• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

£500 Vet Bill For Potential Bladder Stones?!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Caralaralou

Caralaralou

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 5, 2014
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I took my piggy Lola to the vets about a month ago with a suspected UTI. She was given antibiotics and seemed much better until last week when I noticed she was passing blood in her urine again and squeaking in pain.

I took her back to the same vet who said she may have a bladder stone and that it would cost £200 to have an X-ray done and then a further £300 to have any stones removed if they were found on the X-ray. I was shocked to say the least when she told me how much it would cost.

I was just wondering if this sounds about right to anyone who has had the same problem with their piggy? As it sounds rather a lot to me! Should I go to a different vet?
Many thanks in advance,
Cara
 
I paid £100 for x ray at exotic vets, was cheaper at our local vets.
 
It does sound the high end of normal but If it's a good vet with guinea experience then it's well worth the extra. Bladder stones require a very knowledgeable vet to sort out. Hope you get it sorted x
 
I'd say that's pretty reasonable. My pig had a ct scan (similar price to an X-ray) and abdominal surgery to remove a mass and it came to over £1000. Bladder surgery, particularly on an animal so small,is pretty intricate work.

You should choose a vet based on experience rather than price. Use the vet locator at the top of the page to see if there's a cavy savvy vet near you
 
One of my guineas had a bladder stone and to have it removed and an x-ray cost me £72 at my local vets which i thought was a really good price :)
 
It does seem steep but if they are a proper exotics vet it is worth it. My local vets charge £42 for an xray but I am not sure about the cost of an op. They are good with basic issues on pigs but I would not want them to do a bladder op anyway.

Does anyone know how much Simon Maddock would charge for an xray and similar op?

Have a look on our vet locator too.
 
I think I paid £27 for Liquorice to have an x-ray for dental, though they didn't have to put her under for it as she was really well behaved. Maybe they're pricing for sedation too?
 
My word :eek: How much! I would pop to another vets for a second opinion (a piggy savvy one of course)

I'm going to look into pet insurance! ...I do plan to start a small savings account for vet bills or my 'poorly piggy bank' as it will be named lol

I hope you get a cheaper cost and your piggy gets better soon
 
My girls x ray was done sedated at a recognised exotics vet but was only just over £100 so I do think that is expensive.
 
My boar goes to a specialist exotics vet in Dursley - it is also a referrals practice and they deal with complicated cases that ordinary vets need help with - I had 2 x-ray plates and an ultrasound - the ultrasound I remember being about £45 as both my spayed sows also had ultrasounds - we went straight for the ultrasounds on the girls as we suspected it was ovarian cysts so saved money on x-rays for them - the x-rays were abou t £35 a plate.
 
My boy had an x-ray when they found a stone they anesthetized him for surgery, then his pain injection, painkillers and AB only cost me £135 all in x
 
Caralaralou said:
I took my piggy Lola to the vets about a month ago with a suspected UTI. She was given antibiotics and seemed much better until last week when I noticed she was passing blood in her urine again and squeaking in pain.

I took her back to the same vet who said she may have a bladder stone and that it would cost £200 to have an X-ray done and then a further £300 to have any stones removed if they were found on the X-ray. I was shocked to say the least when she told me how much it would cost.

I was just wondering if this sounds about right to anyone who has had the same problem with their piggy? As it sounds rather a lot to me! Should I go to a different vet?
Many thanks in advance,
Cara
Click to expand...

See if there are any animal or teaching hospitals near you that might do it at a cheaper cost. If you check the Recommended Vets link you may find one.
 
My Alfie had breathing problems and had an x-ray plus 6 injections and 3 appointments all for £54! I was very impressed, but, I think it might be because it followed him being neutered and it was 'possibly' their fault he 'might' have inhaled something under anaesthetic.

Your bill does sound a lot, even though I had a bargin!
 
are they exotics vets? if not, i'd change anyway. it sounds steep that amount but if it's an exotics vets then it would be well worth it. they could take a sample of urine for now, test it straight away, and then decide whether to send it to the lab for more in depth testing. a second course of treatment (antibiotic and metacam) could be started in the mean time until you get the results. how long was the first course? the course may have needed to be longer. if the second course didn't work, you could then have another urine test done, and xrays aswell. we went through this with maisie starting last december. you can read the thread through if you'd like, to see if it helps. some vets will do a second course, some will go straight for xrays after it comes back the first time. it depends really. x
 
helen105281 said:
It does seem steep but if they are a proper exotics vet it is worth it. My local vets charge £42 for an xray but I am not sure about the cost of an op. They are good with basic issues on pigs but I would not want them to do a bladder op anyway.

Does anyone know how much Simon Maddock would charge for an xray and similar op?

Have a look on our vet locator too.
Click to expand...
I haven't had any piggies with bladder issues, but I think you would pay in the region of £300 at Simon's.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies.
The vet I took her to was Companion Care vets inside pets at home!
She is currently on another 2 week course of antibiotics but they don't seem to be as affective this time round.
I am going to phone around to see if I can get a quote for an X-ray from some other vets and if no luck it looks like I will have to pay the quoted £200!
 
BonBon2010 said:
I think I paid £27 for Liquorice to have an x-ray for dental, though they didn't have to put her under for it as she was really well behaved. Maybe they're pricing for sedation too?
Click to expand...
Yes the price does include GA but that only accounts for £35 of the £200. I may be mistaken but £165 for the X-ray still seems rather expensive!
 
Just wanted to add that I found a website when I was searching for vets in my area that might be useful when looking for one in your area. I have never used it but it could be a helpful additional resource to the Vet Locator on here.

The Good Vet Guide
 
The GA itself wont be the expensive part, its the surgery. All vets will have different ways of charging so i cant comment. Price will depend on your vets and the area of the country. Lately i had a bill for over £300 for an abdominal surgery where we actually did no surgery. (My piggie was pts on the table - this wasnt bladder related at all). £500 sounds about right for a good vets. If your happy with the vets expertise i would be happy to pay it, if not find a specialist.

x.
 
I recently called around our local vets and asked if they had any cavy savvy vets. You do get some quite diverse replies, but generally you will find one that stands out. I took my Pip to a different one to my usual, and she was very good with him. Unfortunately he was pts, but I was confident with her diagnosis and believed we were doing the right thing. I think that I would pay what is required for surgery (I have been quoted a difference of £150 for the same surgery at two different vets before), but the x-ray does sound very expensive. Its probably worth taking 1/2 hour out and calling around to all the vets that you could travel to easily. Good luck
 
Another tip for finding a vet is asking at a local rescue, particularly a good rescue. They will tell you who they use and if they recommend a vet it speaks volumes as they are knowledgeable people and often spend a lot of time at the vets. I found my one through asking Honeybunnies
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top