How much av. price cat scrape and polish @ vets

mrputney08

RANT! I have just picked up my cat after having had a basic (elderly but healthy cat) scrape and polish, no teeth out.

This is the 1st time I have used this vet and I was quoted around £100+ initally, which I thought reasonable, then when I called back to book I was quoted £170 mark as 'extra fluid therapy' would be needed throughout. I thought blood pressure was monitored anyway..Then when I went to drop my cat off yeaterday I was asked to sign a consent form and the price was written in as '£180-200' on this form! I said hang on! The price just keeps going up! Well, I had to starve my cat the night before so I was not really in the position to argue and cancel over what I thought would be a few pounds. THEN when I went to pick my cat up the bill was over £200 AND I would have to buy antibiotics on top of that. NOT happy!! So the final bill will be roughly £250. As I was querying all of this I was taken into a room by the one of the nurses to discuss, hmmm. I said, ok I can only pay you today what I was originally quoted. They made me sign a form to pay off the rest within 2 weeks. But I'm not happy. The practice owner tried to call me yesterday eve to discuss but I feel like they're treating me like some thick idiot. I don't mind paying for a service, it's the way it was conducted that makes me feel like I've been 'scammed'. Surely the vet knows how much a basic scale and polish would cost.. So why not be honest and say at the outset!

It's a shame that vet practices feel they must treat genuine animal lovers with such disdain.

blossomhill_2

My vet does the extra fluid therpay as routine for older cats (over 8 I think) but is very upfront about the costs - it then adds £x per tooth onto the initial quote if its a dental
Sounds like your rant is justified

Are antibiotics needed - in which case did they find an infection - or are they just using them instead of an antiflammatory?

mrputney08

No infection, all went very well as far as I know, they just tried to sell me a 7 day course of antibiotics on top. As a precaution? I don't know. Cat has recovered very well and is now out playing in the garden. Pointless me buying the antibiotics as my cat's impossible to tablet. I will however keep a very close eye on my cat as you can't mess around with a cat's mouth if it were to need treatment.

blossomhill_2

mrputney08 wrote: »

No infection, all went very well as far as I know, they just tried to sell me a 7 day course of antibiotics on top. As a precaution? I don't know.

Mmm to my suspicious layman's mind it sounds inflated

Did you know you can pick off any outer tartar deposits by hand? Need a strong finger nail and once you have done one you can get the hang of it, then follow up with crunchy treats to encourage biting

mrputney08

blossomhill wrote: »

Mmm to my suspicious layman's mind it sounds inflated

Did you know you can pick off any outer tartar deposits by hand? Need a strong finger nail and once you have done one you can get the hang of it, then follow up with crunchy treats to encourage biting

Yes! This is all he had, a calcified white lump on just 2 teeth. I asked for just this to be done but they insisted on going ahead with a full dental. Being the pros' I let them get on with it, all the rest of his teeth are in very good nick. He eats mainly crunchy kibbles. Vet wants to see us again in a coupla months, no doubt to try and sell me any 'dental accessories'!! :eek: ..which I won't be buying on a regular basis, at least not from them.

jonnyd281

We got told two of our cats needed - get this - cat size toothbrushes and special for cats meat flavoured toothpaste!!

mrputney08

jonnyd281 wrote: »

We got told two of our cats needed - get this - cat size toothbrushes and special for cats meat flavoured toothpaste!!

As a preventative measure this is often suggested. It works out cheaper in the long run to keep a cat's teeth in good order, and flouride is very bad for them, but..toothbrushes woud be a step too far for me.

I have just gone out and bought Hill's Oral Care, it's on offer at Pets At Home until early March; it has excellent reviews on the net and really does seem to prevent decay and expensive trips like this to the vet. It works out as the cheapest place to buy this ATM. I am going to feed a little of this alongside the other food to keep his nashers gleaming and in tip top. :j

Hugh_Jass

Hi - that sounds expensive. I usually pay around £100 for a dental for my cats - which includes removing teeth.