Do vets generally charge more for bigger dogs then? a friend of mine was quoted over £300 for a rottie & we use the same vets so I asked about Tilly & they said £150 for her!
We don't have to pay though as she is a rescue dog we have a voucher which was included in the adoption fee. (I just asked them to see what they would say)
Quite a difference though!!

Some vets charge by weight of the dog - as the heavier it is, the more anasthetic/pain killers etc it will need.

Whenever I encounter a vet that is considerably cheaper than all the others in the area, alarm bells go off, and I wonder why it is they can afford to charge those prices. I used to work for one of these discount vets and here is why he could get away with lower fees for services.

Volume, he ran so many dogs and cats through that surgery suite on a conveyer belt, meanwhile, he was too cheap to hire adequate staff (in training and in numbers) and often these animals were allowed to wake up from anesthesia alone in a kennel, un monitored. In his rush to get so many surgeries done in a day, aseptic technique suffered. Packs got reused before being resterilized. Gloves got reused. Suture got reused. All un steralized.

Out of date meds: He would buy bulk meds that were within a few months of going out of date at a cheaper rate. Naturally we didn't use all those meds before the stop date, but that didn't stop him!

Two sets of books, apparently what uncle sam didn't know only hurt the clients.

Cutting costs on utilities. No AC in the summer (In Texas where we have over 100 degree days for months and months)

No bedding or reusing bedding without washing. Reusing cat litter.

Using the cheapest possible anesthesia protocol, which isn't always (read usually not) the safest or most effective at controlling pain, etc.

Now, if you ask a vet clinic if they are doing this, are they going to admit to it? No.

Think they won't price gauge you? Think again. He would refuse to allow us to sell a blood profile that tested 25 chemistry levels and a CBC for $45. Instead we had to sell the in-house labwork which is only 6-12 chemistries and a CBC for three times the price.

This guy I was working for has been investigated many times but no charges ever stuck (He must be the luckiest ******* alive) He has THOUSANDS Of clients. He has great bed side manner (read ability to BS his way out of anything)

Then there is our local low cost spay neuter clinic, which those of us at the emergency clinic like to call, our bread and butter. They botch so many surgeries its unreal. They have inadequate surgical suites, and they don't even have oxygen on site. What if an animal arrests under anesthesia? Tough luck I guess. Its a sham. These people honestly think they are saving money at the expense of their beloved pets.

The cheaper practices have little or no in house testing equipment. So if your pet needs a test, the vet just won't tell you, because referring you out means losing money. I can't tell you how many times a pet has suffered and died for lack of proper diagnostics because this vet refused to refer out.

IMO, it is better to have a trusted and well respected vet that costs a little more, than to save a couple of bucks and risk your pets well being. You can't cheap out on good medicine.

we use vets all over the country for the rescues as that's where the fosterers are. we have one who will neuter for as little as £55 and others that are around the £180 - £200

Round here different areas charge different prices.....for instance Sutton Coldfield, Streetly, Knowle (mostly all the money belt areas) charge alot, whether it be overheads are more or because they have clients with money I am not sure.

Other poorer areas charge less, When I had Bruce neutered it was £70 all inclusive, yet someone I know who lives in the posher area of Solihull paid £95 plus extra for lampshade etc., and her dog is the same breed as Bruce.

same here, My vet charges £18 for a consult but just up the road in Frodsham (bit up market) they charge anything from £25 upwards!

Our vet charges for a spey depends on the weight of the dog, he needs to use more anaesthetic. Poppy was done last month and that was £90. I checked in Frodsham and Helsby and the cheapest there was £155

Elaine xxx