View Full Version : vet charges
how do u pet lovers out there feel about vet prices in wick/thurso???
i know they are expensive,but this here is ridiculous....
to spay a dog weighing 34 kgs...£ 190...I CHECKED WITH MY LAST VET IN ANOTHER COUNTY...£ 130...what a difference.
i realise that the vets here have a monopoly and we of course really need them ...but their costs are ott in my opinion.pity we cannot encourage other vets to move up here.[evil][disgust]
KEEP_ON_TRUCKIN
22-Oct-08, 13:23
I guess like any other business though vets costs are escalating with fuel etc being out on the road....and because they are a BUSINESS they incur a potentailly substantial amount of high and bad debt.....(just cleared my account yesterday so can speak with a clear mind.......) that they have to spread theses types of outlays amoungst other etc etc etc..........
I don't find them terribly bad - far cheaper than when I was in Aberdeenshire but more expensive than Dingwall.......
they have no compition up here so folk are forced to pay these ridiculous prices.
they have no compition up here so folk are forced to pay these ridiculous prices.
u are so right ,balto.
i know where we live,but we are so badly penalised for everything.
the vets know we will do anything at any cost for our beloved pets...my last vet was in moray and very reasonable compared to the ones here.
i have no problems their care and abilities,just the costs.[disgust]
I couldn't agree more, our greyhound was 27 kg, 2 kg into the large dog range and I thought the charges were exorbitant to have her spayed compared to what we have been charged at our previous vets, especially considering how many unwanted dogs there are in this country, we desperately need some competition up here and not just vets, a real alternative to Tesco would be good and have you seen the prices for a packet of nails in Homebase, just stupid
u are so right ,balto.
i know where we live,but we are so badly penalised for everything.
the vets know we will do anything at any cost for our beloved pets...my last vet was in moray and very reasonable compared to the ones here.
i have no problems their care and abilities,just the costs.[disgust]
aye we suffer with everything for living this far north, but as you said we willl do anything for our pets and that will never change.
i mind when i had to get my last dog put to sleep 2 and a half years ago, it cost me nearly £100 just because he was a large dog, they also came to the house to do it, because the poor old man couldnt walk as he had bad artheritis in his legs. such a sad day.
Kevin Milkins
22-Oct-08, 17:16
I have always thought the vet in Wick to be very reasonable compared to others down south.
porshiepoo
22-Oct-08, 17:28
That's the problem with large breed dogs especially. We have Danes and GSD's and they're not cheap at the vet. One of our shepherds has to have tablets for a skin condition at the moment and it's costing over £80 a month. By the time VAT is chucked on top it's ridiculous!
A few years ago one of our dogs had to have a blood transfusion up here and we thought the bill was amazingly cheap, times have changed now though!
As Balto says, the vets up here know they can charge exactly what they want to charge and we don't exactly have a choice about it if we want their services.
Let's hope that we have some competition up here soon. I'm suprised there isn't already anyway as it's a large farming community.
I'd just like to say though that although I think the vets in Wick are ridiculously expensive, I do think they are a good practice in all other ways.
That's the problem with large breed dogs especially. We have Danes and GSD's and they're not cheap at the vet. One of our shepherds has to have tablets for a skin condition at the moment and it's costing over £80 a month. By the time VAT is chucked on top it's ridiculous!
A few years ago one of our dogs had to have a blood transfusion up here and we thought the bill was amazingly cheap, times have changed now though!
As Balto says, the vets up here know they can charge exactly what they want to charge and we don't exactly have a choice about it if we want their services.
Let's hope that we have some competition up here soon. I'm suprised there isn't already anyway as it's a large farming community.
I'd just like to say though that although I think the vets in Wick are ridiculously expensive, I do think they are a good practice in all other ways.
oh not saying there is anything wrong with the service they provide, as they couldnt have been nicer when i had to get butch put to sleep.
porshiepoo
22-Oct-08, 17:35
I have always thought the vet in Wick to be very reasonable compared to others down south.
Good grief what vet did you use down there then????
My old Vet in Boston was fantastic. He didn't try to push treatment that wasn't needed, his consultation fee was half the price it is here and he was a god send when I had a litter of Dane puppies.
I had a Dane once that had a prolapsed 3rd eyelid and my first vet practised a very complicated surgery on the dog that took her 6 months to recover from and left me with hefty vets bills.
I then had the same problem with another dane and went to this better vet and he couldn't believe the pallaver that the first vet had made us go through. The dane was bought in, the vet sedated him, cut the prolapse and we could take him home almost immediately. The main bonus was that the dog recovered within a couple of days.
porshiepoo
22-Oct-08, 17:38
oh not saying there is anything wrong with the service they provide, as they couldnt have been nicer when i had to get butch put to sleep.
