# Vet Fees



## PipNBen

Hello, Sorry if I am in the wrong forum but I would just like to ask the opinion of members who use Vets4Pets.

After taking on Pip a female Jack Russell we realised she had a skin problem so we took her to our local Vets4Pets surgery who gave her an injection and anitbiotics, flea treatment, flea spray for the house, special shampoo for her skin, anal glands emptying both dogs. We had Ben our staffie checked over has he was looking a bit off colour, anal gland infection. Although we had a very hefty bill at least we were happy that the dogs were being sorted out. Total £230.

We had to go back this week to have Pip checked and was told she needed an injection and steroid tablets as she could have a skin allergy (so it wasn't fleas)!. 

Ben although cured the vet did a quick check we were charged £7.50 for (checking anal glands) and another £24 consultation fee for Pip for the same problem of her skin allergy on top of the meds/injection. Total £51.

My question is, although we don't mind paying for the health of our dogs like anybody else we don't like being ripped off. Does every vet charge for a consultation for every visit even if it's a follow up for the same problem? We are supposed to go back in two weeks but we are not going back if we are going to be charged yet again for a consultation (my husband is going to ask this before we enter the surgery as I'm too chicken). Of course we will look around and find a more reasonable veterinary surgery, we already have one in mind that has been recommended.

Please don't think that we would put money before the dogs health we wouldn't, but just curious if other vets have the same policy on consultation fees. We have considered pet insurance but decided against it.

Any advise or comments please folks are welcome?

Thank you PipnBens (skint) mum :frown:


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## lily74

Hi,

We have the same problem, and like you would move heaven and earth to find the money to pay vet bills, but on the other hand don't want to be paying over the odds why should we.

My vet charges £28 every visit, even if its just to check his ears that the infection had gone and ear infection cost us £400! that included fees to put him to sleep to clean his ears but even so.

The other vet we went to though only charged us one consultation and that really made a difference to the price.


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## tashax

My vet doesnt charge for follow up visits after an op but he does for everything else


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## Milliepoochie

I would ask the vet for a break down of the prices. We go to vet4pets practise and recently paid £350 for surgery to repair/ stitch a ripped paw - 7 days of metacam - 7 days of antibiotic and 2 follow up consultations. We were given an itemised bill so we could see the break down of costs and also quote in advance of expected costs. My vet also knows not to waste time trying to convince me to buy flea / wormer from them as I flea / Worm on a adhoc basis. 

Most importanty if your not happy change vets ;-) Vets4Pets r franchises so will vary hugely from one to the other. ;-). I know ours a repeat app/ follow up are cheaper than an initial consultation but u have to say its a follow up when u book it


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## 912142

I would ask them.

Interestingly they state on their website:

&#9632;We believe in offering affordable veterinary care and being transparent in our pricing. We will always explain our charges to you. 

However there is no pricing details so it is hardly 'transparent'!


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## Ang2

Do you know, after taking one of my cats to Vets4Pets on Friday, I was going to start exactly the same thread - but then thought better of it, because going on past experience of this forum, I expected endless coments along the lines of "we would be deleriously happy to pay thousands (and even take out a bank loan) if necessary, as nothing is too much for 'our' loved one".

Anyway, that said, little Billy was under the weather on Thursday and Friday. He was eating and drinking, but just very quiet. He is normally zooming about, but slept most of Thursday and still not himself on Friday. I took him to Vets4Pets on Friday and he had an antibiotic injection. Together with the consultation fee, it was £50. 

I do feel sorry for many animals, because I know its the reason that most people will wait to see what happens. Its often only when it becomes an emergency that some owners will justify spending that kind of money. Its very sad for the animals. I was in the vets for ten minutes. Do the maths yourselves - £300 per hour, exclusive of vaccinations and operations. 

Vets4Pets quoted me £250/300 for one of my cats teeth cleaning, but I shopped around and found a low cost vet that although was a good drive away, charged £50.


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## Amy-manycats

IME that is expensive, my vets have a 2 tier structure. 10 min apt or 1st consultation is about £25, 5 min or follow up £18, if the first one turns out to be really quick they will often still only charge £18. 

Nurse apt free but nail clipping is £10 and anal glands £15. 

