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Pets

Aggggh!

(14 Posts)
Brendawymms Wed 29-Jan-14 15:27:31

My cat Fern needs a tooth removed and is going in Tuesday. The bill for basic care with no extras is estimated to be a minimum of £403. Phoned pet insurance company, who we pay a fortune each month, to be told that tooth extraction is not covered unless caused by injury. That's half my pension for the month!

mollie Wed 29-Jan-14 15:30:20

Flippin' eck! That's extortionate! How do the vets justify that? Pet insurance is such a con, isn't it!

Anne58 Wed 29-Jan-14 15:30:41

Good grief! That sounds a lot! When Lily had to have some teeth out the bill was around £160.

Anne58 Wed 29-Jan-14 15:32:17

I remember others posting about pet insurance, and the general consensus seemed to be that it was better to just put some money away each month.

Nelliemoser Wed 29-Jan-14 15:49:28

BrendaW Have you had a quote from any other vet practices. I do get the impression that some surgeries are just trying it on and jacking up the prices as it's often the insurance companies who pick up the bill.

Tegan Wed 29-Jan-14 15:51:38

I'm sure that if pet insurance hadn't started vets wouldn't be charging the amounts they do. My dog needs another lump taking out and biopsy'ing that the estimate for that is only @500. Although I may have her teeth cleaned at the same time. To be fair to the vet we both reckon it's better not to do anything at the moment so we may just ignore it for now [last lump she had they were concerned so it was checked out straight away, so I was relieved that the vet said to just keep an eye on it.

Charleygirl Wed 29-Jan-14 15:53:57

That is way over the top for a simple tooth extraction. Could you ask how much it would be saying that you do not have insurance? That may lower the bill and the vet need not know that you have insurance even if they will not pay. Does that make sense?

Anne58 Wed 29-Jan-14 15:56:11

Does to me Charleygirl , and I agree that it seems too much. Lily had a few teeth out, not just one and the bill showed that one of them was classed as a "difficult" extraction.

Anne58 Wed 29-Jan-14 15:57:14

Just a thought Brenda they're not planning to fit her with dentures, are they?

Brendawymms Wed 29-Jan-14 16:05:59

Love the thought of pet dentures. Perhaps we should go into business. With poly grip as an extra!

dogsdinner Wed 29-Jan-14 16:07:58

Think you are being ripped off. I paid just over a hundred pounds a few months ago for a cat to have a couple of teeth out. If you live in a posh area, you may find phoning around vets in a slightly more downmarket area . Ours is in an industrial estate and is a lovely vet.

Tegan Wed 29-Jan-14 16:15:44

I've got a breakdown of the estimated cost of Hatties operation and the main cost is 'sterile theatre time' which is over £200.

Brendawymms Wed 29-Jan-14 16:34:52

My vet wants £260 for general anaesthesia and cleaning and £143 for tooth extraction. I was offered blood tests, saline drip and laser as extras if I wanted. I declined. This is a quite rich and rural area so limited options. The other vets are big animals only.

soop Wed 29-Jan-14 16:39:03

Brendawymms I'm speechless with shock!