Also the thing is my vet will take all the time in the world to explain and discuss things properly, will talk at length and answer all my questions. So I am happy that I get value for money in that respect, I would not prefer to pay less but be hurried out the door. I am paying for their expertise and that's what I want to receive.
My vet has also started to give out puppy packs with the first set of vaccinations and I checked and I paid the same for Phoenix as the others so he hasn't bumped up the price to cover what's in the pack. It included a free dose of advantage applied by him, a bag of food, a toy and lots of information leaflets on parasites/training etc etc.Obviously hoping for repeat sales.
With Rio's incontinence diagnosis it took a lot of trial and error to eventually get to the diagnosis because being the awkward moo she is, she had an infection, struvite crystals and had to have several urine analysis tests done and it was only once everything else was clear and she was still leaving puddles that the obvious conclusion was incontinence but even then we had to try two different medications before finding one that worked. The bill so far stands at £600 No I don't have insurance but to be honest it doesn't make me wish I did either, she's never really cost me anything and she's now 7. I might try bartering with the vet when the medication is due for renewal and see if he's willing to move on price, otherwise I will pay for a prescription and buy it online.
It's all you lot being insured and not caring how much medication costs that's allowing vets to charge the earth

Our vet is not too bad, £26 for consultation, £38 for annual health check and boosters. Worming and flea treatments are ok too although not as cheap as online but Finn needs prescription only flea treatments so go through the vet.

We were quoted today around £412 to £537 for xrays, sedation, bloods, and a histio report. Thankfully we got a reprieve for now as Star seems a lot better.

I never used to bother much about the prices because we had insurance but it became too expensive to have for an older boxer Although even paying for the above treatment it would still be cheaper than the insurance

Some vet bills are eye watering, however..........the training that a vet has to go through in order to have the privilege of being bitten, kicked, scratched etc., with no option of asking the patient whether it is feeling this that or the other, makes me think that they earn every single penny.

Our vet practice is slightly more expensive than others in the area, BUT if an animal has to stay in overnight or needs intensive care, there is a vet nurse on site 24 hours a day. (There is a little flat above the surgery). This is worth every penny of any extra cost to my mind. Plus, they have all the up to date equipment; e.g. there are blood testing facilities on the premises, and any number of other machines which greatly speed up any diagnosis.

These men and women have spent many years in training for a profession which is absolutely essential for those of us with animals - if someone has worked blinking hard, and takes on the long arduous and sometimes extremely difficult hours, then I say good luck to them and they deserve every penny. They are not only consultants with second sight in the surgery, but wizards out in harsh conditions on the farm or stable yard, AND they have to be top notch surgeons with all the latest thinking and technology to hand.

I love them all (especially when they are extremely good looking )

Our vet's fees are fair. They are not the cheapest but I don't mind paying a bit more as I trust him.

He will always present options where there are conservative measures as an alternative but is straight to the point when treatment is necessary.

When I took Tess in for a ripped dew claw they only charged for a nail trim with no consultation. Then when I rushed in demanding to see a vet instantly when she was dying they did not charge me a penny. Although they were unable to save her, they had drawn up the drugs which obviously were then not used and had an emergency consultation and I expected to have to pay something.

He is brilliant, confident, compassionate and thorough. Well worth the money.

There is one particular vet surgery that a few of my clients use that is extortionate and I will not even begin to explain how angry they make me.

I remember when Rocky was first diagnosed with Epilepsy (about 7 years ago now) and the vet had the cheek to tell me that because they can no longer charge for prescriptions they have to make the money back by requiring check ups every 4 months and this vet had a top of the range Range Rover with number plate 'Vet 1' (probably cost as much as the car!) parked outside.

They already make a large profit on medicines and I doubt many people buy them elsewhere (we never did).

I moved to another vet and he was happy with a check up every 8 months or so, and actually didn't charge for the consultation if I was buying a few months of meds in one go (usually about £70/£80 anyway). So I guess it depends if you find a good one or not, but there certainly seems to be a trend/seeing very expensive vet bills for some people lately. Even the insurance companies are now saying that premiums have gone up so much because vets prices have shot up

Heavens, that's expensive. We paid £15, which included the annual check up.

my vets is state of the art ! 2 miles away and 24 hour on call service so i expect to pay more. I could use the small vet down the road who charges £25 for annual innoculations , however if i had an out of hours emergency i'd have to drive 24 miles to their on call surgery.

I recently had to take one of the dogs to the vets on a sunday morning paid £40 consulation, didn't think that unreasonable

we live in a nation that rips people off in all areas from broadband prices to clothes, why would vets be any different, just breaking news that gas prices have been essentially fixed by companies, PPI payments, all the same really.
Rip off Britain i think they call it.

Oddly when we changed to an independent vet - one man two nurses our bill decreased enormously and what we used to have to pay a sedation fee for suddenly became possible with out sedation !

The big international surgery 15 vets umpteen nurses seeing hundreds of clients which you would imagine should be cheaper because they share a property etc was charging like a wounded bull and sedation for almost everything was normal.

Personally, I think the drug companies are the ones cashing in.

To qualify as a vet takes a lot of time, effort and money. To set up a surgery takes time, effort and money. To hire more vets to work in that surgery takes time, effort and money. They really can't be expected to work for nothing.