They are far from expensive at mine. Just to compare I have just had 6 teeth removed, a vet consult a follow up, and a nuses apt and painkillers for under £100 on a dog >15kg. They also called and asked whilst she was under if I wanted them to have a look with a needle at a little lump in her foot ( which they did included in the price :thumbup::thumbup: ).

Vets4pets is a chain, i'm sure they are cheap for vacs, but everything else I bet you are better off going to an independent IME.


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## petrus

Unfortunately it seems the vets services are more like interested in the money they will get instead of if the owner can afford or either if the animal is in pain. Sad but true. I took my dog and some money to the vet, i am client of that vet clinic for over 13 years, i only had about 40 pounds, i didn't even think about taking the bank card with me, because i was just thinking my dog is poorly he needs to go.... now now now... guess what... has i didn't have enough cash on me, they refused the treatment. So i came home, got the card, went back and then they treated him... disgusting, and this is a company that has me as a client for over 13 years and i always paid the bills on the same day. Only because of 10 pounds less that i wasnt carrying.... they actually refused the treatment. This was with my dog, now... i also have a cat, and yeah my cat was horny... i never seen a cat horny before, so i though he was sick... went to the vets with him... and the doctor start laughing and told me that not everyone has the opportunity to ever see such thing on cats because they are very reserved... so... i paid 50 pounds to be told that my cat was horny. He laugh.... of course... 50 pounds for a horny cat who wouldn't laugh... i paid.... and came home... Disgusting... it isnt only that company that you are referring... is almost all.They work for one thing.... Money...not because your pet or mine is suffering...You have money, they are treated, if not... you pet suffers and in some cases die... do they care?? No.... oh yes... they do... they end up losing the client after all...


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## Cleo38

petrus said:


> Unfortunately it seems the vets services are more like interested in the money they will get instead of if the owner can afford or either if the animal is in pain. Sad but true. I took my dog and some money to the vet, i am client of that vet clinic for over 13 years, i only had about 40 pounds, i didn't even think about taking the bank card with me, because i was just thinking my dog is poorly he needs to go.... now now now... guess what... has i didn't have enough cash on me, they refused the treatment. So i came home, got the card, went back and then they treated him... disgusting, and this is a company that has me as a client for over 13 years and i always paid the bills on the same day. Only because of 10 pounds less that i wasnt carrying.... they actually refused the treatment. This was with my dog, now... i also have a cat, and yeah my cat was horny... i never seen a cat horny before, so i though he was sick... went to the vets with him... and the doctor start laughing and told me that not everyone has the opportunity to ever see such thing on cats because they are very reserved... so... i paid 50 pounds to be told that my cat was horny. He laugh.... of course... 50 pounds for a horny cat who wouldn't laugh... i paid.... and came home... Disgusting... it isnt only that company that you are referring... is almost all.They work for one thing.... Money...not because your pet or mine is suffering...You have money, they are treated, if not... you pet suffers and in some cases die... do they care?? No.... oh yes... they do... they end up losing the client after all...


I agree that as you had been a long term client I would have expected the vet to treat your dog & ask you to pay the remainder by a certain date especially if it was only £10. Sadly though alot of clients do not pay their bills on time or at all meaning that everyone else suffers as a consequence & rules are then put in place that ALL bills are settled at the time of treatment.

As for working for money .... isn't that what everyone does?! If a vet has spent years training (& incurring debt) why would they work simply for the 'love' of animals? I don't think it is unreasonable to expect that a practise is a business that needs to make a profit in order to continue.

If you do not have the money to pay for your pet then why should it receive treatment? It is a harsh fact & yes some animals may die because they do not receive the correct treatment but this is hardly the fault of a vet. They would become seriously in debt if they treated every animal whose owner had financial difficulties.

I used to work as a trainee vet nurse many years ago & was staggered at the amount of clients who either refused to pay or claimed poverty despite turning up in new cars & with nice clothes clutching the latest mobile phone 

If you aren't happy with your vet & the bills did you query them? If you were still not satisfied then switch to another practise.


