has anyone had an out of hours c-section done at the pdsa? this is our out of hours vets, just wondering how much it cost as this is our first litter and i want to make sure we have everything covered.

thanks in advance

Not meaning to be nasty, but why are you having a litter if you need PDSA financial support?

Have to say that I agree with Jeangenie on this one.  Your breed is known for difficulties whelping, and you should have at least £1,000 put by before ever mating a bitch.  It is far too late to start worrying about it after the event.  Out of hours, my most expensive Caesar cost £1,086

i dont need pdsa financial support at all but the pdsa is the out of hours vets for our area, its infact called vets-now but it is infact the pdsa, my vets dont offer an out of hours service, i hope that makes sence

> i dont need pdsa financial support at all but the pdsa is the out of hours vets for our area, its infact called vets-now but it is infact the pdsa, my vets dont offer an out of hours service, i hope that makes sence

Yes I understand, as I know someone who works for Vets-Now. They also cover PDSA emergencies too.
If you are trying to claim you are a PDSA client though, they will not be happy with you coming in with a planned litter. You will not get reduced fees for a planned pregnancy as (understandably) they are against BYBs who are trying to get something for nothing.

But if you are honest, and coming in as a NON-PDSA case, & have the money upfront as you would before planning a litter, it's no different to any other vet out-of-hours service. Be aware that they charge a LOT though!!! make sure you have enough put aside in case of emergency.

Vets-Now cover ALL the out of hours stuff in my area, for all the vets in a 20-mile or more radius. So they don;t really have a lot to do with PDSA except for covering their cases too.

Sorry then - I misunderstood!  The price very much depends on area.  We are always comparing vet prices on here!

I'm in an expensive area, and use a vet with it's own state of the art hospital, so charges are high.  I really feel strongly about having a vet that does their own out of hours, so have to pay for it!

Depends where you live, and there are some folks on here that have paid much less than me for out of hours.  Give them a call tomorrow - the very least they can do is give you a price guide.  I know it depends on a lot of factors.  Extra for oxytocin.  If in difficulty, extra for x-ray or scan, it can soon mount up.  But it won't hurt you to know the base price.

I think everyone who has posted so far has read this differently from me - I don't think the OP mean anything other than to get a rough idea of how much a C sectin could cost at PDSA/Vets now, but everyone jumped on the getting it for free bandwagon.  It seems aperfectly reasonable question, and best to be prepared, (and in my experience avoided if at all possible) my Vets use the Vets Now service which operates form the PDSA Hospital in Gateshead, and current costs for the procedure appear to be about £1000 to £1100.   IT might be worth you looking around for another Vet in your area who does offer out of hours as the service could be better and the costs probably lower.  My biggest bugbear with the VN porcess is if you have a owrse case scenario - things don't go to plan, your bitch has complications and needs to stay in, then she will be turfed out and have to travel to your own vets in the morning.

no i dont use pdsa, i was under the impression that vets-now was the same place as the pdsa as it is in the same place, i am in no way a byb and have money in case of an emergency, i was just enquiring how much people have been charged for out of hours c-sections these days, i have read on this site about some of the costs but most of the threads was from around 2005/6

sorry i got my wires crossed, it just mentioned the pdsa on the card that i have for vets-now and it is in the same place so was just under the impression it was the same company

> I think everyone who has posted so far has read this differently from me - I don't think the OP mean anything other than to get a rough idea of how much a C sectin could cost at PDSA/Vets now

I understood as I have a close friend who is a nurse with them. The OP's post was a tad ambiguous, and thought I would add in the clarification between VN and PDSA for others who might have been wondering. Good on you if you can find alternative OOH service: VN seem to be snapping up everything all over the country, and they are premium rate.

hi gwen, thanks for your post, i dont know of any vets around my area that offer an out of hours service, i believe they all use the vets-now practice, my other concern is that the practice is 25 mins away :(

> sorry i got my wires crossed, it just mentioned the pdsa on the card that i have for vets-now and it is in the same place so was just under the impression it was the same company

