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Vets Now - Prices stopping people using vets?

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The insurance is available and really quite affordable. It doesn't excuse the vet, which I'm not going to comment on, but surely £25/month insurance can take away most of this risk (although there is still an excess).

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I hope the dogs are now on the road to recovery.

 

These sound huge sums to be asking for upfront

:(

 

is £95 the going rate for Sunday appointments?

£120 is a lot for strong ABs, would've thought that the vet could've supplied them at the first consultation to use as needed, rather than leave you with such an exorbitant Sunday fee.

 

rather than have aniamls put down, surely if people can't afford vets' fees they should check if they are eligible to have their pet treated at the PDSA

http://www.pdsa.org.uk/eligibility.html

 

re: affoardability

I am shocked at how expensive pet ins is, I suppose this reflects vets fees.

However our 11 yr old dog has never been insured and only rarely had to go the vet ( jsut once I believe ) for anything other than standard vax appointment.

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The £120 bill was a £95 Vets now Consultation fee and the rest for an injection of anti-biotic - and they double the anti-biotic he was on.

 

A lot of people who struggle are those that are trying to work and so aren't on benefits but don't earn very much money and certainly not enough to insure their dog - or pay these ridiculous prices that they are now charging. Its easy to say well if they can't afford a dog, they shouldn't have one - but that means the prices are saying just who can and who can't be dog owners and that rules out a lot of older people and families with children. They do try - but just don't have a lot to waste like this - and have to pay it up front. Maybe their own vet would know them - listen to them, and say they could pay it over instalments. Vets now want it now.

 

I do feel that its a vicious circle. As costs for treatment increased - insurance companies have come in - and the vets can charge what they like - knowing that if the pet is insured - the insurance company will pay. Plus, the person is usually too distraught to argue over the cost of treatment - when the vet has been so kind to help the animal in pain or save its life.

 

On the Vets Now web site - they show just how many satisfied customers have reported back after using their service. No doubt they haven't sat in the waiting room and asked the people who have had to turn away.

 

I don't know what - if anything can be done about it - I have previously reported it to Watchdog to look into, and i have just reported it again this weekend after this lot happened to us. I don't think they will do because Vets Now state their charges clearly up front and they do what they say they will do. The client has the option of using them or not - and most will be greatful and pay regardless.

 

I just think its wrong.

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The insurance is available and really quite affordable. It doesn't excuse the vet, which I'm not going to comment on, but surely £25/month insurance can take away most of this risk (although there is still an excess).

 

I have to agree £25 a month may be affordable but add to that the vaccinations and neutering fees that are not covered by insurance plus the excess for each claim, and the prices almost double over the life of the policy. and you have to have them done otherwise it voids the insurance you have paid

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even the PDSA charge £95 for out of hours,

One of the previous children i nannied for is in her 3rd year of vetenary school now and has a huge debt already, she also has to fund extra training at her own personal expense, i think when she qualifies she will be around 14thousand pounds in debt!!!! she can't work in her hours off as she is expected to gain work experience, and furthering her future prospects, at her own cost.there are so many courses they are expected to take on ,

 

Just as a footnote if we were to pay our own medical bills for our own health treatment it could cost double what vets charge.

 

I also know 2 fully qualified vets who struggle finacailly as a result of training costs and in their country/ Island practice they cannot afford vetinary nurses. or indeed qualify for a morgage to buy their own properties.

 

 

I do think they should help rescuers in the position of people like Rain rescue, when i ran a rescue many years ago the vets bill cost me my marrage and my home. so i do have some sympathies

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even the PDSA charge £95 for out of hours,

 

I didn't think that this was actually the PDSA though but another vet using their premises out of hours ??

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Moonbird you may be right there but they represent the PDSA customers too , I was told by a friend who has been to the PDSA who is on benifits

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Moonbird you may be right there but they represent the PDSA customers too , I was told by a friend who has been to the PDSA who is on benifits

 

:o And the PDSA customers also have the pay full fees? there used to be an out of hours service at the animal hospital by the PDSA that worked on the usual donations principal :confused:.

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this is what my friend tells me !!!!

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Sadly and stupidly - all our students are in debt - regardless of the subjects they study - but there goes a totally different moan.

 

The Vets Now service which is run during 'Out of Hours' at the PDSA buillding is nothing to do with the PDSA and therefore anyone on benefits is treated just the same as anyone else - you pay the money or you wait until morning.

 

Vets Now cover areas where the vets are very busy and as such - will not be poor. Vets Now wouldn't be touting for business in areas where there isn't a high demand for out of hours surgery and where the vets are also busy all day. So, I can't imagine Vets Now jumping to cover your friends practise if they are in the country or on an Island and where the majority of their business could be more farming than pets maybe?

 

I know vets fees are high and are expensive, but this moan is about the Vets Now consultation charge for emergency consultations & subsequent treatment. Like I say - I don't know what the answer is - if there is an alternative - I just think it leaves many pets in pain as the owners can't or won't pay the bills.

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I have to agree £25 a month may be affordable but add to that the vaccinations and neutering fees that are not covered by insurance plus the excess for each claim, and the prices almost double over the life of the policy. and you have to have them done otherwise it voids the insurance you have paid

 

A lot more pleasant than an unexpected £500+ bill though.

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Sadly and stupidly - all our students are in debt - regardless of the subjects they study - but there goes a totally different moan.

 

yes but vetinary and some medical studants can't take up paid work to help them through hence studant debts are bigger than say a studant studying law or some other subjects, also studants of law seem to pay off most of the debt within the first 2 years again one of the other children i used to care for is now 26 fully qualified lawyer and has paid off his 10grand debt in the first year of his empolyment

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