MM. He wasn't talking about you. Just the vet who charged £4.5k to fix a broken leg. What do YOU think about THAT vet?

Well 20% is VAT for a start
So £3600 in costs
I understood the dog had two broken legs? I maybe wrong on this one!
Just a run down on costs
Orthopaedic surgery- the person who operated on this is the real deal. A proper orthopaedic vet.
Not a general practitioner... So that expertise in itself costs....
Right let's do some number crunching
First consult £25??
General anaesthetic to X-ray £100- remember you have staff to pay for constantly monitoring the animal.
X-rays themselves- easily £25 EACH this dog would need at least 10.
Drugs for pain relief and general anaesthesia £40-50
Fluids for shock, catheter placement, IV giving sets, drip pump use £60
Hospitalisation £20-50 per day depending on how intensive the care needs to be...
Daily pain relief. Need a good opiate every 6hours for this- a dog this size £15 a pop.
Night nurses to look after it. £25/hour
Antibiotics- intravenous if nil by mouth £70 for a dog this size
Dressings- very expensive if using modern casting materials- £20-100 per leg depending on what was needed

Now the surgery side
Staff needed:
Surgeon
Second surgeon
Anaesthetic nurse
Scrub nurse.

Metal work-titanium plates- 120-160 each (cost)
Screws.£17 a bag. (Cost)
Would need at least 2 or three
Time this dog could have been on the table 4-6 hours
So anaesthetic costs again. £150 (oxygen not free, isoflurane to keep it asleep, prob nitrous too for extra pain relief)
Drugs for anaesthetic £50-60
More X-rays during procedure. May have fluoroscopy for intra operative work (mega expensive kit)

Dressings and drains post surgery £120

A nurse to sit with it and hold it's paw (constant monitoring) from the moment it is sedated, to the minute it wakes up.
At least three staff to take it to toilet.... One on front, two supporting back.

Then the surgeons time with the owner. Often orthopaedic surgeons spend hours talking to a client, going through every option.

So before long... You end up with massive bill....
Oh and then the follow up (flow up X-rays under anaesthetic, removing the plates etc)
Most likely included in this dog's bill- many orthopods do.

My real issue with my profession are the CORPORATES.
These chains of practices you see on the telly....
Did you know they have TARGETS!!? I mean how can you have a target in this job!???
Other than making things better...
These chains... Franchises give a cut back to head office...
Independents like me don't! I and many others pass these savings on to my clients.

Righty ho... I'll get off my soap box!
Good night.

Costs certainly mount up, could be more though, I know of a twenty year old girl who has just started her training as a Vet Nurse, currently being paid £6 an hour, (this does not change for working weekends, why), because they deduct part of her pay to cover the training, she also may depending on which branch they send her to for the day, may have 60 mile drive to get there, gets nothing towards the costs of running a car to get there. p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

That's a good Reply MM it's interesting to see what the costs are and a breakdown

What would be the options offered to someone who could not afford the end bill and clearly could not afford?

Do vets offer finance? Clearly it would be a very expensive thing to do knowing that your not going to be paid (in this case senario ) Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

ad210358 wrote:

gets nothing towards the costs of running a car to get there.

Could she not claim against her tax as its not her regular place of work, my daughter is a nurse (medical) and she gets allowances for washing clothes etc. Many don't realise what can be claimed and you can bet your life the tax man won't tell her. Certainly worth looking into.

As for the cost of equipment, it's pretty steep, as for the corporates, hmmm, they do have targets, they are mechanisms to generate income not care unfortunately, that said, we maintain most of their X-ray kit so I ain't complaining

Until last year, lots of practices would offer credit.
Eg pay us £100/month DD/BACS/post dated cheques etc.
However, the consumer credit act changed meaning that we need a licence to offer credit now.
That's £1000 for a company.
So what practices can now offer via a finance company is a way to pay your large bill in instalments over a period of 1-5 years
0% APR.

I suppose in a way thats better for the practice as if the pet owner stops paying, the finance company has the aggro of chasing them.

I wouldn't expect anyone to receive a vets bill of £4500 and not think it over inflated. Never said any vets were uncaring and that they do not do a good job. As has been said, it is surprising how much things cost going by your breakdown. Now, I didn't mean to offend, but I also didn't make any reference to you individually. My main point was that I couldn't believe ANOTHER appeal was being made for the public to feel sorry for, and pay for, someone else's bill!
Although, I did enjoy your WRATH

Ooooo Wizking... Me and my WRATH...
Unfortunately my WRATH is missing an "I"

Steve D, quite right the practice is paid upfront (minus the fee from Finance company) and then the owner can pay as they can afford.

Steve D wrote:

Some policies only cover items once. A friend of ours used to have a horse and they had a few claims on it during the time they owned it. In the end, only one leg was covered as the other three had had claims on them!

Not Petplan if you take out the lifetime cover. It does what it says on the tin.
Further to my above posts, my daughters previous Lab was an ex breeding bitch homed via The Dogs Trust and it turned out that breeder had mated her every year until she was seven and when that litter was all still born dumped her on the Dogs Trust.
Friend of mine (sadly now deceased) who was a Kennel Club judge went ape when he heard about this and tried to find out who the toe rag was to have him expelled from The Kennel Club, as I am sure Mighty Mildred will confirm, bitches should not be mated until they are over 12 months old,and then only on alternate years.
However due having her insured she got top class veterinary care and enjoyed retirement until she was 13.

Would also add another problem which I am sure Mildred will agree with. AN ANIMAL CANNOT DESCRIBE IT SYMTONS to the vet.
OK 2 broken legs are quite obvious but other illnesses are not so easily diagnosed.

Bill Life Honorary Member of Wallasey Motor Club.
Licenced MSA Radio Operator for 35+ years.
Rallying is the only sport.

Hmm. Just looked at Petplan and while it does state that the pet is covered for life, there is no guarantee that the premiums will not increase plus, this little disclaimer concerns me: "Terms, conditions and excesses apply and may be varied at renewal" If I'm committing to a lifetime policy. I'd expect the terms, conditions and excesses to remain the same for the lifetime of the policy.

They want just over £40 a month for a 3 year old cocker. The headline banner says I get a 10% online discount too. But a few pages in where you are just about to buy, it says that the £40 monthly premium INCLUDES the 10% discount and whats more, the small print also says that the 10% discount is for the first years premium only. So, a minimum of 10% increase next year!

There's nothing to stop them upping the premium as your pet gets older or slapping 'conditions' or massive excesses on it is there?

No real difference from my car policy. Sure, that will protect me for life if I stay with them, It'll even protect my 'no claims bonus' but if I claim, the basic premium WILL rise and so will my excess!

I have 'covered for life' with Aviva, as long as I renew annually and before it lapses I can claim up to £3500 per year and that includes ongoing. Yes, as the pet ages so does the risk and your premium will rise for the same cover.
Premium at the moment for my 5 year old dog is £161.00

taztastic wrote:

ad210358 wrote:

gets nothing towards the costs of running a car to get there.

Could she not claim against her tax as its not her regular place of work, my daughter is a nurse (medical) and she gets allowances for washing clothes etc. Many don't realise what can be claimed and you can bet your life the tax man won't tell her. Certainly worth looking into.