cost of medication from vets

I just pay pay up as if I tried to go down the sourcing our own drugs online route instead of paying the vet price I would be accused of animal cruelty by my Wife.

So I just bite my tongue and smile.

Prices have gone up loads since our vet was taken over by a chain though.
 
One of our dogs has just had a litter of 12 pups (Pure bred Fox Red Labrador's if anyone is interested!! :p)
I had the bitch and one of the pups at the vet for suspected mastitis in the bitch and concerns of not feeding for the pupper. Everything was fine with the bitch but got antibiotics for the pup. £92.

By the time the pups leave us the vets fees will be over £500. So yea, not cheap.

I pay £15 a month for each of our dogs to be on the vets pet plan. This covers a health check up twice a year, flea tick and worming treatments, claw clipping as necessary. Not bad value I dont think.

Vets are expensive. Pet ownership is expensive. But when I need the vet to save one of my dogs lives or significantly improve it through diagnostics and treatment, any cost will be heavily offset by the happiness and wellbeing of my dogs.

I liken it to a tradesperson coming into your home to fix a leak in your shower. 10 minute fix and a charge of £100 (for example).
You're not paying £100 for 10 minutes of work, you're paying £100 for years and years of experience and learning to enable that person to come and do their job or you.
 
Legz said:
The £31 surcharge does not go to the vet. When they put the claim in that surcharge is not claimed.If everyone with vet insurance checks their policy correctly every one has a clause in that says when their animal gets to a certain age then they have to start paying a co-payment for all claims...normally in the 10-20% bracket
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My apologies on the wording Legz. This is the excess I have to pay the Insurance Company every time I claim for the tablets. I would still say it is one hell of a profit on the tablets even if you take into account other overheads as this is just for two packets of tablets. These and a lot of the other medicines required will come from the same place so logistics would not be a big overhead.
 
BigAl76 said:
One of our dogs has just had a litter of 12 pups (Pure bred Fox Red Labrador's if anyone is interested!! :p)
I had the bitch and one of the pups at the vet for suspected mastitis in the bitch and concerns of not feeding for the pupper. Everything was fine with the bitch but got antibiotics for the pup. £92.

By the time the pups leave us the vets fees will be over £500. So yea, not cheap.

I pay £15 a month for each of our dogs to be on the vets pet plan. This covers a health check up twice a year, flea tick and worming treatments, claw clipping as necessary. Not bad value I dont think.

Vets are expensive. Pet ownership is expensive. But when I need the vet to save one of my dogs lives or significantly improve it through diagnostics and treatment, any cost will be heavily offset by the happiness and wellbeing of my dogs.

I liken it to a tradesperson coming into your home to fix a leak in your shower. 10 minute fix and a charge of £100 (for example).
You're not paying £100 for 10 minutes of work, you're paying £100 for years and years of experience and learning to enable that person to come and do their job or you.
Click to expand...
I agree with that analogy for the cost of the tradesperson. However if that same tradesperson charged you £75 for materials i.e., a washer that retails at £0.05p, would you not question the price of the materials?
 
BigAl76 said:
One of our dogs has just had a litter of 12 pups (Pure bred Fox Red Labrador's if anyone is interested!! :p)
I had the bitch and one of the pups at the vet for suspected mastitis in the bitch and concerns of not feeding for the pupper. Everything was fine with the bitch but got antibiotics for the pup. £92.

By the time the pups leave us the vets fees will be over £500. So yea, not cheap.

I pay £15 a month for each of our dogs to be on the vets pet plan. This covers a health check up twice a year, flea tick and worming treatments, claw clipping as necessary. Not bad value I dont think.

Vets are expensive. Pet ownership is expensive. But when I need the vet to save one of my dogs lives or significantly improve it through diagnostics and treatment, any cost will be heavily offset by the happiness and wellbeing of my dogs.

