I am very lucky in the fact that my vet knows and trusts me as although I have insurance it didn't cover Shadys leg. My vet told me not to worry about my bills with him just to pay bits off reguarly. But to get her seen by the specialist which she needed we had to fundraise.
When I was in the waiting room a couple of days ago though someone rang and from what I heard the receptionists saying on the phone and talking about afterwards, someone had a very sick or injured animal that needed urgent treatment but didn't have the money. They told the person they couldn't help unless they could pay at the time of treatment and they should contact the RSPCA. Apparently the RSPCA said they would have to pay them at the time of treatment too so they couldn't go there either.
Its very sad and I have worried about that poor animal since wondering what happenned to it and how much it was left to suffer and even if its still suffering.
I usually pay money onto my account here and there as I like to if possible have the insurance excess there so I don't need to worry about anything. So sometimes I am in credit with my vet and sometimes in debt.
My vet also claims direct from the insurance company too so I don't have to find the money up front as I wouldn't have it on my income.. I know they don't do that for many people though and they do have a notice up saying the bill must be settled on the day.

It's 3 here too - how strange.

Agreed.

Maybe its just in Scotland? (that its one?)
I dont think we have any other charities here that offer anything like it? (other than the PDSA)

Just remembered, my friend's dog was very ill (needing to be PTS) and he called the vet out (5-10 min drive from the surgery) and they were so wary of coming and kept going on about well its a £60 call out charge blah blah (think they knew he didnt work - but he had used them for years and years) and it got to the point where he had to phone someone else to get them to phone the vet to say they would pay if he couldnt! THEN they came out. I think after years of customer loyalty, they could have just taken the 10 min drive and put the dog out its misery without all that hassle......


I do think if someone cares enough they will find the money somehow but there is always the chance of the unexpected....

I don't know if everyone could in a dire emergency.
I know if I didn't have insurance and a good vet who trusts me, then if I had an animal with bloat, or that had been injured seriously, then there is nowhere I could get the money that fast.
Now that is a really scary thought but very true.

Thats what I mean by the unexpected. Its a dreadful thought.

Many years ago we had the oposite problem with the blue cross.

I would have been around 14 years old and our golden retriever cut her leg very badly on a barbed wire fence. It was one early Sunday morning. My mum phoned our vet who said they were nowhere near the practice, but to take her to the blue cross who had an emergency vet in the surgery.

It was about a half hour drive and the vet saw our dog, agreed it needed stitching and then said "can you afford to pay". My mum said yes of course. It was a long time ago, but I will never forget the shock when the vet said "I am sorry but I can't treat your dog if you can pay for it"

We then had to drive approximately an hour the other way to our own vet who by that time was available.

Always would find a way, but we've been using the same vets since..well my grandparents took their pets there when they were first wed..so a long runnign practise, and they do work out payment plans etc if necesary. Don't insure, never found a policy which fits comfortable with me and like others have said, I'm someone who wouldn't put a dog through ongoing treatment of a very very serious disease/illness if there was no cure and it was just too extend time. But that's me personally as I wouldn't opt for this concept if I myself was in such a situation.

Have known the vet who has current practice for nearly 20 years, more infact, and am very fortunate to be so. There is one other partner and and other vets as has grown over the years. Is one of the reasons stay in this area because they are like as i think and understand 'old school', care and trust, cannot ever say this enough and is very sadly all too much forgotten or not possible for whatever reason. Would sell my car and anything else if had to if treatment and health care of any one or animal did not suffer.

I was commenting on your post saying that "one may be struggling to feed kids and dogs, let alone get insurance!



My point is that if you are so strapped for cash, you struggled to put food in your kids mouths, you maybe should not have pets in the first place.

if you are splitting x amount 3/4 ways and the most vulnerable is suffering, you need to rethink your strategy.

The last twice we have been to the vet have both been emergencies with Meg,
Once on a saturday morning she was admitted with Pyo,I asked roughly how much her bill would be they said around £500 ish,which it wasn't far off,I said at the time we can't pay it all off in one go our vets were fine as I paid for Scans,bloods and her Iv drip which was £166 and then cleared the rest after a fortnight.

The last time her bill was £339,I had no money going in the bank till the following day,they agreed to see her as long as I paid £20 upfront,I then cleared the amount owing and they were fine with this.
Also when she had a fit I only had £10 on me so gave them that and paid the rest the following day.

I now have both of mine insured for £16 a month,as it's quite frightening how quickly they can run up a huge amount of money.