Yes, they were brilliant when I had to have our dogs put down too. Although I must say I do remember when I had to have 2 of my danes pts, while I was waiting for hubby to bring in the second one the assistant was flapping bin bags in front of me! I understand that's what happens if you don't take the bodies home but I really didn't need to see that, especially as I knew it was for the Dane I'd just had PTS. :(
I have always thought the vet in Wick to be very reasonable compared to others down south.
i would agree with that comment if u mean england/wales..as down south.in general most things are very different from those areas ,including pet insurance costs.
that is probably why u think the vets[same in thurso as wick]are cheaper...compared to my last vets ,in moray..they are much more expensive..in i suspect because they have the market cornered.
that gives us ,the clients no choice but to pay these prices.
as i said before...absolutely no problem with their care and abilities[with the exception of one!!!]
my dogs have no fear of them and the vets are very good with them indeed.
I am unsure of vet charges throughout the country, but I do believe their prices are on the average.
It always disheartens me when I see this kind of thing as there are a few points I want to make clear to people.
Do you know that a 24 hour service is provided and people phone up with concerns at all hours, if their animal is not seen and they are given advice, they are not charged.
Penny was cared for by the vets and nursed back to health, free of charge as there was no-one to pay her bill. Penny is not the only one.
The vets offer discounts to all local charities.
PDSA is available to all low income families, at both Thurso and Wick. This is a charity that the staff spends endless time raising funds for.
The people who care for your animals not only put themselves to Uni for 5 years but they must continue to go to courses - all to the benefit of YOUR animals. It is not just the vets it is the nurses who spend time with your pet making them comfortable and all the other staff spending time with the owners and being empathetic to their situation. This is not to mention the person on the end of the phone 24 hours a day. Not one of these people will be seen driving round in a Rolls Royce or living in a huge mansion.
At the end of the day I would rather pay someone more who actually cared about my pet and with whom my animal felt comfortable.
It is an owner’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the day to day running costs of a pet and to insure it against the unimaginable.
I think that is the tone of this thread that is the most distasteful though, comparing the vets to the local supermarkets and price fixing, very very distasteful and very very disrespectful.
i understand what u are saying,munron...how how much experience of other vets in scotland ,do u have?????
i have several experiences of vets in different areas of scotland over the years.i have had several dogs conditions to deal with..
i CAN afford anything that my dogs need..i am lucky.but think of the many who love their animals and will struggle with fees.i know the surgeries will allow credit.and that the PDSA service is provided.a lot of people will remain in the grey area,betwen the 2.
i have not been disrespectful in any way...simply wanted to know the views of others on the subject.i also applaud how hard the vets work over 24 hours ,sometimes.also appreciate their willingly given phone advice.just their charges i do not agree with.
That's the problem with large breed dogs especially. We have Danes and GSD's and they're not cheap at the vet. One of our shepherds has to have tablets for a skin condition at the moment and it's costing over £80 a month. By the time VAT is chucked on top it's ridiculous!
A few years ago one of our dogs had to have a blood transfusion up here and we thought the bill was amazingly cheap, times have changed now though!
As Balto says, the vets up here know they can charge exactly what they want to charge and we don't exactly have a choice about it if we want their services.
Let's hope that we have some competition up here soon. I'm suprised there isn't already anyway as it's a large farming community.
I'd just like to say though that although I think the vets in Wick are ridiculously expensive, I do think they are a good practice in all other ways.
porshiepoo...i take it you know u can ask ur vet for a prescription...send it an internet vets and save some money????
www.petmeds.co.uk (http://www.petmeds.co.uk)
is only one that do this.worth atry..!
i understand what u are saying,munron...how how much experience of other vets in scotland ,do u have?????
i have not been disrespectful in any way...simply wanted to know the views of others on the subject.i also applaud how hard the vets work over 24 hours ,sometimes.also appreciate their willingly given phone advice.just their charges i do not agree with.
My information came from a source who has access to this information as disclosed by vet practices.
At the end of the day you can have as much competition as you like, there is nothing to stop any vet in the world opening a practice up here. All you would find is that one opens and one closes - who that is well you decide.
I dont really know how to respond to someone that is happy to take the free advice at all hours and not happy to pay when need be. There is a vets in Rogart, maybe they are cheaper.
The vets up here are very good - I think they provide excellent service and I wouldnt use any others even if they were cheaper (cheapest usually isnt the best). For people who worry about vet bills - they should take out insurance to cover the unexpected. Folk who arent happy with the charges should discuss with the vets rather than whinge pointlessly on a public web-page because they will have a good reason for charging what they do. Incase its escaped the attention of some....just about everything is more expensive up here compared to South...petrol, food, dentists, the lot. So the vets probably have bigger overheads and have to pass on these prices like every other business.
