Healthy Pet Club Scheme - Vet Pricing Query

Fleaintheear · 18 March 2021 at 2:47PM

Hello,

Please could someone give me some independent advice regarding HPC payments and animal treatments.

I have had 3 animals covered under the scheme two cats and one dog. We were attending a local vets practice for 10 yrs which relocated 20 miles away in August 2021.

Due to the various lockdown restrictions throughout 2021 (and that I don’t have a vehicle) I didn’t take the cats to the same vets for their six months health check.

The cats' last health checks were on 18th October. In the last week of October, I tried contacting a new practice that was nearer to me to arrange an appointment which is owned by a sister company. Sadly, they weren’t holding any routine appointments because we were entering another stage 4 lockdown but I transferred all my animal’s records over to them anyway.

My questions are:-

I have been HPC payments by D.D for both can I claim back these payments? From August to todaysdate?

I asked the new practice if I could have some flea treatment for 3 months just to tide us over until routine check ups are allowed again and they refused. As the cats were only 10days overdue for their annual check-ups I felt this response was a little OTT but the tone they used was so condescending that I actually received a flea in my ear! So, I wrote them an email and received this is their reply.

‘It is also important to note that any medication should not be dispensed without having a health check (as a minimum annually) to ensure that the medication is still appropriate and that there have been no changes in health/weight or underlying conditions that may not have been noticed by an untrained person.’

I don’t disagree with this statement my issue merely that I have been paying for a treatment that we are not receiving and plus having to buy an alternative treatment as well. In addition, I took my dog to the vets who I suspected was having an ear infection and I was charged an emergency appointment when he was also eligible for a free health check under the HCP.

I’m wondering if I was being unreasonable in my request for flea treatment and have the dog check F.O.C?

Fundamentally, I’m questioning if I should proceed to use the new vet, continue with the HCP, or scrap it altogether. These costs do add up over the year!

I am seeking advice really and I do apologise; I know that it’s been an immensely stressful year for all and I am seemly only going on about flea treatments! But any advice, particularly from any vets out there, would be much appreciated in addition to the consumer rights regarding the HCP.

Thank you.

born_again · 18 March 2021 at 8:28PM

Is the healthy pet club, run by the vets?

Our vets have been open throughout all the lockdowns. You had to ring for a appointment, ring when you got there and they then came out and took your pet in. So no pet missed any annual checkups. Unless the owner did not bother.