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SeramaSilly

I think it gets more expensive everytime I go to the vets!!

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I took one of my seramas to the vets today - she's been hunched, dozing, not eating and generally looking miserable since yesterday.  Anyway the vet looked at her and didn't have a clue what was wrong with her so prescribed Tylan and Metacam - £69!!!  :S   To be fair she is looking a little better already but jeez!!!

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Yes, I might start taking them to the veterinary hospital from now on - I'm sure they'll be cheaper and might even have a little more knowledge!!

 

57 minutes ago, Natspringy said:

Ah! Yes we have had some stinkers like that! Mine chargers a new client rate for each chicken. Pricey with 7! 

Glad it's helping her though. Hope she gets better ASAP x

Thank you so much! xx  I've been syringe-feeding her as the metacam has to given with food - messy business - half of it is on my jeans!! 9_9

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2 hours ago, Cat tails said:

That is a hefty price! My vet has special rates for small animals, which does include my chickens and hamster. Normal animal consult is €45, small animal is about €30 I think.

The consultation was £28 (including VAT), Metacam was £14.77 for 10ml  (including VAT) and the Tylan was £26.70 (including VAT) for 100g

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Vets are expensive :-( and sadly the VAT is what adds to it.

I earn the minimum wage and save it hard to pay for anything my chickens need.

Once, I had to pay two lots of £100 for separate crop operations within days of each other.

It was an expensive week but worth it, but I was saddened by a comment from another member of staff who said it would have been cheaper to leave them out for the fox. She went right down in my estimations. I thought that was a horrible thing to say.

I dread to think what I have actually spent at the vets over the last 9 years. 

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1 hour ago, SeramaSilly said:

Yes, I might start taking them to the veterinary hospital from now on - I'm sure they'll be cheaper and might even have a little more knowledge!!

 

Thank you so much! xx  I've been syringe-feeding her as the metacam has to given with food - messy business - half of it is on my jeans!! 9_9

Oh bless. Fingers crossed for a fast recovery x

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Vetinary hospital sounds good.

Yes, my main objection is they charge so much and can be terrible! I tend to ring and chat through first these days,  also saves the car journey stress on the girls and sometimes no vets is needed. I went to the pets at home vets with one chicken on a weekend as my usual vet wasn't doing the call out so rather than pay £162 emergency fees for just anyone I decided to try pets at home as they have been good with my other pets. I was pleasantly suprised, they spotted an issue that my vet hadn't on 3 visits. Actually though, I find you guys to be the best people chicken wise! The shared knowledge base on here is immense. 

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1 hour ago, Luvachicken said:

Vets are expensive :-( and sadly the VAT is what adds to it.

I earn the minimum wage and save it hard to pay for anything my chickens need.

Once, I had to pay two lots of £100 for separate crop operations within days of each other.

It was an expensive week but worth it, but I was saddened by a comment from another member of staff who said it would have been cheaper to leave them out for the fox. She went right down in my estimations. I thought that was a horrible thing to say.

I dread to think what I have actually spent at the vets over the last 9 years. 

Do you mean someone at the vets or at your workplace?

1 hour ago, Natspringy said:

Vetinary hospital sounds good.

Yes, my main objection is they charge so much and can be terrible! I tend to ring and chat through first these days,  also saves the car journey stress on the girls and sometimes no vets is needed. I went to the pets at home vets with one chicken on a weekend as my usual vet wasn't doing the call out so rather than pay £162 emergency fees for just anyone I decided to try pets at home as they have been good with my other pets. I was pleasantly suprised, they spotted an issue that my vet hadn't on 3 visits. Actually though, I find you guys to be the best people chicken wise! The shared knowledge base on here is immense. 

Pets at Home is a good idea - I will try them.  And yes you are so right - this site is amazing!

Edited by SeramaSilly
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On 25/08/2018 at 10:39 PM, SeramaSilly said:

Do you mean someone at the vets or at your workplace?

It was someone at my old workplace.

She is a doggy person but I was surprised by what she'd said.

She'd muttered it not quite loud enough for me to hear but another member of staff did and told me what she'd said.

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I know I'm biased but we keep exotic animals and they are expensive to treat, requiring specialist equipment, support staff and meds; we are very lucky to have the NHS as we often lose sight of how expensive medical care is.

I think that consult fee is very reasonable (Solicitors charge around £260 an hour?) and the drug costs are pretty similar wherever you go.
The average salary for a vet is pretty low considering the years of training (in my opinion) so vets are rarely in it for the money!

Pet costs - why do vets charge so much?

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I think it’s the same with any healthcare (and to be honest education too). More possibilities and technologies emerge all the time, but the come with a price tag. All the equipment in a practice we expect today, needs to be bought and maintained. Same goes for things like smartboards in classrooms.

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18 hours ago, Lewis said:

I know I'm biased but we keep exotic animals and they are expensive to treat, requiring specialist equipment, support staff and meds; we are very lucky to have the NHS as we often lose sight of how expensive medical care is.

I think that consult fee is very reasonable (Solicitors charge around £260 an hour?) and the drug costs are pretty similar wherever you go.
The average salary for a vet is pretty low considering the years of training (in my opinion) so vets are rarely in it for the money!

Pet costs - why do vets charge so much?

True Lewis.  Although I do think the new client fee of £50 for each chicken at my vets is a bit much. Plus not quite sure £162 call out on weekends is strictly necessary.