Kevin Milkins
22-Oct-08, 21:15
I am inclined to agree with munron on many well put points. A vet as I understand it has also got a longer study period than a doctor .
I have always kept a file on my dogs because I think it is important to have a record of any health problems they may have had and when and what they have been treated with.
My first comments were based on having a look through the files and invoices to compare some of the common treatments IE worming ,injections etc.
Example
Bridgnorth Shropshire Drontal wormer/large dog 24 Jan 2000 =£9-16 inc vat
Pontllanfraith South Wales Drontal wormer /large dog 26/5/04 =£10-52 inc vat.
Abertillery South Wales Drontal wormer/ large dog 8/1/05 =£9-69 inc vat
Wick Caithness Drontal wormer /large dog 31/10/06 =£7-78 inc vat
Wick Caithness Drontal wormer /large dog 30/4/08 =£8-28 inc vat
This comparison follows other treatments (Kennel cough booster Etc)
The vets in Wick ,I found them as good as any I have met and have provided me with a tip top service every time I have needed them.
So once again the answear to the question is ,No
My information came from a source who has access to this information as disclosed by vet practices.
At the end of the day you can have as much competition as you like, there is nothing to stop any vet in the world opening a practice up here. All you would find is that one opens and one closes - who that is well you decide.
I dont really know how to respond to someone that is happy to take the free advice at all hours and not happy to pay when need be. There is a vets in Rogart, maybe they are cheaper.
now u are being difficult and lost what i have actually said..my dogs are all insured ...no problem for me to pay ,no matter the cost.
rogart is not for me...
i also have access to that information.i have several friends who are vets in the central belt.they do have very nice cars,been at unietc.they all deserve that as do the vets here.i have no problem with any of that either..
i know about penny and praise is deserved all round on that score.
only asked how other pet lovers felt about the costs..now i have a very small selection of opinions..thank u.
i notice many go on about dentist charges..do they not also deserve to charge whatever they desire too???having spent many years at uni too???ahhh well..perhaps another thread on thaone soon..again..then petrol...energy bills ...oh dear so much to think about.time for bed.
My information came from a source who has access to this information as disclosed by vet practices.
At the end of the day you can have as much competition as you like, there is nothing to stop any vet in the world opening a practice up here. All you would find is that one opens and one closes - who that is well you decide.
I dont really know how to respond to someone that is happy to take the free advice at all hours and not happy to pay when need be. There is a vets in Rogart, maybe they are cheaper.
oh ,one last thing..i never said i was not happy to pay...and how do u know i have had 24 hours free advice??u are assuming far too much,munron.
my bills are paid very promptly..end of subject for me now.thank u.
neepnipper
22-Oct-08, 21:31
What annoys me about the vet in Wick is the amount of dog mess outside, it's really ignorant of owners not to pick it up.
Once I said to a member of staff about it and they said 'oh, we never come in that way so don't notice it'.
I see they have a notice on the inner door about picking up dog mess but I just think it's terrible having to dodge the doo doos every time you go in there.
What annoys me about the vet in Wick is the amount of dog mess outside, it's really ignorant of owners not to pick it up.
Once I said to a member of staff about it and they said 'oh, we never come in that way so don't notice it'.
I see they have a notice on the inner door about picking up dog mess but I just think it's terrible having to dodge the doo doos every time you go in there.
not much better in thurso...
dousslesh
22-Oct-08, 21:44
We use the Vet. Practice in Wick. Staff there are always friendly, always helpful and always there in the event of an emergency (Which for some reason always seems to be a weekend :roll: !)
The first time I used the practice to buy Frontline I was amazed that a pack of Frontline was split to enable me to buy one dose at a time. Down South we had to buy a minimum of a pack of three!
Can only say I would not personally use another Vet should a new practice open locally, as we are more than happy with the Wick Practice.
The staff know us personally (Much like our local GP's ) Many people do not realise just have valuable and reassuring that is until they have lived 'Down South' and experienced being 'just another 'customer or patient. We are grateful and thankful to be living here in Caithness where the people are friendly and businesses have time for you.
KEEP_ON_TRUCKIN
22-Oct-08, 22:04
aye we suffer with everything for living this far north, but as you said we willl do anything for our pets and that will never change.
I absolutely agree - WE WILL do everything for our pets and that will never change...
HOWEVER the first part of your sentence........??? I just can't see how you think we suffer for EVERYTHING for living this far North??? I moved home to Caithness after living in Aberdeenshire for 6 years and Ross Shire for 1 and I can assure you - living THIS FAR NORTH if much cheaper than either of the above....
