Is this Vet bill very expensive or am I just out of touch?

Do you know of a trusted on line veterinarian pharmacy please?

Having a dog is a luxury, I think. I love having dogs but we have stayed with an only this time because of the cost of illness. Luckyily she has been quite a healthy dog so far but needs some dental work which I imagine will be @£750

Yes , that’s about right . I’ve noticed the price hikes over the past 20 years , both with insurances and charges. It is so expensive to care for our dog now , I’m paying £130 a month insurance (Petplan)
and that’s with an excess of £100 per ailment , our dog is 12 and the insurers all increase their fees with age . It’s a rip off blackmail and I won’t be insuring the next one . I’ll just put money aside every month instead .

Sadly, £80 is reasonable imo, for the circumstances described.
I have three cats (all insured) which costs over £40 per month, and I get regular flea treatments from my Vet for all three cats. I have asked if I can get a prescription for this (the one I use is not available without one) but have never yet received a response. The initial request was some time ago.
I think next time I need this - I will ask what it would cost for a prescription. If this is anything like £12.00 (monthly), it would cancel out the savings!

It's about par for the course I'd say. Owning a dog is expensive.

Grannynannywanny

My son asked me to take their dog to the vet today while they are at work. Mild infection in one ear and a sticky eye. Antibiotic drops prescribed for both. Fluorescent drop used by vet in eye before shining lamp to exclude any abrasion. We were back out at reception in less than 10 mins to pay the bill which was £80.13 ?

I haven’t owned my own dog for many years so have no recent experience of vet bills. Am I wrong to think that was very expensive?

Sounds about right. A few years ago my cat developed Lymphoma. Luckily he was insured and embarked on an 18 month course of treatment which gave him an extended period of good quality life he wouldn’t otherwise have had. The total bill for treatment at the small animal hospital was just short of £10,000 when he passed away - and that didn’t include the cost of euthanasia and disposal of his body. Insurance didnt cover that and it was about £300.

You can't put a dog or cat into kennels/cattery without proof they're fully vaccinated.

That bill sounds very reasonable to me. Our vet charges £34.50 for the consultation.

I’m afraid it’s not at all unreasonable. I’m lucky to be able to afford my dog’s medication but so many can’t and perhaps don’t take vet costs into account when acquiring a pet. As the pet ages, costs increase. There’s no NHS for pets, therefore I support the PDSA who give free treatment to the pets of people who can’t afford to go to a private vet.

12 years ago I had a vet bill for £12,000. I wonder how much that would be today. Insurance covered everything except the small excess charge. I would absolutely never NOT have insurance. OP, the charge for the dog you took was about right.

Dianehillbilly1957

Step through the vets door and your virtually bankrupt!!
I do appreciate they have longer training to get through and the drugs are incredibly expensive. I know that a prescription for human ibropen costs the NHS £10, that's why I buy from a supermarket!! So imagine what antibiotics cost!! Unfortunately we can't do this so much for our pets. My rescue dog was ill last year and it cost me £500, thankfully she's insured and I got £400 back.
So many animals could be rehomed, but the vet bills put people off, such a shame!

The NHS buys the ibuprofen at cost price and makes a profit on it. However that is balanced out by medication that is very expensive but still only costs the patient £10.

I took Ruby to the vet yesterday for a blood test. He decided that she may have a urinary infection because her levels are very high and her diabetes isn't being stabilised. So two little flacons of insulin, blood test and antibiotics cost me 120 euros.
Looks as though I got off quite lightly.

When we first moved to Suffolk one of my cats was hit by a car. We rushed her to the vets - out of surgery hours. She was xrayed and then operated on the next day because her hip was smashed. I remember the price because I queried it because I thought that it was cheap - £59.

I'd no idea that prices were so high in the UK now.

My poor dog had to be put to sleep last week. It cost £462 although some of that included cremation because he was too big to bury in the garden. That was more than I paid for him in the first place.

Thank you Dabi This is not a Vet bashing stance - my own Vets are wonderful - but they are not Gods. Pet owners need to do their own serious research for the good of their pets.