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## Guest

i use two separate practices one for my exotics the other for dogs. the one i use for my dogs won`t charge a consultation fee for follow up visits per condition and everything is SO cheap with them comparing them to other vets in my area , thankfully i`ve never been hit with a bill for more than £400 [and that one was for quite a serious op] yet that was all in , operation , follow up visits etc , etc 
in fact they are so good i`ve never bothered taking out pet insurance because the excess would cost more than the actual visit so pet insurance would be a total waste of time for me as far as the dogs are concerned


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## dorrit

My vet generally tells us an all in one price for any op (barring unforeseen circumstances) Benny had two fat lumps removed last month total price first consult , op for removal (and dental check while he was there) removal of stiches, 7 days antibiotic and the checks on the lumps e127.00


Last week I was there with all three.. I pay one consult fee he works per visit not per animal...
All the yearly vacs plus anal glands for two, general check for all three , Oscar heart check and an extra jab to help him, plus a repeat script for heart med and pain killers e 180..

If I wanted a breakdown I can have one they always ask..
If anything is going to be really expensive or out of the ordinary he will advise and ask before proceeding so that you have an idea of the costs involved.
Lots of people say hes a bit rude or short but its just that animals mean more to him than humans..
He always discusses all the options and the likely outcome of each when something is wrong..When he feels there is nothing to be done he normally sends people home overnight to think things through with the question 'for who am I doing this'?

I know Im lucky, my last vet strung me along milking my bank balance dry until it was obvious to everyone my poor boy was dying,, even then she said 'well we could try.....' hoping to get a few extra pennies from me. Needless to say the day Max was PTS was the last day any of us set foot in her clinic....


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## AlbertRoss

diablo said:


> i`ve never bothered taking out pet insurance because the excess would cost more than the actual visit so pet insurance would be a total waste of time for me as far as the dogs are concerned


Absolutely. Right up to the time your dog gets hit by a car and needs £7,000 worth of treatment. Or develops chronic liver disease.


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## Milliepoochie

912142 said:


> I would ask them.
> 
> Interestingly they state on their website:
> 
> ■We believe in offering affordable veterinary care and being transparent in our pricing. We will always explain our charges to you.
> 
> However there is no pricing details so it is hardly 'transparent'!


I think its neigh on impossible to have a list of prices online - as they are franchises it cans till vary from one to another. 

Some practises will have special offers on which others wont for example.

I found when asking for quotes / prices our Vets4Pets have been very up front and usually the cost has been spot on what they estimated.

Just like all businesses it varies from one to the other and you cannot be to scared to ask for a break down or explanation of costs.

Edited to add: In fact when millie had some tests done a year back on an abnormal discharge the consultation fee was waivered completely.

I think even though they are the same 'brand' people need to remember they are a vets like any others and are run by the vet who owns the franchise. There will still be variation.


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## Guest

AlbertRoss said:


> Absolutely. Right up to the time your dog gets hit by a car and needs £7,000 worth of treatment. Or develops chronic liver disease.


then i`ll pay it as i go. just like i did when my elderly dogs developed cancer fortunately i`ve never struggled to pay vet fees so never bothered with insurance , total waste of money imo.

imagine all the money down the drain IF you dog never needs treatment until later in life , some policies dont cover elderly dogs some even fail to cough up full stop and invent every excuse under the sun to avoid paying out for accidents or conditions that arise. can`t be doing with that kind of drama


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## hazyreality

At the vet practice I go to, it very much depends on the actual vet I see, which is crazy! 

If I see Mitzi, she will ask me to bring them back for a follow up, will check them over and send me on my way, no charge, and to be honest, I think she is a very good vet aswell (I don't take small furries to anyone else). It was the same with the vet we used to see for Sabre.

We had to do a follow up for Tiger(cat) once, and Mitzi had seen him the 1st visit so assumed she would see him again, but we got a new vet, she checked him over (not that she would know if he was any better because she had never seen him before!) and went to charge us another consultation fee! 
I had a word with the receptionist, all of which I am on first name terms with as I go there so much lol, and she knocked it off of the bill and said that it wasn't fair for her to charge a consult fee (she could have got in big trouble so I am very grateful)

I pretty much insisted every time that we see Mitzi anyway, but I will do even more now, as she cares more about making sure the pet is OK than being able to charge again


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## Jugsmalone

Both my dogs have allergies resulting in bad skin. I have only ever been charged one consultation fee per dog. 

