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VET SCANDAL
I had just 82p left in my bank account & risked being homeless to save my poorly cat – vets are ripping us off
Pet owners share how they battled to protect their beloved animals
A CAT owner has told how she was left with just 82p in her bank account after she was rinsed at the vets.
Beren Fidan, 31, from London, was faced with a £10,000 bill after her cat Lasagna stopped eating, started breathing heavily and peed blood.
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The opera singer wasn't working at the time and feared she might be kicked out of her home if she couldn't pay.
She told The Sun: "I couldn’t pay my rent, I literally had 82 pence in my bank account."
It comes as millions of pet owners have been warned they may be overpaying for medicines for their beloved animals.
It is the big businesses, who see you not as living beings but just as a number or a customer. I was left crying my eyes out
Beren Fidan
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has warned owners they could be paying too much after an initial review of the vets market raised “multiple concerns”.
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Beren accused her vet, which she wouldn't name, of overcharging on medication.
She said: "It was £2 or £3 elsewhere but they charged me £20."
She blasted greedy business owners for allegedly using veterinary practices to make their fortune.
"Most of the vets are big businesses, it's business for them," she added. "They think like let's milk them as much as we can, and expect us to go on to milk the insurance companies.
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"They see you not as living beings but just as a number or a customer."
She told how she battled with growing debts and her vet kept calling for payment.
"They wouldn't stop calling me. They withheld tests because I couldn't pay, and the bill was already £2,000 for simple medicines. Then they kept postponing the operations."
She had to turn to a fundraising site for help.
"I tried calling charities but they wouldn't help and I was forced to turn to Go Fund Me. It was a very bad situation. I was left crying my eyes out."
But Beren was bullied for her fundraiser and accused of being a scammer.
She said: "Lasagna trusted me with his life and I had to protect him. I felt like if he isn’t going to survive, I had to ignore my values. I was bullied a lot for the Go Fund Me page for being a scammer."
PROBE LAUNCHED
With 16 million households in the UK owning pets, the CMA is concerned “pet owners might be overpaying for medicines or prescriptions”.
A CMA spokesman said: “While it can be convenient to buy a medicine directly from the vet as part of a consultation, around 25 per cent of pet owners did not know that getting a prescription filled elsewhere was an option."
And around 80 per cent of vet websites are missing a price list.
A recent survey by Which? found that “a third of large chain customers said vet consultation fees have ‘increased a lot’ over the last two years”.
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Changes in 1999 to the Veterinary Surgeons Act (1966) allowed individuals who are not vets to own veterinary practices in the UK.
Now around 60 per cent of vet practices belong to large groups, up from 10 per cent a decade ago.
The CMA said: “Large corporate groups may have incentives to act in ways which reduce choice and weaken competition.”
COMMON PROBLEM
Beren isn't the only pet owner to face soaring costs.
A 54-year-old man from Wales told the watchdog: “The costs seem to be going through the roof. I think they try to push you into things and charge for every small item - and who knows whether it’s really needed or not”.
Another woman said: "You try and do your best even if it means putting yourself in a position of cutting back, even though there are sacrifices for me. It’s what you do for a treasured companion and a member of the family, they're like your child."
Just weeks before Christmas, mum-of-two Joely Eaton had to break the news to her kids that their dog needed his leg amputated.
And she'd been slapped with a £8,317 vet bill.
The 29-year-old chose to go ahead with the surgery rather than put her beloved pet, Buddy, down after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
The cleaning business owner, from Sale, Manchester, said: “I couldn’t have put him to sleep, he’s like another child to me.
“We had a scan in October as he was limping, and he was there all day. He is a daft dog so I thought he had jumped off the fence funny.
“The vet said it was probably arthritis due to his age and gave him some anti-inflammatory medication.”
But a couple of weeks later the Staffordshire Bull Terrier needed to take another trip to the vet.
The entire invoice came to £4,299 for the CT scan and the surgery, plus each round of chemo is going to cost £669.68. I just said to the boys Christmas is not going to be as good as it is every other year
Joely Eaton
As Joey was on her way to pick up her sons, Jaeden, 10 and Ollie, 7, from school she received the devastating news.
“He [the vet] rang me and just said, ‘It’s not good news, it’s a bone tumour,' she added.
“He didn’t even bring him round from the sedation, he asked me if I wanted to put him to sleep now and said that, if not, I would have about two weeks with him," she continued.
“I was just like, ‘No’. The boys couldn’t come with me to drop the dog off and then not pick him up. I told him I would come and bring him home.”
In a desperate bid to save Buddy's life, Joely got a second opinion from another vet who suggested she book an appointment with a specialist.
The devoted dog mum travelled 40 miles to a practice in Liverpool, where Buddy went for a CT scan.
Fortunately they detected the cancer hadn't spread to the dog's lungs and there was a chance of saving his life.
AMPUTATION
But Buddy would need to have his leg amputated as well as six gruelling and expensive rounds of chemotherapy at £700 a go.
She was also told he may only live for another 18 months, but now he is recovering well and even keeps up with his 7-month-old French bulldog brother, Spencer.
Joely said: “I just told them to do it, I don’t care. As long as he is with us, I don’t care.
