First real vet bill - ouch!

[SaligoBay]

One X-ray, then an injection to make him sleep, then a plaster on his leg, to stay there for a month.

174 euros!!!!!!!  [8-)]

Puts paid to my weekend away!  Mr SB has been to Latvia, Madrid, and Beijing, and I haven't been bl** dy ANYWHERE since we drove to GERMANY last August!!   This was my chance.  Quick RyanScare flight over, stay with friends, take in some REAL MUSIC (no it doesn't exist in France [:@] ). 

I am not impressed. 

And while I'm at it, how come paying a phone bill by credit card is only available to those whose bills are overdue?   I intend to let them ALL go overdue from now on, it's so much easier than getting organised to send a cheque.

Grumph.

[Gardian]

"One X-ray, then an injection to make him sleep, then a plaster on his leg, to stay there for a month."

What a way to treat Mr SB, just because he'd been on a few trips!

 

[Christine Animal]

The plaster is for a month, but how long is he going to sleep...? 

[Teamedup]

If you call 3000 can't you still pay your phone bill by card? LOL it even understands my accent when I say 'payer ma facture'.

 

Our vets bill last summer was many many hundreds of euros. And when they said everything was included, it wasn't actually. Every visit cost us extra, so who knows what the 'everything' was.

 

Hadn't you thought about taking out an insurance policy for your chien. We didn't when ours was young and as it happens we are about kif-kif now. And as she is an old gal now, maybe we should have all those years ago.

[SaligoBay]

[quote user="Ian Horn"]

"One X-ray, then an injection to make him sleep, then a plaster on his leg, to stay there for a month."

What a way to treat Mr SB, just because he'd been on a few trips!

[/quote]

Oh no no no no no no no no, don't misunderstand me, I wouldn't do that to Mr SB just because he'd been away on a few trips.   He also completely and utterly forgot my birthday yesterday.

He won't make THAT mistake again! [:D]

[Chezstevens]

Most vet services seem to be cheaper in France than the UK.  We have had up to 3 large dogs at a time and whilst SWBO was living in France commented on how cheap it was.  We continue to have our dog, sadly now singular, innoculated in France rather than ripped off in the UK.

[YCCMB]

SB, I bet if you got Mr SB anaesthetised, slapped some plaster on a ...er...limb, and put a lampshade round his neck, he'd never forget your birthday again[;-)]. Either that or he'd be off back to Beijing before you could say "vet"[:-))]

[SaligoBay]

[quote user="Chezstevens"]Most vet services seem to be cheaper in France than the UK.  .[/quote]

So I read on these amphora.

Hence my knocked-over-with-a-featheredness.

Or at least, maybe they are cheaper than the UK, but par rapport à French incomes, not really cheap at all!

Ah well, c'est la vie, il faut faire avec, kesstuveux, and other French expressions of hopelessness. [:)]

[Just Katie]

Hi SB,  Evening Primrose should sort you out X.  Works Wunders

[Teamedup]

Ok KKK what exactly does evening primrose do to you, I used to take it, but 'nothing' happened.

[Just Katie]

Urmmm sorry if I am going to be honest I have never had the need to take it thankfully. 

OK I'll put my hands up there, perhaps 'works wunders' may be pushing it a little.  My mate down the pub said it was good though.....  Oh, and fish oils for her hyperactive son.  Actually I may give them a whirl.

 

Sorry I'm off thread again... Sorry

[Shane]

Gosh that sounds a bit steep.

Two years ago we had to take our collie to the vets on christmas day and the cost was 30 euro! we were astounded, and then he had to go to Toulouse for a brain scan!!!! and the cost was 280 euro which we thought was brill. The first vet we took him to when he had his problems, falling over and not blinking his eye, said "no charge just tell me what is wrong with him when he has been to the doggy hospital".

We are well impressed by the vets here in France and the costs involved, far far less than the uk.

[SaligoBay]

[quote user="Dordognecarol"]

Gosh that sounds a bit steep.

Two years ago we had to take our collie to the vets on christmas day and the cost was 30 euro! [/quote]

No kidding?  His two puppy injections alone were 38 euros each! 

I did go to another vet a while back, his basic consultation on an ordinary day is 22 euros, with treatment on top of that.   So for a bottle of stuff like Milk of Magnesium, a jar of Primped or something like that for tummy upsets, and some worming tablets, it was 50 euros.

Having a dog in France is not that cheap.  I can see why so many people don't bother looking after them.

 

 

[Opalienne]

The vet came out to our horse (15 km) because we thought she had a vision problem, did the eye examination, took blood for a blood test, returned to surgery, did blood test, and then sent a bill for €46 for the lot.   I think that's pretty cheap!  

[Deimos]

Sounds very pricey to me (actually sounds way OTT for France). One of mine had an x-ray a year ago. He started limping and I couldn’t find anything, vet could not find anything so just be to sure we took an x-ray. Vet did then find a sensitive area so bandage and rest I cannot remember rthe bill because I think I didn’t pay anything (cos there was nothing really wrong).

