Boosters!

Paddy is booked in for his first set of boosters at 5.30pm today.

I'm not going to my usual vets (£38). I'm going to Pets At Home instead.

It's only £19 at the vets in there along with a free health check.

I've registered there as they're also open on a Saturday and Sunday! This way, if I need a vet on a weekend, I pay normal vet fees and not some ludicrous amount that suggests the vet was pulled away from a wedding or something!

I'll still keep him registered at my local vets, but it's nice to have the back-up plan too.

Has anyone else used the vets inside Pets At Home? I think they're called Companion Care or something like that.

 

They don't have that here but bloody hell at the price I wish they would :scared:

 

I'll be interested to see your experience of them.
I think I'm very cynical, and expect them to be trying to sell you things from the store

 

That's what I am waiting for!

On the cruiseships, we used to offer "mini-facials" for just $10 on the last day. Bargain price! But the idea was to get you to take at least 3 products for your skin at the end of the 30 minutes.

I get my regular supplies at a pet wholesalers though, so they'll have no chance trying to get me to buy anything.

I'll report back later on how it goes though. I have a dog training class at 8pm so it might be later on tonight.

 

Interesting to see what they are like, i wouldnt mind going for boosteres although mine dont have them every year but still, why pay the normal vets prices, although i would rather use my vets as i had a very bad experience with the vets once, have now found one that i would trust with my life so would prefer for peace of mind to stay, but will await your opinion on the pets at home one.

 

Sounds like a good deal our nearest pets at home @York dosnt have a vets in it as far as im concerned if boosters were cheaper more would have them done.We paid £36 for our pups 2 jabs too.

 

The thing is the vet is at the far end of the stores, so when you are on your way in or out you have the pass all the toys, treats ect. they aren't daft are they.


I'll stick with the vet we are using.

 

Good grief
People that quibble about the vaccination charges are really starting to annoy me!
You should get a thorough health test included that checks eyes, ears,, mouth, teeth, feet. legs,genitals, skin, coat, heart, lungs, tummy...if u have any concerns??? weight appetite, thirst etc etc...could go on!
Then a booster that protects against numerous FATAL diseases!
And all u lot want is the cheapest price pos.....goodgod, all i want is the best for my dog and if that means i pay more for an opinion of someone whom i trust and have total confidence in then fine.

 

Sorry, I'm sure that they are perfectly good vets, but i have an image that i just can't shake - I imagine a sustandard vet who can't get a proper job at a proper vets, either that or a shop assistant with a certificate in pet first aid. I know it's completely wrong of me and I'm stereotyping but I can't help it - sorry!

 

Why get annoyed? its down to having a choice.The way things are in this country at the moment why shouldn't people look to save money?

 

I would go where it was cheaper too if it meant saving money especially if they gave the same care and health tests etc etc etc., Too right.

 

Boosters are boosters wherever you go i should imagine, but i am nervous of going anywhere else than who ime with at the moment for other care. I think we can get into that comfort zone.

 

The main problem with using places like PAH and shopping around to find the cheapest quote is that your local surgery may close down (vets have to make a profit!) and in an emergency you may have to travel further to get your dog treated.

I would rather pay a few pounds more at my local vet, knowing it is on my doorstep if something goes wrong and more importantly knowing I can trust them.

 

Have to agree here, theres a lot to say for trust, ive had bad experience of vets mine is literally minutes away and thats certainly a bonus.

 

This explains why Pets at Home dont have the vets in store round this way. I only paid £20 each for the boys with their boosters. :thumbup:

 

38 quid is extremely good value given the thorough health assesment that goes with it!
Pets at home is a business 1st and foremost! They have certain protocols to follow and can only use and recomend certain products!
You may as well talk to a robot.
I want my vet to put my pet 1st not the proffit margin!
You think vets are out to make a killing think again....u lot dont have a clue how much drugs acttualy cost thanks to the NHS !
Do u know how much the equipment costs that help make a diagnosis?? Probs not!
Or the cost of training of staff and continued proffesional development???
Its not cheap.

 

Oh Gesic...I am sooooo glad you posted that! We came back from the vet at Pets At Home and your post really helps open up my report. I think you'll be very interested!

Just for the record though...before I begin, I'll let you all know that my dog is fed on Royal Canin food and fresh tripe, gets a choice of dried liver, sausages, paddywhack, parma ham bones, dried tripe, pigs snouts, pork strips or filled hooves as an evening snack (I always have them all 'in stock' under my stairs. He gets walked everyday and attends a KC accredited training school every week. Toys? Don't talk to me about toys. He has a set here at home and a set at my mum and dads. He gets more than the best from me. He gets my full attention.

However, I'm not exactly poor. And the reason for that is I shop around for the best price. His food is £46 a bag in pet shops; I buy it for £28. His parma ham bones are £1.90 each in the shops; I get them for 85p. His grooming rake...£6 in the shop; I got it for 50p. Giving my dog the best I believe I can give him is good for his health; but saving money while doing so is also good for mine.

