Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: MBll on April 21, 2007, 11:30:41 AM
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Only had these cats 10/11 month & so far iv paid out over £200 OMG lol :Crazy:
Jeuses just think i could have got a new washing machine for that lol :innocent:
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just think wat u get in return though :Luv: :Luv: :Luv: :Luv: :Luv:
a washing macine wont give u that :Crazy:
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A least you have paid the vet bills. today has been a nightmare and it is only lunch time, i have received 2 calls about injured cats. Of course I say you need to contact a vet immediately, all without exception have said but I am on benefits. So it would appear it is my problem. Everyone swear blind that they will pay back, few do. Is there any wonder why we really don't like to home cats where there are already pets in the home and the family are on benefits?
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So they are coming to you for help with vet bills you could at least point them in the directon of the PDSA. Just because some people are on benefits dosnt mean they dont love their pets and accidents happen. You cant associate all people on benefits with being scum, there are a lot of mothers on benefits because they want to look after their kids and people that are old and cant get employment, dosnt mean your any less of a person.
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You cant associate all people on benefits with being scum, there are a lot of mothers on benefits because they want to look after their kids and people that are old and cant get employment, dosnt mean your any less of a person.
I would not dream to think so, but it is irresponsible to home more cats when a family is on benefits and has to rely on charities for help.
So they are coming to you for help with vet bills you could at least point them in the directon of the PDSA. Just because some people are on benefits dosnt mean they dont love their pets and accidents happen
It would be a waste of time asking people to ring the PDSA as the nearest PDSA clinics are in Sheffield and Nottingham and they will not deal with pets from our Town To register with the one vet who will do PDSA work you have to live in a certain post code area and and even then you can only register 1 pet and the pet needs to be well at the time of registration, once registered it takes about 1 month for the registration to come through before your pet can receive treatment.
It will be Mirphys law that if a pet is sick it would be one that was not registered.
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True, but they are asking for help with vets bills not for you to rehome a cat to them. You can be on a low wage and still get housing and council tax benefit, which means you would be eligable for help from the PDSA. They would be working but still getting benefits, would you not home to them either?
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True, but they are asking for help with vets bills not for you to rehome a cat to them. You can be on a low wage and still get housing and council tax benefit, which means you would be eligable for help from the PDSA. They would be working but still getting benefits, would you not home to them either
Cats Protection is not here to pay peoples vet bills, when people donate to Cats Protection it is for Cats Protection cats, spending CP money on owned cats is misappropriation of funds and we could get into trouble with the Charity Commission if the money is not spent for the purpose it was given. The money used for vouchers that can be given for owned cats is a different funding.
As previously advised round here and indeed in many parts of the country the PDSA is not free for all. You can be on every benefit under the sun but you can still only register one pet and only if you live in certain post codes.
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Well must say im on benfits & always covered vet bills even if i have to go short myself & on many times i have . For anyone having animals wither they are on benfits or not it is down to them/their responsibility to deal with any vet bills etc if they cant or dont wont to then they should not have animals.
If on benifits they should ask their vet about having an account with them as pdsa are a charity & are limited on treatments etc as they dont do such things as nueter etc. I could have got vouchers from the cat proctectiion for nuetering but didnt, i can have pdsa treatment but dont
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Well must say im on benfits & always covered vet bills even if i have to go short myself & on many times i have . For anyone having animals wither they are on benfits or not it is down to them/their responsibility to deal with any vet bills etc if they cant or dont wont to then they should not have animals.
Well done you, unfortunately many people do not think like that.
If on benifits they should ask their vet about having an account with them
Unfortunately nowadays there are not many vets who will allow accounts as so many people have let them down and they are owed thousands, shame really as that spoils it for everyone else.
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Course's for horses and all that.
I do get help from the pdsa with 1 of my cats because he has ongoing treatment, I could have another 2 cats registered but I dont. I only use the pdsa to get help with Ollies existing condition, and anything else he goes to a private vets, and its the same with all the rest of my cats.
I have had them all neutered, microchipped and they get their yearly jabs at the private vets, which costs £100 a year.
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Course's for horses and all that.
You should have had the Grand National on your mind, Horses for courses ;D Which as you know means means that what is suitable for one person or situation might be unsuitable for another. I am sure you understand that we in rescue must know that a home is suitable for our little ones and that includes being able to ensure vet care if needed.
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With emergencies and vets not offering accounts, I think this is the reason many people turn to the PDSA. And yes some people do just abuse it and think they have the right.
If someone doesn't want to pay vet bills should their animal get sick, they are the sorts of people who shouldn't have pets.
Mags, sometimes its just a case of not being able to afford expensive treatment, where as they can afford routine things. Things arise and you cant always be prepared, some people just don't have hundreds in the bank. In these cases it doesn't mean you shouldn't have pets. You have to do whats best for the animal by any means, even if it does mean getting help from a charity.
