Covid has a lot to answer for

What’s it got to do with COVID? Only asking!

My pet plan (one dog) costs £16.99 a month now, an increase of 60p a month. Went up just this month. You need to investigate this, it must be a mistake. Nothing to do with covid. Mine covers annual boosters, twice yearly checkups and nail clipping plus 10% off medicines. Doesn’t include worm and flea treatments, which I buy online.

I would be questioning that.and cancelling and going elsewhere.

£16.99 x 12 = £203.88

I guess it depends what the plans cover.

Maybe there’s a shortage of flea/worm/vaccines that isn’t due to covid but something else, and the price has shot up.

growstuff

£16.99 x 12 = £203.88

I guess it depends what the plans cover.

That’s right growstuff. OP’s plan and mine don’t sound quite the same but the cost of mine has only risen by a very small amount. £132 pa sounds very reasonable for all that OP says it covers, vet medicines being so expensive, but the annual rise compared with mine is huge.

I looked at doing this through pets at home vets and iirc it was about £250 a year (for one dog) it is insurance based?

It was through Companion Care at Pets at Home. I mentioned covid because I have found lately that a lot of things have gone up and I get the feeling that companies that have suffered through lockdown are trying to recoup their losses through massive price increases and it's us that are paying for it.

Out of interest do you trust over the counter flea products, my dog was prescribed Advocate through the plan but you can only get this through prescription.

My vet has a different system; I paid a one-off lump sum for each cat after their first year vaccinations, and that covers them for life for annual vaccinations and health check up. Doesn't include worming and flea treatments, but as they are indoor cats, I only need do this before they go into the cattery. I use Advocate, recommended by the vet, safer than over the counter.

I don’t know about pets because I no longer have any, but it’s certainly true that Covid has a lot to answer for. My life seems to have changed in so many ways since Covid and I wonder if I’ll ever get my old life back again.

We currently pay this for our new cats and dogs, plus insurance.
Covid ripped our hearts out not being able to be with all 3 of our animals who were put to sleep in June and July. But life has to move on, even though we would give anything to be back where we were.

Everything is going up!!!

Ooops photo got missed off ......

Things have gone up for sure because of covid. We don’t have a dog, but our dental fees have rocketed! We can see he’s had so much more expense to contend with. Even buying a chlorine humidifier which was expensive. There’s all the cleaning between patients...so less patients.

Doesn’t take much to work out this would be the same for many people providing a service...particularly medical ones.

Different Groups of Vet practices (Ie CVS, IVC etc) have different schemes in place. Ours (CVS) is priced by weight.

I am like you Blue Sapphire, but only one cat

I used to de flea my dog every month, then wondered why.

You can buy Advocate flea treatment on line through good pet retailers without a prescription. I've been doing it for my cat for years with no problems. We've decided this is our last pet now as everything to do with vets is so expensive

From what I have heard about Pets at home plans its a rip off. I personally would not flea and worm my dig every month. I do mine every 2 to 3 months. Too many chemicals and unnecessary. I would cancel it and get your dogs vaccination booster at vets. Buy flea and wormer inline as required.

I paid a one off fee for vaccinations so there is no further cost every year. I also order my advantage flea treatments and worming treatments online as much cheaper. My vet (pets at home) suggested I order online as had 6 to treat and he said it would be cheaper. My dd has 3 cats and has paid the one off fee for vaccs ad well so she doesn't have to worry about the cost every year.

Yes, I think Pets at Home are out to get as much money from their vet service as they can. Our vet said our new puppy had been vaccinated too early by PaH and his little body wouldn't have produced the necessary anti bodies, so we had to start the process all over again.

This is probably veering towards pedantry corner, but here goes.

You can only hold something morally responsible if it has made choices. Covid is a virus and therefore has no moral responsibility, so it doesn’t, and can’t, have anything to answer for.

People who make decisions about choices - retailers, manufacturers, policy makers and so on - make the choices, and they are the ones who should be held accountable.

It does worry me all these chemicals we put on our pets.

And ourselves Josianne.
My Step daughter has had her two covid vaccines and the surgery has invited her for her Flu vaccine,all in the space of 6 months,i`m worried sick.

The age of your dog may have an effect on costs. Once they reach 10 costs seem to rocket.