Price of land, house prices..... ok so we have to pay delivery charges because they think we're an island.....there is a huge market out there for just about any product we could ever want so shop around...... electricy , gas - they cost a fortune anywhere..... our food do we pay more for it here? no ......not really..... Fuel ok that's more expensive .....what else??? I can't see where we suffer??
The vets don't charge us that much money just because we are in Caithness... the market determines that price on so many different levels including supply and demand........... the market structure....yes they do have a monopoly ....... level of service- yes its very high - therfore cost of service provision high .....it can be attributed to many things.....
We can all have a moan about it.....as for whoever raised the issue on dentists......ehhhh well they can charge what they want but there is competition so obviously that comes into account ..... vets are generall the worst paid of the professionals......
I got accepted into vet school conditionally as a postgrad.....however the cost of the course having already had an undergrad course paid for me to come out to a salary of about £18k a year as a 28/29 year old with about 60k of debt on course fees alone...... just not financially viable....was making far better money with both livestock auction firms ive worked with over last 4 years......
OOoH interesting now that opens up the debate for farmers and the cost of their procedures compared to small pet owners....... with charges of around £150 fior a ceasure on a coo and the calf only worth £500 at 8 /9 months old if it lives that long and isn't dead when it comes out and the cost of the coo keep about 300 for the year..... and that's their living we are talking about...... not the luxury of us enjoying our pets.....
There's always a much bigger picture....
"Touch wood" I don't have to experience the fees that some of you have had. But what I have had was some bad manners from the desk. At the time our cat was 6 months old and we had a suspicion she was pregnant, so took her to vet to confirm she was.
While paying our bill the receptionist took it upon herself to tell us how irresponsible we were for letting such a young cat get pregnant. But unknown to her we had just rescued her 2 weeks prior and she had never been out the house yet, and she was about 3 weeks pregnant. She has since had 3 kittens all of which went to good homes and she was speyed shortly after.
GruesomeTwosome
24-Oct-08, 12:30
I had a similar experience when I bought one of my pup's I went for the first check up a couple of days after I got the pup home. The vet kept complaining that she couldnt hear the pup's heart because she was sniffing too much, someone please tell me how you stop a 7/8 week old pup from sniffing???????????? She was very blunt in saying the pup had a heart murmur and it could kill her within 6 months or never affect her at all. I was devistated, vet was very uncaring and offered little advice, just that I had to wait and see, luckily I contacted the breeder who was so helpful and got me in touch with a specialist who gave me more info, I was lucky to have support like that elsewhere.
This was however one vet and one experience.
When one of my dogs were pts they were fantastic and couldnt have asked for better. So sympathetic and treated my dog with nothing but respect.
Irrespective of either experience I think they are an invalueable service and never grudge or question the cost.
I have a Rabbit and every so often have to take him to the Vet in Janet Street, Thurso to get his claws clipped.
I find it depends on the Vet how much I get charged as I have never been charged the same price twice. By this I do not mean it has got more expensive every time, but that the price goes up and down depending who the Vet is.
The last time I was charged £6.50 + VAT but the time before that I was charged £9.75 + VAT. Over the past 2 Years I have paid anything from £6.00 + VAT to £12.50 + VAT.
It would be nice if the Vet had a Clear pricing policy so we the Customers know where we stand.
Bad Manners
24-Oct-08, 14:29
We have had to use the vet in Wick with an emergency regarding one of the pets and they have proved to be very helpfull friendly and reasonably priced we have been back for routine jabs etc and find that they are certainly far cheaper than our previous vet. and must add even when we phone up they know exactly who you are and what animal you are talking about this is far better than just being another one on a list.
When you have animals you will pay whatever it takes but we find up here it takes a lot less.
cazmanian_minx
25-Oct-08, 09:48
I've found the vet in Thurso astonishingly cheap compared to Croydon. For example - 28 Fortekor tables, £29 in Croydon, £17 here. 5kg bag of Hills k/d, £42 in Croydon, £35 here. Blood tests - £60-ish in Croydon for just the kidney ones, £60-ish here for a complete haematology.
My cat, as you may guess from the above, is ancient and her kidneys are going. Over the last few months she's been through all kinds of diagnostic tests and medications, including x-rays, to get to the bottom of mystery wheezing (which has turned out to be a thickening of the soft tissues and related to the kidney problems). The bill for 3 months of consultations, x-rays, blood tests and medication has been under £200. In Croydon I'd be running close to £450 by now.
My Veterinary Surgeons always treat my pets (and myself!) with such care and respect and are there 24/7.
You can't put a price on that.
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