Rip-off vet?

murphydog999

Just had a bill through from my vet of £7.17p. It came after I had paid up front for my cats yearly injections, and she had her booster this week. I asked if he would do me a favour and cut her thumb claws, which he did, but also went ahead and cut the rest.

I didn't ask him to, and he didn't say there would be a charge, the process took about a minute. When the bill came I couldn't believe it. Do all vets do this? Talk about making as much money as possible.

I did call to complain and they did delete the charge, but what a cheek!

trudij

Far as I know most vets would charge for this unless you ask for a nurse to do it,when it would either be cheaper or free. It cost me £8 last time I took my dog to the groomers and got them to do them for me, so I think you got a bargain!!

On an aside - why would you want to get a cats claws clipped - dont they need them??

manda1205

Ive never had my kittens claws done, but I know that our vet nurses will clip a dogs claws for free. All our vet nurse appts are free and they only charge you for any drugs etc. If he didnt tell you it was chargeable then maybe you can try to see if they will allow it free this once, worth a bash anyway.

starryshell

trudij wrote: »

...

On an aside - why would you want to get a cats claws clipped - dont they need them??

Cats who stay indoors don't, and it is better to keep them trimmed.

Sooz00

If I'm seeing the vet for another reason but also ask them to clip claws whilst I'm there, there's never usually a charge. However, I do tend to see the senior partners at the practice. I find the normal vets there do tend to charge for everything whereas the partners use their discretion.

I clip my cats claws myself with a decent pair of pet nail clippers. It's very easy to do if your cat is used to being handled. Most vets, vet nurses or groomers should be happy to show you how.

HappyMJ

Or spend £8 on a scratching post and let the cat do it..

925dancer

HappyMJ wrote: »

Or spend £8 on a scratching post and let the cat do it..

If your cat is indoors this isn't always enough. In fact, over the winter months if the weather is enough to drive my two indoors the majority of the time, I'll trim their claws. I find a good pair of normal nail clippers really good, I cut the claw side ways to prevent splitting.

trudij

starryshell wrote: »

Cats who stay indoors don't, and it is better to keep them trimmed.

thankyou !! (cant do the thanks button - for some reason it wont let me!!)

Tropez

At my vet, they made it clear that anything that can and is handled by a nurse will generally be free but anything that is handled by the vet will come with a charge, which even includes having a puppy weighed. The nurses run an open clinic for the majority of things such as weighing a dog, clipping claws and that sort of thing.

Your vet probably should have made you aware that there would be a charge but as it was the vet himself who cut the claws it should be expected.

lostinrates

trudij wrote: »

On an aside - why would you want to get a cats claws clipped - dont they need them??

Soetimes they overgrow. I met an old siamese once who had been neglected and her claws had grown round and into her pads :eek::mad:. After clipping it was noted they grew very quickly and had to be clipped very regularly. I have siamese now too, and they never fully retract their claws, so taking the ends off them makes things less sharp, hen they ''ask'' for something or warm their feet on your thighs in bed Guess a rough equivalent might be trimming a barefoot horse's feet.:)

trudij

thanks lir - I thought all cats retracted their claws totally - and needed them sharp for balance and grip and catching their prey - but thinking about it (now its been pointed out!!) obviously thats not the same for house cats!! and i can see why a scratching post wouldnt work properly on a house cat.

having had a cat who took great delight in sticking you whenever she wanted anything, Id quite like to resurrect her now so that I can clip the points off and just get biffed rather than prickled !!!!