I liken it to a tradesperson coming into your home to fix a leak in your shower. 10 minute fix and a charge of £100 (for example).
You're not paying £100 for 10 minutes of work, you're paying £100 for years and years of experience and learning to enable that person to come and do their job or you.
Click to expand...
Your example for emergency care is fine and no one really disputes that

But a more accurate example would be a plumber fixing something in your home and telling you once the sealant has dried, to apply a coating of special paint and he can sell you that paint for £100 when screwfix sells the paint for £10. You'd expect some markup to all it worth his while to stock it or whatever, but not a massive markup.

Likewise if said plumber said he would pop back in a week to make sure it hasn't leaked, and the charge you another fee you'd probably not be amused, and tell him you'd ring if any problems.

It's nothing to do with the job the vet has done or their care, it's the wraparound sales model they use to get extra cash out of you at every opportunity.

Pet plans is another example really; fleeing and worming can all be done at home cheaply as can claw clipping although not everyone wants to do that granted. £15 a month is £180 a year, it's basically a product similar to packaged bank accounts where they know if they offer it to say 500 people, 50 of them will use every single free thing included in the package and they will make very little or a small loss, but 450 of them will only do the flea and worming or only do one checkup etc so at the scale they offer it at, it becomes a money spinner. They're pushed massively by these super chains because it's guaranteed income, which is why banks use packaged bank accounts, because so few people will use everything that is included - it scales up as well, 3 cats, £45 a month or £540 a year. We clip claws weekly, worm and flea treatments are a few quid a bottle so doesn't add up to a huge amount over a year, but everything is a subscription now.


A similar thing with opticians - I go to an optician for an eye test nothing more, and collect my prescription. Every time I have to do a song and dance about how I don't want to sit and speak to a sales assistant to price me up in their contact lens package or to run through frame options because I know I can get the exact same product online for far less. Boots wanted £550 off me for fully coated lenses etc, £169 online. Haven't bought glasses from a high street store since about 2012 now, and buy contacts as and when I need them.
 
I took my 2 cats today for their annual vaccinations. This has cost around the £37 mark in previous years and I got the shock of my life when the receptionist told me I owed £104 this year. A 40% increase from £37 - £52 in one year ! I phoned another vets who informed me they charge £40. It’s just pure greed.
 
Moreno said:
I took my 2 cats today for their annual vaccinations. This has cost around the £37 mark in previous years and I got the shock of my life when the receptionist told me I owed £104 this year. A 40% increase from £37 - £52 in one year ! I phoned another vets who informed me they charge £40. It’s just pure greed.
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They've probably been taken over since.

Just had a checkup 2 months into a 3 month prescription, suggested another £250 bloodtest to "see how she is doing". No behavioural or weight changes, I declined and said it was traumatic for her last time, which is their own words, and said I'd rather press on with the treatment and get another prescription, which they agreed was sensible; and said it's probably only needed if her weight starts to change. Hang on; a minute ago you are suggesting a £250 blood test that last time you said didn't go easily at all? And it would have been another consultation like last time. So north of £300 plus this visit of £75; £50 consult and £25 prescription charge.

They've booked her in for another "checkup" in 2 months time when she will be 1 month into her next 3 months of meds, I'll be monitoring her fluid, food and weight daily anyway so I'll be going in 1 week into her 3rd month of medication leaving plenty of time for a refill as otherwise they'll squeeze two more consults in during that time which will literally just be "how's she doing. Aw that's good" sessions.

We're active in CKD feline groups so know everything to look out for and check for anyway and we do our own weekly urinalysis strips so there is little value in these trips. Well, for us I mean.
 
We are pretty lucky where we know our vets on a bit more of a personal level - they don't take the p*ss with unnecessary follow up appointments. But we have had a couple of issues with random vets in the practice trying to "sell" us everything - blood tests, flea/worming treatment, dentistry etc .....so it does go on.

The insurance/ meds issue is even more shocking. Preying on the fact 99% of customers won't let their pets suffer so will cough up whatever.