If I was charged a consultation fee every time I have taken my boys over their skin I would be bankrupt by now, as I've taken them that many times. They also go to the vets once a month for their allergy shot (immumotherapy treatment).

However, I have read on the forum that charges for a second consultation for the same problem appears to be the norm. It's not something I would be happy about though.


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## petrus

No....never had trouble paying the bills, or either claimed poverty...like i said... i always paid.. in the same day... on that day actually i did forgot the card... but being a client for so long, having paid the bills always... i would of come back and paid the tenner in the same day...Yes i do understand it is a business... and all that is! Am i being to cruel? I mean... i am a soft hearted person when it comes to animal health can't see an pet suffering... and probably i take that "especially vets" have that kind of soft heart, after all they study their part of their lives to take care of animals, that's because they love pets i guess... You know what i mean?


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## chichi

Very similar to another thread going on atm.

My vet doesnt charge for follow ups. Sometimes he wont charge if Ive just popped one of the dogs in for a quick check because Im concerned about something. I have a vet in a million but have used others that are all about charging as much as possible and ripping off their clients left right and centre. I never use chains of vets because I imagine they have targets to meet to keep their jobs safe so stick to small one off vets.

My vets never worry about being paid on the day. If Ive forgot my purse or have several dogs with me they just say. ..settle up next time.


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## AlbertRoss

diablo said:


> then i`ll pay it as i go. just like i did when my elderly dogs developed cancer fortunately i`ve never struggled to pay vet fees so never bothered with insurance , total waste of money imo.
> 
> imagine all the money down the drain IF you dog never needs treatment until later in life , some policies dont cover elderly dogs some even fail to cough up full stop and invent every excuse under the sun to avoid paying out for accidents or conditions that arise. can`t be doing with that kind of drama


So, because you are well off enough to pay large vet's bills it's a waste of money for everybody else. :confused1:

And, if you don't have insurance I guess that your remarks about what happens when you claim are pretty meaningless too. (They certainly don't agree with the vast majority of actual cases). The only drama artist here seems to be you.


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## Guest

AlbertRoss said:


> So, because you are well off enough to pay large vet's bills it's a waste of money for everybody else. :confused1:
> 
> And, if you don't have insurance I guess that your remarks about what happens when you claim are pretty meaningless too. (They certainly don't agree with the vast majority of actual cases). The only drama artist here seems to be you.


i`m by no means rich or well off , fascinating you actually come out and state that without knowing nothing at all about me.
albertross , if you aren`t here to `plug` pet insurance and don`t work for a pet insurance company , why does it concern YOU whether someone has pet insurance or not??


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## AlbertRoss

diablo said:


> i`m by no means rich or well off , fascinating you actually come out and state that without knowing nothing at all about me.
> albertross , if you aren`t here to `plug` pet insurance and don`t work for a pet insurance company , why does it concern YOU whether someone has pet insurance or not??


It was you that said "i`ve never struggled to pay vet fees" - not me. It was you that said you would pay £7,000 'as you go'. When vets bills can easily go into the thousands by my reckoning that makes you well off. Most people can't afford that sort of expenditure - which is why they take out insurance.

What concerns me about pet insurance is that there are lots of people who will think that they can easily afford vet fees when they can't. There are people that get ripped off by insurance companies because they don't know what to look for. I was in that position once and vowed I'd do everything possible to help people before they got there, either through helping them to understand the policies and choices or through pointing out the fallacies that are promulgated by postings like yours that indicate that paying for vet's fees isn't a problem. For many people it is. And the choice they are then faced with, without insurance, is trying to find the money or having their pet put to sleep.

But my overriding concern is that people make provision for veterinary care and don't just trust to luck.


