With the current cost of living crisis seemingly never ending, pet owners may have found themselves noticing the increased costs of owning a pet. This may stem from purchasing food for our furry friends, all the way up to and including veterinary fees. But is there any way of pre-empting some of these veterinary costs, or at least, gauging how expensive any one particular vets may be?
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In recent years the model of a “typical” veterinary practice has evolved considerably. And, whilst traditional first opinion practices do certainly still exist, there are also a range of more budget (and, in some areas of the country), bespoke options, which can offer a range of different services. Vets are entitled to charge reasonably for their services. There is no national fee setting or guidance structure in place. In this article we take a look at some of the ways in which we, the pet owning public, can get a feel for how one veterinary practice’s fees compare to another.
Internet searches
In order to get a feel for the type of practice you wish to choose for your pet, the internet is a great place to start looking. Whilst surfing the web with this approach will only rarely yield you any direct idea of costs (relatively few practices list their prices on the website, although that is starting to change). It will enable you to get a feel for the practice, facilities available and services offered; which may in part influence the costs associated with obtaining veterinary care at any one clinic. There may be client testimonials too, which can be helpful and also typically these days, information on “health-plan” club schemes; that is discounted preventative pet care and products, for a monthly membership fee.
Phone around
A perhaps, seemingly old fashion way to get a comparative handle on costs between veterinary practices, would be to make a sequence of investigative phone calls. Whilst involving some degree of leg work, this will let you compare prices for the specific services your pets need.
A couple of words of warning, however. It may be that different veterinary businesses use different models of charging for routine (elective) vs. non-elective surgeries (for say a broken leg or cruciate surgery). What may appear therefore to be a practice with a very competitive set of elective fees, may actually prove to be rather costly, if ever there was an emergency situation. In this way, some elective procedures may appear extremely good value, (because in reality the practice is making very little margin on them); whilst the more investigative / non elective fees are set comparatively higher. In such a situation, comparing say, the price of a small dog (<10kg) castration fee between surgeries, may not provide the whole picture.
Word of mouth
A good way to assess for fee structure and typical levels of cost and where any one practice may be known for always being pricey or undercutting the locals, is to ask around with local friends, dog-walking businesses or groomers etc. Related animal services may have more exposure to a greater number of clients from different practices. And may be able to help determine where differences exist.
Arguably as important as this, perhaps, is whether the practice has a reliable track record for delivering on their “estimates of costs”. Given the complexity of body systems and the potential unpredictable evolution of any one pet’s illness or medical condition, an estimate of (initial and later consecutive) costs can only usually be provided by a veterinary team; there is no such thing as a specific or precise “quote” as it were.
Reputation
The reputation of a practice can also be a factor when considering value for money. Albeit practices can change hands, evolve and change business models / strategies over time; so this factor may have less of a bearing on your decision. Also be wary of social media and comments there; they do not necessarily demonstrate either the whole situation, neither necessarily provide a very balanced viewpoint.
Price comparison sites
Yes, there is now a price comparison site for vets! We have created a standardised “basket” of prices and contacted every veterinary practice in the UK asking for their prices. At the moment, we have just over 2000 practices with pricing data included. And while some practices have opted out, others are helping us keep their prices up to date. We are also always adding new prices and expanding the basket. So this will become more and more useful as time goes on.
Comparing like for like and full transparency
The main challenge when attempting to compare practices, is that there may be a different ethos behind each business; and different inclusivity of what any given procedure includes. I have, for example, often heard clients that they can “get a dental done at x’s practice on the other side of town for half the price”… Yet with a little probing further, you discover that x’s practice’s estimate does not include pre-anaesthetic bloods, intravenous fluids, post-operative medication and follow-up check-ups. It is therefore good to understand what any one estimate given includes (and what it does not) when making comparisons between them.
We’ve included – where the practices have shared it with us – what is included in each fee. For example, what the health plan covers, how long the consultations are, what exactly is included in the surgical fee.
Also consider…
The cost of veterinary services may well be a factor in deciding where to register your pet. However, I would also urge pet owners to consider many other factors when making this decision; namely the range of skills offered by the clinical team; the out of hours and overnight emergency provision; and the overall feel you get when visiting a practice. To ensure a successful pet owner-veterinary relationship, there must exist mutual trust and confidence. So it is always important that you feel appraised of every situation and included when making treatment decisions for your pet. This is more likely to be achieved by maintaining registration with one singular practice, who can hopefully cater for your pet’s needs throughout their life, inclusive of providing reliable estimates of costs where possible.
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