After the latest operation with Rupert we were recommended to give him lactulose on a daily basis.
This together with encouraging him to drink lots of water may just help to avoid any further problems.
We were given a small bottle to take away after the op but on finding that we were running low I rang the vets for more.
On enquiring the price I was told that it was £9.00 for a 50ml bottle.
I expressed my horror at how expensive this was for such a small bottle and the lovely vets receptionist told me that she has to give this to her dog and she obtained hers from the chemist.
Apparently it is exactly the same stuff (I checked) but.....wait for it.....it costs £3.00 for 300ml.
This means that the bottle they were selling me worked out to 50p
Now, I know they have overheads to meet but I bet they buy their lactulose in huge bottles and it costs them very little.
I don't think the vet would approve of the receptionist giving out snippets like that but I am very grateful to her seeing as Rupert will be on this for life now.
Just another example of how we are overcharged by vets.
Wow, what a difference in price! Glad the receptionist told you that little secret.
ReplyDeleteGood on the receptionist for letting you into 'the know'. It is the same with a lot of GP prescriptions. Just recently the pharmacist handed a prescription back to me saying that the medication the Doctor had prescribed for me was cheaper to buy over the counter and did just that for me! x
ReplyDeleteand the sad news here in USA is we can't buy from the chemist/pharmacy without a prescription... I am always shocked at how much our vets charge for anything they give us. it is highway robbery at how much we have to pay. so glad she told you, this is much better for Rupert. I once needed a drug I could not afford, it was before I was 65 and had medicare. the trainer at the YMCA told me that drug was 1/2 the price if ordered from Canada... she said her husband was a doctor and that he had been to the pharmacy in another country and knew the drug was safe. it tooke longer to get it because of customs, but I got it for a price I could afford.
ReplyDeleteI've always hated the vets for this reason. I was asked for £52 last time I went, no bill to give me a breakdown. I've written the name down of the medication and will buy on line.
ReplyDeleteWow! That's quite a markup!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX-Aa4LQIZA
ReplyDeleteMy aunt bought her lactulose for years from Boots if it's the same stuff.She couldn't go to the loo without x
ReplyDeleteI'm very blessed to have a vet who told me I could use Piriton or Loratadine for my dogs skin allergy, and Sudocream.Saved me a fortune!
ReplyDeleteI believe it! Vets charge a lot more for things than other places.I do not know what this medicine is, it most be different from Lactose. But anyway, I sure hope it works! Here, we have to have a prescription from the doctor for drugs. This lady was your ANGEL, bless her heart!
ReplyDeleteAfter years of having cats I really miss having them around the house but I don't miss the vets' bills one bit, it's nice not to have them for a while:)
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think this is the reason a lot of pets don't get the care they may need because people just can not afford the prices vets charge. That's a crazy amount. I'm glad you are able to get it for a much cheaper price
ReplyDeleteGood title "Vet Fees"... since we just came back from the Vet with Julie, our little 15 year old black and white DSH. She's been having an ear ailment for a while now. I cleaned it out, treated it for ear mites with Revolution and watched it. Still it was pink and she kept shaking it. Finally decided that possibly she had an ear infection and it was hurting her, so took her in today. No mites, but a yeast infection. She came home with medication and a cone (poor baby)... and we're $$$ lighter.
ReplyDeleteIn the top picture, Rupert's legs look fat and bulbous. Bloody long whiskers too. Please take the vet's receptionist a bar of chocolate next time you go there.
ReplyDeleteThat's one heck of a difference in price. Our vet has very reasonable prices for which I am very thankful. When I see the prices some folks have to pay it makes me both angry and sad - often those folks are looking after numerous pets, often strays and animals unwanted by others, and they are being bled dry by vet practices.
ReplyDeleteDoes Rupert take the lactulose with no issues? Does it go in his food?
Luckily he takes it okay, it is a sort of sweet sticky liquid and I mix it into a small amount of his favourite food. He has it three times a day and we are making sure that he has plenty of water.
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ReplyDeleteYou seem to be quite snippy about the issue of how much you have to pay for treatment of your pets. I don't think you have a clue about the costs or business structure of a typical veterinary surgery.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever met a poor vet or a vet who drives a shit car?
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DeleteI noticed a theme forming too. If you can't afford pets, don't have them!