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## Guest

AlbertRoss said:


> It was you that said "i`ve never struggled to pay vet fees" - not me. It was you that said you would pay £7,000 'as you go'. When vets bills can easily go into the thousands by my reckoning that makes you well off. Most people can't afford that sort of expenditure - which is why they take out insurance.
> 
> What concerns me about pet insurance is that there are lots of people who will think that they can easily afford vet fees when they can't. There are people that get ripped off by insurance companies because they don't know what to look for. I was in that position once and vowed I'd do everything possible to help people before they got there, either through helping them to understand the policies and choices or through pointing out the fallacies that are promulgated by postings like yours that indicate that paying for vet's fees isn't a problem. For many people it is. And the choice they are then faced with, without insurance, is trying to find the money or having their pet put to sleep.
> 
> But my overriding concern is that people make provision for veterinary care and don't just trust to luck.


i couldn`t afford £7000 up front , i don`t know many people that can. thankfully i`ve never been hit with that kind of bill and hopefully never will - still wouldn`t convince me to take out pet insurance.
what did people do before pet insurance?? i`m sorry but pet insurance in my opinion is just another ploy for companies to make money out of you. insurance companies make HUGE profits , pet insurance is no different. so i`d rather take my chances than paying into something i realistically don`t need. no wonder folks are skint

do you have any kind of statistics regarding pet insurance policies that have been taken out and not needed????


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## chichi

diablo said:


> i couldn`t afford £7000 up front , i don`t know many people that can. thankfully i`ve never been hit with that kind of bill and hopefully never will - still wouldn`t convince me to take out pet insurance.
> what did people do before pet insurance?? i`m sorry but pet insurance in my opinion is just another ploy for companies to make money out of you. insurance companies make HUGE profits , pet insurance is no different. so i`d rather take my chances than paying into something i realistically don`t need. no wonder folks are skint
> 
> do you have any kind of statistics regarding pet insurance policies that have been taken out and not needed????


Ive had pet insurance for years...never claimed on it and want to cancel but feel worried that the minute I cancel...something dreadful would happen where insurance would have been a godsend. If Id saved all my premiums in a bank account Id have quite a tidy sum in there to cover a good sized vet bill if needed. Annoying!


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## AlbertRoss

diablo said:


> i couldn`t afford £7000 up front , i don`t know many people that can. thankfully i`ve never been hit with that kind of bill and hopefully never will - still wouldn`t convince me to take out pet insurance.


But you said you would pay £7,000 'as you go'. :confused1:

So - you can't afford £7,000 and that's what your vet has just told you it will cost to get your injured dog cured. He's not going to wait for you to find the money in 5 years time. He'll want it when he provides his services. Simple question - what are you going to do?



> what did people do before pet insurance??


They either found the money or had their animals put down. Now, if insured, their animal can often be saved and live a happy and contented life. Been there, done that - gave a dog 4 years of life she wouldn't otherwise have had and the payouts from the insurance company were way above the annual premiums.



> i`m sorry but pet insurance in my opinion is just another ploy for companies to make money out of you. insurance companies make HUGE profits , pet insurance is no different. so i`d rather take my chances than paying into something i realistically don`t need. no wonder folks are skint


It's not _your_ chances - it's your pet's chances. It's not _you_ who may need treatment - it's your pet. I suppose you don't use any sort of power in your house either -after all power companies make huge profits. Use a bank account? Banks make huge profits. Shop for food at a supermarket? Hmmm - they make huge profits too. In fact, you probably can't spend money on anything because whatever you buy or use is supplied by a company making profits. I think that is possibly the dumbest reason I've ever seen for not insuring. :confused1: It must be a wonderful world you live in where nobody ever makes a profit!!



> do you have any kind of statistics regarding pet insurance policies that have been taken out and not needed????


No - but if you search this forum you'll find many, many stories of people that are happy they did have insurance when faced with huge vet bills.


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## Guest

AlbertRoss said:


> But you said you would pay £7,000 'as you go'. :confused1:


how many people keep £7000 spare cash hanging around??? i pay for treatments and medicines as i need them when my pets see the vet , i have many pets , non , NOT one of them are insured and thats my choice - reptile needed urgent medical help 1am early hours saturday morning just a few weeks ago cost £140 , didn`t complain , rushed him in , paid up and left no questions asked...i`d do that over and over again rather than line the pockets of a greedy insurance company and argue the toss of whether they were going to pay out for that - can`t help but think you are trying to sell me the idea of pet insurance , so lets get one thing straight , don`t want it , don`t need it - my pets are perfectly happy healthy and SAFE , if they need to see a vet they do - how i pay my veterinary bills quite simply is nothing to do with you if they need treatments , medicines etc they get them , regardless of how much it happens to cost. 
so please don`t snatch `might happen` scenario`s out of thin air - because they`ve never happened to me and probably never likely to , no doubt if we all thought like you insurance companies certainly would be rubbing their hands with glee
don`t you dare judge me because i refuse to be ripped off by a pet insurance company. i`ve read the stories and nothing will ever convince me to take out a policy with any pet insurance company , i`ve read more stories than i care to believe about people being ripped off by pet insurance companies , folks having policies their insurance companies are refusing to pay out on , read it time and time again and quite a few insurance companies are notorious for it.
if folks want pet insurance thats fine , their decision i don`t have a problem with how folks choose to spend their money but please spare trying to push pet insurance onto me , thanks.