Some operate out of PDSA hospitals - others from private vet clinics.
I guess it mentions PDSA because as I said, they do take PDSA emergencies too, though if the surgery is 20 miles away and you are a registered PDSA client (meaning pensioner, or very low income) heaven knows how you would find the ready money to get transport there at 3am.... :(

im not registered at the pdsa clinic, i use a vets clinic down the road from me, and i have my own transport, be it my sporty astra (which the dogs arnt allowed in but i'll make an exception lol) or my partners huge shogun 4x4 which was bought mainly for the dogs,

i havent made out anywhere in my posts (well i dont think so) that i use the pdsa, i was just under the inpression that it was the same place as the vets-now, as i have never had to use an out of hours vet before i dont know these things but i am glad that someone has put me straight

i was just under the inpression that it was the same place as the vets-now,

Sadly it is becoming extremely rare for vets to do their own out of hours coverage. I had this as the MAIN criteria when picking a new vet this year -a month after we joined the new practice they announced they would be using Vets Now for all out of hours! Apparently vets these days that are newly qualified or just join a practice now expect to do NO out of hours work, and practices cannot get staff unless they use Vets Now. Ridiculous -did any vet really train to be a vet expecting to work 9-5?? There is now only one practice in the area which does not use Vets Now, and that's the one I left and will not go back to even if they paid ME. Vets Now use one practice per area as their out of hours base and tend to pick the best equipped one. For my vets, we have the choice of two -both are 20 to 30 miles away so we no longer have a true emergency vet and it worries me sick.

Ditto here, we have two big Vet groups that do all the out of hours that I can work out.

Thank god I am now married to a driver, otherwise it was knocking my doggy neighbour to take me, and now she has two young children it would not be so easy for her to take me, though she would.

My vets is one of the rare ones that do their own out of hours service.
Although I know that others in my area do have different arrangements.

Hence why I regard my vets in such high regard....
and I sincerely hope that they don't change from offering their own out of hours service.

how enlightening i thought ALL vets offered out of hours!!! Certainly mine does and I wouldnt entrust any of my hounds to an unknown vet out of hours. anyway to aswert eh original question.....am I being thick....but why not just ring them up and ask them yourself rather than asking us to guess?

> .but why not just ring them up and ask them yourself rather than asking us to guess?

It can be a bit difficult to get pricing info out of them, for a start you have to ring in "out of hours time" so you get Vets Now, and not PDSA staff.  When you do ring the first thing they tell you is that it will be at least £XXX (Last time I needed them I think it was about £130) for the initial consultation, and anything else will be advised by the Vet.  I have had 2 C sections with them, 12 months apart (different bitches) and was charged over £300 more for the second.  I compalined to head office and did end up getting a refund as I asked for a justification of the additional costs.  However since then I have spoken to 2 people who have been charged over £1100.

To the OP, if you post what area of the country you are in other CDers may have suggestions of other Vets in the area who have their own out of hours service.

well my vets all so dosnt offer an out of hours service ours its pet-medics,
but i was always under the impression c-sections went by weight for instance i have a small breed (the smallest) and i was told after querying it with them it would cost around 500-600
so i surpose it must be higher then for the larger  breeds. i also agree with sam your better of ringing the vet and getting a quote as out of hours usually charge a lot more
example consultation at my vets £24.50 consultation out of hours £78.00 so i imagine it will be more expensive for out of hours. but please any one correct me if im wrong
but i would ring the vet to give you a rough idea, they'll be more than happy to help some one who wants to be prepared :)

My out of hours C Section last summer cost a smidge under £1000

Diane

My Vet charged me under £400.00 out of hours November of last year (large gundog breed) but I would say this is the exception and not the rule. My Vet is more concerned for the animal rather than his pocket (he is the Senior Partner). I would most definitely have £1000.00 put aside just in case.

This thread has really opened my eyes. Our vet does provide out of hours, I had naively assumed only those small practices where there is only one vet (the proprietor) do not provide an out of hours service. How wrong can you be ?! Is this all rather like individual GP practices not providing out of hours care and people having to use a GP ON CALL clinic which covers a particular area ? I guess it does leave customers wide open to being charged inflated prices since the service provided is not by your own vet, but a large company, which has no loyalty to you personally.

