Vet bills

[Onelife]

We took our mutt Gipsy to the vet today for what we thought was a recurrence of an old shoulder injury she sustained some three years ago...this was confirmed by our vet who added that she may also have some arthritis sett in. Having given her a ten minute consultation the vet prescribed some medication that Gipsy will will probably need to be on it for the rest of her life. Well l managed to hold back the tears until l got to the reception desk where upon the receptionist handed me a bill for £95.."put the bloody dog down l yelled"...thankfully my wife was there to comfort the receptionist who by this time was also in floods of tears...l think she must have been an animal lover?

On arriving home l managed to persuade my wife to lock the mutt in a darkened cuboard until such time that l had calmed down (lt would have been a little suspecious had my wife taken the mutt back to the vet limping  on the other leg now wouldn't?... Oops!

Having wiped way the tears at the thought of my much loved mutt Gipsy being on medication for the rest of her life l took a look at the bill which stated that the consultation fee was £43 and the medication £52 (100 ml meloxican) 
Now l knew before going to the vet that you can ask your vet  for a prescription and then buy online. Silly me... had l taken that route l could have bought the same medication for £13.50 + postage 


Anyhow to cut a long story short just remember tha vets are legally obliged to give you a prescription should your pet need long term medication.


l'm happy to say this option has given our much loved mutt a stay of execution till after Christmas.....but if there are any animal lovers out there who would like Gipsy to see another Christmas then please send your donation to.....Onelife's cruise appeal.


Thank you. 

[Stephen]

Vets are a bit like garages. They know how to empty your wallet.

I'm surprised they didn't try to fleece you more with "Oh, we had better run some blood tests and, and, and"

[Jan Rosser]

My little Cairn was prescribed this too but it didn't seem to make a huge difference. I took her for a check-up and the vet suggested giving her glucosamine supplements instead because as with us humans the medicine is an anti-inflammatory drug and personally I cannot tolerate it - upsets my stomach. I found it on Amazon and a bottle lasted ages - just a few drops either in the food or squirted into the dog's mouth (my dog didn't like it that way !!!).

Sadly it has now been 12 months since I lost her but she did live to 16 and a half which is quite an age - still miss her around the house

[Stephen]

A good age Jan.

[Whynd1]

For the first time last year when we had our new puppy we took out pet insurance. Through treating the previous dog at the vets for suspected meningitis the bill totalled just under £1000.

Lindsey

[david63]

remember tha vets are legally obliged to give you a prescription should your pet need long term medication.

But they can, and do, charge for the privilege!

[Manoverboard]

What happens if they have Pet Insurance Policy ?

[Onelife]

Vets are a bit like garages. They know how to empty your wallet.

I'm surprised they didn't try to fleece you more with "Oh, we had better run some blood tests and, and, and"

Hi Stephen.....thankfully It was my wife who took Gipsy into the consultation room with a remit not to go down the expensive route of X rays etc.....Gipsy being over twelve years old now we wouldn't want her to go through any invasive surgery etc....she'll just have to keep taking the medication like wot l do.

Btw...You're right Stephen l'm sure our local garage owner used to be a vet

[Onelife]

My little Cairn was prescribed this too but it didn't seem to make a huge difference. I took her for a check-up and the vet suggested giving her glucosamine supplements instead because as with us humans the medicine is an anti-inflammatory drug and personally I cannot tolerate it - upsets my stomach. I found it on Amazon and a bottle lasted ages - just a few drops either in the food or squirted into the dog's mouth (my dog didn't like it that way !!!).

Sadly it has now been 12 months since I lost her but she did live to 16 and a half which is quite an age - still miss her around the house

Hello Jan,

It's never easy saying goodbye to a much loved pet and yes you do miss them.
I've had to let go of five dogs over the years, three of which lived to a ripe old age, two sadly had their lives cut short due to illness.

If you can put hand on heart and say you have done the best by your dog then their years will have just been a lovely stroll in the park

Regards

Keith

[Onelife]

remember tha vets are legally obliged to give you a prescription should your pet need long term medication.

But they can, and do, charge for the privilege!

Not sure l understand what you are saying ......but yes they can charge a nominal fee for discharging a prescription.....and l suppose if more people become aware that they can get medication cheaper online then we will indeed have to pay more to visit the vets......l think it's a case of where overheads and profit cross the line.

Regards

Keith

[david63]

yes they can charge a nominal fee for discharging a prescription

I think that you will find that it is somewhat more than a "nominal" fee - last I heard it was around the £15 mark.

[Onelife]

yes they can charge a nominal fee for discharging a prescription

I think that you will find that it is somewhat more than a "nominal" fee - last I heard it was around the £15 mark.

Hi David.....l haven't got time now as l'm off to place a bet on a donkey......l will look further into what you say when l get back.

