Moan about vets...is it just me?

[Desley (booktigger)]

That doesn’t surprise me Sue, me and my vet had a similar conversation a few months ago, they do what I think are long hours, but we were also talking about how there is a difference in work ethics of people starting work now – some of the young people here say no if you ask them to do ‘menial’ tasks, I wouldn’t have dared when I started work.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

Interesting also was the comment that the money is to be made in the small animal practices and that farming isn't the most lucrative area for the big veterinary franchises, most of which are - so it was reported - owned by overseas companies.

I'm not surprised Sue. We all know the lengths we will go to to keep our 'companion animals' healthy, whereas farmers - of necessity - have to consider whether it is economically viable to treat livestock.  

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Interesting piece about vets on Countryfile last night.  Independent practices are disappearing at "an alarming rate" and are being swallowed up by large  franchises.  There is a shortage of around 6,000 vets over the UK as a whole, and so many young vets leave due to "early burnout" and "compassion fatigue."

Interesting also was the comment that the money is to be made in the small animal practices and that farming isn't the most lucrative area for the big veterinary franchises, most of which are - so it was reported - owned by overseas companies.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I don't think vets charge more because of insurance, but in my experience do suggest procedures because they know they are insured - one of my old vets said once 'if she was insured, we could do x' - I pointed out said cat was insured so she agreed to the procedure, if she wasn't, she wouldn't have, although her view was that I shouldn't 'waste' my money on old cats, which I disagreed with. Lucy certainly wouldn't have had a CT scan if PetPlan weren't willing to pay for it. I did notice this week my vets charges have gone up, but she's been having acupuncture for about 16 months now and it's the first time I've noticed an increase. Plus it is considerably cheaper than the referral vet I had to use when my vet injured herself last year They do a lot of rescue work though, and have recently scrapped the out of hour fee, even though they haven't noticed a difference, people will still wait till morning to go to the regular branch!

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

It's exactly why I like our vet's approach.  His first act is to observe.  His second is to listen. 

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

Susanne, what you have described with your vets also applies to human medicine - young doctors, in particular, tend to want to intervene because they can rather than considering whether they should. Also the fear of litigation is never far away 

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I'm sure this is the case in some instances but I'm going to go against the grain a bit and say that's not my experience.  Maybe I've just been lucky.  My regular vet practice has been taken over by a chain (Medivet) and they're actually cheaper than the previous practice.  I've not been with them long enough to make too much of a judgement on it yet though.  I've used another practice recently too and didn't feel fleeced.  Yes the prices can be a bit eye watering but I never felt I was being charged over the odds or for unnecessary things.

I do think a couple of things have happened

Insurance - I don't think vets over charge because a pet is insured - it's illegal for one thing (think they have to sign to say the price is not inflated?) but I don't think insurance companies would pay out on inflated prices either.  They will take any excuse not to pay out and will be only too well aware of the going rate for procedures so I don't think vets would get away with this.  I think the opposite can happen - I do recall a poster on another forum who is a vet saying vets are more likely to knock a bit off if they know the pet is not insured because most do still have the pet's best interests at heart.  This is less likely to happen with a chain where the individual vet will probably not be allowed to do this so maybe happens less often these days.

Just like in human medicine there's a lot more that can be done for our pets and a lot more advanced investigations.  I do think vets can get carried away with doing (or suggesting) procedures and treatments just because they can but I also think we as owners tend to want to do more and more to keep our pets alive (sometimes when we shouldn't).  Just as us humans have a reputation for demanding ABs for everything, I think some owners are like that with their pets and perhaps vets get so used to this that it becomes their default approach. 

Although I don't feel fleeced by my current vet, I do contrast recent visits with meds etc for Mosi with when Mosi hurt his tail a couple of years ago.  The vet - the senior partner before it was sold to Medivet - mentioned possible treatment other than amputation if it didn't heal.  He then pondered a moment and said, aloud, that he wasn't sure he would want to do that.  Then he concluded, again aloud, that no he wouldn't as it wouldn'tn be in Mosi's best interests.  I do think that doing nothing is just not on the radar for a lot of younger vets.

I guess there's also the fear of legal action if they dont give any treatment and miss something.

Definitely a changing world out there.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

It can be very hard to find a good vet that you trust. Once you do, hang on to them for all you are worth!

We left our previous practice, Dunbar, partly because they had become very expensive. I started going to them in an emergency and always knew their prices were a bit higher, but it was worth it to have someone who knew my adored Chivvy and what he had been through. Chivvy is long gone now, bless his furry paws, and more practices seem to have the on-hand equipment that first sent us to Dunbar. Add to that a house move and it seemed the right time to look elsewhere.

Our current vet is part of Vets 4 Pets but we have a good relationship with the boss vet. She will ring to discuss Sky, as she knows how difficult it is to get her there, and always listens to my opinion. We did have problems when Sky was so poorly, until we decided to wait an extra day if needed, so that we could see the same person each time. An added bonus is that they open routinely at weekends, although I saw recently that the Sunday clinics have finished.