The one bill I do remember was an emergency call-out on Sunday lunch (I met the vet at their surgery). Dog then had local aesthetic, stitches, loads of bandages, chemicals, etc., antibiotics, etc. and total bill for everything 60€ (which was my first non-vaccination type French vet bill and I thought it cheap – though subsequent bills have been along the same lines).

If your vet is a bit expensive, might be your area of France or might be your vet. From what people post there does seem to be quite a lot of variation, though I’m unsure if its by vet practice of “part of France”. If there is another close by, might be worth trying them next time and seeing how the price compares.

Ian

[TWINKLE]

It's really cheap for caterpillars.

Sorry Ian but i'm allowed to be silly and childish on the forum between 12.10 & 12.35[;-)]

[SaligoBay]

[quote user="Deimos"]If your vet is a bit expensive, might be your area of France or might be your vet. From what people post there does seem to be quite a lot of variation, though I’m unsure if its by vet practice of “part of France”. If there is another close by, might be worth trying them next time and seeing how the price compares. Ian[/quote]

I've tried two now, and they both seem expensive.

I often feel that the rest of France isn't an independent republic at all, it's a great big charity shop to let Brits live cheaply.  So how come I end up in the Harrods non-bargain basement part?

Ah well, the Gosport Festival will survive without me. [:(]   I'll find a book about Auvergne clog dancers to console myself.

 

[Patf]

That bill was far too expensive. Next time ask for a devis first. Even

husband's xray for broken leg was 37 euro and specialist 

consultation fee 23 euro. Pat.

[Deimos]

I have a strong suspicion that vet bills are significantly higher should a vet consider an insurance company may be involved. A friends dog had a disagreement with a neighbour’s cat. Cat was fine but shaken. No blood, walking OK, no real problems. However cat owner took cat to vet just in case and the bill for an x-ray was 150€ plus. It found nothing but of course such bills can be recovered from the dog owners 3rd party (incl. with house) liability insurance. But them maybe I’m too much of a cynic.

Ian

[Deimos]

Another comparison. Last years I had a full heart and circulatory check-up (a doctor managed to find I had a “upper limit” blood pressure for pilot medical). Three appointments, ECG, Doppler imaging of heart and blood vessels, all sorts of equipment with a specialist cardiologist, report the works all for 110€ (no refund from CPAM, heart specialist nearly had a heart attach when he found I was paying the entire bill !!).

So for one animal x-ray is was a bit too expensive.

Ian

[Teamedup]

Last year our dog's cruciate ligament went. Operation 563€ and then the next check up almost 30€ plus I had to buy stuff from the pharmacie too. Cat two months later, x ray and two visits cost around 100 euros, some of the medicine included, other stuff I had to get from the pharmacie.

Dog had her annual jabs this week for rabies and the like and they cost 51 euros.

 

Saligo's  bill sounds about right to me as it included plastering the animal.

 

 

 

[WJT]

I am not sure what we would pay for that in our part of France but if it is any consolation we would pay a lot more here in the UK. I am always flabbergasted at the bill particularly if there are tests or scans needed. If we didn't have pet insurance, the  problems my two dogs have had over the last few years, including one getting Piroplasmosis (sp?) (tick disease) in France, we would have had to take out a mortgage  [:'(].

Seriously though our Vet bills have been in the thousands the last few years and the medication needed for my dog's hip displasia is over £200 every six weeks and he only just turned eight.

We considered cancelling Petplan a few years back thinking it was very expensive and a waste of money because we only needed it a few times. Thank goodness we didn't, I would imagine that the last few years have covered the costs already and as I mentioned both of my dogs just turned eight. I would definitely recommend doing this if you have a young dog, as they get older you may be lucky but you never know, I guess the same could be said about us as well [:)].  Our excess has gone up to £90 for each but has and will save us a fortune.

SB, costs aside, it sounds a terrible accident for your poor dog, I know I would find it very difficult if one of mine had to have a plaster on it's leg for a month. [:(]  I hope he is better now.

[andyh4]

According to the British magazine Family Circle, a dog will cost you 22000pounds during its lifetime - in that context 174€ doesn't seem a lot.

 

Hope he makes a speedy recovery.

[Maddie]

SB, sorry to hear about your pup's mishap. [:(]  I suppose, all things considered, for any person on an average French income vets bills might seem steep. To us folk who are used to being ripped off by UK vets (esp when we earned less than the "average" Uk salary) it all seems a lot less expensive.

The treatment I had for Piro (my dog got it too) inc tests and jab came to €40, another time ultrasound, 2 injections and a weeks supply of meds for a gastro thing was €49 and my annual jab inc rabies is €35.

It sounds like the price varies a lot from area to area.  I have found most vets have a fixed price list so if there is something in particular you know you need (like vaccinations or flea/wormers) maybe ring around?  (All very well said but I am normally panicking my butt off so rush straight to my usual vet [:$] )

[SaligoBay]

Neighbour told me yesterday afternoon that her daughter's dog was constipated, and it cost her 70 euros at the vet to sort it out.

So I don't have the only expensive vet in France!

I appreciate that human medical things look cheap, but they're a necessity, whereas pets are a luxury item, so I hadn't really thought of comparing the two.  Having said that, son's broken wrist cost over 100 euros for an x-ray and a plastering, so maybe even docs/hospitals are dearer here.