Dogs for sale ads?

[teenybash]

Using the word Vets implies plural, and that we have a choice.
Up here it is McGreedors, or a long drive south

Exactly.................

[Dadie]

If you insist on bleating on about the vet prices up here, pick up the yellow pages and look up vets.
There are lots to chose from on the way down to Inverness and further afield and if you dont fancy a long drive you could always go over to Orkney on the boat!
But in an emergency I know where I would go for fast efficient service.
But if you want to shop around for cheaper routine surgery lash at it!
What the eck you could always combine it with getting your christmas shopping!

[All boxed up]

I like your post, are you a vet per chance

Hubby is one of mentioned vets is he not.....

[munron]

Oh thank goodness for sense, cheers Dadie.

Did it ever occur to you that if you suddenly found yourself in dire straits that if you possibly spoke to people they may come to a financial arrangement where you could pay what you could, when you could?

It is the whiff of poor me that comes across and yes I have been in the position of having very little money, I got tesco insurance for my dog which was cheap and might not have covered a lot of bills but enough to buy me some time to sort out whatever I would need to do - my pet, my responsability.

As for proving the PDSA charging £30 is a loss, well why dont you phone them and while you are on the phone ask them when they are coming north as there is a few people wanting to welcome them, for a minimum donation.

[munron]

I doubt it.....Hubby is one of said Vets

Ha ha meiow Believe it or not I wasnt always one, I am who I am and not to whom I choose to marry.

[chaz]

Hubby is one of mentioned vets is he not.....

thank you for editing i was trying to work out whos hubby lol xx

[Commore]

the whole thread is a mystery having been hijacked at an early stage

[chaz]

the whole thread is a mystery having been hijacked at an early stage

very true
Back to the christmas pressie issue, i know i would rather buy my children a pet than an expensive toy that may be played with for a week, but then i know my children are dedicated to all the animals.
I am also well aware this is not the case with a lot of people and see the concern, but that is between breeder and buyer.

[Dadie]

I didnt hijack my own thread ..but as it has degenerated into neutering debate I hought what the eck might as well join in, as its never going to go back to topic!

[missemma2]

Well, I have been quoted nearly three thousand pounds for all that I would need done with my dogs,
not an option in the current climate, therefore, it will be bitches only at the moment,
mind you, I did not expect to be left with four puppies either and they pose their own problems,

every animal owner, regardless of animal type has need of a vet at some time or other in the lifetime of the animals, vets are a necessity of modern life, but their fees for this or that could be reduced to cope with the overbreeding etc, of a variety of animals.

I nearly fainted when charged nearly twenty pounds for a small amount of panacur for the worming of our puppies and yet for just a few pounds more and for the same wormer I can worm a whole herd of sheep,
and as far as I can see someone has the sums wrong when dealing with a pet as opposed to a domestic herd regardless of type of animal.

I am being quoted anywhere between 180 pounds and 220 pounds per bitch depending on the weight of the dog,

yet in Glasgow the pdsa will charge only 30 pounds per dog,

Cardonald cat and dog home charges a very small amount if you have your dog done there,
albeit, it is students doing the work.
Vets, in my opinion hold pet owners to ransom and even more so in the north,

Being a pet owner, as well as a vet nurse myself (and no I don't work at the practice up here!) I do understand that the fees that the vets charge do seem expensive. Having been on the other side of things as a nurse I know how expensive everything is for vet practices to buy. Drugs at cost price are extortionate (my last practice had a monthly drugs bill in excess of £17000 per month), when you factor in all of the equipment (thousands of pounds) required to properly equip a practice and the staff wages - remember it is not only the vet that is required to run a practice smoothly and care for your pet. There are the nurses, receptionists, cleaners to name but a few. In addition to that, practices have a number of external organisations that they have to pay for services (waste disposal is very expensive, insurance, marketing, phone calls, external lab services, electricity and heating)

I used to think that what vets charged was unreasonable, and yes, at times it can be but they are businesses at the end of the day and because of their high setup and running costs they have no option but to charge reasonably.

With regard to being charged much less for large animal products - Large animal products are cheaper to buy at cost price.

Having come from Inverness, the practice here seems incredably cheap for its services - £35 for a recent visit with my cat which would have cost me £60 easily elsewhere.

Having been a student at a PDSA hospital in Edinburgh, the measly £30 they charge they make for spaying a bitch does not nearly cover the true cost -the service is run at a massive loss and it is the donations from the generous public that covers the remainder of the cost.

I really do get your point and am in no way having a go - I am much as anyone wince when I get a vet Bill!!

[dollycat]

One of my four sons asked for a siberian husky for Christmas, he wasnt impressed when he got a bookmark with a husky on it The fish, hamsters and rabbits were all left to mother after the novelty wore off and now they are all nearly grown up I,ve a houseful of cats and a dog, all abandoned animals. Im never out of the vet surgery with one stray or another, but I think the vets and their staff here in Wick are second to none and worth every penny. You might need to watch 'Granny' at Christmastime though as my sons used to arrive home with a tiny box around this time of year saying, 'its only little'

[Dadie]

At £30 for a spaying they are not even covering the drugs used at cost before VAT!
No wonder people up here are complaining if thats the price being banded about for elsewhere.
The prices dont seem to have gone up much in the time since I had Poppy dog done...and yes I could of had her done at the SSPCA expense but as I could pay I did. It wasnt being rightious or on my high horse or for any other reason than the SSPCA could put the money to better use than on us as we were both fulltime workers with no kids at the time!

