# Useful site,could save you cash!



## Malc (May 9, 2005)

Hi,
I've had pets for years and the associated high costs of treatments. In 2002 a competition report to the government made some recommendations regarding Vets fees and supply of vet medicines. Read the actual report, if you are interested (the Marsh report ,www.vmd.gov.uk/ird/irdfinal.pdf -) many treatments are not covered by insurance and visits to vets regarding some conditions are expensive.
Some sites are anticipating the change in law due this year and selling from mail order outlets.

Draw your own conclusions by visiting these sites and possibly save yourself a bit of cash.

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/online-shops/petdrugsquick-co-uk/1003605/
http://www.bestpetpharmacy.co.uk/index.asp

 Malc


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## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

Yep...Vets are ripping us off but I don't think I include the RSPCA, so are dentists, Microsoft, Supermarkets, the government, and Sweaty Betty down the road that charges £25 pounds an hour.

P.S. So I've heard". 8O


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## 88741 (May 9, 2005)

Am in two minds about this one, obviously online sites can charge less for drugs as they do not have the overheads that a vet does. And, of course they can use 'economy of scale' as potentially they will sell a lot more drugs than an individual vet. However if the vet loses some of his profit margin by not dispensing drugs then that cost will have to be loaded on to consultation charges, so we will all end up paying anyway.
I believe that vets give fantastic value for money and would gladly pay the same sort of fees for my own doctoring if I could get the level of service I do from my vet. 
On the other hand if you have a long term problem with an animal then the drug charges can be crippling, and if I was in that situation then I would probably be feeling a whole lot different.
Also I cannot see that we should expect our vet to have all the drugs he would need on hand in case we need them in an emergency or quickly, putting him to that cost and tying up capital, if we then used another means of getting more drugs when we had more time to get them by post.
As I have, now and in the past, a very goor working relationship with the vets I have used I would hope that I could discuss this with them and come to some sort of amicable soloution.


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## Malc (May 9, 2005)

I would tend to agree with you Helen to a certain extent, I believe that in anticipation of the forthcoming (make no mistake it will be law sooner or later) changes, Vets have `tuned` their consulting fees (50% in past 18 months in my vets case) plus the charges for drugs have increased,however, the fact that there is competition could lead to a much fairer system ( I am lead to believe the wholesale drugs business is limited to a handful of suppliers in the UK) with the market opened up.
I do not want, or would suggest that I would deny any Vet a living, or indeed wish to dilute their income, after all there is a great deal of expertise on hand and lavished on our pets for which I have in the past been more than grateful for. 
Lets be honest, we are talking in the main about pets rather than commercial operations.
It reminds me of my wife going to the Physio., he asked if the insurance was paying or herself. When she replied to the effect that insurance was picking up the tab, the price was £30, £25 if it was herself!
A transparent market driven by value cannot always be a bad thing or could it?
Regards Malc


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