Vets Bill - Expensive?

[Debbie Emblem]

Our family including our Collie X, Sasha will be moving to Melbourne at the end of the year. Does anyone have any experience of attending the vets? Just wondered in terms of fees how they compare to the UK? I intend taking our insurance for her when we arrive. Are there any companies to recommend?

[Guest Joanna1]

Hi

We have always found them to be very reasonably priced to be honest, and as for insurance we have the same cover as we had in the uk and with the same company (pet plan) and we pay in dollars what we paid in pounds nearly. Pay $34 and in uk paid £25!

 

Good luck with your move

[Guest Annette from the forest]

Hello, we moved here in June with 4 cats and 2 dogs. One of the dogs has just had a double hernia op costing $2000 but looking at the invoice all the individual parts to the bill seem similar to UK costs.Luckily we have him insured so just about to put in the claim. We had him insured with Direct Line back home but they wouldn't continue the service over here. Took a long time to find a suitable company. Most firms would take him on as an 8 year old but once he hit 10 the insurance would end. Finally found Prosure who will insure past the age of 10 provided the animal is registered with them before its 9th birthday.

[Debbie Emblem]

Thanks for your message. Sasha is already 10, so I guess it's going to be a bit like here in the UK, it's more difficult to find insurance, and more expensive.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

I would highly recommend Lort Smith Animal Hospital for any major surgery, not because I worked there but because they are the only veterinary clinic that do their own payment plan, so if your pet needs urgent surgery and you cannot afford it, they can set up a plan so you will pay ex amount each week. Plus surgery costs are a lot cheaper than other clinics. The only down side about the hospital is that it's like waiting in outpatients at the hospital, there are around 40 other vets and they deal with over 100,000 animals each year so when you turn up without an appointment you could have a wait of over 2 hours easy.

Vaccinations, it is definitely worth ringing around a C5 vaccine can cost anything from $50 to $120 dependent on the clinic. A consult can range from $35 to $70.

[Eera]

Microchipping my Border Collie was $150, he had hair growing on his eyeball (!) which cost $1500 to get a specialist dog opthalmologist to shave off (I could have had five new dogs for the same cost...)

His annual consultation and jabs is around $70.

A six month supply of wormer and aadvantix is about $60.

[brideycollette]

:shocked:Hate to think what it will cost us for my gsd with AF for her drugs each month , when we get to oz then ( gulp !):wacko:best start doing a dog fund for her !

[3 Piccos]

I would highly recommend Lort Smith Animal Hospital for any major surgery, not because I worked there but because they are the only veterinary clinic that do their own payment plan, so if your pet needs urgent surgery and you cannot afford it, they can set up a plan so you will pay ex amount each week. Plus surgery costs are a lot cheaper than other clinics. The only down side about the hospital is that it's like waiting in outpatients at the hospital, there are around 40 other vets and they deal with over 100,000 animals each year so when you turn up without an appointment you could have a wait of over 2 hours easy.

Vaccinations, it is definitely worth ringing around a C5 vaccine can cost anything from $50 to $120 dependent on the clinic. A consult can range from $35 to $70.

 

Many thanks for the information. Which suburb is Lort Smith Animal Hospital in? We move to Melbourne in November with our border collie Rosie and I will be looking for a good vet that charges reasonable rates and an insurance company to insure her. Rosie is eight years old. In the UK I found an excellent vet closeby whose charges were virtually half that charged by a larger vet practice who have quite a number of vets, so you never knew who you were going to see. Also you had to sit in the waiting room with maybe a dozen other dogs which I found too stressful. Rosie didn't mind it!!! At my vets you have an appointment and so there is only the animal coming out of the surgery that you meet. Helps my blood pressure!!