General Chat

OH rang our vets this morning, to get an appointment as soon as, for our quite poorly dog. The receptionist asked if he wanted an 'emergency call-out' which would be £169. No thank you. The vet's is only up the street from where we live, and, if one has to be called from another branch, that is only four miles away. So, wow, what charges.
OH already has a bill for £600 odd, for the last two weeks treatment, and I suppose after todays visit, it will be yet another £200 odd.
We are fortunate that we can afford to pay these bills, but I often wonder about the little old lady who'se only companion is an elderly dog or cat. What a position they must be in. And, there is no credit at our vet's, thank you.
Moan over, back to me cuppa.
Julia in Derbyshire

Pet insurance is a good idea, especially if you have a dog.

I would think that the elderly in recipt of benefits could take their pet for free treatment at certain places, like animal shhelters.. My late stepmums son (perminatly on benefits grr) used to take his dogs to the pet hospital made famous in the Rolf Harris Animal hospital series. If you were on benefits this was free !

Hope your pooch makes a speedy recovery xx

The worlds gone mad, here you are paying hundreds of pounds for animal care, when thousands of children around the world are starving, com’on this can’t be right.

..................and disabled on benefits who like me rely on the incentive to exercise by owning a dog, although i will still rely on a vet even if i can't afford him , i kind of have a little time to pay before he slaps on late payment charge, and my biggest argument with them is the fact it costs 19 p (last yr) to do a yearly booster so why charge me 45 pound.

i agree pet insurance is the best way to go, asda usualy do one for £8.95 per month for small dogs like poodles and chows .

Good Morning Mildred. Yes Pet Insurance is a good thing, but it does not cover everything, and if your animal has suffered from a certain thing before, it does not cover recurring treatment of th same.
In respect of the charity vet's, they are very commendable, and I give regularly to their support. However, where we live, a small town, rather out in the sticks, our nearest place for the free treatment would be in Derby, some 12/13 miles away, and only three buses a day. So, it is not always practicle for those on benefit, or low income, to access. But, I do very much see your point.
Running Bear, I was drawing attention to the fact of the astonomical costs of a vet, any vet, not my ability to pay their bills. I know that, after ensuring the good health of my dog, I would rather give to starving children, than the greedy hands of the vet practice owners. This practice was in the national papers a few yars ago, as being the most expensive in the country. Their mark up on medication, was ridiculous.
Puss Babes, yes, pets can be a boon, not only to the aged and housebound, but also to people who need the incentive to get gentle exercise, for health reasons. Perhaps LOL, pets and their care should come on the NHS
Will contact you later Puss, re furnishing my new camper van with practicle equipment, eg, bottle opener, corkscrew, bog roll LOLOL
Julia in Derbyshire

julia i forgot to mention existing conditions, there always seems to be a clause. i get annoyed when people say you shouldn't have a dog if you can't afford the vet bills, the best thing i ever did was get mine not only did they help my son with aspergers but they bring so much love and fun into your life, I've also come to the conclusion that any decent vet should never turn away a sick pet because of the inability to pay, maybe they could use some of there excessive charges in giving discounted insurance policies
Our nearest PDSA is 40 miles away lol so

My daughter had to have her dog put to sleep just before Christmas. it was the vet they always use and have spent ££££ with that practice. My daughter was very upset but before she left with a dead dog in her arms, she was presented with the bill and had to pay there and then....Needless to say, she now uses a vet with a little more compassion.

My 15 year old GSP had to be put to sleep 2 weeks ago, unfortunately I was away from home with the car and my husband had to deal with the emergency. He managed to get Willow to the vets which is only 200 yeards away from our house, however, seeing that he was carless and had no way of getting Willow home, the vet closed the practice and she and her receptionist put Willow in her car, took him and my husband home and carried Willow into the house. And her parting words were..."Call in and settle when you are ready"

Now that is a vet with a heart

kathlyn

I have a similar story to Kathlyn.

Our pets have always been registered with the same practice. I was made redundant and became a single Mum in December and am now claiming benefits for the first time in my life, a hard pill to swallow.

Recently, one of our cats injured her leg and eventually had to have it amputated a week later, after daily visits to the vet - they did their hardest to save it. When the vet found out that I was travelling on the bus each day(one bus every two hours) she offered to collect Poppy on her way to work and return her that evening. I never expected this and cried buckets later that evening .... so nice.

Incidentally we registered Poppy with the PDSA Petaid scheme and received a grant of £130 towards the treatment, total cost was £250, which I thought reasonable. I paid £50 straight off and I am paying the balance at £10 per week.

When I am better off financially, fingers crossed, I will make sure i give a donation to the PDSA.

Libby