# Small Animal Vet Fees



## cherrie_b

I was just wondering if anyone had an idea of vet fees for small animals...ie hamsters?

I have 7 hammies and one day one of them will be poorly...is pet insurance available for such small animals and where is best to go??

Thanks
Cheryl


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy

I think you'll find that most places wont insure a hamster because insurers dont see it as worth it.

Vets fees differ. You'll be paying for a consultation fee as well as any treatment. For instance, when our hamster needed an abcess draining and a weeks worth of antibiotics, it cost us roughly £10 which included a check up a week later.
Another hamster who needed a giant abcess removed from it's face needed to be anethatised first, so that plus antibiotics and a post op check cost us £20-30. 
The most expensive ive had for a small animal is for one of our chinchillas to need immediate surgery for a ruptured bowel, that cost £350 which didnt include a post op check or any antibiotics. We payed extra for them.

And its worth mentioning, that if your given an antibiotic called Baytril, you need to give pro biotics with it because Baytril uses up all the good bacteria in a animal. I personally done use Baytril were possible, i request another antibiotic.


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## u-look-like-a-hamster

when blossom got an eye infection it cost me £20 for antibiotics and eyedrops

£10 for cunsultion fee 

and when albert broke his leg it was £30 for a mini cast !! rip off much!!


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## cherrie_b

omg...£30 for a cast for a tiny little leg?? That is shocking. I might ring around and get some quotes so I know where to go should something happen to my little hammies!


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy

i dont think £30 is that much of a rip off. Such a small leg makes a vets job even harder. Putting a plaster cast on a human leg can be tricky and stressful for a doctor let alone a vet. Also, that £30 would have included an injection of pain relief.
Getting quotes is a good idea, also check to see how experienced a vet is with your pet, some specialise is certain animals over others


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## u-look-like-a-hamster

ChrisTheGerbilGuy said:


> i dont think £30 is that much of a rip off. Such a small leg makes a vets job even harder. Putting a plaster cast on a human leg can be tricky and stressful for a doctor let alone a vet. Also, that £30 would have included an injection of pain relief.
> Getting quotes is a good idea, also check to see how experienced a vet is with your pet, some specialise is certain animals over others


yh i suppose , i would pay any amount really.

Well only if theyre is a chance of them living....

xx


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy

Most vets would just amputate on such a small animal. You're lucky that you found a vet who would be prepared to cast it


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## u-look-like-a-hamster

:O really!!

that vet was the hammie specialist....specialicing in(you guest it) hamsters...


he did it , it was on a robo aswell!! but he is gone now,now we have a crappy cat specialist TUT!!

xx


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## carliz

why dont ppl set up aacccount fund just for there furry pets i do so if it comes to being sick you got money spare


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy

We do. we put money aside every month for them


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## cherrie_b

ooh, that is a very good idea.

Thanks very much!


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## rodentsrus

u-look-like-a-hamster said:


> when albert broke his leg it was £30 for a mini cast !! rip off much!!


Do you have a pic...Would love you....


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## u-look-like-a-hamster

rodentsrus said:


> Do you have a pic...Would love you....


i was going to take a picture but he chewed it of in the night , so i forced him to stay in 1/4 of the cage (i cornered it of) with food water bed etc, until it healed , now he is fine......
xxxxx


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## xgemma86x

ChrisTheGerbilGuy said:


> We do. we put money aside every month for them


As I am starting my job on Monday I think I am going to do this each time I get paid

When I took my hamster Honey to the vets it cost me £18 just for a consultation!!


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## Cherene

ive nearly paid over £150 for my one lil naughty rattie... vet bills etc..

I didnt care how much it cost.. it may sound alot.. but as long as she is all healthy and happy . thats all that matters dont it !


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## swiftgerbil

I can't say for sure (can't remember the costs for my first gerbils) but I think its been anywhere between £30 - £50 for when my gerbils needed a treatment/operation. That included consultation/checkup fees. Gerbils are little fighters I feel, they often respond well to treatments. Of course its worth it to see them live to an old age.

I'd like to note that if someone is ever in a position where you are financially unable to afford an important treatment you could approach the PDSA and see if they have any options for you.
PDSA - Home Page
PDSA - Eligibility


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## Britney159

I have a hamster that has an unusually large lump behind its left front leg. Its started of tiny so you couldn't really feel anything but it has seemed to have got a lot bigger recently. 
Any suggestions to what it might be? Should I take to the vets? And how much would you think the vet bill with be?


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## Smolmaus

It could be a benign fatty lump or it could be a malignant tumor. To know you'll need to see a vet. 

The bill could be anything, a general check over and a diagnosis or some very simple anti-biotics etc is usually £20-30 for me but my vets is known for not overcharging. They set their own prices so a specialised exotics vet (which is what you want for the best care) might charge more for their time but a general cats-and-dogs vet who doesn't know much about hamsters might equally charge a lot because it's outside what they usually do. Ring around and ask if you need to.


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## Tiggers

The fact that your pet needs to see a vet is the important issue, not the bill. No veterinary treatment is cheap. I've had two vet bills in the last month totalling near £1000 for two of my chinchillas, I don't have a bottomless pit of money, but will always find it for my pets.


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## Britney159

Tiggers said:


> The fact that your pet needs to see a vet is the important issue, not the bill. No veterinary treatment is cheap. I've had two vet bills in the last month totalling near £1000 for two of my chinchillas, I don't have a bottomless pit of money, but will always find it for my pets.


I know that the important issue is the pet, i just needed a average price so I can get the money. I live in a less fortunate household so getting money is difficult


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