Ok dokey people...here you go. Pets At Home Vets...the result:

We were gratefully received at the reception, and of course, as usual, Paddy got the attention of staff, customers and the vets themselves. That was nice.
We were waiting about 5 minutes when a lady in her 30's came out and apologized to us for our wait, but unfortunately there would be a delay. She explained that she was the veterinary nurse, and that Paddy had been booked in with her for what they mistakenly understood to be his second injections (this is a long story and totally my fault, so i shan't explain it here). They had realised very quickly on seeing him that it was actually his booster that would be needed, so she told me that I would need to see the vet for the appointment. I told her fine.
As I was told the wait would be around 10 minutes, I took Paddy outside for a wee (and me for a ciggy).
We went back in, spoke to a few more animal lovers and were then called in by the vet.
They had his full history up on screen. She asked me about his eye infection (3 months ago). She asked me all sorts of questions about his health. She got her stethoscope out and checked in about 5 places. She held his muzzle shut while doing this to prevent him from panting - and very confidently too. She checked his teeth, his eyes, his anus, his paws. Then she did the "feel along the ribs" check. She's a little concerned that she can't feel his ribs as easily as she should. Not fat apparently, but a warning not to increase his diet any more than I am.
She took him out with me and weighed him. 41.5 KG to be exact. She made a record.
The came more questions. His poos. His habits. Any coughing? Any vomiting? NOPE.
Then the praise. Great temperament. Fantastic coat.
Then the question. Am I intending to have him neutered? Not too much resistance at all when I replied, "Depends if I show him or not" thank God!
Then another question. Have any of your close friends or family recently gotten a puppy? Yep. They have.
Have any of the puppies been coughing or ill, or diagnosed with kennel cough?
Yep. They have. My uncle's bischon.
Is he being treated for it? Yes. He is on anti-biotics.
OK. I don't want you to take your dog anywhere near their house for at least 4-6 weeks. We do offer a separate kennel cough vaccination for £15, however, kennel cough comes in different strains. It's not guaranteed to immunize against all strains of kennel cough, so even with that you can't be sure. 4-6 weeks minimum. OK? Yup. Thanks for that info. (Although my uncle's vet told them 2 weeks).
Next step was the injection. She asked me if I had his vaccination record. I had unfortunately left it at home. No problem, she tells me I can drop in with it next week and get the stickers.
After the vaccination is done she checks I am worming and fleaing.
I explain that I have 1 dose of wormer and 1 dose of anti-flea left.
She checks to see which products I am using.
Frontline and Millimax.
She tells me that Frontline is being replaced as a recommended treatment with Advantix. I don't tell her, but my own vet had previously gone through this with me last time I was there.
Her advice is that after Paddy finishes with the Frontline and Millimax that I move onto Advantix and Millimax. She warns me though that I should never give both on the same day.
Both?? My vet told me that Advantix treats the fleas AND the worms. I clarify this with her........So I need to give the worming tablets AND Advantix?
Yes, but never on the same day.
I leave feeling confused, even after she has given me instructions on how to use the Advantix (which she recommends I wait for incase it's on special offer seeing as I have some Frontline left).
The bill? £19. Plus they scanned him for his microchip to make sure he was really mine! LOL

So anyway, I got home, and looked up Advantix.

Turns out my own vet is wrong and the vet at PaH is right. It is only a preventative for biting insects. It does not treat worms at all.

Do you know what? I got more value for my £19 than the sometimes hundreds of pounds that I've spent on visits to my local vet.

My advice is this...is your dog due a booster/vaccination/worming tablets? If so...ring up Pets at Home and put an appointment on. You won't be disappointed. In fact, you'll be pleasantly surprised. What's more...they're open late and on Saturday and Sunday where you'll pay normal vet prices.

Don't get ripped off by your local vets any longer. You think they care about your pet? When's the last time they (the vet) saw your pet and didn't charge you for it? Don't reward them for poor service any longer.

I am converted!

I'm not converted to their grooming parlour though. They said it would cost £50 to groom Paddy. My regular groomer does a fine job for £35! LOL

:thumbup:

 

Wow that sounds really good I might give them a go as a back up myself, I usually swear by my own vet but for vaxinations I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference wherever you go, a jab is a jab and it sounds like they were really thourogh, and not just after your money as they explained the pro's and the cons to the KC jab.
My vets are great and my dogs love them but as with many vets they can be pushy with de sexing and offering the extras regarding the vaxinations, but my main reson for finding this so interesting is the price difference, 19 pounds is almost half the price of what I pay for boosters and like yourself, I pay a heck of a lot on the daily care, I E food, treats, toys, and keeping them as spoilt as they are lol...so to save money somewhere is always a good thing in my opinion.
I certainly wouldnt use anyone else for grooming though after hearing about that por dog who was forgotton about in the dryers and killed. I groom and cut penny myself, and since starting this I also groomn abd clip 3 of my friends and families dogs lol.
Thank you for the review Classix it really is very interesting.
Clare x

 

Not being funny, we all love our pets dearly and would do anything for them, but I can't see many people sharing your opinion on £38 being good value for a 10 minute check up.
Whilst I appreciate every vet's surgery has huge overheads, it's fair to say that they do have the monopoly in that corner of the market, even despite staff training and cost of drugs etc the sky's the limit as to how much they can charge. I wouldn't feel too sorry for them, they seem to be doing ok. Remember there is no sentiment in business, which is what a vet's is just as much as PAH.
If you knew that staff at a PAH were just as good as your local vet's, I'm sure you wouldn't mind paying half the usual amount. Or are you the type who goes to the supermarket and buys a tin of fruit with a brand name rather than the shop's own brand at a fraction of the cost, despite the product being virtually the same?

 

Are you sure your vet didn't suggest Advantage, which treats worms?