Vet prices.

Susannahmia

I haven't had to bring any animals to the vet in a while but will probably be heading in to one on Monday. How much is the average consultation fee? I want to know what to expect.:)

Also with my old vet we could just walk in. Do most practices insist on appointments?

Edit:

It's just to get a hamster's teeth trimmed and maybe a check up.

XJR

The fee will depend on what has to be done to the animal you haven't said why your bringing the animal in or what sort of animal it is.

My vets is just a walk in and no appointment is necessary - I've always assumed this is the norm.

hadook

My vet is by appointment only but it's never hard to get an appointment It's often handy to call ahead anyway because the vet nurses will tell you if it's mad busy and you can plan to miss the rush if your visit is for something that isn't urgent.

The vet I used in Celbridge was the same re appointments too.

Sigma Force

I think the average is about 25 euro for the consultation not incl any meds to tests etc vet fees vary greatly. Re hammies teeth not sure if its the same for hamsters but for guineapigs you dont use an anesthetic to trim the teeth and it is recommended that the teeth are burred down not clipped. Something thats worth discussing with the vet before you go ahead with any anesthetic just in case.

Appointments also depend on the vet but as vets are getting busier and busier I would say the majority would want you to make an appointment but their times are usually fairly good like morning, afternoon and evening appointments esp. in larger practices.

If the vet is experienced with hammies it shouldnt cost too much to have the hammies teeth looked at and possibly trimmed.

Susannahmia

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

I think the average is about 25 euro for the consultation not incl any meds to tests etc vet fees vary greatly. Re hammies teeth not sure if its the same for hamsters but for guineapigs you dont use an anesthetic to trim the teeth and it is recommended that the teeth are burred down not clipped. Something thats worth discussing with the vet before you go ahead with any anesthetic just in case.

Appointments also depend on the vet but as vets are getting busier and busier I would say the majority would want you to make an appointment but their times are usually fairly good like morning, afternoon and evening appointments esp. in larger practices.

If the vet is experienced with hammies it shouldnt cost too much to have the hammies teeth looked at and possibly trimmed.

Thanks that doesnt sound too bad. Tbh I would be a little bit wary if the vet did want to anaesthetise him. It is quite easy to do their teeth really. It is even possible, after a little initial instruction to do it yourself with a baby nail clipper but I would never chance it myself as I would be terrified of cutting the cheek or worse the tongue!

I'm not very familiar with the vets around maynooth but I did see one five minutes away from my place, I might run down there in the morning and chance my arm.:) I assume all small animal vets are trained to treat hamsters etc?

hadook

Susannahmia wrote: »

Thanks that doesnt sound too bad. Tbh I would be a little bit wary if the vet did want to anaesthetise him. It is quite easy to do their teeth really. It is even possible, after a little initial instruction to do it yourself with a baby nail clipper but I would never chance it myself as I would be terrified of cutting the cheek or worse the tongue!

I'm not very familiar with the vets around maynooth but I did see one five minutes away from my place, I might run down there in the morning and chance my arm.:) I assume all small animal vets are trained to treat hamsters etc?

It's been 3 years since I last lived in Maynooth and basic consult fee was at least €40 in the area then. Beaufields in Celbridge are an excellent small animal vet but are appointment only.

Not all vets are experienced with hamsters and other smallies and some just wouldn't see enough of them to have the experience to treat common problems. For some vets cats and dogs are considered small animals and hamsters would fall under exotics. Ask the vet you pop into if he/she has experience working with small rodents before getting as far as the consult - there's no point in being charged for him/her taking a stab at it

Are his teeth growing funny? If a hamster needs his teeth trimmed there's often an underlying issue there too - they'll often deal with their teeth themselves by chewing anything and everything in their cage

microgirl

XJR wrote: »

The fee will depend on what has to be done to the animal you haven't said why your bringing the animal in or what sort of animal it is.

My vets is just a walk in and no appointment is necessary - I've always assumed this is the norm.

Whereas mine (and indeed my friend's) requires an appointment

Check-up is around 40-ish in mine I think, but I've never had just a check up (i usually bring them in for their vaccinations, so the meds cost as well) so I'm not sure.

Ruby Soho

Beaufield in Celbridge do not have an appointment system, all of their clinics are walk-in only.

Susannahmia

hadook wrote: »

It's been 3 years since I last lived in Maynooth and basic consult fee was at least €40 in the area then. Beaufields in Celbridge are an excellent small animal vet but are appointment only.

Not all vets are experienced with hamsters and other smallies and some just wouldn't see enough of them to have the experience to treat common problems. For some vets cats and dogs are considered small animals and hamsters would fall under exotics. Ask the vet you pop into if he/she has experience working with small rodents before getting as far as the consult - there's no point in being charged for him/her taking a stab at it

Are his teeth growing funny? If a hamster needs his teeth trimmed there's often an underlying issue there too - they'll often deal with their teeth themselves by chewing anything and everything in their cage

At the moment time is a big factor for me so I am hoping to get a vet nearer by so hopefully this guy will be OK, if needs be I will take a trip up to celbridge, thanks for the tip.

His bottom teeth are far too long they are curling inwards almost touching the roof of his mouth and look very uncomfortable. I got a fright when I checked them Friday night. He is eating ok and they look fine until you actually scuff him. I just cant get him to chew enough! He has wood blocks, sticks and dog biscuits. The only thing he does like are the biscuits but they dont seem to be working well enough. He used to chew on the cage bars but he doesn't do this as much now since we added a monster extension onto his cage.:)

I'm hoping that once they are clipped that he might chew more.

I would also like him to get a bit of a once over because he managed to escape the other day and was missing for 24 hours, when he found him his little nose and paws were slightly singed, I'm guessing his hiding place was the hotpress. Nothing too serious but another reason to go.