We’re still in debt after £8,000 vet bill

When Roy the old English bulldog fell ill in September, Tracy Higgins did not think twice about getting him the medical care he needed. Several trips to the vets later and the final bill came — for nearly £8,200.

Higgins, who lives in east London with her husband Kevin, took seven-year-old Roy to the vets after he began vomiting and lost weight quickly. The initial tests were £180, but the bill soon snowballed.

On the vet’s recommendation he stayed for three nights in an animal hospital where he had more scans, tests and medication. He was discharged with a £3,500 bill.

“I started to panic about the cost — I didn’t know how long he was going to be ill, and there was no guarantee he would get better,” said Higgins, 63. “We couldn’t not have him treated. We are responsible for him and love him.”

Part of Roy’s small intestine was severely inflamed and over the next three months his medication cost another £3,500. Scans, vet visits and tests racked up another £995.

Pet owners often feel they have no choice but to pay enormous sums to keep their furry friends alive and well. The price of veterinary care and other pet services has jumped about 40 per cent since 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In a bid to cut back on household bills, Higgins had cancelled her pet insurance, which cost £250 a month for Roy and the couple’s other dog Bonnie, six months before he became ill.

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The couple had regularly put money into a savings account for vet bills and there was £2,000 in the pot when Roy first needed treatment. They raided £3,000 from other savings accounts and put the remaining £3,200 on credit cards, which they are still paying off.

“I was shocked by the size of the bills and concerned by the ongoing treatment as the cost just kept building up,” Higgins said. “It was very expensive, and we still have some of that debt hanging over us. But we are just relieved that he’s come through it. In some respects it was money well spent, because we still have Roy with us.”

Vets on the examination table

The Competition and Markets Authority is investigating the £2 billion vet industry after concerns that pet owners are overpaying for medicines and being kept in the dark about the cost of treatments.

Martyn James, a consumer rights campaigner, said many vets did not give a clear breakdown of treatment prices so bills can escalate quickly without owners realising.

“Costs are completely opaque,” he said. “Vets don’t tend to have price lists, but they should. Consumers should know what a clinic’s basic prices are for emergency treatment, breakages, operations and ongoing medical treatment.”

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Vet fees vary widely depending on location, treatment and clinic. The cost of a first consultation for a dog in clinics in southeast London varies from £42 to £64, according to the comparison website VetHelpDirect. In Guildford in Surrey it ranges from £42 to £105, and £35.50 to £68.50 in Greater Manchester.

Castration for a dog costs between £100 and £520. Prescription costs can vary from £9.49 to £52.20, and the price of getting a cat spayed ranges from £45 to £300.

“Pet owners face something of a postcode lottery when it comes to vet costs, with a huge disparity in pricing across the country,” said Robbie Reddy from VetHelpDirect.

How to keep your bills down

Pet insurance is one of the best ways to cover surprise vet bills. It typically won’t cover routine treatments such as vaccinations and you will have to pay an excess amount on any claims, but it should take the sting out of any big expenses.

If you have a breed of pet that is not susceptible to illnesses or specific conditions you could reduce the cost of insurance by buying an accident-only policy, which covers short-term illnesses and injuries. Lifetime cover, which is more expensive because it covers your pet’s treatment for life, includes long-term illnesses. An accident-only policy should only be an option if you have the means to pay a four or five-figure bill for unexpected or long-term treatment. Regularly putting money into an emergency savings pot could help towards this.

An accident-only policy for a two-year-old male labrador who has been neutered starts from £5.87 a month, covering you for £2,500 for each accident, according to the consumer site Compare the Market. The cost of a lifetime policy for the same dog starts from £16.69 a month.

If a health issue is not urgent, compare vet prices in your area by asking each practice for the cost of treatments. If a vet is reluctant to share the information with you, consider that to be a red flag.

You may find helpful information about treatment costs from other owners on online forums or social media pages dedicated to your pet’s breed.

It is sometimes possible to buy medication cheaper from pharmacies online, but check reviews of the pharmacy first and talk to your vet.

If you think you have been overcharged by a vet you can complain to the company and if you are not happy with the outcome, take your case to the free Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS), which can help you get a refund, further treatment or a goodwill payment.

Complaints to the VCMS about vet bills rose 13 per cent between November 2022 and October 2023. About 15 per cent of the cases it helped resolve led to compensation, with an average payout of £316.

Anna Judson from the British Veterinary Association said: “Fees are up due to a range of factors including inflation and shortages in some areas of the workforce. We do, however, recognise more can be done to improve consumer choice and the veterinary profession is already taking action to address the CMA’s concerns over transparency of fees.”