Need some advice after our Cat was killed

SensibleSarah

This is a really sad situation - I'm very sorry to the OP for the loss of their cat and the big bill isn't nice to deal with. 
Personally, if I were the driver, I would have left my details with the vet and asked them to contact me re: the bill so that I could at least make a contribution towards it. It might not have been my fault if the cat ran out in front of me, but I would still feel somewhat at fault. However, if someone else ran over one of my cats, I wouldn't expect them to pay anything (unless they admitted doing it on purpose, of course). I would see it as my responsibility, regardless of whether I consented to the treatment, given that the vet will only usually do the bare minimum to prevent suffering in this kind of situation until they know someone will foot the bill.

£900 is a significant amount, but we don't know exactly what was included in that. Just having one of my dogs monitored overnight in the out of hours vets with one blood test and no other treatment or diagnosis was over £500 last year (my own vet had done everything else before transferring him to the out of hours when they shut for the day - on a separate bill), so I can see how things can rack up quickly. It's absolutely not ideal that the owner didn't answer the phone from the vet on this occasion, but as a pet owner, I'd much rather my vet do what was necessary to stop my pet's suffering without my permission than allow him/her to be in pain and distress.

Now, I do have insurance for all three of my cats and also an emergency fund (being as most insurance claims can only be made retrospectively and the bill needs paying up front, plus, I'm never 100% certain that insurance will pay out), but I haven't always had that cushion. I used to rely on an emergency credit card (as in, one that I didn't use for anything else so I knew there would always be room within the limit) for circumstances like this - so at least I could pay that off in installments if the vet needed the whole bill paying up front. I fully understand living hand to mouth, and have been doing that in every other aspect of life than regarding my pets for many years, but I've always made sure that there is some provision for an unexpected substantial vet bill, even when I've had to go without to make it happen. That's part of the whole deal of owning pets in my book. 

Undervalued

diystarter7 said:

Tigsteroonie said:

I have my vet's telephone number in my contacts list so I know it is the vet calling.

And what if your cat is taken to a different vet practice? I live near three, and my cat is registered at one further away than those (having moved during the cat's life).

I would have the same question if our cat were in an unfortunate accident, taken to a nearby vet, and their life saved but at a high cost. I don't have £900 to spare. We love our cat but not at all costs.

Thanks you for sticking your head over the parafet to agree with what I said re someone spending money on your behalf without your consent.

I'm not sure why people can't see the facts as I have explained that there are  and 900 charged for something they did not agree to - iMO would drive many over the financial edge if not already there.

Thanks

Because I think you are continuing to miss the point.

By the very act of owing an animal the owner has taken on the responsibility to provide emergency treatment or euthanasia in the event of an emergency. The vet has a legal obligation to provide this even if the owner can't be traced. If they can be traced (and in this case the owner had signed up to a microchip database) the owner has an obligation to pay for at least the minimum the law requires of them.

It may be that this vet went further than that. If they did then the owner may have a legal argument that some of the treatment wasn't authorised. They can certainly discuss that much with the vet.

However much sympathy you may have for the "millions" you claim are "living from hand to mouth or already drowning in debt" doesn't change their legal responsibilities.  

diystarter7

Undervalued said:

diystarter7 said:

Tigsteroonie said:

I have my vet's telephone number in my contacts list so I know it is the vet calling.

And what if your cat is taken to a different vet practice? I live near three, and my cat is registered at one further away than those (having moved during the cat's life).

I would have the same question if our cat were in an unfortunate accident, taken to a nearby vet, and their life saved but at a high cost. I don't have £900 to spare. We love our cat but not at all costs.

Thanks you for sticking your head over the parafet to agree with what I said re someone spending money on your behalf without your consent.

I'm not sure why people can't see the facts as I have explained that there are  and 900 charged for something they did not agree to - iMO would drive many over the financial edge if not already there.

Thanks

Because I think you are continuing to miss the point.

By the very act of owing an animal the owner has taken on the responsibility to provide emergency treatment or euthanasia in the event of an emergency. The vet has a legal obligation to provide this even if the owner can't be traced. If they can be traced (and in this case the owner had signed up to a microchip database) the owner has an obligation to pay for at least the minimum the law requires of them.

It may be that this vet went further than that. If they did then the owner may have a legal argument that some of the treatment wasn't authorised. They can certainly discuss that much with the vet.

However much sympathy you may have for the "millions" you claim are "living from hand to mouth or already drowning in debt" doesn't change their legal responsibilities.  

Please see my previous post.
Thanks

Murphybear

First of all please accept my sympathy for your loss.  It is heartbreaking to lose a beloved pet but to lose her in this way must be devastating.   As a crumb of comfort at least the driver took your cat to a vet rather than just leaving her.

There are charities that can help people with vets bills but they are usually to help out when you have to take your pet in yourself, your circumstances are slightly different. Your vet may know of any help that is available, I’m sure this can’t be a unique situation.

It might be worth contacting the RSPCA to see if they can help or know of any organisation that can.  

The PDSA help with vets bills if you are on certain benefits and are in their catchment area.  If they can help in retrospect I don’t know

Citizens Advice is another place to try.  They don’t just help with debts or housing problems etc, they have their own big database and can help with many things.  

On a final note, is this something crowdfunding could help with?  You never know.  

I hope you can get something sorted out, please let us know how you get on, it may help other pet owners 

TBagpuss

diystarter7 said:

Tigsteroonie said:

I have my vet's telephone number in my contacts list so I know it is the vet calling.

And what if your cat is taken to a different vet practice? I live near three, and my cat is registered at one further away than those (having moved during the cat's life).

I would have the same question if our cat were in an unfortunate accident, taken to a nearby vet, and their life saved but at a high cost. I don't have £900 to spare. We love our cat but not at all costs.

Thanks you for sticking your head over the parafet to agree with what I said re someone spending money on your behalf without your consent.

I'm not sure why people can't see the facts as I have explained that there are millions living from hand to mouth or already dorwing in debt and 900 charged for something they did not agree to - iMO would drive many over the financial edge if not already there.

Thanks

So what is your solution?  Presumably you accept that neither the vet nor an innocent driver should pay, and that an animal should not suffer unecessary pain, so what do you propose? 

downshifted

I would have thought the occasional incident like this could at least in part be covered by the practice overheads. A chargeable fee of £900 would be much more than the actual cost so presumably there would be room for negotiation. After all, if it were a wild animal taken there would be no one to charge and the vets are still obliged to treat.

Undervalued

downshifted said:

I would have thought the occasional incident like this could at least in part be covered by the practice overheads. A chargeable fee of £900 would be much more than the actual cost so presumably there would be room for negotiation. After all, if it were a wild animal taken there would be no one to charge and the vets are still obliged to treat.

Why should it be? In effect that would simply inflate the price all of the other clients pay.

Vets already have a legal duty to provide first aid when there is nobody to pay. However, when the owner can be identified then they should pay at the very least for the minimum treatment required by law.

sheramber

Many vet practices are now corporate owned and the individual vets do not have control of charges.

If the service was one of Out of Hours services, which many vets use now, it can cost you £200 to walk in the door and they demand payment before letting you in. There charges are far above what vets charge during the day.

Their argument is that they have to pay unsocial hours rates to the staff on duty , who are there all night whether there are no patients, one patient or several. 

You should be given an itemised bill showing you how the costs add up. If you did not get one, then ask for one.

It won't change the situation but you will see where the costs have arisen.