Buying A Rescue Dog

moving_home

Irishchick wrote: »

Your paying someone to "stick an injection into a dogs neck"

Your paying an experienced vet to administer a sub cut injection of medication which he or she has paid for already. Your paying for the meds and for the vet to give it. It is actually possible to kil an animal if a sub cutaneous injection in administered incorrectly.

So seen as it's not rocket science do it yourself next time and see how it goes. Be prepared for local reactions, side effects and possible death.

But you know, as you say, its not rocket science

well i have injected a total of 6dogs this year with their 8 in 1 booster vaccinations with no reaction, side effects or deaths and know i further 6dogs that were done by their owner who is also not a vet and they all lived to tell the tale.

suziwalsh

Irishchick wrote: »

No one is making you bring your dog every year. The attitude towards vets on this forum is disgraceful sometimes.

I'm a training veterinary nurse hoping to go into vet med. Vets spend 6 years working hard in college which,if you don't get grant cost over 100,000 euros.

The vet I work for does 14 hour days and would bend over backwards to help an animal in need.

You are paying for a surgeon with years worth of training and expertise.

Some people think that alot of vets are on it for the money which I'd bull crap. By the time you factor in costs with the amount of hours they work, coupled with the crap they get off farmer sometimes and scabs who think they should work for half nothing ... They don't actually earn that much.

I have spent 7 years in college to get my qualifications and spent tens of thousands on my education.....I wouldn't dream of charging what some vets do as a mark up. Its crazy, especially city vets. In comparison to other european countries doctors and vet services here are outrageous. I have many close friends who are vets and work with in the industry, I know what the mark ups are. Im afraid I have to hold vet services in some way responsible for the cost of adopting a rescue dog and not the rescues themselves. Along with Irelands low take up in neutering. Considering the current climate in Ireland the cost of going to a vet is extremely high for anyone on a low income and in no way justified no matter how many hours you work. Its not acceptable.

For example even micro-chipping. I am qualified to do so, and whether VICAS approve or not I can buy micro chips for less than €10. There is no way I would charge €45 plus for chipping a dog that takes minutes....and I even register the dogs myself. The cost of routine procedures need to come down to allow people to look after their pets in an affordable way. Now with pet insurance I find many vets just hike up the price and stick add ons all over the place as they know that the bills will be covered. I can't obviously speak about all vets and I know my statements maybe sweeping or general but in the many years of working in animal welfare/rescue this is my experience. Very few vets will put themselves out financially for a rescue (there are a few special ones who always do). In my profession working with animals I am certainly left out of pocket many many times so why shouldn't someone working in the veterinary medicine field do the same.

planetX

Ok I've been run into the ground by vets bills lately, and I think the charges should be lower. But the vaccination isn't just sticking a needle into the neck. Not with a customer like me anyway - 'could you just take a look at this', and 'should this be happening'. It's a mini health check really.

Bullseye1

I'm not here to defend what Vets charge but consider the following:

1. Rates all businesses pay to local authorities. This is a significant overhead on anyone's business.
2. Paying staff's wages.
3. Paying for the medicine they administer.
Etc etc

So while the procedure may in fact be relatively straight forward you have to factor in the above when calculating what you charge for such procedures.

It might be helpful to the customers to have a list of standard procedures in reception and how much they will cost. I always ask how much something is going to cost before giving the go ahead. I'm amazed at the amount of people who don't ask what it costs until after the procedure has taken place.

Bullseye1

Before people and businesses can reduce their costs local authorities need to lower their rates by up to 50%.

portgirl123

ok. started reading this thread cos i thought it was about rescue dogs now has turned into a debate about vet prices??????????

Bullseye1

Well one has something to do with the other. People are questioning the fees people pay for rescue dogs. These dogs medical costs are taken care of by the rescue centres and partially/fully passed onto the person who is adopting the dog.

Whispered

Bullseye1 wrote: »

Well one has something to do with the other. People are questioning the fees people pay for rescue dogs. These dogs medical costs are taken care of by the rescue centres and partially/fully passed onto the person who is adopting the dog.

In most cases partially passed on. Recently I've been involved in a re-homing where the adoption fee didn't cover 25% of the medical bills. Nobody is complaining - this is what the rescues are there to do, but without the fees there is absolutely no way a rescue will survive.

wolfpawnat

A minimum rate is decided, then the vet practices decide how much more than that they, as a practice, will add. The larger hospitals in the cities tend (not always the case) to add more, such as one in Cork is €60 for vaccines, while others, such as the one my uncle goes to in Cork, is €35, usually €40 but he has 2 dogs and has went there for 20 odd years!

Vet charges, though often reduced for animal shelters/rescue groups are still ridiculously overpriced for the more routine procedures (vaccines, castrations, etc) that said, there are some procedures that cost an arm and a leg, due to the fact they are saving said arm and leg!

