A gnashing of teeth over vet bills in UK

Its investigation into the UK’s £6.3 billion veterinary services market found that “Major reforms would require vet businesses to make fundamental changes to the way they support pet owners.”

Among the 21 measures proposed is a price cap on written prescriptions and a new comprehensive price comparison website.

But it begs the question of how it got to this stage? Is it because we’re a nation of animal lovers willing to shell out whatever we’re asked without question?

My recent visit to the vet with our much-loved spaniel was timely as it came the same week as the competition watchdog’s publication of its study into spiralling vet costs.

We took him along for his annual vaccinations and checkover and he was found to be fit and healthy. But, towards the end of the consultation, the vet pointed out that he had a lot of plaque on some of his teeth that brushing alone wouldn’t remove. She advised we should book a “grade one” scale and polish which would involve an anaesthetic. Wanting to put our dog’s needs first and to avoid dental issues in later life we naively made the appointment without asking the price. But, disappointingly, the vet did not disclose what the fee would be either.

It was only when I read the CMA’s recommendations a couple of days later – in particular, the points about being up-front about costs and allowing people to shop around for the best deal – that we checked how much the treatment would be.

I nearly fell off my seat when I was told because an anaesthetic was involved it would be a staggering £643!

While we want to look after our pet, we couldn’t justify that, so it will be a case of daily brushing for him and continuing with the dental chews for now.

I then did a bit of online research and it seems that the price we were quoted is well above the average for this treatment, which is between £150 to £400. Some people might have gone ahead with the appointment without checking the cost first – as we almost did – and be hit with a bill they weren’t prepared for.

Let’s hope that the outcome of the CMA’s investigation will indeed be a more competitive and transparent marketplace that allows pets to get the treatments they need and deserve without their owners feeling ripped off.

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