[Sarah]

At £30 for a spaying they are not even covering the drugs used at cost before VAT!
No wonder people up here are complaining if thats the price being banded about for elsewhere.
The prices dont seem to have gone up much in the time since I had Poppy dog done...and yes I could of had her done at the SSPCA expense but as I could pay I did. It wasnt being rightious or on my high horse or for any other reason than the SSPCA could put the money to better use than on us as we were both fulltime workers with no kids at the time!

Is it £30 for a dog? If so, that's an amazing price!

I was pleased with £60 rabbit spay, which I have 2 of needing done, over here in Sutherland, thought £60 for a rabbit was very reasonable, as I know its closer to £100 for a spay on a rabbit.

[missemma2]

Is it £30 for a dog? If so, that's an amazing price!

I was pleased with £60 rabbit spay, which I have 2 of needing done, over here in Sutherland, thought £60 for a rabbit was very reasonable, as I know its closer to £100 for a spay on a rabbit.

It is only £30 but it is only available to individuals on benefit, registered as PDSA clients at a PDSA hospital. When I was there they used to insist on making people take 2 forms of proof that they were on benefit each time and asked to see them in front of everybody - I used to think it must have been embarrasing for people.

Having said that, it was amazing how many of these 'poor' individuals were driving around in executive cars!

[brandy]

Lady and the tramp have so much to answer for!

[GruesomeTwosome]

Some really good comments everyone but i'll bring it right back to topic.

I got my wee girl at christmas (6 years ago). I had wanted a rottie since I was little so I had been planning it for a while. I did my research on that breed but had had dogs before. Getting her at that time of year was great as I had my christmas holidays so I was home for about 3 weeks solid with her, I was so lucky to spend so long with her when she was so little and thought I planned it out quite well.

Unfortunately not everyone plans it out like this and pets are bought for chrismas presents and then the gorgeous wee pup grows up and acts like (most) pups do ie chewing, mischief and general destruction and they end up out the door. It makes me so sad.

Some breeders dont help either by seeing these animals as money makers and taking advantage of this time of year.

I have already rehomed one unwanted dog so will people please think seriously before taking on a pet.

Thats my tuppensworth, merry chrismas to everyone and your pets! x

[_Ju_]

That is going to cost you a lot of money Commore. We recently had one of our dogs (small collie) spayed at the Thurso vets "McGreedors" and it cost £150! How can they justify this cost?

One thing that people forget is that nowadays, when an accident or medical emergency happens, pet owners expect all the equipment and the services to be available on a comparable basis to the NHS. That costs money that you would not imagine. Then ontop of that professional insurance, etc. It is the everyday stuff like vacinations and reproductive control surgeries that pay for the a surgery able to provide the emergency service care when needed. An Xray machine that takes a couple of x-rays a day will never pay for itself.

[Anfield]

One thing that people forget is that nowadays, when an accident or medical emergency happens, pet owners expect all the equipment and the services to be available on a comparable basis to the NHS. That costs money that you would not imagine. Then ontop of that professional insurance, etc. It is the everyday stuff like vacinations and reproductive control surgeries that pay for the a surgery able to provide the emergency service care when needed. An Xray machine that takes a couple of x-rays a day will never pay for itself.

Are you saying that the vets provide an emergency for free?

I disagree with your comment that people expect similar treatment to the NHS for their animals, the NHS, in most cases, is free, unlike veterinary practices
I have never disputed the fact that vets have overheads, but I would asssume that, like most businesses, they produce an annual budget into which all overheads such as clerical wages, heating, lighting etc. are incorporated.
Capital equipment, X-ray machines etc, are deemed to have a lifespan of "x" No. of years, and and any losses incurred in running can be offset against tax, as can the depreciation of the equipment over the working lifespan.

I like your term "productive control surgeries", sounds better than neutering or spaying

[_Ju_]

Are you saying that the vets provide an emergency for free?

I disagree with your comment that people expect similar treatment to the NHS for their animals, the NHS, in most cases, is free, unlike veterinary practices
I have never disputed the fact that vets have overheads, but I would asssume that, like most businesses, they produce an annual budget into which all overheads such as clerical wages, heating, lighting etc. are incorporated.
Capital equipment, X-ray machines etc, are deemed to have a lifespan of "x" No. of years, and and any losses incurred in running can be offset against tax, as can the depreciation of the equipment over the working lifespan.

I like your term "productive control surgeries", sounds better than neutering or spaying

the word was reproductive, not productive. so you like it? Be free to use it.
NHS is free? Really? Not according to the governments budget. It is a very expensive service.
Do you have any idea how many X-rays a day you would need to take for the xray machine to be profitable? Do you have any idea how many different sizes of different orthapeadic materials you need to have on hand for that couple of times a year surgery you might have to carry out? and the cost of that material? Do you haver any idea of how many sonograms actually pay for the ultrasound? And how many the average practice will carry out in a year? You have no idea of these costs.
PS: Many vets do alot more than you think for free.

[Dadie]

The NHS is not free.
Its only free at point of service.
There is a big difference.
The NHS is actually like a big black hole sooking up the money we pay as TAXES!
At the vets you can actually see how much things cost to get done...imagine if you got a bill for the treatment at the docs or the hospital, then you would get a shock......afterall this is the UK and not the USA where the bills are handed out....