Why are vet bills sooooo expensive???

toniq

My dog is like a member of my family and will be treated exactly the same when he is ill.

Thankfully we had the hindsight to purchase M&S top pet insurance, we pay a fair whack each month but our dog has been very ill the last 7 months, with severe vomiting and needed extensive tests,biopsies etc resulting in over £1,800 of vet bills, he still isn't 100% but with meds has a decent quality of life once again.

We had to have faxed/written treatment apporval from our insurers so the vet wouldn't charge us first then us claim back, again thankfully Marks are very good and quick at this and agreed the treatments and tests needed so vet was paid direct, we however have a savings acct for the dog and car emergencies incase a situation arises.

big5

We went to an open day at our local vets recently. They showed us some of the equipment they use and explained why a relatively simple procedure can seem expensive - e.g. a human blood pressure monitor can be bought for about £10, but the equivalent monitor suitable for cats and dogs costs about £700. The NHS can buy equipment in bulk, so can get special deals and discounts - a large chain of vets might be able to buy some things in bulk (still nothing like the scale of the NHS), but a small local vet can't.