Veterinary Fees

The majority of people consider that veterinary fees are expensive.  It is worth considering the costs involved in running a health service. 

The National Health Service (NHS) provides medical treatment to most people in the UK.  This is a so-called “FREE” service to us all.  In reality, the costs involved in running the NHS are massive as we all appreciate when we hear of the investment made by the Government each year and how this vast sum of money is never enough to provide all the care we expect.

In reality, the NHS is NOT free.  We all pay taxes from which a large amount is used to fund our Health Care Service, (BILLIONS of pounds each year).  People who are ill and require medicines are often given a prescription to obtain from a chemist.  A nominal fee is charged at the chemist for the medicine.  On rare occasions this prescription fee may in reality be more than the drugs are worth but MANY of the drugs are actually worth tens, hundreds or even thousands of pounds more than the cost of the prescription charge.

Unlike the NHS, veterinary practices have to fund themselves from charges made to pet owners.  We are unable to gain finance from other sources and must be self-sufficient.  This means that pet owners see the REAL cost of health care services, (much like patients who seek private medical treatment).

The fees we charge, be it for consultations, vaccinations, operations, medicines, etc, are not all used to pay the veterinary surgeons as most people appear to think.  In reality, approximately 24 % of your bill at the veterinary surgery is used to pay the veterinary surgeons, (including the Partners, Consultants and Assistant Veterinary Surgeons).  The majority of the veterinary bill is made-up of expenses including 17.5% added to ALL bills for VAT.  Other expenses include paying Veterinary Nurses, Receptionists, Administration, Renting Buildings, Building Running Costs, Cleaning fees, Legal Fees, Insurance and Further Education Courses.

Profits at the end of the year are often re-invested into the practice to fund new equipment to enable us to improve the service we offer.

So when you next look at your veterinary bill, we hope that you are able to have a better understanding of why we must charge our fees to enable us to provide you with a high quality Health Service for your pet(s).

The pie-chart below gives an accurate representation of how the money we received in 2006 was spent (based on 2006 accounts).

With the rapid advance in treatments available to animals over the previous years, many more conditions are now treatable than were previously.  Long stays in hospital along with advanced medical tests and possible surgery means veterinary medical expenses can reach levels that some people may find difficult to afford.

WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND OWNERS PURCHASE PET INSURANCE  FOR THEIR PET(S)

IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO DO THIS WHILST THEY ARE YOUNG & HEALTHY TO PREVENT PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS FROM BEING EXCLUDED BY INSURANCE COMPANIES AT A LATER DATE.

A list of our routine charges is shown below. 

(prices shown include VAT)