I do agree with what your saying Ela, people should not be phoning you asking for you to pay vets bills, I think some people just don't understand what your charity is about.
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These folk that say they cant afford vet bills but think nothing of buying designer labels for their brats, smoking, drinking & bingo......now if they have the money for these then they dam well have money for vet bills etc. It is bloody wrong to have animals & expect others to pay for them.
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So if an emergency arises and the private vets wont give you an account, and you could get help from a charity what should they do?
I use the pdsa, I dont expect anyone to pay for his treatment and I always leave a £10 donation when Im there, which covers the cost of his medicines, they are only a fraction of the cost at the pdsa where as at the private vets they cost a lot more.
I take my other cats to a private vets should anything be wrong. So I can afford their treatment but not the treatment for Ollies existing condition, surely this isnt wrong? I just see it as me doing my best for him.
I dont buy designer labels go to bingo or drink, I do smoke though but Im not a chimney.
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Mags, sometimes its just a case of not being able to afford expensive treatment, where as they can afford routine things. Things arise and you cant always be prepared, some people just don't have hundreds in the bank. In these cases it doesn't mean you shouldn't have pets. You have to do whats best for the animal by any means, even if it does mean getting help from a charity.
No im not saying dont use a charity if someone needed expensive vet treatment & this was the only option for them then use it & paypback later. But dont just leave it as it wont go away.
I dont have hundreds in the bank but do try & put whatever i can even if its only a fiver a week in if/when something comes up. If i needed to pay a expensive vet bill & didnt have enough money to cover it ...Id panic big time & cry alot lol BUT i would find the money SOMEHOW even if i have to go into debt lol
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If i needed to pay a expensive vet bill & didnt have enough money to cover it ...Id panic big time & cry alot lol BUT i would find the money SOMEHOW even if i have to go into debt lol
All credit to you, but if you only know how many times I hear the words but I am on benefits, what are you going to do about it you would be amazed. I do feel sorry for people in that position, well some anyway, others do nothing to try to improve the situation and think the world owes them a living. Or at least that I should fund their vet bills as it is their right. Sadly the bottom line is if I don't help the cat may suffer so I am sure you know that I would never let that happen.
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Well I suppose thats ok.
Like I said I only use the pdsa as his meds are a fraction of the cost, so really Im still paying for them only at a cheeper price. Believe me if I had the money to pay what the PV charged he would go there. And I take him and my others to the PV if anything comes up, I only use the pdsa for Ollies ongoing condition. I think that they are there to help, I dont think I have the right and abuse that by taking them all there.
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This is an issue thats not got an answer. I do understand what is being said about people having animals that cant afford them but a blanket statement of people on benefits shouldnt have pets I feel is totally wrong. I have been working since I was 15, full time since 17 and at 30 I got glandular fever and worked through it. Since 1999 I have been off ill with ME and on benefits. Last year because of a tax mix up I had to live all year on £25 a week which after feeding 2 cats, me, heating, and running a car was impossible and meant I now have no savings at all. When Mogs needed treatment last week I really could afford it and it cost £280 in total with boosters etc. I dont have that money so it HAD to go on my emergency credit card. I will be paying it off now for the next 6 months and praying that anything else that happens will be covered by the £16 a month insurance I pay for Mogs.
Now when I got cats I was working on average a 40 hour week, when I got ill what was I supposed to do re home them? At the time they were the only thing that made me get up in the morning and they are the reason I still have my own flat and didnt move home with my parents. Last year I stopped smoking because of money worries, I rarely drink, I dont gamble in fact the internet is my only luxery as Im prepared to give things up for my cats. I cant afford to give to charities like on here, or feed my cats top of the range highly expensive food but I do my best to keep them healthy and happy, and as much as I would love to help with fostering or rescueing another cat I dont have the space or the money si I dont do it.
Basically Im saying you have to give people credit for having some brains even if they are on benefits. People with full time jobs and lots of money still take animals to vets or rehoming centres because they dont want to spend money on them not because they havent got the money. If someone asks for help then there is a chance they might be desparate and you might be their last hope and to be treated like sponging scum isnt helpful.
I hope I havent offended anyone this is just how I feel
love
Tab
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I totally agree with you Tab, things change and you can only do your best.
Last week my friend was given a cat as her owner couldnt afford the vets bills, they own their own business, more like they didnt want to pay.
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to be treated like sponging scum isnt helpful.
Is that what my post is coming across as?
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Not at all I think the thread has wandered from your topic as I totally understand about how much they cost. Thats what I was trying to say you cant plan for everything and even with insurance not everythings covered as I found out this week.
