We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
I feel that I was taken advantage of by my vet
Comments
-
sheramber said:What exactly were her injuries?
Even if the total amount is a fair and reasonable charge for the work done, the point at issue is whether the OP had agreed to a "blank cheque"? Especially as they were asked for almost three times the original estimate, I would have to ask why give an estimate at all?0 -
I'm wondering how the vet in question would view the situation? I'm afraid I'm also in the does the money really matter camp. You can argue the toss over wether the vet should have asked first but it does come over that there seems to be more concern over the money than the dog. I'd just be thankful my dog was still alive. I wouldn't care about the money. If it was beyond treatable then yes i might consider euthenasia but this doesn't sound life of death. You need to be prepared for these eventualities when you have a dog. An owner that would be happy to say 'no I'm not paying that much please put my dog to sleep' either isn't prepared for the sometimes big bills owning a dog can cause or sounds pretty emotionally detached from their dog. I'd even sell my possessions if i had to but it doesn't sound like money was an object here as the OP admits they just paid it with question. Yes perhaps the vet should have asked first but if you're honestly not prepared for unforeseen big spends like this in emergency situations when you get a dog then either use the PDSA or charity funded vets or perhaps just buy a goldfish instead in future.2
-
Unfortunately as you have found out big bills do not only come from major procedures/treatment as many seem to think.
I frequently post on this board with my experience when I come across that opinion , £3k just to diagnose my late cat, sadly it was terminal so I opted not to treat. Still had a big bill though! And she was insured thankfully.0 -
nora_nora said:I'm wondering how the vet in question would view the situation? I'm afraid I'm also in the does the money really matter camp. You can argue the toss over wether the vet should have asked first but it does come over that there seems to be more concern over the money than the dog. I'd just be thankful my dog was still alive. I wouldn't care about the money. If it was beyond treatable then yes i might consider euthenasia but this doesn't sound life of death. You need to be prepared for these eventualities when you have a dog. An owner that would be happy to say 'no I'm not paying that much please put my dog to sleep' either isn't prepared for the sometimes big bills owning a dog can cause or sounds pretty emotionally detached from their dog. I'd even sell my possessions if i had to but it doesn't sound like money was an object here as the OP admits they just paid it with question. Yes perhaps the vet should have asked first but if you're honestly not prepared for unforeseen big spends like this in emergency situations when you get a dog then either use the PDSA or charity funded vets or perhaps just buy a goldfish instead in future.
Yes, I entirely agree that any responsible owner should budget sensibly and where appropriate have good insurance. However even the best insurance has limits and there can be situations where treatment urgently needs to go ahead before the insurers will confirm that they will cover the cost.
It is not unknown for specialist vet bills to run well into five figures following major trauma. Are you saying that anybody who can't afford this should be excluded from owning a pet?
There are also varying opinions on the ethics of how much unpleasant treatment should be imposed on an animal that cannot understand what is happening, even if it has a good chance of being successful. Vets opinions are widely divided on this issue. Even the highest profile referral vet frequently says "just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done". Many people, including quite a number in his own profession, feel he sometimes goes too far, even if they admire the technical and pioneering skills.
The OP said, right back at the beginning.....i don't have pet insurance as Iv always been in the mind set of I would put a dog down if it needs big vet care as I don't believe big operations is fair to put them through.Now I know some of the keyboard warriors will (and already have) jumped on this but it is not by any means an unique view and it is certainly one an owner is legally entitled to take.
Even if you take the view that the OP "should" have happily agreed to pay the total cost, whatever it may be, they certainly should have been told clearly what they were agreeing to and not been presented with a fait accompli.
2 -
Undervalued said:nora_nora said:I'm wondering how the vet in question would view the situation? I'm afraid I'm also in the does the money really matter camp. You can argue the toss over wether the vet should have asked first but it does come over that there seems to be more concern over the money than the dog. I'd just be thankful my dog was still alive. I wouldn't care about the money. If it was beyond treatable then yes i might consider euthenasia but this doesn't sound life of death. You need to be prepared for these eventualities when you have a dog. An owner that would be happy to say 'no I'm not paying that much please put my dog to sleep' either isn't prepared for the sometimes big bills owning a dog can cause or sounds pretty emotionally detached from their dog. I'd even sell my possessions if i had to but it doesn't sound like money was an object here as the OP admits they just paid it with question. Yes perhaps the vet should have asked first but if you're honestly not prepared for unforeseen big spends like this in emergency situations when you get a dog then either use the PDSA or charity funded vets or perhaps just buy a goldfish instead in future.