“The entire invoice came to £4,299 for the CT scan and the surgery, plus each round of chemo is going to cost £669.68.
“I just said to the boys Christmas is not going to be as good as it is every other year.
I’m a pet paramedic – the 6 breeds that rack up the most expensive vet bills and the ‘safe’ dog to buy for a low budget
HAVING a pet can be expensive, but there are some dog breeds which can cost you way more.
If you are looking for a low-maintenance dog which won’t break the bank, a vet has revealed their top recommendations.
Vet Lynne James told Fabulous: “It goes without saying that any dog no matter what their breed can have illnesses or injuries at any point during their life.
“However, it’s a sad fact that certain dog breeds are more likely to suffer from serious and sometimes lifelong health problems.”
Here are the six types of breeds Lynne claims can rack up the largest bills, and the one type of dog which can be cheapest…
1. Flat-faced breeds
Examples - French Bulldogs, Pugs, English Bulldogs and Boston Terriers
Dogs with flat-faces, also known as ‘brachycephalic’ will often suffer from Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome ().
This is a range of health problems all caused by their shorter snout and narrow airways.
The most obvious sign of BOAS is difficulty breathing.
Not every flat-faced pet will suffer from the worst symptoms of BOAS but many will have some symptoms that affect their health and welfare.
Unfortunately, flat-faced dogs are also prone to many other serious and potentially costly problems, including eye conditions, dental problems, and skin conditions.
2. Giant breeds
Examples - Great Danes, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands and Leonbergers
Due to their sheer large size, these dogs are more likely to suffer from heart disease, bone and joint problems.
They are likely to have a shorter lifespan than non-giant sized dogs.
As larger dogs, their medication costs can also be considerably higher than for smaller breeds.
3. Breeds with excessive skin folds or wrinkles
Examples - Shar Peis, Dogue de Bordeaux, and English Bulldogs
Wrinkly faces mean that these dogs can struggle to communicate using normal facial expressions.
The folds of skin are also prone to infections, which may need life-long treatment and management, or surgery to correct if they are affecting your dog’s quality of life.
Additionally, skin folds around a dog's eyes can lead to an array of eye issues, including direct damage to the surface of the eye if the skin rubs on it.
4. Breeds with long backs
Examples - Dachshunds, Corgis and Bassett Hounds
Dogs that have long backs are more likely to suffer from conditions affecting their spine, so owners have to be mindful their long slinky bodies may need some extra TLC.
Many owners with these breeds will make adjustments at home to reduce the risk of spinal injury, including preventing the use of stairs, installing ramps so dogs can access furniture, installing non-slip flooring, and restricting the amount and type of exercise and play.
However, even with these measures in place, dogs with long backs can still suffer from painful spinal disc problems.
5. Breeds with long ears
Examples - Bloodhounds, Bassett Hounds, and Cocker Spaniels
Dogs with long ears historically have had success in hunting and tracking – their long ears are thought to enhance their incredible sense of smell by swelling scents from the ground up towards the nose!
Regardless of how cute these dogs are, their ears can unfortunately cause lifelong health issues.
Due to their length, the inside of the ear can get very moist which makes ear infections more likely.
As the ears usually drag along the floor, there is also a risk of injury and wounds to the ear tips.
6. Purebred dogs
Purebred dogs are more likely to suffer from breed related health problems as they are often more closely bred than other dogs.
If purchasing a purebred puppy, it’s really important to ensure the parents have been health tested, to help you make an informed decision.
Although the cleaning business owner has managed to pay off almost all of the initial vet bill, she is faced with tri-weekly chemotherapy costs plus £1,100 worth of debt from the surgery and the CT scan.
Despite not wanting to rely on others, the 29-year-old added that her mum and grandparents will thankfully provide support if needed.
They have even set up a to help raise money for vet bills.
She added: “I really hate asking for help, but this is just reality at the moment for us.
“With the whole cost of living crisis, a vet bill to pay as well as his chemo to pay on top of that - and it is Christmas."
But according to the Manchester mum, her boys are just glad they have their family pet by their side.
“The boys took it well. My seven-year-old had his birthday recently so he’s not really bothered about Christmas, he’s one of those dead easy, relaxed kids," she added.
“I just said to them ‘we’ve got Buddy, and that’s all that matters this Christmas’.
“And Jaeden is so close with Buddy, I think he just doesn’t care.”
Hundreds of Go Fund Me pages are pleading for help with their vet bills; dogs, cats, even chameleons and bunnies seem to fall victim to mounting expenses.
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “The unprecedented response we received from the public and veterinary professionals shows the strength of feeling on this issue is high and why we were right to look into this.
“We have heard concerns from those working in the sector about the pressures they face, including acute staff shortages, and the impact this has on individual professionals.
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“But our review has identified multiple concerns with the market that we think should be investigated further.
“Given these strong indications of potential concern, it is time to put our work on a formal footing.”
How much do dogs cost over their lifetime on average?
Small dog breeds: At least £5,200 - £10,000
Medium dog breeds: At least £7,500 - £11,800
Large dog breeds: At least £6,900 - £15,700
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