Vets for pets

zaksmum

Just took my dogs for their booster which comes with a free health check.

Jack had his without a problem, no issues with the health check.

Lucy has a lump on her lower jaw which has previously been examined by this vet - they said it wasn't cancerous but as it's grown bigger, best get it removed.

As Lucy's 11 they advised pre op blood tests costing £70. The vet said they wouldn't do her booster today in case the blood tests showed anything up.

So I paid £40 for Jack's booster and £70 for Lucy's blood tests.

Then they wanted to charge me a further £30 for Lucy's consultation, which should have come free with the booster.

They said to bring Lucy back on Monday and pay another £40 for her booster.

It seems to me that the booster should only be £10 since they are also charging for the "free" health check that should go with it. Otherwise I'm going to end up paying £70 for her booster which makes me feel a bit ripped off!

pawsies

Wait until you get the blood results back before booking another booster. It could be she has enough immunity already!

I know Vets4Pets has a bad reputation but my local in Chester is actually alright. They have a cat waiting area separate to the dogs which I like and they sell good toys like kongs. Don't like the Royal Canin they sell but they have never tried to promote it to me so I'm quite happy with them.

They are an ok branch I would say but they don't seem to know enough about animal behaviour for my liking

gettingready

I took my 4 cats and a dog to Your Vets (google for local branch) for their boosters and paid just under £25.00 for each "pair" of cats plus extra for Zara - they have 2 for 1 offer on boosters.

My usual Goddards wanted almost £50 each so would be around £250.00 for my lot and at Your Vets I paid under £75.00

zaksmum

It's not the cost of the boosters I'm miffed about.

It's just that they come with a free health check and because bloods were taken from Lucy - and the vet decided to defer the booster till Monday because of that - they are trying to charge me £30 for the health check and say she can have another health check on Monday which WILL be free this time...!

krlyr

The other likely alternative is that they told you she's not healthy enough for a booster, send you away from your free booster check and ask you to make a new appointment to check out the lump - which you then pay for. You'd end up paying the same costs, but with a third trip to the vet costing you time/fuel. I would be grateful that they were happy to extend what is likely just usually a cursory health check to ensure the dog is healthy for a booster into a more thorough examination , without sending you away to do it at a different time.

teddysmum

My vet charges £32 for a booster (though I get a 20% pensioner discount). There is no mention of a free checkup as you are actually paying for a consultation, because the vaccine itself costs relatively little.

zaksmum

krlyr wrote: »

The other likely alternative is that they told you she's not healthy enough for a booster, send you away from your free booster check and ask you to make a new appointment to check out the lump - which you then pay for. You'd end up paying the same costs, but with a third trip to the vet costing you time/fuel. I would be grateful that they were happy to extend what is likely just usually a cursory health check to ensure the dog is healthy for a booster into a more thorough examination , without sending you away to do it at a different time.

There was no question of her not being healthy enough for the booster.

The vet said the blood tests "might" show something up due to her age, though she has no symptoms apart from this lump on the outside of her bottom jaw.

They said also her immune system could be overwhelmed because of the blood they'd taken, a tiny amount, if she also had the booster.

I'm more than willing to pay to have the lump checked out and removed. I have full insurance for both my dogs so it's not an issue.

I accepted the advice of the vet to have it removed as she thought it may at some stage become ulcerated.

But I took Lucy for the booster and that was what I wanted on the day, not to be told, pay for the health check today, come back Monday for the booster and Lucy can have ANOTHER health check then free of charge!