Yes, I entirely agree that any responsible owner should budget sensibly and where appropriate have good insurance. However even the best insurance has limits and there can be situations where treatment urgently needs to go ahead before the insurers will confirm that they will cover the cost.
It is not unknown for specialist vet bills to run well into five figures following major trauma. Are you saying that anybody who can't afford this should be excluded from owning a pet?
There are also varying opinions on the ethics of how much unpleasant treatment should be imposed on an animal that cannot understand what is happening, even if it has a good chance of being successful. Vets opinions are widely divided on this issue. Even the highest profile referral vet frequently says "just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done". Many people, including quite a number in his own profession, feel he sometimes goes too far, even if they admire the technical and pioneering skills.
The OP said, right back at the beginning.....i don't have pet insurance as Iv always been in the mind set of I would put a dog down if it needs big vet care as I don't believe big operations is fair to put them through.Now I know some of the keyboard warriors will (and already have) jumped on this but it is not by any means an unique view and it is certainly one an owner is legally entitled to take.
Even if you take the view that the OP "should" have happily agreed to pay the total cost, whatever it may be, they certainly should have been told clearly what they were agreeing to and not been presented with a fait accompli.
3 -
They said there was a LOT more work and they would do it in the morning. Like a lot of surgeries both in human and animal you do not know the extent of what needs to be done until you are well into and discover other problems that need to be rectified.
I doubt the vet was in a position to stop part way through and give you a running update on the cost.2 -
Lots of people claim that their unwillingness to spend money on vet care for a pet is because its 'not fair to put them through it'.
Unfortunately, this is often complete BS, there are many many operations/treatments that cats and dogs might need that cost a fair amount of cash but are also highly effective and can give the animal many more years of a good quality of life with very minimal disruption/short term pain.
Deciding not to put an elderly, frail and sick animal through cancer surgery that might only buy them a few weeks is a humane decision. Deciding to kill your otherwise healthy young dog rather than pay for treatment for cuts and broken bones after a car accident (that was probably your fault anyway) is not.5 -
nora_nora said:If you cannot afford that there are PDSA vets like I've already said. Are you saying absolutely anybody should be able to have a pet even if it suffers because they can't afford to pay vet bills?
As I said any pet owner should budget responsibly and either have insurance or the means to cover the level of treatment that insurance would provide. However worst case scenarios can wildly exceed this and as I mentioned, five figure bills are not unheard of and this will continue to increase. Many people, who are otherwise excellent pet owners, simply cannot afford that level and I am not sure they should be excluded from pet ownership.1 -
Undervalued said:nora_nora said:If you cannot afford that there are PDSA vets like I've already said. Are you saying absolutely anybody should be able to have a pet even if it suffers because they can't afford to pay vet bills?
As I said any pet owner should budget responsibly and either have insurance or the means to cover the level of treatment that insurance would provide. However worst case scenarios can wildly exceed this and as I mentioned, five figure bills are not unheard of and this will continue to increase. Many people, who are otherwise excellent pet owners, simply cannot afford that level and I am not sure they should be excluded from pet ownership.2 -
Aranyani said:Undervalued said:nora_nora said:If you cannot afford that there are PDSA vets like I've already said. Are you saying absolutely anybody should be able to have a pet even if it suffers because they can't afford to pay vet bills?
As I said any pet owner should budget responsibly and either have insurance or the means to cover the level of treatment that insurance would provide. However worst case scenarios can wildly exceed this and as I mentioned, five figure bills are not unheard of and this will continue to increase. Many people, who are otherwise excellent pet owners, simply cannot afford that level and I am not sure they should be excluded from pet ownership.0
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 351K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.6K Spending & Discounts
- 244K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.9K Life & Family
- 257.3K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards