you mean PDSA Strix ? On Newhall Road - thats the OOH for Springfield - £95 it cost us for a wasp sting last year & they are useless in there.

[alirosdan 10]

My friend had to pay a deposit of £150 before Vets Now would even look at Molly on Sunday morning. On Sunday night, when Molly was hanging on by a thread, my friend was told that the balance of £181 would have to be paid by the close of business on Monday or they would have to refer her to a debt collector - she has never been in debt in her life and this frightened her.

 

When she examined the bill, approx £31 was for medication, £20 for the pet ambulance and the £280 balance was for 'care'. Molly was there for less than 24 hours.

 

Molly was transferred to Moorgate, where they kept her from Monday until today, and they only charged £71.

 

I have to say, as an outsider going to support my friend at this worrying time, I was disappointed by the lack of compassion shown to her by the staff at Vets Now.

[Strix 11]

Do you mean PDSA Strix ? On Newhall Road - thats the OOH for Springfield - £95 it cost us for a wasp sting last year & they are useless in there.

Oh probably - I've no idea. I was in a fog of distress myself at the time - but the description of 'useless' fits.

 

Normally I'd be happy to make donations to animal charities, but the out of hours fee is so flaming steep (and the 'care' Brude received less than adequate) that there was NO WAY Cheek

[Globule 10]

well to be perfectly honest if my dog had an accident at 3 in the morning i think i would prefer to use the emergency service! i would rather see a vet that is wide awake (not just dragged out of bed) and has not had to work 8-10 hours during the day. plus i wouldnt appreciate standing at the surgery door waiting for the vet to arrive! at least at vets now they are ready and waiting with all the necessary equipment and staff on hand.

 

If I ever need to get one of my dogs to vets now in a real emergency I expect they could well be dead by the time I get there.

 

Regardless of cost I would rather drive for less than 5 minutes to see a vet on night duty, whom I am familiar with and can trust (and vice versa); that has immediate access to our medical records and who knows my dogs - and who has learned over the ten years I have invested with them, that I generally know my stuff and I don't care for pussyfooting around when it comes to treatment.

 

Having said that though, if the vets now surgery were not so far away I probably wouldn't be quite so worried about it.

[WallBuilder 10]

http://www.peakvets.co.uk/

Just been talking to the vet and thought I'd put up his web site address. He has also importantly reassured me that they are planning to continue their emergency cover service although more and more vets are turning to the PDSA emergency cover.

[Strix 11]

Looks very high tech Wallbuilder

 

It has a special offer of a 50% discount on first consultation fee - but doesn't say what the consultation fee is Do you know how much it is?

We don't get charged for consutation at Springfield

[Globule 10]

Thankyou WallBuilder for posting that info. I am seriously considering changing vets, and this one is now on my list.

 

Only thing is I have never dealt with them, so if any of you could let me know how you find their bedside manner etc, it could be helpful

[WallBuilder 10]

I found their prices very reasonable or maybe my last vet was just on the expensive side. The service they give seems to be top notch they are a newly formed practice and so everything is nice and new. More importantly they really seem to want to put the owners mind at rest and so answer all your questions in a way so you can understand them and are re-assured. I've told a few friends about them now and no-one seems to have a bad word for them.