Cost of cat booster injection

T.K.Maxx

Sadly vets are a total rip off!! My cat used to have eye drops to keep his eye moist which cost me £8 a tube, bought it in the chemist for £4! Prices varey and I once read that boosters/yearly were nothing more than water and it was the companies who make it pushed the vets to sell it so they could get bonuses. :mad:

Becles

I agree with shopping around.

The vet I use is one of the cheapest in the area. They work in a small unit on an industrial estate and everything is very basic. Reception is just a row of plastic chairs in the corridor and if they are busy, sometimes they have to use the operation prep room as a consultation room! Records are kept written on cards stored in a filing cabint.

However the vets themselves are fantastic. All are really caring with my dogs, and I trust the advice I am given. Last year my oldest dog was starting to get stiffness in her hip caused by arthritis. The vet said she could prescribe medication, but it was expensive, so she suggested trying human cod liver oil instead. Luckily that has worked so far so it's saved me some money!

I have done mystery shopping on other vets. One charged really high prices but had a plush waiting area and a high tech computer system.

Personally I'd rather pay the cheaper prices and go with the basic environment, but maybe some prefer the higher quality surroundings.

golly99

Being a partner of a Vet Nurse, I understand and hear what goes in a Vet Nurse practice. Why is people have big problems with paying for Animal treatment? Why do people feel like the treatment should be done for practically free? Is the Vets not a business as well?

While Vets are reasonably well paid this is after many, many years of training, so surely like having a doctor you would pay for this specialist knowledge. However, please leave a thought for the Vets Nurses, who spend many years training, and then typically are on the minimum wage, working unsociable and weekend work - supermarkets paying more and then getting people in saying "I'm not paying that", "You vets are ripping us off" etc. Please have a thought next time you're in the vets and compare prices between vets by all means, but have a bit of respect for the staff.

T.K.Maxx

golly99 wrote:

Being a partner of a Vet Nurse, I understand and hear what goes in a Vet Nurse practice. Why is people have big problems with paying for Animal treatment? Why do people feel like the treatment should be done for practically free? Is the Vets not a business as well?

While Vets are reasonably well paid this is after many, many years of training, so surely like having a doctor you would pay for this specialist knowledge. However, please leave a thought for the Vets Nurses, who spend many years training, and then typically are on the minimum wage, working unsociable and weekend work - supermarkets paying more and then getting people in saying "I'm not paying that", "You vets are ripping us off" etc. Please have a thought next time you're in the vets and compare prices between vets by all means, but have a bit of respect for the staff.

I have no problem paying for treatment/services but dont rip us off.

golly99

How do you know you are being 'ripped off' then? I would hope you would apply the same criteria every time you went to a dentists for example.

Another point - how is that there seems to be a flexible paying arrangement with Vets? When was the last time you went to Tesco and didn't bother paying for your shopping? Typically around £2 is made on each consultation...still feel like you are being 'ripped off?'.

cattie

Thanks to everyone for your input. It obviously does pay to shop around, but as I'm a non driver I have to stay local, which does narrow the field somewhat & gives me a choice of just 2 veterinary surgeries.

golly99, I dearly love my cat & most other pet owners feel the same way about their pets too I'm sure. It isn't that I & others like me begrudge the money we have to spend on vet's fees, indeed if I had to, I'd remortgage my house to ensure my cat had essential treatment should anything happen to him. But it becomes necessary to shop around for everything, & that includes vet's fees, when you only have a very limited income. It certainly doesn't mean I don't respect the staff just because I need to find the surgery with the most reasonable prices. Keener prices surely encourage more people to be responsible pet owners & help them to look after their pet's health & for the animals concerned that can only be a good thing.

T.K.Maxx

golly99 wrote:

How do you know you are being 'ripped off' then?

Well, treatement for my cats eye would have cost me £8.00 which I can buy and do buy in the chemist for £4.00!.

golly99 wrote:

Another point - how is that there seems to be a flexible paying arrangement with Vets? .

Don't know, never had credit from a vet and never would, I always pay.

T.K.Maxx

cattie wrote:

Thanks to everyone for your input. It obviously does pay to shop around, but as I'm a non driver I have to stay local, which does narrow the field somewhat & gives me a choice of just 2 veterinary surgeries.

golly99, I dearly love my cat & most other pet owners feel the same way about their pets too I'm sure. It isn't that I & others like me begrudge the money we have to spend on vet's fees, indeed if I had to, I'd remortgage my house to ensure my cat had essential treatment should anything happen to him. But it becomes necessary to shop around for everything, & that includes vet's fees, when you only have a very limited income. It certainly doesn't mean I don't respect the staff just because I need to find the surgery with the most reasonable prices. Keener prices surely encourage more people to be responsible pet owners & help them to look after their pet's health & for the animals concerned that can only be a good thing.

Think you've summed it all up. :T

Happyroly

Just got back from taking our two cats for annual jabs - they have the lot! - total cost £52. We have been going to same vet for almost 20 years and during that time we have adopted two cats via them!
You know how much you will be charged before you go in because there is a price list at reception.
Happyroly

Curry_Queen

golly99 wrote:

While Vets are reasonably well paid this is after many, many years of training, so surely like having a doctor you would pay for this specialist knowledge. However, please leave a thought for the Vets Nurses, who spend many years training, and then typically are on the minimum wage, working unsociable and weekend work - supermarkets paying more and then getting people in saying "I'm not paying that", "You vets are ripping us off" etc. Please have a thought next time you're in the vets and compare prices between vets by all means, but have a bit of respect for the staff.

Thank you very much for bringing this up :T

I've just replied on another thread to a fellow VN who commented on the low wages many VN's receive, and this is true. It does vary regionally and from practice to practice, but there are many VN's out there who only receive minimum wage, less if accommodation is provided with the job, yet have spent years training for this position only to find he/she would be better paid as a shelf-stacker in Tescos!!! :mad:

Vets can't run a practice without nurses, and they need to be able to pay a decent wage to attract competent qualified nurses to do this job. It's these nurses that will be looking after your pets before, during and after operations, or if they are sick and need to stay in the surgery for any length of time. The hours are long and animals need treatment 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year, so many nurses work night duty, weekends and bank holidays and can be on call 24/7, often for little to no extra pay, so please give a thought to this when you are complaining about the cost of treatment!


BTW, if you are comparing the cost of annual boosters, make sure you compare like for like. There are many different vaccinations on the market, covering several different illness/diseases in varying combinations, so you can only make a true comparison if you know exactly which brand/combination of vaccination each vet uses.