When a rescue centre then asks for a fee, it is because they have, for the past however weeks/months while the dog was in their care, forked out a fortune to neuter, vaccinate, microchip and other procedures so many animals need, as well as food, shelter, transport. I could have seen this year having cost me 1,000's had the shelter not taken care of it all before I took on the dog.

DamagedTrax

i cant believe people are questioning re-homing fees! :eek:

my staffie is a rescue from DSPCA. before i was due to collect her it was discovered she had a bad skin condition that needed medical attention and supervision. they kept her in the treatment kennels for 4 extra weeks. she was on a few different antibiotics and had to have special baths.

the total cost for me was still the same (135) but i can only begin to imagine what it would have cost for the extra time she was there! the vet bills and antibiotics alone would have been a fortune... even after all that extra cost to them, when i colllected her they still sent me off with 2 weeks worth of food.

she has to go back on monday for the last of her treatments and again the cost is being absorbed by the shelter.

these people do amazing work and treated her like she was one of their own. i would gladly have paid a lot more than what i did for the beautiful & healthy loving friend that i now have.

and before anyone says anything about me being able to afford it - im a freelancer and currently my industry is at an all time low. im certainly not making much money at all. i dont mean to sound patronising but if 135 is too expensive for you then maybe now is not the right time in your life for a dog. probably best to look at the idea again if your circumstances change and allow for the cost in the future.

wolfpawnat

DamagedTrax wrote: »

i cant believe people are questioning re-homing fees! :eek:

my staffie is a rescue from DSPCA. before i was due to collect her it was discovered she had a bad skin condition that needed medical attention and supervision. they kept her in the treatment kennels for 4 extra weeks. she was on a few different antibiotics and had to have special baths.

the total cost for me was still the same (135) but i can only begin to imagine what it would have cost for the extra time she was there! the vet bills and antibiotics alone would have been a fortune... even after all that extra cost to them, when i colllected her they still sent me off with 2 weeks worth of food.

she has to go back on monday for the last of her treatments and again the cost is being absorbed by the shelter.

these people do amazing work and treated her like she was one of their own. i would gladly have paid a lot more than what i did for the beautiful & healthy loving friend that i now have.

and before anyone says anything about me being able to afford it - im a freelancer and currently my industry is at an all time low. im certainly not making much money at all.

Know the feeling, my staffie had a mange issue and lost all his fur, the injections, creams, vet bills, etc would have been a holy fortune, but I got asked for less than the cost of a purebred pup (he is a purebred) and I do not even have to worry about castration or anything, all sorted. He is also on a particular difficult to find food, the woman who was fostering him made sure to order a bag of it for him.

ppink

In fairness to the OP Bettyboop she/he did say

Bettyboop wrote: »

Maybe I am missing something..

I think the first few posts have probably explained what he/she could be missing as regards rescue costs.

not everyone is aware of all that is involved for rescues to rehome dogs.

portgirl123

Bullseye1 wrote: »

Well one has something to do with the other. People are questioning the fees people pay for rescue dogs. These dogs medical costs are taken care of by the rescue centres and partially/fully passed onto the person who is adopting the dog.

i understand that entirely, rescues are great ppl and if it wernt for them, god would hate to think what would happen. my problem is i dont think rescues charge enough. i know for a fact one rescue, charges €75 and all dogs are completely vax, wormed and spayed. i know this cos my ma recently got a dog of them, she actually gave more. but when people start arguing about how much it costs to become a vet, i do think that is slightly off topic. same as you cant say all vets charge over the tops. my vet dont, not a more generous vet would you get. to him the animal is more important than the money

suziwalsh

portgirl123 wrote: »

but when people start arguing about how much it costs to become a vet, i do think that is slightly off topic.

Especially when the majority who qualify as students get free fees

My point to the initial poster was that the costs might not be so high if vet fees weren't so high.

This is not a new topic for boards and I feel that its always the rescues that get targeted for the fees charged...and I feel that vets have to be somewhat responsible for the charges too.

hpsheba

Strange reading this topic tonight :cool: I have a foster dog at the mo came to me through a rescue that was full and I agreed to home her myself on their behalf.
Now , the vet I went to tonight is not my normal vet as he is away, but he was fab. He did a full health check, first vacination, gland express, and I got a anti biotic drop treatment for her eye infection for €45 ! This was in Dublin. Now my normal vet normally would chatge me at least €70 for the same and I always felt that he was cheap in comparision to what I was paying before :eek:

Anyway, to get to the point I agree with the previous poster, a lot of vets especially in Dublin have very very high charges and even when you apply the discounts they may give to rescues it still makes the adverage dog that comes into rescue a huge expense. Its would on adverage cost me €40 for Vacc;s , €35 for Micro chip , and between €100 - €150 for spay, castration and that with out any other medical issues being present in the dog such weather being the usual KC or the more unusual infections such as gastro or eye infections. I am not a rescue but I can see how easily vets costs can add to the already costly expenses such as food and sundries.