My post was really about when anyone complains about money it feels as though someone will always suggest that people on benefits shouldnt have pets and thats the bit that gets to me. Maybe I am over sensitive about being on benefits.....well actually I KNOW I am but the point is that not everyone is the same.
love
Tab
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Now when I got cats I was working on average a 40 hour week, when I got ill what was I supposed to do re home them?
I am sure the person who made the statement did not mean people who are in a position like you, that is their circumstances unfortunately change through no fault of their own after they have pets.
People with full time jobs and lots of money still take animals to vets or rehoming centres because they dont want to spend money on them not because they havent got the money.
You are not wrong but at least then we can spend our money on Cats Protection cats and find them a home who deserves them.
If someone asks for help then there is a chance they might be desperate and you might be their last hope and to be treated like sponging scum isnt helpful.
I would never treat anyone like scum but people cannot expect us to pay their vet bills. Althoug as advised I would never see a cat suffer and have spent hundreds of my own money in these cases. We also have to ensure we have the funds to pay for all our own cats in care, and to help those out there who have no one. The Purpose of Cats Protection is to rescue, rehabilitate and regime.
Because you are perhaps a nice person and do not have to deal with the demands of requests for help you don't understand how aggressive some of these people are when they ring up and demand we pay the vets for treatment to their pets because they are on benefits. Some actually say I am on benefits its your responsibility.
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Well these people are daft not to realise that the pet is their responsibilty.
I think Ela and Mags are meaning the sorts of people that go ahh when they see a kitten and just get 1 regardless and dont think that the ahh's can turn into argh's.
I get the hump a bit when things like this come up, and although me and you are on benefits we are caring owners, I dont like being put into a catogory which seems to happen when benefits are brought up.
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Some actually say I am on benefits its your responsibility.
How the hell do they make that out? Next time someone says that you ask them how they come up with that cos i would be very interested in their answer......& ask them whos responisblity it is for the kids they have, etc frickin morons
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How the hell do they make that out? Next time someone says that you ask them how they come up with that cos i would be very interested in their answer
I would love to ask them but unfortunately for the sake of the cat I can't.
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It seems bit pointless saying thisbut was going to say even with small pets theres vet bills as one of me rats while back cost over £100 & few days later she had to be pts as nothing more could be done for her
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My post was really about when anyone complains about money it feels as though someone will always suggest that people on benefits shouldnt have pets and thats the bit that gets to me.
I don't think they should not have them but do they they should think very carefully about adding more. I often get people ring me up asking for a cat, they have up to 6 plus many other pets and are on benefits and perhaps have asked me to pay vet bills in the past. I am sure you can understand that in these circumstances I cannot home another little one, although I am sure they will get one from somewhere. Many of the cats we take in have come in from such families and it would be irresponsible to re-home them into a similar situation. There are those on benefits like yourselves who would move heaven and earth to ensure their pet has the best medical attention possible. It is not a blanket no you cannot have a cat if you are on benefits but each case has to be considered on its merit.
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So they are coming to you for help with vet bills you could at least point them in the directon of the PDSA. Just because some people are on benefits dosnt mean they dont love their pets and accidents happen. You cant associate all people on benefits with being scum, there are a lot of mothers on benefits because they want to look after their kids and people that are old and cant get employment, dosnt mean your any less of a person.
I've not read the whole thread but I think Ela is basically saying, whether on benefits or not, if they have an animal, they should at least be able to cover any expenses that may arise........this is called being a responsible owner. Obviously unexpected bills are a nightmare but I think for the pets sake, these should be taken into account when taking them on. My vet bills are huge at the moment but I'm lucky in that I can pay as and when and I appreciate that not everyone can do that with their vets.
I was really annoyed at someone last night and I did give them a piece of my mind. The people who I had Jake and George off, or I should say the people that had thrown them out, were in the vets with a rotty last night, very underweight, not spayed, 7 years old, full of tumours :censored: :censored: They told the vet they had found the dog 4 days prior, they have no money and say they want to keep the dog.......I am convinced this poor dog was there when I took Jake and George from there.........these are the people that don't deserve animals, they treat them like possessions and get rid when it suits.
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Sadly, this has been taken off the subject that Mbll meant it to be, how about we get this thread back on topic?
I fully agree with you about the cost of them Mbll - Tiger has cost me around £300 this year, and we still haven't got to the bottom of the limping, so she could end up costing more, fortunately i do have pet insurance, so they have covered nearly £100 of that. I have been in the situation where the credit card has been maxed and then having to use the overdraft - certainly wasn't something that was mentioned to me when I adopted the second cat, mine have cost at least £200 per cat just on vets, never mind flea and worm, food and litter, and it is the reason I can only own two animals, as I invarably get an ill one, even when I adopted a 5 year old, she cost over £200 in 8 months.
Tab - what company do you have your pet insurance with? Is that just for one of the cats?
