Emergency Vets

Yes, I think that our two much-loved pooches are a luxury these days, and frankly, if we couldn't afford to insure them properly, we wouldn't have taken them on in the first place, but that is very much a personal decision. Sounds hard, I know, but you can't rely on the likes of PDSA or a pre-arrangement with a rescue centre to obtain free or even subsidised treatment. The charities and rescue centres do what they can , but they are massively over-subscribed, particularly with the post-Covid boom in abandoned pets. Please don't think that I'm judging those who can't afford insurance but still have the pet. I quite understand that, as they're part of the family. All I'm saying is that the safety net has now worn very thin.

When my last dog had complete kidney failure when we were away from home 5 years ago the local vet came to the house the put her to sleep and they didn’t charge very much. They’re also the ones that didn’t charge to scan my current dog when she had a suspected pyometra, too. I think it’s because they deal with a lot of holidaymakers pets. But they also do a lot of free work for the local animal rescue and wildlife sanctuary.

I notice that vets always say "bring a final in straight away". What if you live in a rural area and have no car or cannot drive. Are there ANY vets which will visit except for farm animals. Once a muntjac deer stepped in front of my car which was going at about 25 mph. The poor creature was knocked across the road and was alive and in pain but I had no idea what to do. Several cars hurried past but one stopped at last. The driver had no ideas either and between us, using a golf club in his boot, we killed the deer by hitting it on the head. Would any vet have been willing to euthanise it as it was dark by that time. Is there any arrangement for this sort of problem? The deer was obviously fit and healthy and by the next day, the body had been removed, presumably by a local with transport.

We've had cats for the last 45 years and have always paid monthly into a separate account for them. There is quite a healthy balance at the moment, though I don't know if it would last long in a big emergency. We are also members of the vet's practice health plan £14/month, which covers vaccinations, flea and worm treatment also 10% of consultations, treatments and purchases. They share emergency care with another local practice. They are in the process of joining a national group so it remains to be seen what happens.

I must have the best vet in the world. She suggested a different treatment when another vet had suggested PTS. It involved a hundred doses of an expensive drug to be squirted into the cats mouth. By day 3 the cat refused home application. The vet was so keen to continue treatment that she offered to give the dose daily before surgery every day. The cat was cured after 200 doses.and no charge made for the visits . Her love of animals saved the cats life. She was well rewarded personally as my cat was not insured.

Could you foster Hannah? Most charities pay food vets if needed

Vets fees and insurance is the sole reason I don’t have a longed for doggy companion.

NHS of course

Vets are for profit businesses. They pay for their university and ongoing training courses, employ nurses, reception staff and run the surgery buildings. It’s expensive but part of pet ownership. My two are insured, that together with food, training courses, boarding when I go away, means the two dogs are my biggest outgoing. I’m lucky to be able to use savings to fund my dog addiction.
I do hope these discussions about the cost of animal health care will encourage people to support our ngs

Our aged much loved dog started fitting. We called Vets Now and almost the first words out of their mouths were do you have insurance? I said no, she didn't give me a chance to explain we had the funds to cover whatever was needed. We're disabled and couldn't get him to the car, he had several more fits until he finally passed. They did promise a vet would call back, but they didn't.
It was so distressing just watching him have fit after fit😭
Vets now are the go to emergency cover for the huge majority of local practices, and I appreciate staff need a break, but VN are so motivated by corporate profits that the animals interests go out of the window.
I did complain, and got £50 compensation. Friends in the profession have assured me Barney wouldn't have known anything about what was happening to him, and in a way I'm glad I didn't have to make the decision for him.

When I got my dog we lived in Germany at the time via military we had to have insurance with her one it was the law and she wasn’t allowed to do her business on the grass. I know you didn’t have to know that lol also she was in kennels and we kept it up even when we came back to uk i only had to use mine twice in her 16yrs but it’s better to have a backup for a rainy day unfortunately i think a lot of owners now adays will probably be having cut backs

For some folk pet insurance isn’t an option. DH and I have spent a lot of years moving from town to town, county to county, continuously cruising the canals and, therefore, were classed as having no fixed abode. To have pet insurance you need an address, we didn’t have one. We could, I suppose, have used one of our adult DCs addresses, but we were often quite a distance from them. We had four dogs, two of which needed tablets for heart murmurs, we used vets along the way and paid as we went. Now we are in a marina on a residential mooring, so do have an address again, but with one dog left - and she’s getting on a bit - we still haven’t opted for insurance as the premiums were over £100 a month when I looked around for quotes.

Hetty58

Daisymae, '3rd party cover' - as you call it is included in my home insurance (and many other people's too, I assume) Why would I want to pay twice for the same cover?

You may not need to - but not all home insurance policies include it, you need to check the small print.

It's not just making sure you can cover pet treatment. Often pet insurance will cover you if your pet has caused expensive problems for others.

I have got some but not sure how to use it.

MayBee70, I've always used diatomaceous earth for flea, tick and worm prevention/treatment - on all pets - as I'd never risk having nasty toxic chemicals in contact with children - or in my home.

Daisymae, '3rd party cover' - as you call it is included in my home insurance (and many other people's too, I assume) Why would I want to pay twice for the same cover?

Well catscatscats I’m disabled and unemployed. I’ve spent 34 years in rescue during which time I was struggling financially. I worked 50 hours a week with 3 children and an alcoholic husband. My cat (one of 5 rescues) became diabetic and my dog became epileptic. I didn’t have insurance. But I never ever contemplated dumping them or killing them. I realise that some have had worse situations than mine but in my experience most were not. I’ve known people ‘get rid’ of pets saying they can’t afford them yet they can afford to go on holiday/ go out/ smoke/drink. I’m not the one being judgemental here. Facts is facts.

The strange thing about vets bills is that ( unless things have changed since I had a variety of pets) bills for small animals and large animals seem very reasonable. It’s the dog and cat treatment costs that seem to be disproportionately expensive.

I know, that can be a real problem, Caramme. Unfortunately, most small vet practices simply can't afford the facilities or staffing to run a 24/7 service these days.

Blondiescot

*MayBee70*, your local vet will have an arrangement with another practice to provide 24/7 care in an emergency.

The trouble is that emergency care can be a long way away, dreadful for sick or injured animals and almost impossible for owners who do not drive. The practice I was with offered emergency care through another provider which involved a trip along the M62, to a place only accessible from here by car. We changed practices to one that provides emergency cover locally 2 weeks out of 3, though the third week would involve a 30 min journey to another town. Fingers crossed we won’t need that.

I was just thinking that MayBee70

It sounds like what it’s like to be taken sick in the USA. Why does everything over here seem to eventually follow the worst bits of America?

As far as I knew vets generally don’t ask for a lump sum up front if the client is an established customer with pet insurance. If they do I’d be pretty annoyed with them!

My son rang me in a distressed state one Easter weekend. His kitten was very poorly and needed to be admitted to hospital. He had to pay £1,500 upfront which he didn't have, and could I help.
Fortunately it was refunded but it certainly made a bad situation worse.

I had a friend who saved some money each month into a separate account for her dog. When her dog eventually died of old age she was able to pay for her cataract operation withe the savings!