We have no PDSA in our area. I think the nearest is about 40 miles away. I have only contacted my Out of Hours vet once, when my girl had Cystitus at 14 weeks of age. We had to travel 10 miles to the surgery & we were warned that the cost was going to be upwards of £300. We paid it as it was a Sunday & we didn't want our girl to suffer till Monday. When I took her back for a check up at our usual vets a week later, he told us it would have been £48 for the painkilling jab & antibiotics. He also advised...if it happens again....get Cranberry Juice into her to relieve symptoms. I knew this worked on us ladies when we get cystitus, but never dreamt it would work on a dog!

hi cb87 ,
we have to use the pdsa at night time too as our vets dont do nights but uses their premises at the pdsa ,i was told if csection was needed it would be around £1500 ,but thats for our large breed ,ive looked around in my aera and found a vet that does do call outs and is only £800 for csection in out of hours so from now on i will be useing them ,ive found in the past ive used pdsa out of hours but see our own vets if that makes sense ,its sooo expenisve and neally double what u would pay at onther vets that does their own out of hours.

thanks for your comment all, im nr sheffield, so if anyone else is around there an knows of a out of hours vet please pm me with details, thanks

my vet does OOH and its the senior partner that does it and doesnt charge a bomb either. but i live in a small country village. so maybe vets that have practises in larger areas think only about their pockets rather than the animal :( its such a shame some people just cant afford the huge fees (not talking about just c-sections here but any vet related problem) and wont be able to get the problem sorted. vets should start thionking less about the money and more about the animals that they trained for years to be able to help and wont be able to because of the fees. sorry not got much to do with the OPs question but it really makes me mad :)

I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who presumed that all vets did nights and weekends! Must be very lucky here, had to rush one of ours in after a consultation on the phone last year durring the early hours and it cost less than eighty pounds and I thought that was expensive!

they have to provide cover, but not personally, and many choose to do it by having a big practise or group do it.

ok i have just phoned vets-now and they have given me a quote of between £800-£1000 but the price varys with what meds are used and how many pups she has, i never realised that price would vary because of the size of a litter, can anyone tell me why this is please?

thanks

Greed?  They will probably say extra time to deliver and revive more puppies.

oh and also price would depend on what time i took her in aswell, surly it is an out of hours service so what ever time i took her in it would be out of hours so why the price difference?

Out Of Hours after midnight is usually more expensive than Out Of Hours before midnight.

oh crumbs got me worried now. I was another one eho thought all vets did ooh so far mine does I do hope it stays that way I would hate to have to use an unknown vet especially if you then have to start all over agin in the morning.
sounds similar to our doctors they use one ooh of hours service attached to the local hospital just found out it not only covers our borough croydon which is large enough but also neighbouring boroughs too hope vets dont gp that way

Already have.

> oh and also price would depend on what time i took her in aswell, surly it is an out of hours service so what ever time i took her in it would be out of hours so why the price difference?

I have taken a bitch in during the evening, after the practise had closed.  I have also taken one in, in the early hours of the morning.  It is most definitely different.  After midnight, the price of the call out goes up.

As to the mention (not by you cb87) about greed.  I think you have to take into consideration what you are paying for here.  I use a large practise, with superb facilities, diagnositics, theatres etc.  When I know how much my vet earns, in comparison to my GP, who doesn't offer me a call out, I think we have to realise that most vets work pretty long hours, if they are dedicated.  I've rushed a dog in at 8am, and another at 10pm, and still seen the same vet, because he wouldn't leave a dog that wasn't expected to live.  We get what we pay for in a lot of instances.

I am not paying my vets wages!  I am paying for the overheads.  And I admit that I can easily find a less expensive vet.  But I choose to use one that I trust implicitly with my dogs.  I do agree with others though - it seems sensible to make sure you have £1,000 put by before deciding whether you are going to have a bitch mated.  Someone has mentioned prices can sometimes mean that people can't afford to use a vet.

However, it is against the law to withold veterinary care.  Whether you have the money or not!

i never knew that jean!! afew years ago i was at my vets (not 1 i use now) and a lady and her friend was there she had a poorly pup she went to ask the recep lady how much the treatment may cost ,the lady was gob smaked and said she didnt have enough! they told her to go to pdsa ,but this lady couldnt get pdsa,they turned her away, it was horrible to see :(

> As to the mention (not by you cb87) about greed.  I

I think charging per puppy on top of a large fee is greedy.

> I think charging per puppy on top of a large fee is greedy.