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lol thats ok Desley ...i just posted out of shock surprise :Crazy: asi didnt relies i spent that much on a short time lol
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I remember that feeling - everytime the insurance paid out for Pebbles last year I was shocked, because all of them were bits here and there, you dont realise just how much it comes to!!
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lol i dont have insurance for anything :innocent:
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Id like to add i think the pdsa is a god send and i dont think anyone should feel guilty for going there if they r on a low income/bennifets etc thats what the pdsa is for ,
it doesnt mean ur any less of a person or an animal lover just because u go to the pdsa ,the pdsa are fully qualified vets after all ,
ela when people ring u up asking u to pay there vets bills i think u should say to them
"yes of course " "but obviously u will have to sign the cat over to us if u r saying u cannot afford to pay for a vet "
also suggest they register with the pdsa and or get some pet insurance ,
ela i think ur bang out of order saying u dont like rehoming a cat to a familey on bennifets
so whatt if they do use the pdsa for there cat at least they care enough to take the cat to a vet ,yes it is a charity but they r there to help and u r asked to make a donation of at least £5 each time so its not as if u r getting a freebie is it ,£5 maybe all someone can afford after theyve paid for travel expenses to get the cat there in the first place .
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ela when people ring u up asking u to pay there vets bills i think u should say to them
"yes of course " "but obviously u will have to sign the cat over to us if u r saying u cannot afford to pay for a vet "
also suggest they register with the pdsa and or get some pet insurance ,
Where do you suggest I get all the money to pay the bills if they won't sign over the cat, and if they do where (without being rude) do you suggest I put it? (There could be 3 or 4 in any given day). As explained we have no PDSA clinics and you can only register one pet with the PDSA. if you live in certain Post Codes. if the cat is ill it needs attention now not in a months time and thats if the person is eligible and the registration has come through. In many cases even if the pet was insured the people would not be able to pay the initial £50 or so fee.
Sorry to repeat some of the above info in both paras but it appears not to have been understood, perhaps I did not make it clear in previous postings.
ela i think ur bang out of order saying u dont like rehoming a cat to a familey on bennifets
so whatt if they do use the pdsa for there cat at least they care enough to take the cat to a vet ,yes it is a charity but they r there to help and u r asked to make a donation of at least £5 each time so its not as if u r getting a freebie is it ,£5 maybe all someone can afford after theyve paid for travel expenses to get the cat there in the first place .
I have a responsibility to the cats and if someone has a number of animals then I am afraid they will not get a cat from me. If you read the previous posts you will know that in this area you can only register one pet and that is if you live in certain post codes. We do not have a PDSA hospital where you can take more pets. Also unfortunately the PDSA purse is not an endless pot and it would not be right for a charity to re-home a cat knowing full well that another charity would need to be asked to help should the need arise.
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if they dont want to sign the cat over then tell them its not ur responsilbity to pay a vet bill
people will have to understand ur not a fairy godmother who will pay for other peoples animals when they click there fingers
as for this "not rehoming a cat to people on bennifets"
what if they had no animals and the one they wanted to adopt would b there only pet then they could register with the pdsa
or is that still not good enough ?????????
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Sadly, this has been taken off the subject that Mbll meant it to be, how about we get this thread back on topic?
I fully agree with you about the cost of them Mbll - Tiger has cost me around £300 this year, and we still haven't got to the bottom of the limping, so she could end up costing more, fortunately i do have pet insurance, so they have covered nearly £100 of that. I have been in the situation where the credit card has been maxed and then having to use the overdraft - certainly wasn't something that was mentioned to me when I adopted the second cat, mine have cost at least £200 per cat just on vets, never mind flea and worm, food and litter, and it is the reason I can only own two animals, as I invarably get an ill one, even when I adopted a 5 year old, she cost over £200 in 8 months.
Tab - what company do you have your pet insurance with? Is that just for one of the cats?
Sorry about the off topic bit.
Yes I pay £15.99 a month for Mogs only. Its with More Than and because of her age I have a high excess and a percentage charge of the payment so its getting to the point where its costing me more than I get back. I cant cancel though as she has high blood pressure so needs check ups and tablets.
love
Tab
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On the issue of insurance m&s have an option of excess or no excess
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Thats who Ive changed Amber to as Ive never claimed for her and saved £20 over the year, although I did it nearly as week ago and havent had any docs yet.
love
Tab
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if they dont want to sign the cat over then tell them its not ur responsilbity to pay a vet bill
Easier said than done, it would then be a concern as to what would happen to the cat, and I cannot live with those thoughts. I think that is about where this all started. Don't lets go there again. ;D
what if they had no animals and the one they wanted to adopt would b there only pet then they could register with the pdsa
or is that still not good enough ?????????
It would depend where they live, as advised a few times the PDSA does not cover all our area and also the only vet that does PDSA is a vet who I personally would not take a dying flea as we get so many complaints about misdiagnosis and a vet who once said he would rather put an unneutered tom to sleep than castrate it.