Anyhow , while not having a go at vets ( well maybe just a little ) it is time for them to come down a little in price if they can. I understand how expensive rents and rates are, believe me, but some of the mark ups are huge and could be discounted further for rescues and then maybe the "donation " price could also be reduced and thus encourage more people to rescue rather than buy a dog. And also from previous experience in rescue vets get a huge amount of repeat business through people who adopt from rescues, as a rescues vet is usually recommended by the rescue if you live in the same area. Quid Pre Quo.

Whispered

I have to say my vet is great. Consultaions are generally charged half price when I go in with a foster and on top of that they allow me to pay when I have the money which came in handy with a few emergencies.

Still costs a fortune but it is great to have a vet who works with you.

JustAThought

Re vets ;My favourite cafe closed down this time last week; I spoke to the owner who was very upset; she told me she had six taxes alone due to the council; one of which alone was for 40,000 for " business rates". On top of this are all the usual costs.
Vets are a business. They are not there to subsidise the costs of owning a dog. Many are generous and give to charities or give discounts or allow staged payments but their business objective is to make money. It comes back again to the basic issue.
V nice to hear that you have such a lovely vet.

Whispered

Yep they're great - but because of that their clients recommend them so in their case it seems to make sense for them to be flexible. I often wonder in disbelief at threads where owners are worried about paying for their dogs/cats treatment because the vet wont allow staged payments. And at the same time, I'd never ask my doctor to allow it! Funny isn't it (then again I'm at the vet a lot more than at the doctor )

JustAThought

Whispered wrote: »

.... And at the same time, I'd never ask my doctor to allow it! Funny isn't it (then again I'm at the vet a lot more than at the doctor )

Y; it's funny; me too!! Couldn't tell you how many times I've been to the vet for various crisis (es!) these past years; but I've only been to the doctor once!!!!( And I've been sick a lot more!!) and yes; you've hit the nail on the head; you would rarely dream of asking a doctor for free treatments or haggle with them to half the bill ... They'd tell you where to get off or show you the door.

joebstarsurfer

Irish people are shiite to animals.But Irish vets are a total rip off aswell i worked i a vets ).

joebstarsurfer

Open youre front door and count the amount of dogs walking themselves.
The biggest moaner on here will be the dog collector has no idea how to look after animals but she loves them to death .Why would they need a vaccine?.

Sigma Force

True, Vets are a buisness and they do need to charge a certain rate. But if you have multiple pets in your household like dogs, cats, or rabbits or any pets that must have annual vaccinations etc. then I don't see why they can't give some sort of discount. With 3 dogs that's 3 sets of boosters, 3 sets of KC when needed, and minimum of 3 visits a year for various stuff when they get themselves into mischief, that's also well over 12 doses of wormer/flea treatments etc. Food. Etc. etc.

Doctors I use, like many people, probably once a year if lucky. Doctors too should give a discount if you have to go very often I think anyway.

The other point is if someone is happy with their vets many people will put lots of buisness there way through recommendations.

Maybe they should come up with a loyalty card of some sort, everywhere else is doing it that way the vets know exactly who is spending what at their practice and reward regular clients.

wolfpawnat

Sigma Force wrote: »

Maybe they should come up with a loyalty card of some sort, everywhere else is doing it that way the vets know exactly who is spending what at their practice and reward regular clients.

My uncle has used the same vet for 20 odd years, for a pair of JRT that lasted 19 and 21 years and now his 2 new pups. The vet charges him 35 a visit regardless of how little or much needs to be done (except neutering/castration) as he is always there at least once a month and he has 4 pets in total! He has often charged 50 for 2 dogs and a cat in the one consultation. I think that is very decent of him, and reasonable too as my uncle is retired (he would never speak to me again if I called him an OAP!) All vets should give discounts for multiple animals!

westies4ever

Bettyboop wrote: »

Just looking at a website and wonder how they justify €180 and €100 for the dogs! I understand they need to get back their costs for vaccines etc but €180 is a bit ott.I mean people can buy pedigree dogs for that price and would surely put potential adopters off.Maybe I am missing something.If an elderly person wanted to adopt a dog and give it a good home surely €50 would be enough.

Are you serious??? Most rescues are completely voluntary and contributions go towards keeping them afloat and helping to rescue other animals. They have to pay for food, vet fees etc for the animals they have - how on earth do you think all this is financed?

westies4ever

VenusPlays wrote: »

If you can't afford to pay a donation to the rescue that gave time, patience, love and understanding to the poor dog that ended up on their doorstep through no fault of its own, you can't afford the dog.

If you can't afford to neuter your dog, you can't afford the dog.

If you can't afford to keep the dog up to date on its vaccinations, basic health care and other costs, you can't afford the dog.

How in gods name would people who wont pay for basic costs planning on paying vet bills should something happen the dog or if they develop an illness???

This 'I want so I shall have' attitude that pervades our society now sickens me. Ask yourself is in the dogs best interest that he lives with you before you get a dog!

EXCELLENT post!!!