Yes Barbara, I do see that point, and I pay a fee that doesn't include how many are in the litter.

My mention of greed was in relation to someone that said some vets were more interested in money than they are in animals.  I honestly don't see that attitude in the practise that I use.  And it's why I tried to make my point about paying for the overheads, as opposed to paying out great sums for the vet himself.  I have great admiration for the extremely long hours they put in, especially knowing what they earn. 

> i never knew that jean!!

The Animal Welfare Act specifically covers pet owners now.  Called YOUR DUTY TO CARE. 

Legislation was passed 6th April 2006. 

This is the actual wording, copied from the act.  The last item covers witholding veterinary care.

"Duty of care" is a legal phrase which means that someone has an obligation to do something.  Prior to the Animal Welfare Act 2006, people only had a duty to ensure that an animal didn't suffer unnecessarily. The new Act keeps this duty but also imposes a broader duty of care on anyone responsible for an animal to take reasonable steps to ensure that the animal's needs are met. This means that a person has to look after the animal's welfare as well as ensure that it does not suffer. The Act says that an animal's welfare needs include:

*a suitable environment (how it is housed);
*a suitable diet (what it eats and drinks);
*the ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns;
*any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals; and
*protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

I think that a lot of people have absolutely no idea/experience of how much the 'overheads' are in running a business - and a vet is a business, if they make a loss they will go out of business. Staff salaries, locum costs, NI, training, light and heat, insurances (which will be big), rent, maintenance, cleaning, telephone bills, equipment purchase/rental, security etc etc etc - the list goes on. Not only have vets worked exceptionally hard at school in order to get a place at university, but they have had to support themselves for 5-6 years while studying. Why should they not earn a reasonable wage ?? A mere pittance compared to most professional footballers ............ :) :) :)

Daisy

yes i agree to a point ;-) but what i dont get is you can have to vets that offer the same kind of treatments and have same over heads 1 will be alot higher priced and they know you "HAVE" to pay if you need them out of hours! its these vets that just want to take ya money ,money 1st then thats treat your pet!!!

but what i dont get is you can have to vets that offer the same kind of treatments and have same over heads

How do you know they have the same overheads? Their rent or mortgage for the premises could be totally different, their staffs salaries, the number of staff etc.

My vet offers out of hours service but at a far distance away not at local surgery. He is fab though and will give his mobile number when a litter is due and come and help or meet you at the local one if it can be handled there. I am very lucky. Last time I had a section done was £800 and I have a tiny breed

worth paying that ANNM172 when a vet goes out the way to help :)

> im nr sheffield, so if anyone else is around there an knows of a out of hours vet

You didn't say exactly where - NSEW etc, but this is the only one that provides its own 24hr cover that I know of.

It's in SW Sheffield.

http://www.any-uk-vet.co.uk/park-abbeydale-rd-south/

PS - not aimed at you cb87 but just to say.... the PDSA themselves will NOT cover c-sections/treatment for a pedigree litter (planned or unplanned) - they will refer you to a private vet. Didn't think that would be clear to anyone reading the thread and thought it needed clarifying. :-)

hi, im from rotherham, just out side of sheffield but not many people will know where that is, unless they have watched BGT tonight :D lol

A vet told me that when the law was changed to stop young hospital doctors working 48 hour shifts etc,it was also applied to vets,thus a vet who has been up all night is not allowed to work next day as well,so only big practises who have enough staff to rotate  on night cover can offer their own out of hours service. Thats the theory anyway.I checked with my dogs insurers,that out of hours inflated charges for emergencies are covered.,and some insurers will cover breeding as well  for an extra premium.

>thus a vet who has been up all night is not allowed to work next day as well,so only big practises who have enough staff to rotate  on night cover can offer their own out of hours service.

Not so. A practice with two vets can do their own OOH service as well as day shifts too.

Rhona, they can sign an opt out for the European law.

I know where Rotherham is (don't recommend the hospital ) - but am afraid I don't know of any out that way off the top of my head, sorry. Will have a think. Other thing you can do is try the RCVS website - I know you can look up local practices on that (or you used to be able to) - but I don't know if it tells you about ones that provide their own cover with their own vets - some of them may well have websites where you can check though. :-)

hi im in gateshead and my vet does out of hrs  dont no the cost .