DeleteYorkshire pudding - Brilliant, well informed argument...are you saying that vets SHOULD be 'poor' after getting into significant debt and years of study?
DeleteClearly another person who doesn't know anything about the modern veterinary profession or running a business.
When I'm on my holidays I have visited a vet who has both times charged me half of usual costs.A local lady recommended him to me.It does make me wonder
DeleteKaz, the thing is, there is such a variance in fees from vet to vet, and yet the more reasonable ones never go out of business, so I assume they are making a living wage without gouging pet owners. Are you a vet or do you work in a vet practice? I don't think any of us mind paying a fair price for vet services; it's the over-charging that hurts.
DeleteKaz - I don't make films but I can comment on them can't I? I don't own a vinery but I can comment on bottles of wine. I don't clean hotels but I can comment on the cleanliness of rooms. I notice that you didn't answer my main question - Have you ever met a poor vet? Your failure to answer leads me to assume that your answer would have to be "No!"
DeleteYes Jenny I agree with you there can be a big variety in costs. But then the same can be said for any business; I personally wouldn't go into Waitrose and complain about how expensive it is when I have the choice to shop at a cheaper supermarket. Yes there are few places you can get your pet treated in some areas so you don't have a choice, but again, that applies to any business where it can then have a near monopoly. Vets' fees are unregulated so it's an open market, if people don't like what they pay, then they can buy the services elsewhere, although it might be less convenient for them.
DeleteIt costs significant money to run a business, especially one with a physical presence (one reason why so many shops are closing) e.g utilities, insurance, veterinary nurses, receptionists and other support staff, expensive equipment, drugs - 20% also going straight to the government in VAT. Roughly 20% of fees will go to the vet (which they obviously won't see all of again due to tax), is that really unreasonable for someone who is doing a difficult and often stressful job and after half a decade of study at university. In many cases it involves huge student loans- some have over £80k to pay back. An experienced vet will earn no where near what an experienced doctor does. I think a lot of people also don't realise how many high-quality vets are leaving the profession, not necessarily due to pay, although some go abroad for better conditions and salary.
But then you get ridiculous statements like above "have you ever met a vet who drives a shit car" as some sort of point for their poor argument.
To specifically answer your question YP - no I don't think I have met a vet that drives a 'shit car', but then I know plenty of people on minimum wage who also don't drive a 'shit car', although what you mean by that term I don't know,. I wouldn't for example class a fairly old car as 'shit' if it runs well, is functional and passes its MOT.
DeleteI took from your question that if someone doesn't drive a 'shit car' that they should be paid less, if I was wrong, what point where you making?
Kaz, you didn't answer my question about whether you are a vet or work in a vet practice. I'm going to add another question, do you personally know a vet? These are relevant questions, as you are quite defensive about this issue.
DeleteAlso, I would not expect a vet to earn what a doctor earns, as a doctor often spends two to three times as long at university. And as for stressful and difficult jobs, vets do not have a monopoly on those, and many of them are in much lower-paying fields of work.
You do understand, don't you, that this is a personal blog and if you don't agree with what's being written you are welcome to simply close the tab and find something else you enjoy?
That is quite the mark up! So glad you could get it cheaper. And there is such a variety in vets. When we were young...40 yrs ago...my dachshund jumped out of my lap and I was sitting on one of those old metal kitchen stools...so a big jump. I cannot remember if this is the day New Year's Eve day. Or a maybe two days before. All I know is New Years Eve itself...my dog could not walk. We called our vet...he was at a party...he told us to meet him at his office in 15 minutes. I cannot remember but think he gave her a shot, maybe some pills, I don't remember....and I ask if it would be okay for me to massage her back. He said it couldn't hurt...
ReplyDeleteHe was not upset that we called him...did not seem bothered by it at all. Said they would bill us. When the bill came it was the price of a normal office visit. And my dachshung...she fully recovered and never had another problem with her back.
Fast forward to approx 15 yrs later, we have him board my daughter's dog because of a death in the family and traveling out of town. When we got back and went to get her, she was so happy to see hubby that he came outside and walked to the car with him, laughing at her.
Well done the receptionist for thinking of the clients and not the vets. We once paid £30 for a consultation that last all of 3 mins when they checked on some stitches after an operation on our cat.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have pets any more ( our indoor rabbit lived 8 years) but friends have just been charged $500 for cleaning the teeth of their dog.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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