Beverley021265

I noticed my little dog was very bloated. I took her into the Cleveleys Vets4pets on 28/12/23. It was 11:45 appointment and they were shutting at 12. I had checked all her symptoms and everything looked like she had a uterus infection called Pyometra. I mentioned this when I took her in and he suggested a course of antibiotics. I came away with her and she took the tablets for 7 days then started being ill and vomiting. On 09/01/14 I took her back in to see another one of the vets who took her straight through for an emergency pyometra operation. The very thing I mentioned to the original vet I saw. The very same day they sent her home with me as they don't have anybody in the vets over night between 7pm and 8:30am. She had to be carried out on a stretcher. I stayed up all night with her and took her back at 9:40 the following day. They charged me £706 for this. Shd yhen had to go on a course of antibiotics and painkillers.
I took her back again as she started to get bloated. This was in early february. They said she would need an xray and possibly more surgery. They ended up putting her under anaesthetic again and manually pushing the urine out of her. I took her out tge same night. They charged me another £411.
She went on another course of antibiotics and painkillers.
I had to take her back on 24/02/14. She had bloated again and was struggling to stand.
When I saw the vet I explained that I was rappidly running out of money. Her
Reaction to this changed and she more or less said that I should consider my little dogs quality of life. This only happened when I mentioned the money situation. Bella was given another couse of antibiotics - 7 days to be exact. 5 days of painkillers and water tablets and also diuretics.
My little dog died early hours of Saturday morning with me holding her paw.
These people are not animal lovers. They are only in it for the money.
I will take this further. When I took her on the 28/12 / 13 I told them what was wrong with her. In my opinion and also because it was between xmas and new year they fobbed me off. She Should've been operated on there and then. Not left for two weeks to suffer.
My 3 cats are also registered with them. Not any longer. I would never ever trust another one of my animals with these people.
My liitle dog is now buried in the garden and it's heartbreaking.

zaksmum

Beverley021265 wrote: »

I noticed my little dog was very bloated. I took her into the Cleveleys Vets4pets on 28/12/23. It was 11:45 appointment and they were shutting at 12. I had checked all her symptoms and everything looked like she had a uterus infection called Pyometra. I mentioned this when I took her in and he suggested a course of antibiotics. I came away with her and she took the tablets for 7 days then started being ill and vomiting. On 09/01/14 I took her back in to see another one of the vets who took her straight through for an emergency pyometra operation. The very thing I mentioned to the original vet I saw. The very same day they sent her home with me as they don't have anybody in the vets over night between 7pm and 8:30am. She had to be carried out on a stretcher. I stayed up all night with her and took her back at 9:40 the following day. They charged me £706 for this. Shd yhen had to go on a course of antibiotics and painkillers.
I took her back again as she started to get bloated. This was in early february. They said she would need an xray and possibly more surgery. They ended up putting her under anaesthetic again and manually pushing the urine out of her. I took her out tge same night. They charged me another £411.
She went on another course of antibiotics and painkillers.
I had to take her back on 24/02/14. She had bloated again and was struggling to stand.
When I saw the vet I explained that I was rappidly running out of money. Her
Reaction to this changed and she more or less said that I should consider my little dogs quality of life. This only happened when I mentioned the money situation. Bella was given another couse of antibiotics - 7 days to be exact. 5 days of painkillers and water tablets and also diuretics.
My little dog died early hours of Saturday morning with me holding her paw.
These people are not animal lovers. They are only in it for the money.
I will take this further. When I took her on the 28/12 / 13 I told them what was wrong with her. In my opinion and also because it was between xmas and new year they fobbed me off. She Should've been operated on there and then. Not left for two weeks to suffer.
My 3 cats are also registered with them. Not any longer. I would never ever trust another one of my animals with these people.
My liitle dog is now buried in the garden and it's heartbreaking.

Really sorry to hear about Bella, Beverley.

It's so sad when we lose a beloved pet through what we believe to be negligence and I think in this case you definitely should take it further.

It looks to me like you and Bella were very badly let down there.

krlyr

zaksmum wrote: »

I'm more than willing to pay to have the lump checked out and removed. I have full insurance for both my dogs so it's not an issue.

And that's what you've done/what the vets want you to do.

Yes, you went in for a booster but that wasn't possible. Basically, your booster appointment got delayed until Monday, at the exact same cost. Your appointment then turned into the checkup appointment for the lump, with the consultation fee (£30) and tests (£70) required.

Had they decided to give her a booster regardless, charge you £40, and then ask that you return Monday to have her lump checked out (£30) and blood tests (£70), you'd have paid out the exact same amount.

They offer a free health check with boosters. She didn't have her booster, therefore the health check wasn't free. You get your free health check when you go back for your booster. I really don't see the issue here.

meritaten

I have delayed getting my cat Barney registered with local vets because they ALL belong to a 'chain'. I am looking around for an 'independent' vet. maybe I am being 'oldfashioned' but the independent vets I have dealt with have been more 'less inclined to order expensive tests'? they relied on their own diagnostic skills? which they went to university to learn? with my last cat the vet retired about three months before Nicki died and this 'chain vet' took over.I got fed up of refusing 'tests' because we knew what was wrong with him. fiv! we knew the treatment, yet every visit with these vets it was either put him down or do more tests and try more drugs! I don't trust them now.