If someone really wanted a cat and were in a position to offer a good home we would be willing to consider homing an indoor cat that we pay certain vets fees for e.g a FIV cat, a Golden Oldie
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Shame you can't swap Tab - my two are 13 and 14, and the total per month is less than what you are paying for her. ARe the blood pressure meds expensive? I know the blood pressure test isn't.
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My goodness the vet would rather put an unneutered tom to sleep than castrate it, did he mean an older cat or just kittens also? Shocking all the same. He is no vet!
Talking to my vet this week about frontline and asked the difference between them both he said "Im not too sure about the combo being any better I just think its more expensive and I dont see the point in putting more product on the cat when its not going to make more difference".
Frontline cost's around £24 and the combo costs around £28 for 6 packs at my vets, just goes to show how much they are over charging as you can buy the frontline for around £16 from Vet UK.
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My goodness the vet would rather put an unneutered tom to sleep than castrate it, did he mean an older cat or just kittens also? Shocking all the same. He is no vet!
Pass, I have no idea, it was said to the Co-ordinator before me.
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The tablets cost me about £60 a year so its less than the insurance its just that if anything else happened to Mogs that was connected Id have a problem if I changed insurance.
love
Tab
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Vets seem to be of a different breed these days. I can remember when I first became involved with cat rescue there were 4 vets in the area and they were all sympathetic to rescue work. One in particular that I used to use was very generous and we had quite a few free treatments from him. All these vet are now retired. I live in a different area now but vets here are reluctant to give any discount let alone free treatment. There are several vets in the area but they all operate in a similar way - charge for everything possible! On the occasions I have been to the vet they usually try to include some extra item that is not really necessary but I always check what things are for and refuse if I am not happy. My last visit was with one of my cats with a sore leg. The vet confirmed that the leg was not broken unless it was a tiny bone in the paw. He wanted to take the cat in for an x-ray. These would mean anaesthetic, and some other drugs and would have cost about £175!
When I asked what could be done if he had broken a tiny paw bone I was told nothing it would have to be rested until better. I refused the xray and kept "Bean" confined for a week or so. His leg is completely back to normal.
Recently I had to take a cattery cat to the vet with an upset tummy. He was prescibed some antibiotics but they also wanted to prescribe some pro-biotic at £10. This seems to be some new money spinner, cats never used to be prescribed this. If really necessary would not yoghurt do. Of course I said no thanks and the cats was completely back to normal without it in about 2 days.
Lynn
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And another thing that gets me is a charge for a consultation. At my vets they have open surgery times where you can take your animal to be seen and not get charged for a consultation, all other times you do and I think all vets should do open surgery times and not many do so you have paid £20 before you even start.
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Tbh I think it's perfectly fair to charge a consultation fee - you're paying for their time and you wouldn't get a consultation with a private human doctor, dentist etc for free (in fact a friend of mine recently saw a private doctor about something and had to pay about £400 for one consultation). If you didn't then vets would have to make up the shortfall by charging more for treatment and it if that was the only way they could make money then it would immediately make me suspicious whether treatment recommended was necessary - after all, a clinic full of consultations with no treatment would then mean no income. Even if it's an open surgery (my vets don't do open surgeries, it's appt only) you are still taking up their time.
It's nice if vets can offer discounts etc for rescues but I don't think anyone should expect a vet to give services for free any more than we should expect any other individual to give away money. It's nice when people can and do give money to charity (animal or otherwise) but I'm not going to start criticising my friends, neighbours and colleagues for not giving money to charity so I don't feel right that I should criticise anyone else for not giving stuff for free.
Lynn - I think probiotics are great. Really helped my Jaffa when he had loose stools and nothing else worked (I tried yogurt but it didn't work as well as the probiotic). Antibiotics can result in an upset stomach so I'm not sure the vet was just after a money spinner. Most things are cheaper at somewhere like vetuk because they don't have the overheads of an actual vet practice, although I do wonder whether vets will eventually start charging less for non prescription items if they feel they're losing business by charging more. Having said that, I recently got some Advantage from my vets and when I compared the price on vetuk it was only about £1 less so not a huge difference.
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We must be lucky Lynn, our vets do give us discounts, both mine and the rescues (mine was only cos I asked for it though, it was to help out when I didn't have the car), and my vet does work with me when it comes to my own cats - although seeing as they get anywhere from £500 upwards from me each year, I suppose the odd free consult is nothing!!
I agree with Susanne that I dont mind paying a consultation fee, although I have been shocked at it in the past, I went for about a year with having it included with other stuff, so when I had that by itself, I was shocked at £20!! They do have to pay for wages, rent, electricity, etc and that money has to come from somewhere.