[jezebel]

I wouldn't put up with a vet getting aggressive with me for any reason (unless I was being cruel or stupid, obviously!)
If there's little competition in the area, it does seem they can charge what they like. The practice we used to go to would charge for a full consultation even when they'd asked you to pop in a week later for a quick check up (which would take less than two minutes). They were also a bit rubbish at diagnosis.

Our current vet practice is wonderful, and the vets will take as much time as it needs to explain things and answer no end of (sometimes stupid!) questions. I've never felt they've suggested treatment or tests that weren't necessary.
So no, it's not just you Aphid. Shop around and find somewhere better.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

 :rofl:I also think you should feel able to question your vet if you feel the need.  A good vet will seldom mind explaining a decision or diagnosis and would be open to considering a guardian's views.  I'd be feeling suspicious of your vet too if they aren't willing to listen to your thoughts on your animal's health

[Aphid]

A good vets is worth its weight in gold.....

And that’s the key. Good to read that your cats have been well looked after and that you have faith in your vet. I am afraid I am now dubious of the motives of my vet(s) based on experiences in recent years. My one positive experience just over a year ago has been overshadowed by what I perceive to be the greed of others. I now question whether the vet’s judgement is based on what is best for my cats - as it always should be - or what is best for the bank balance of the practice as a whole.

As a footnote, yes my current vet is part of a chain. The previous one, the one I left, was a smaller vet practice that grew into a local chain, too. Years ago I saw the same vet. Now it’s a different person each time.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Am not so keen on the vet franchises which appear to be taking over so many smaller practices.

Our vet is a sole practitioner and he's great.  He may not have loads of swanky equipment but he genuinely cares and he never fleeces us.  There is a chain who operate just over the road and they're shocking in terms of prices.  Our male cat was very I'll last year with an intestinal blockage and had to be hospitalised at a weekend.  Our vet charged a total of just under £600 for more than 5 visits including an x-ray and the 2 day stay, and a series of injections.  I know for a fact I'd have been looking at over £1k at the chain.

[Liz]

A good vets is worth its weight in gold.  Having only used two practices in over thirty years of devoted slave to the Clan cats can say mine have saved a few of mone and humoured me at other times

Having my numbers mean I have a good discount but I trust them and they are trained professionals, mine know I am a tad paranoid at times but have found things my researching that to date have kept my darling Jester alive so far after a stroke then an internal jaw tumour, 3 years on his cocktail and the boy is still with us although he has no normal cat body language - he walks like a good night out permanently but he is alive with their care


They are also great with my ferals and that means the world to us, after Vets for Pets when speaking to us told us that ferals should be outside and left alone - not in this house they are our babies like the others and will be treated as such they also wouldn't give us discount so staying with the vets who mourn our losses and loved our cats the same x

[Aphid]

Have vets become more concerned about fleecing customers for as much money as they can, or is it just my imagination?

Having had various cats for over 35 years, now, I consider myself to have been quite lucky in rarely needing the services of a vet aside from routine jabs. In recent years I have noticed a distinct behaviour from vets that bothers me greatly - greed! It’s as though their eyes start rolling like an old fashioned till at the thought of how much money they can extract from me for the current visit. e.g. ‘I’ll just give him an antibiotic while he is here...’. Ker ching! After one particular episode of all out greed I abandoned the services of the vet practice I had been using for many years.

But hey, ho....here we go again. A couple of examples.

One of my two rescued cats gets a runny eye now and again and I went to my newish vet practice for them to have a look. I really nice young vet spent over half an hour gently examining my cat to establish if there was any obvious cause. No, and to cut a long story short, he said the eye was perfectly fine. A reasonable charge, too, in my opinion. A month or so later, I returned to the same vet practice for the annual jab. Another vet asked how my cat was generally, and I said fine, apart from the occasional runny eye. He looked and declared triumphantly that it was chronic conjunctivitis and that I needed to administer expensive gels he was trying to force on me. I explained about my previous visit to the same practice and the extensive investigation carried out by the other vet. I asked him to call up the details on the computer system, but he refused and became quite aggressive and me refusing to accept his judgement.

A year later, annual jab time again so back to the same vet practice. This time just a vet nurse. Apart from the jab, a quick check over. Says my cat’s teeth are a bit yellow and disappears to get a price list ‘ker ching!’...anaesthetic ‘ker ching’, dental work ‘ker ching’, they could check bloods as well ‘ker ching’...oh, and it could be that some teeth might need removing ‘ker ching’, but they wouldn’t know until the vet could get a closer look under anaesthetic The fact is my cat is perfectly fine, eats a mixed diet of good quality food and is only 5 years old.

So, if you haven’t got bored of reading to this point, is it just me that thinks vets are out to fleece us for all they can get?