€20 to put hamster to sleep

Paddywiggum

just got back from vet this evening. had to get my lil dwarf hamster Nicky put to sleep as he was paralysed and couldnt take care of himself anymore.

so he was given a high dose of drug and went off to sleep peacefully and on to hamster heaven

but i got a bit of a shock when i went to pay and was asked for €20. just want to know if this is normal price. i dont have experience with vets so perhaps it is. the whole visit took about 3mins.

its not the actual sum involved, but the principle of being overcharged at a sad time, if u know what i mean

so long Nicky my lil furry buddy

SillyMangoX

For a dog or cat it's normally 45-60 so I would imagine 20 would sound around right for a hamster. Sorry for your loss!

Silverfish

Hi, sorry to hear about poor Nicky, sounds like you did the right thing.

Just to put your mind at ease, I paid 40 euro to have my pet mouse put to sleep.

boomerang

You were treated very generously there.

anniehoo

It sounds about right, you paid a professional to painlessly put your animal to sleep with a drug they have to pay for, so i wouldn't begrudge having to pay a fee irregardless of the emotion at the time to be honest.

Outkast_IRE

Is he disposing of the body for you too or did you bring it home ?
To be honest €20 sounds ok.

Paddywiggum

thanks everyone! that puts my mind at ease, so i appreciate it.

@ Outkast - put him to rest in garden

fred funk }{

They're not a charity. Wages and bills are to be paid so €20 is very reasonable.

sligoface

You were not overcharged at all. Even in small amounts neither time from a professional nor medical drugs are totally free. Its not fun being trained to put animals to sleep and using that training doesn't exactly brighten yr day.

ISDW

I think the price is reasonable, but I am a bit surprised that they expected you to pay there and then. Every vet I've ever used has always let me leave the surgery and pay later, it can be an emotional time for an owner, having a pet pts, and standing at a counter paying is not a nice experience when you're feeling like that.

ABajaninCork

E20 is very cheap.

I had one of my cats PTS here. Cost me E70, and they gave me his ashes in a lovely oak box with his name on. I thought this was very reasonable compared to the cost in London when I had the other cat PTS. No individual cremation and I never got her ashes back either. Cost me £80.

Vojera

My vet charges €25 to euthanise hammies and guinea pigs (and presumably other smallies, but they're the only ones I've had to bring), so €20 sounds normal, don't worry.

Sorry about your hammy.

Edit: I forgot to add, my vet also doesn't charge extra to have the remains sent off to be cremated (obviously you don't get the ashes back as that costs a lot of money) as he has an arrangement with the crematorium that small animals are looked after for free. I presume most vets would be the same.

As for being charged on the day, I'd say it depends on your relationship with the vet. I've never had to pay on the day but I've been with my vet for a good few years. If I went to a surgery where they didn't know me I'd think it was fair enough that they'd charge me then and there as they've no guarantee I'll ever come back.

boxerly

Sorry about your hamster x.My neighbour was recently charged 180 euro to put her old sick dog to sleep (

anniehoo

boxerly wrote: »

Sorry about your hamster x.My neighbour was recently charged 180 euro to put her old sick dog to sleep (

Id say this included private cremation for that price, not just the "putting to sleep" part.

Cedrus

You did the right thing for your pet, that is priceless.

I know it sounds a lot for such a tiny creature but they have earned it during their time with you.
Far too many people have done cruel and horrible things to their animals rather than pay a vet to do it properly, be proud that you looked after Nicky properly.

Cedrus

The time I had to put down my buddy (a setter), the vet charged ~€450, but that included a week of trying to detox him after ingesting poison and taking care of the 'afters'.
I was shocked by how low the cost seemed when they had spent so much time and effort with him and the vet was almost embarrassed to ask for it. Mind you, I would have paid many multiples of that if the detox had been successful .
However that was in the good times and since then there have been times with our current dogs when we haven't even been able to pay for annual shots. Kennel cough inoculation is a luxury when you can't afford a reason to put them into kennels, and rabies shots are a sea voyage away.

Posy

Sorry for your loss, Paddywiggum.

If your pet is an in-patient in the veterinary hospital for a number of days, to the point where they let you know there's "no more they can do" do they still charge for the euthanize and add it to the bill?
I remember being annoyed with my vet's hospital because when my cat was there for two nights they charged 2x€2.50 extra for two sachets of food for him. It just seemed unnecessary to add that onto a bill which was already a few hundred euro.

Paddywiggum

Posy wrote: »

Sorry for your loss, Paddywiggum.

If your pet is an in-patient in the veterinary hospital for a number of days, to the point where they let you know there's "no more they can do" do they still charge for the euthanize and add it to the bill?
I remember being annoyed with my vet's hospital because when my cat was there for two nights they charged 2x€2.50 extra for two sachets of food for him. It just seemed unnecessary to add that onto a bill which was already a few hundred euro.

as i said i don't have any real previous experience with vets.

and i def think that vets should be paid properly for the service they provide.

just like with undertakers for ourselves, there's probably occasions when it seems the balance is tipped, and advantage is taken of a sad situation and extra pay garnered.

i find that very unnerving!

but im thankful it didnt happen in my case.

Aru

Posy wrote: »

If your pet is an in-patient in the veterinary hospital for a number of days, to the point where they let you know there's "no more they can do" do they still charge for the euthanize and add it to the bill?
I remember being annoyed with my vet's hospital because when my cat was there for two nights they charged 2x€2.50 extra for two sachets of food for him. It just seemed unnecessary to add that onto a bill which was already a few hundred euro.

If the vets have a number of inpatients their food bill will be significant. Food is not free and the likes of prescription diets like i/d or other calorific tasty foods which are often used to tempt picky eaters/animals feeling off form and reluctant to try anything thats not especially tasty are expensive.So I am not surprised you were charged for the food your cat was fed. Its to much of a long term loss not to charge. I do think its better to have food included in the kenneling fee though so people dont feel overcharged.

The drugs used for the lethal injection are also not free and their is a lot of licensing and special requirements involved in ordering and storing those drugs ..... however most vets will not charge full whack for a euthanasia, IMO considering the amount of time they can take up and the emotional toll it takes on their mental health its a procedure that is seriously undervalued, as they regard it as the kindest option and do not want to discourage people and cause animals to suffer .But all will charge something for their time bar in extreme cases.

OP i think 20 was very reasonable for your case. Cheaper than most places as that vet charged you less then a normal consultation fee to provide the service.

Well done for being such a good small animal owner though to many people think as smallies are cheap and easily replaced that they do not deserve care