Just sums up nicely what a f*cking greed driven country we have become.
 
h_m_boro said:
We are pretty lucky where we know our vets on a bit more of a personal level - they don't take the p*ss with unnecessary follow up appointments. But we have had a couple of issues with random vets in the practice trying to "sell" us everything - blood tests, flea/worming treatment, dentistry etc .....so it does go on.

The insurance/ meds issue is even more shocking. Preying on the fact 99% of customers won't let their pets suffer so will cough up whatever.

Just sums up nicely what a f*cking greed driven country we have become.
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Agree with this, since our local was taken over there has definitely been a load of upselling attempted.
 
ThatFragranceGuy said:
Your example for emergency care is fine and no one really disputes that

But a more accurate example would be a plumber fixing something in your home and telling you once the sealant has dried, to apply a coating of special paint and he can sell you that paint for £100 when screwfix sells the paint for £10. You'd expect some markup to all it worth his while to stock it or whatever, but not a massive markup.

Likewise if said plumber said he would pop back in a week to make sure it hasn't leaked, and the charge you another fee you'd probably not be amused, and tell him you'd ring if any problems.

It's nothing to do with the job the vet has done or their care, it's the wraparound sales model they use to get extra cash out of you at every opportunity.

Pet plans is another example really; fleeing and worming can all be done at home cheaply as can claw clipping although not everyone wants to do that granted. £15 a month is £180 a year, it's basically a product similar to packaged bank accounts where they know if they offer it to say 500 people, 50 of them will use every single free thing included in the package and they will make very little or a small loss, but 450 of them will only do the flea and worming or only do one checkup etc so at the scale they offer it at, it becomes a money spinner. They're pushed massively by these super chains because it's guaranteed income, which is why banks use packaged bank accounts, because so few people will use everything that is included - it scales up as well, 3 cats, £45 a month or £540 a year. We clip claws weekly, worm and flea treatments are a few quid a bottle so doesn't add up to a huge amount over a year, but everything is a subscription now.


A similar thing with opticians - I go to an optician for an eye test nothing more, and collect my prescription. Every time I have to do a song and dance about how I don't want to sit and speak to a sales assistant to price me up in their contact lens package or to run through frame options because I know I can get the exact same product online for far less. Boots wanted £550 off me for fully coated lenses etc, £169 online. Haven't bought glasses from a high street store since about 2012 now, and buy contacts as and when I need them.
Click to expand...

Looks like you might be on to something…..

Vet prices review over fears pet owners are being overcharged https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66733077
 
Legz said:
So I work in a vets and am s8ick to death about hearing that prices are a rip off. No they aren't. Yes you can buy them cheaper online if you ask your vet for a written prescription. You know why....cos you're not paying the extra costs of dispensing and delivery and petrol and drivers wages and numerous other things the middle man charge...plus the vet does need to make some profit too to keep their businesses viable.
And consultation charges....you' re taking up time and the expertise of a professional. Un fortunately there's no NHS for animals but that's not the vet industries fault...the amount of abuse we get on a daily basis is ridiculous. Vets currently have the highest suicide rate in the country and many are short staffed too because of it. We recently had to ring the police about 1 client
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whilst I agree with everything else you've said, the suicide rate for vets has been consistently very low.

Suicide by occupation, England and Wales, 2011 to 2021 registrations - Office for National Statistics

www.ons.gov.uk
 
Moreno said:
I took my 2 cats today for their annual vaccinations. This has cost around the £37 mark in previous years and I got the shock of my life when the receptionist told me I owed £104 this year. A 40% increase from £37 - £52 in one year ! I phoned another vets who informed me they charge £40. It’s just pure greed
Click to expand...
Our previous Lab suffered with arthritis and would get a 4 week jab. no consultation just a plain old injection, sometimes they would do it in reception , during covid they even did it at the entrance of the vets ( outside ) used to cost £35.
On one occasion they said that is £65 so I immediately queered why , and they said that it was because the Vet did it and would be cheaper if the nurse did it.
This was despite the fact the Vet had almost always given the injection in the past.
 
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