My mum's best friend is a vet and he lives a very nice life style so I'm not 100% convinced it's not that well paid!  But the hours are very long and it's a hard job so well deserved. I've yet to meet a vet that isn't in it for the love of animals, agree totally on that one. And the good exotics are wonderful.  Sadly the one who rescued my rabbit is too far to use for my chickens or I would as he was excellent. 

 

 

On 27/08/2018 at 8:48 PM, Luvachicken said:

It was someone at my old workplace.

She is a doggy person but I was surprised by what she'd said.

She'd muttered it not quite loud enough for me to hear but another member of staff did and told me what she'd said.

Not cool. Sorry. 

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On 8/27/2018 at 8:48 PM, Luvachicken said:

It was someone at my old workplace.

She is a doggy person but I was surprised by what she'd said.

She'd muttered it not quite loud enough for me to hear but another member of staff did and told me what she'd said.

Some people are truly horrible! ;-(

 

 

19 hours ago, Lewis said:

I know I'm biased but we keep exotic animals and they are expensive to treat, requiring specialist equipment, support staff and meds; we are very lucky to have the NHS as we often lose sight of how expensive medical care is.

I think that consult fee is very reasonable (Solicitors charge around £260 an hour?) and the drug costs are pretty similar wherever you go.
The average salary for a vet is pretty low considering the years of training (in my opinion) so vets are rarely in it for the money!

Pet costs - why do vets charge so much?

Yes, I know what you're saying Lewis but I was in and out of the door in less than ten minutes and I think it was just luck that my hen responded to the treatment because the vet clearly had no idea!! :-0

And it was just as well that I'd weighed her because their scales were broken and the vet wanted to know if she'd lost weight - she had.

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28 minutes ago, SeramaSilly said:

Some people are truly horrible! ;-(

 

 

Yes, I know what you're saying Lewis but I was in and out of the door in less than ten minutes and I think it was just luck that my hen responded to the treatment because the vet clearly had no idea!! :-0

And it was just as well that I'd weighed her because their scales were broken and the vet wanted to know if she'd lost weight - she had.

Yes, I've met too many now who have no idea. Surely chickens aren't that rare anymore?! 

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It may be that they didn't have a definitive diagnosis but they performed some sort of examination and came up with a treatment plan that worked, so they had some sort of idea.

Chickens are becoming more popular as pets but so are reptiles, the average vet doesn't see them very often so they apply basic principles. To be better equipped vets need to go on CPD courses and buy in equipment, which all cost money.
I've never been to a practice who charge a new client fee of £50, that does sound unusual.

The link I posted comments on salaries, one of my friends has just graduated and is on £16,500 - I earned more than that in my office job without paying for 5 years of university.

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19 minutes ago, Lewis said:

It may be that they didn't have a definitive diagnosis but they performed some sort of examination and came up with a treatment plan that worked, so they had some sort of idea.

Chickens are becoming more popular as pets but so are reptiles, the average vet doesn't see them very often so they apply basic principles. To be better equipped vets need to go on CPD courses and buy in equipment, which all cost money.
I've never been to a practice who charge a new client fee of £50, that does sound unusual.

The link I posted comments on salaries, one of my friends has just graduated and is on £16,500 - I earned more than that in my office job without paying for 5 years of university.

I'll have to agree with you there because she does seem so much better! :-)

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I agree with Lewis - I work in a vets practice and I know how much it costs to run - they have special Insurance also be paid and to keep up with the new treatments and the new equipment - CPD and drugs - everything costs a lot and is getting more and more - the years of training as its a long long time to become a vet and usually you have to see practice in the hoidays with no chance of earning money - vets typically come out with a huge student debt and their wages are not as great as you think.   Chickens are becoming more popular as pets and are therefore treated as such rather than a commercial enterprise.  

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Some of my best friends are vets (!) and I know that compared to doctors they earn less, yet they also have to undergo extensive education and training with very high entrance requirements, so its not like they are less talented than a GP for instance.  I think that what is happening is that more and more vets practices are being bought out and end up being part of a larger commercial 'chain' where the profit motive is much clearer and much stronger.

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2 hours ago, Lewis said:

It may be that they didn't have a definitive diagnosis but they performed some sort of examination and came up with a treatment plan that worked, so they had some sort of idea.

Chickens are becoming more popular as pets but so are reptiles, the average vet doesn't see them very often so they apply basic principles. To be better equipped vets need to go on CPD courses and buy in equipment, which all cost money.
I've never been to a practice who charge a new client fee of £50, that does sound unusual.

The link I posted comments on salaries, one of my friends has just graduated and is on £16,500 - I earned more than that in my office job without paying for 5 years of university.

Goodness that is a low starting salary. That said 5 years in in teaching I wasnt on much better and that was 4 years of university too. But yes that is unexpectedly low.  

Am I right in thinking you are training to be a vet Lewis? 

Edited by Natspringy
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Yes, hopefully qualify next summer after 8 years (did a 3 year undergrad first)!
As BRR said, it's expensive and most students have to do 36 weeks of unpaid EMS placements to qualify. This summer I spent two weeks in a Travelodge so I could see practice at an Avian hospital and then a month volunteering at a charity neuter clinic in India doing surgery every day. It's completely my choice to go abroad but I had an amazing time, gained invaluable experience and I'm lucky enough that my parents paid for my flights, so I'm not playing the sympathy card :lol: It's just often people don't appreciate the reason for costs so just wanted to explain.

That salary is particularly low but there's a grad scheme offering £18k which I'm looking to apply for next year because again, the case load is great so will learn lots. The rise of corporate practices is meaning less vets are becoming partners in the practice so don't gain the profits that way, it all goes to the corporate business.

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