As for places like VetUK, I did ask the rescue's vet about this, and he said they couldn't charge any less than they do, as they can't buy in bulk as much as those places can, plus less overheads, so they can't compete. But, you always have people who have pets and no internet access, so they will still get the custom - I know all the staff at my vets buy them from the vets, despite it being cheaper on line.
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Something else I have noticed is that vet bills for my sheep seem to be cheaper compared to my cats and dog. Could it be vets charge what they feel they can? Pet owners pay up because they care about their pets whereas farmers deal in economics. If it is cheaper to slaughter an animal than treat it that is what they usually do. So vets cannot make unnecessaily high charges.
Lynn
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And another thing that gets me is a charge for a consultation. At my vets they have open surgery times where you can take your animal to be seen and not get charged for a consultation,
At my vets it is appointment only although I know many vets that also have open surgeries, however, all have a consultation fee.
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I'm really lucky in both my vets, I don't pay consultation and also in the new vets I get a 10% discount on any medications that I have. Also, for spays and neuters, the price they quote is just for the op and then you've got the antibiotic and painkiller jabs on top........I don't get charged for the jabs, just for the ops. I think it all depends on the relationship you have with your vet, I've always got on well with mine but I am also a cheeky princess, if they want my business, they do have the competition of the other vets and vice versa which does help...........I can use this to my advantage :evillaugh:
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I dont know if I get charged a consultation fee I just assumed I did. When Mogs had her dental last week I was quoted £220 as the highest it would be. When I collected her it was £165 as she didnt need a drip or teeth out. When I had to take her back the next day she was examined and had 3 injections but the vet said there was no charge. I was really impressed
love
Tab
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My vets do charge an appointment fee but within open surgery times its free to get them seen.
I helped my friend get her cats neutered and at the vets she used they charged a consultation fee to have a look at them before the op which I dont think is fair.
Im not saying dont charge a consultation fee just have some open surgery times.
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My vets do charge an appointment fee but within open surgery times its free to get them seen.
So are you saying, if you took a cat to the vets say if your cat was sneezing, they would just charge you say £5 for an injection and perhaps £8 for 10 synalux?
Or if you thought your cat was not quite right they would give it a thorough MOT and if they did not find anything wrong you would not have to pay a penny?
Or is the appointment fee comparable to a consultation fee?
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You know I have never had an appointment at my vets I always go within open surgery times to avoid the charge.
Open surgery times are 11.00- 11.30 and 3.00- 4.00 every day. Within these times no consultation fee is charged but if you make an appointment then you will be charged a consultation fee. You get the same standard of care wether at open surgery or an appiontment, and yes you do have to pay for all treatment recieved.
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Ooooo thats good no consultation fee
they dont do anything like that down here >:(
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Yes it is really good and if there is nothing wrong with the animal you have paid nothing. ;D
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Yes it is really good and if there is nothing wrong with the animal you have paid nothing.
To be honest t is the first time I have every heard of anything like that.
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£10 for probiotic is a bit steep. I bought 100 tabs in holland & barrett last week for £8.00. bearing in mind a cat has a much smaler dose, it should be pennies. I will look into dosages and see if I can find an unflavoured one for clapton. I understand that antibiotics kill good as well as bad bacteria - probably explains why I needed to buy some as I was on them 2 weeks ago for my tooth :evillaugh:
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Yes it is really good and if there is nothing wrong with the animal you have paid nothing.
To be honest t is the first time I have every heard of anything like that.
Yea me 2 at my vets u have to pay 27.50 consultation during the week
and if u go to the emergencey clinic on a saturday morning its double :Crazy: :Crazy: :Crazy: :Crazy: :Crazy: :Crazy:
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Our vets charge a consultation fee for each visit but when Blip was stung by a bee, I rushed her round and they removed the sting free of charge. I would have been happy to pay, so I thought that was a nice gesture on their part.
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I'm not sure about this open surgery thing tbh. I wouldn't be convinced my cat was getting the same treatment. If they are just half hour or one hour slots what happens if a lot of people turn up? Do they squeeze everyone in (and make paying customers wait? or give less time to everyone?) or do they tell some people they have to come back another time? I really don't see how a vet can do that everyday unless they are making up the money elsewhere. If treatment is needed do they charge more to make up for the lack of consultation fees? As much as I'd like to not pay I think it reasonable to pay a vet for his/her time. At my vets the initial consultation fee is around £20 (a bit more I think) but follow up consultations are cheaper, and pre/post op checks are included in the cost of the op.
£10 for probiotic is a bit steep.
Depends on the probiotic. I use lacto B which ie especially for pets and costs me around £15 for a tub bought online. It works very well so I'm happy to pay it (well, you know what I mean!)
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OMG 60 replys thats the most iv ever had on something iv posted pmsl
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There is a first time for everything Ela.
Its never overflowing with people when I go except for a sat morning. Obviuosly most peeps will have to make appointments with getting out of work etc.