£80 sounds about average.
Our Springer has an appointment with our Vet tomorrow for a recurring ear problem common in dogs with floppy ears. We usually have to take him every 2-3 months for more drops at £60-70 a time. The medication is available online much cheaper with a vet's prescription, but our vet won't give us a prescription as he insists on seeing our dog every time. Last year he had a small cyst removed at a cost of £800, we claimed on his insurance for that. Pet ownership is expensive now but worth every penny.

2507C0

Do you know of a trusted on line veterinarian pharmacy please?

Have you tried Viovet?
www.viovet.co.uk/

I'd been paying insurance for my two 12 year old jack Russell's since they were pups, first time l had to claim was last year, the claim started at the end of the insurance year and ended after the start of the next insurance year, they charged me the excess twice, it was hardly worth claiming ?

Just had my old dog at the vet this week. He has heart trouble which didn't come as a surprise. £20 for the consultation and £160 for one month's supply of medication. Very steep for the pills but intend to buy them online after I get prescription from vet. I know from experience that out vet in Kirkcudbrightshire is much cheaper than the vets we used when we lived i the Home Counties. Vet we saw this week was exceptionally gentle and transpires she has done a gentle caring course which is all about putting pets at ease in a stressful situation. I am already thinking of ways to economise to pay the medication bills but wouldn't be without my two dogs.

Just wanted to add that I used to have insurance for both dogs but prices rocketed after one had extensive treatment after he was savaged by another dog. Reckon the meds cost will still be less than I would have paid over the last 5 years since insurance lapsed. The PDSA helps those who cannot afford vets fees and is a wonderful charity.

Vet's bills are very high nowadays, I think it's sad. The mental health positives to owning a pet are well proven and there are physical benefits too, but a lot of people who need their company most can't afford to keep them. My grandparents had 11 children, my gran went without anything but basics to keep body & soul together but they always had a dog. You didn't have to be in the high income bracket to own a pet not so long ago. On the other hand, pet insurance does mean that many more diseases can be treated and complex specialist surgery performed. I don't think I'd spend 10k on a heroic op to try to save a suffering pet. I'd say we've had a wonderful time together, but don't want to put you through any more suffering. And put 5k to a homeless charity or save the children, & 5k for my pension (in theory anyway).Thankfully not been in that position though.

I’m so sorry to hear about your dog icanhandthemback. I know how upsetting it is, even though you’re doing the kindest thing. I expect a big chunk of the money would be for the cremation.?

Germanshepherdsmum, thank you. He was a big boy so £100 was the cremation fee. Although the bill seemed huge, they treated me and my dog with such kindness that, although it made my credit card creak, it was worth the money.

I’m so pleased that they were kind to you and to him. I’m sure the love and companionship and the happy memories he gave you over the years are priceless. They leave a big hole in our lives don’t they.?

We gave up pet insurance when it went up to £60 a month. A mistake she just broke her front leg it was either put her down, a very healthy spaniel despite being 12 years today or have it mended. It cost £7k including a pin put in the other fissure that was discovered under X ray. Previously our vet had said that her occasional limp was arthritis it too was a fissure, if they had suggested and Xray then ( four months earlier ) rather than just blaming it on arthritis both legs could haver been pinned strengthening them rather than the main bone going later due to the weakness of part of the knee. I am in desperately needing a hip operation, reduced to walking with crutches. We cannot really afford to go privately but we could not leg our dog down. I do think it was ridiculously expensive. I took the stitches out myself and decided not to keep visiting for check ups each of which would have cost another £ 105. She is well recovered.

The official protocol says that dog vaccinations last years. For 10 years many vets have kept quiet about this and go on giving unnecessary annual boosters.
My vets charge for prescriptions the difference between their price and the on-line price.
The vet’s first question is, “Is he insured?” and they charge more if he is.
Despite my cynicism I know that I will pay any amount to have the clever vet treat my poor sick animals.

LucyW

Just wanted to add that I used to have insurance for both dogs but prices rocketed after one had extensive treatment after he was savaged by another dog. Reckon the meds cost will still be less than I would have paid over the last 5 years since insurance lapsed. The PDSA helps those who cannot afford vets fees and is a wonderful charity.

I switched insurance companies in January. We have a three year old Jack Russell. Never claimed on the insurance at all but the premium went up from £30 last year to £55 this year. Found better cover from Insured By Many for £35. Some companies just rip you off, so it pays to shop around.