[Stephen]

My little Cairn was prescribed this too but it didn't seem to make a huge difference. I took her for a check-up and the vet suggested giving her glucosamine supplements instead because as with us humans the medicine is an anti-inflammatory drug and personally I cannot tolerate it - upsets my stomach. I found it on Amazon and a bottle lasted ages - just a few drops either in the food or squirted into the dog's mouth (my dog didn't like it that way !!!).

Sadly it has now been 12 months since I lost her but she did live to 16 and a half which is quite an age - still miss her around the house

Hello Jan,

It's never easy saying goodbye to a much loved pet and yes you do miss them.
I've had to let go of five dogs over the years, three of which lived to a ripe old age, two sadly had their lives cut short due to illness.

If you can put hand on heart and say you have done the best by your dog then their years will have just been a lovely stroll in the park

Regards

Keith

Why doesn't that surprise me

[Onelife]

yes they can charge a nominal fee for discharging a prescription

I think that you will find that it is somewhat more than a "nominal" fee - last I heard it was around the £15 mark.

Hi David

From what l have read it appears you are absolutely correct about prescription charges. I have seen prescription charges ranging from £9.95 to £20 for a vets medication prescription. ....hardly what l would call a nominal fee... "This is a nominal fee and should not be excessive or to prevent you from purchasing a product" "Petdrugsonline"

This is a racket which needs to be addressed by some kind of regulatory authority in my opinion ...Ok' you can write to the Royal collage of surgeons if you think your vet is charging excessive amounts but this all sounds very 'in house to me so it would probably be waste of time.

We presently have three months supply but come the time of needing a repeat prescription l shall certainly be sending the wife out to argue the point..squeak! squeak!

..... just phoned our vets up and their charge is £18.

[Stephen]

Scandalous, and just a money spinner to purchase their products.

[david63]

From what l have read it appears you are absolutely correct about prescription charges. I have seen prescription charges ranging from £9.95 to £20 for a vets medication prescription. ....hardly what l would call a nominal fee... "This is a nominal fee and should not be excessive or to prevent you from purchasing a product" "Petdrugsonline"

As I understand it you would only need one prescription a year, and if you save £30+ a month it could be a significant saving.

[Onelife]

From what l have read it appears you are absolutely correct about prescription charges. I have seen prescription charges ranging from £9.95 to £20 for a vets medication prescription. ....hardly what l would call a nominal fee... "This is a nominal fee and should not be excessive or to prevent you from purchasing a product" "Petdrugsonline"

As I understand it you would only need one prescription a year, and if you save £30+ a month it could be a significant saving.

From what l have read the issuing of yearly prescriptions isn't the norm...twice yearly seem more common. I think a vet would argue that the pet needs to be reviewed at least once a year which on the face of it seems a sensible thing to do....However this won't be without cost to the pet owner. Whilst l understand vet may incur additional overheads due to non paying feral animals being dumped on their operating tables l don't think this cost should be passed on to every pet owner that passes through their doors........ £43 for a ten minute consultation has the potential to make good pet owners more reluctant in seeking medical care for their pets.

On that note dose anyone want a well trained Welsh collie?

[Stephen]

Does it come with sheep.

[Onelife]

Does it come with sheep.

Oh!...so you are in to them as well

[Stephen]

Does it come with sheep.

Oh!...so you are in to them as well

Yes, roasted with mint sauce.

[gfwgfw]

Suffering Spinal Stenosis my jolly GP explained that the hither too pain relieving epidurals are no longer available for me, but be grateful . . . cuz if you were horse you would be put down

Lucky bloody horse

Lubooo all

Graham

[MicheleW]

One of our dogs has an ongoing condition that he needs medication for. He is now 12 and has been on two different types of medication since he was five! One type I get from the vet (only about £24.00 for 100) and the other I got a prescription for and ordered from Pet Drugs on Line. Even with a prescription they cost £40.00 for a pack of 15 which lasted a month - he had to take one on alternate days. Fortunately a few months ago, the vets decided that he only need take the cheaper one every other day now!
The prescription was costing about £12.00, but the vet did do a repeat prescription that I could send off and Pet Drugs on Line kept it on file until I needed them.

So far his vet fees come to over £6,000.00 - I just try not to think of how many cruises I could have had for that much!!

Michele

PS. He wasn't insured and I love him to bits!

[david63]

So far his vet fees come to over £6,000.00 - I just try not to think of how many cruises I could have had for that much!!

Or how many shoes

[oldbluefox]

So far his vet fees come to over £6,000.00 - I just try not to think of how many cruises I could have had for that much!!

Or how many shoes

You beat me to it!!!

[MicheleW]

I wouldn't have space for the amount of shoes I could have bought!