When I go people are in the room as long as they need to be and although there could be a few people waiting they always get seen. The vets dont make any less of a judgement because its free time.
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Seems a bit unfair to me that some people have to pay and some don't, tbh.
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They could go at open surgery times or make an appointment its their choice.
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Surely everyone would go during the free time
and they would have a whole waiting room full of cats n dogs and then the times u had to pay there would be only 1 or 2
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I personally wouldnt' want an open surgery for the cats - my docs do this in the morning (Apps in the afternoon) and I have sat around for 3 hours waiting to be seen, it wasn't too bad for me, as I can sit there with a book, but I wouldnt want to do that in the vets with a cat - we had to wait nearly an hour last Mon as they had had an emergency and were behind, and that was hard enough on Tiger.
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Well its the persons choice, maybe they dont get many appointments so thats why they have open surgery? I dont know Im not the owner lol.
Des they have set times so will see you a little before hand and a little after you dont wait hours. And its not massively busy when I go.
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they do an open surgery at my vets for an hour in morning and hour in the evening
but obviously u do still have to pay the consultation fee , ive been to the open clinics before and the most ive had to wait is 50mins which was ok as i was just waiting for molly to be weighed for her spot on wormer , but i wouldnt be happy waiting all that time if one of mine was ill .
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Waiting all what time Lisa? Des said she was at docs for 3 hours nothing about vets.
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the 50 minutes i waited with molly in my vets open clinic
she wasnt ill just had to be weighed
but i said i wouldnt be happy waiting all that time if one of mine was ill
i wasnt on about wat des said about the dr
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I think the most I've ever waited is about 25- 35 mins, a sat morning. Other times its not so busy so get seen quite quick.
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They could go at open surgery times or make an appointment its their choice.
If people can't make the open surgery times they dont' have a choice so it seems a bit unfair to me that if someone can make it at 9am in the morning they dont' pay but if they can't (and either cant' make the later surgery or consider it too urgent to wait that long) they end up paying. I can't help feeling everyone should pay the same.
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In both mine, you can either book an appointment or it's open surgery 3 times daily. If it's an emergency, then I usually phone and take them straight in but I know as a rule there is always a consultation fee. If they've seen the animal before for the same ailment then I think the consultation price is half.
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The vets in question here must b losing a lot of money though imo
lets face it u have to pay for everything these days
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"in the old " days many if not most vets did open surgerys as the norm, gradually most have switched to appointments only as they can control their time and schedule their lives far easier and it is SUPPOSED to quit the stress (ha ha) and long waits.
However as far as i am aware you always pain the normal consultation fee what ever that was at the time as you were having a consultation regardless.
The vets i now HAVE to use (ie not ones i have worked in or know on a personal basis) use appointments as the norm but saturday mornings in on open basis from 9 - 10.30 am (not sure about evenings if they perhaps still do that then aswell)
city vets in aberdeen as far as i know all do appointments only systems.
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I suppose its a little unfair for people who cant make open surgery times but I feel the vets give this option as some people cant afford to pay a consultation fee aswell as the treatment.
How could there be open surgery if you had to pay a consultation fee? Surely then that would be an appointment? :-:
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wheather is an appointment or open surgery
the vet charges the client for there time
is it a private vet or is it an rspca funded one ?
because the rspca funded one we have is in southampton and u even have to pay a consultation fee there although its a little cheaper then the private vets .
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well thats where i dont understand what you mean..ie take my vets on saturday mornings.. they open between hours of 9 - 10.30 am and you do not have to book an appointment. You go and get seen of a first come first serve basis. the vet takes you into their consulting room and does everyting exactly as they would during work week days with a specific appointment time.. you are still having a full consultation but only you dont have to pre book an exact time to come along.
does that make sense.
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How could there be open surgery if you had to pay a consultation fee? Surely then that would be an appointment? :-:
I assume an open surgery for most just means you have no specific appt and will be seen in order of arrival, not that you don't pay. An appointment just means you will be seen at a specific time, subject to previous consultations over running, and are less likely to have to wait. Bit like at the doctors (mine is appt only there too but some hold open surgeries.
I think my main problem with this is that I'm sure the vets will be getting the money back in some other way. Maybe the consultation fee for those being seen outside of open surgeries is higher than it might otherwise be if everyone paid.
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Private vets.
How can they say is open surgery if you have to pay for their time? Whats the difference between open surgery times and apointments? Someone please enlighten me Im getting a bit confused now.
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cc "open surgery" to my mind (having worked in the industry for years lol) and obviously to susannes is merely a set time ie 2 pm - 4 pm where anyone can turn up with their animals and wait to be seen on a first come basis, you are however still having a proper consultation only you are going to have more of a wait than if you had been written in an appointments book for ie 2.30pm where you'd expect to be seen at precisly 2.30pm unless the previous appointment before you has over ran.
