Vet price- reasonable?

staceybee12

Hey guys I need a little advice.

my little dog is going in to be neutered tomorrow. Someone mentioned today that my vet is very expensive. I am hoping someone may have been in a similar situation and can clarify if the vets prices are too high.

We are in Scotland and I appreciate it will vary depending on location too however -

neuter - £175
hernia repair whilst being neutered - £60

optional bloods £80

i feel the above are reasonable

However, he also has retained baby teeth - 2 from what I can see but difficult to fully assess and they charge £50 per tooth!! This I feel is extortionate - if they find a few more I could have a hefty bill.

they also state they need to X-ray his mouth - another £60

Love to hear thoughts please- particularly around the retained baby teeth 

sheramber

Make sure you get detailed bill. They will charge for every needle, suture, swab etc.

Cost also depends on the  size of the dog as large dogs need more aneasthetic than small dogs.

You could phone around other vets and price the procedures to compare costs.

MovingForwards

Having a look at several vet sites your neutering cost seems about right, possibly even on the cheaper side depending on whereabouts you are up here.

Bloods is the same price I paid several years ago.

Can't say about the hernia side, but it doesn't feel expensive.

Teeth are always expensive, but I wouldn't say £50 each. 

Are the teeth causing, or likely to cause problems soon? If not, leave them for now.

The x-ray also seems a bit pricey but a quick look online says it could be a lot worse. If it's a standalone x-ray and not being done today, that could also include mild sedation.

Finding a good vet who you and your dog like can be hard. 

If your friends haven't been to a vet in a few years, they won't be aware of costs.

If you're in receipt of benefits it's always worth checking charity driven vets to see whether they are qualifying benefits and get free / discounted treatment.

ripplyuk

All of that looks expensive to me apart from the hernia repair. Where I live, neutering a male dog costs no more than £50. Spaying a female is more expensive at about £120. It all depends on the area and how far you are able to travel but I’d definitely ask around a few other local vets to compare prices. 

mjm3346

From the Blue cross site

"castrations from around £110 to £300".

sheramber

that must be a specific low cost scheme.

My dog was spayed 9 years ago at a cost of £180.

The rescue she came from paid £165 to their vet for the procedure.

£50 wouldn't cover the cost of the aneasthetic before any thing else.

ripplyuk

@sheramber The low cost scheme here costs £15 for neutering but that’s only for people on certain benefits. Also certain breeds like collies. 

Brie

frankly I think that pets are almost as expensive as children.  I spent a month's salary on my cat one weekend.

mjm3346

sheramber said:

that must be a specific low cost scheme.

My dog was spayed 9 years ago at a cost of £180.

The rescue she came from paid £165 to their vet for the procedure.

£50 wouldn't cover the cost of the aneasthetic before any thing else.

Again from the blue cross site - spays range from around 130 to 365 

sheramber

I believe the OP is in NI.

Maybe procing is different there.

However, that is not of much consequence to someone living in  England, Scotland or Wales.

MovingForwards

sheramber said:

I believe the OP is in NI.

Maybe procing is different there.

However, that is not of much consequence to someone living in  England, Scotland or Wales.

OP is in Scotland and I do think the prices do seem to be higher up here compared to my previous vet.

I looked at the vet costs over several areas including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen to get an idea before originally replying.