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## AlbertRoss

diablo said:


> my pets are perfectly happy healthy and SAFE , if they need to see a vet they do .............. - because they`ve never happened to me and probably never likely to


I won't quote all your diatribe - you didn't answer the question but just went on a rave about what you do to try and cover up that you don't have a satisfactory response.

Your pets may be perfectly healthy and safe - NOW. But you have no guarantee, at all, that they will be tomorrow.

You have no idea of the likelihood of anything happening to your pets. Nobody expects their pet to get ill or have an accident. But it happens all the time.

You don't know that one of your pets might develop some sort of chronic, treatable, disease that would cost hundreds or thousands of pounds for drugs each year. You don't know that your pet might get into the road and get hit by a car - but it happens irrespective of steps you might take to prevent it.

And if you think you - or your pets - are immune to such scenarios then you seriously need to think again. An example of this can be found in a very long thread here. Without insurance the treatment wouldn't have been possible.

I don't care two hoots if you don't insure - but IMHO if you are unable to meet a large unexpected vet bill you aren't being responsible toward your pets - and you've already made it quite clear that you can't. I won't suffer if such a thing occurs - but your pet will.

As for your rant about insurance companies not paying - evidence shows that in almost all cases people try and claim for things they haven't insured for. That's why I always advise people to read the policy before buying - because most people don't. I don't push pet insurance - in fact there are quite a few threads here where I've advised people on conflicts with insurance companies. I merely try and make sure that people don't get cover that's inappropriate. But, as I said before, it's all about responsible pet ownership - and that includes the ability to always be able to meet vet bills in all circumstances. If it's your choice not to do that - fine. There's no more to be said.


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## Guest

AlbertRoss said:


> You don't know that one of your pets might develop some sort of chronic, treatable, disease that would cost hundreds or thousands of pounds for drugs each year. You don't know that your pet might get into the road and get hit by a car - but it happens irrespective of steps you might take to prevent it.


they have and i paid their medical bills.



AlbertRoss said:


> I don't care two hoots if you don't insure - but IMHO if you are unable to meet a large unexpected vet bill you aren't being responsible toward your pets - and you've already made it quite clear that you can't. I won't suffer if such a thing occurs - but your pet will.
> 
> As for your rant about insurance companies not paying - evidence shows that in almost all cases people try and claim for things they haven't insured for. That's why I always advise people to read the policy before buying - because most people don't. I don't push pet insurance - in fact there are quite a few threads here where I've advised people on conflicts with insurance companies. I merely try and make sure that people don't get cover that's inappropriate. But, as I said before, it's all about responsible pet ownership - and that includes the ability to always be able to meet vet bills in all circumstances. If it's your choice not to do that - fine. There's no more to be said.


i am a responsible pet owner , if they need treatment i seek it and pay their medical costs, the end


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## springerpete

Gosh, dont these things get heated ??
I dont take out insurance on my dogs, I've always managed somehow, perhaps I've been lucky, I certainly seem to be with my vet. If I pay him a visit, the receptionist will say something along the lines of
'' Morning Pete, who've you got with you ?'' Chris, the vet is like a mate, he knows me, he knows my dogs, if I happen to call in and discover I have no cash on me, a frequent occurance, I rarely carry money, there's no problem. ''I'll send the bill on'' is what I get, he knows I'm good for it. I think the difference is that he's a country vet as opposed to a town one, he knows his clients, mostly farmers and equestrian folk in the main, small animal is a fraction of his practice. When my Skye had the poisoning incident, the bill that I eventually received was itemised down to the last item, I knew exactly what I'd been charged for and was happy to pay it.


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