I do not understand what you mean by open surgery where you do not expect to pay. no private vet is going to give a consultation and not charge for his time, after all this is his bread and butter.
PS modified to say, there would be a BIG difference in "open surgery" to "free surgery" LOL
open does not mean free !
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Yeh - that's what I meant. Open surgery doesn't mean free surgery, it just means a surgery where you can turn up without an appt. That's why a few people have said their vets have an open surgery but they still pay a consultation charge. Open surgery or appointment just refers to the system. Most people pay for their consultation whether they attend an open surgery or have an appointment for a specific time.
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AGREE ;D
my goodness how can something so simple get made out to be so complicated :rofl:
as far as i am aware only charity organisations ie pdsa would ever give FREE surgerys and even then you are MEANT to give donations.
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Right, when you take your cat for their jabs or wormers etc is that a consultation?
I took Harry last week for his first jabs at open surgery time and only had to pay for them and a health check was done before hand.
Its like Lynn said only you dont have to pay for what comes out of their mouths.
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Normally when you take a cat for vaccinations/health check the consultation fee is included in the price. I pay about £25 or so (maybe a bit more) for booster vaccinations which includes the health check. There isn't an additional consultation fee. But for anything else there is. except ops. Like when I took Mosi to be neutered the vet checked him over first but there wasn't an additional fee for that as the price for neutering includes pre op check and post op check. Follow up consultations are usually cheaper than the first consutation.
Every time you see a vet you are having a consultation and the consultation fee is what you pay for their time and advice.
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when i take mine for worm/flea treatment its free to see the vet yes its also free to see the vet when getting them chipped
and the obesity clinic is free where i get molly weighed but if u seethe vet for anything else u have to pay .
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i forgot too add when u take them for there jabs u just pay for the jabs at my vets anyway lol
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Sorry ladies posted that 1 before I read the replys. :shy:
The PDSA do charge a consultation fee but thats in with the donation. They only do apointments also.
Lynn people must of not been giving a donation at the 1 I go to because they have now closed the little post boxes and you give it to the receptionist. Shocking some people.
Right so am I or am I not getting charged a consultation fee? Do you only get charged for things medical like ongoing illness and not for regular things like jabs etc?
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assume an open surgery for most just means you have no specific appt and will be seen in order of arrival,
That is my understanding of open surgery, where you could just sit and have to wait hours to be seen as there are loads of people in front of you.
took Harry last week for his first jabs at open surgery time and only had to pay for them and a health check was done before hand.
That is dofferent I think at all vets the injection price is the price you pay and no consultation fee on top. After all you are not really having a consultation as you know what you want, although I expect many vets like mins do give an MOT at this time.
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the only times where you do not routinely pay for a "consultation" fee as such is at vaccine appoinmtents where the whole price is made up and will basically include a fee to cover the vets time (each and every vaccine jab should have a basic animal health check first !!). Also follow up post op appointments are often not charged as you really will have paid for that sort of in with the op price.
if you are seeing a vet for an ongoing medical problem IE chronic renal failure just for example NORMALLY you will pay a consult fee each and every time you visit. However where i used to work if you were being seen for the SAME condition within a very short period of time ie 1-2 wks etc you would pay subsequent consult fees at a reduce rate ie 2nd consult or 3 rd consult..that would depend entirely on vet/owner of practice though as to whether they worked that type of system.
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CC,
a consultation is when the vet looks at your pet and decides if it needs treatment
open surgery just means you dont need an appointment
appointment is the time you expect to be seen
Your practice has open surgery and for some reason decides not to charge you a fee for seeing a vet (a consultation)
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Yes thats right Millys mum :) Lucky me!
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I don't usually take my cats when I get flea or worm meds. I either pick them up when I take them for vaccinations or something else or just call in for them, or buy them online (I tend to buy drontal from vetuk) so then I just pay the price of the meds. Of course if they hadn't been seen in the previous 6 months I might have to take them in and I would imagine that in theory I should be charged for that consultation but in practice since they are just following the law that requires the animal having been seen in the previous 6 months they may just give them a quick look over and not charge anything for that. I think the basic rule is that whenever you consult a vet you generally pay a consultation fee. If you are having a previously booked procedure carried out, eg an op, vaccinations... then the consultation fee tends to be included in the price of that procedure. Similarly follow up consulations are usually at a reduced price or may be free depending on circumstances and the individual vet. I've never been in a position when I've had to return for a 2nd consualtion, other than post op checks for Mosi's neutering and Jaffa's dental.
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My vets do a free flea/worm app, and things like weigh ins, follow ups are free, as they are done with the nurse. Pay consults for most things though, although they are currently classing Tiger's jabs as over the counter injection so only paying £6 a go. They have had nearly £400 from me this year already though!!