Vet Costs?

[Moscow_Wolf]

Sell Overseas Property

Once again, I cannot find an existing thread that really fits my questions, but rather than start a new one, this will do unless pointed towards another thread.

I would just like to ask what kind of charges you incur from your Bulgarian vets whichever part of Bulgaria you may be in.

Despite reassurances to the contrary, I am always slightly suspicious that I am paying the 'Brit' tax on most services I use here.

I have just had my female dog spayed today. The Vet said that he was going to 'remove everything', but not having researched the procedure before taking her, I don't know if that is overkill or more on the safe side against future side effects. Anyway, I stayed with the dog for around an hour as he first injected her to calm her down, second injection to make her drowsy and to get the intravenous one into her leg. At this stage I left to return around two hours later to collect one very disorientated dog.

The vet has supplied (loaned I guess) one rather large Elizabethan Collar, antibiotic tables for 10 days (he always prefers imported over Bulgarian tablets) so, the bill for the operation was 80 Lev and the whole bill 116 Lev.

Now, again, I don't know, but I would guess that by UK standards that is very cheap, but is it cheap here! I cannot see many Bulgarians taking their dogs to the vet to be spayed at these rates OR, am I paying a Foreign Premium price?

So, just grateful for your pricing comparisons.

Cheers.

[mariela]

Sell Overseas Property

It does seem a little excessive to spay a dog. Our local vet quoted me 40 leva to remove everything. He knows we are english and i even told him i was quoted 80 leva in VT but he said that is a "city price" not "village price"

[Durak]

Sell Overseas Property

not so bad MW, we paid 1500rbl for Gabi our german shepherd in a local vet in Lipetsk - the collar will probably last 5 mins! give her a couple of days and justy let her lick away to her hearts content, it'll do no harm.

[dylan]

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I paid 50 lev to have the hourse castrated , injections included and a couple of lev to see the dog and a couple of lev to have a pig injected for worm prevention. Nothing wrong with always thinking you are being overcharged because you are British as its usually the case , Dual pricing system was ( supposed) to be outlawed . Would be a good idea to have a list of vet charges that forum members paid if only for a general guide . Sometimes we cant ask on here until after we have paid the bill because it needed to be done right away, the horse needed stitching badly, 50 lev plus antibiotics and knockout serum.Having said all that , pretty cheap here by uk standards. dylan

[walkage]

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I use a brick and a sledgehammer..

Ok - not really but you gave me the fame etc... so..

I think the price was not too bad - we had our cat done and that was 30 lv...again as you say would Bulgarians pay...my answer to that is NO... our friends just drown the pups/kittens as they come out and that's it.. we used to do that back in Africa in the 60's so where's the change in rural life???

[millomgirl]

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Hi MW. I paid 110 lev here in VT to have my cocker spaniel bitch spayed in December, which I think was very reasonable given the amount of care she received etc. To have a GSD female spayed in UK, I was quoted a basic fee of 150gbp,so I feel the price was very reasonable. The operation for a female is much more involved that for a male obviously, and therefore more expensive. Twiggy was fine after her op, fully conscious and wagging when I went to collect her. I was told not to let her lick the wound for three days,and she was fine, no infections, no problems.

[parkersd]

Sell Overseas Property

It cost us 47 leva for our first 'adopted' female puppy to be speyed,but she got an infection (the vet's practise is very friendly & kind,but basic!) so it cost us another 45 leva for her to stay in for 11 days while the infection cleared up,then several weeks of worry with a puppy which had an open wound.A friend had a similar problem at the same vets with her male dog.
By the time we found our 2nd puppy friends had recommended a modern vets in Dobrich town centre and she was speyed for 80 leva then we paid an extra 10 leva for her to stay in overnight as the vet explained it can be traumatic for owners watching their dogs coming round from the anaesthetic...we were extremely pleased with the new vet and only to happy to pay the extra cost,bearing in mind what it would have cost in the UK.
Having said that I agree that the Bulgarians probably wouldn't pay that sort of money,but then how many villagers would get their dogs/cats neutered/spayed??

[amron]

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It cost us 32 leva for chalie dog to be spayed, injections the lot (was to be 35 lev but he saw how small he was for his age)
THis dog adopted us.
The vet was the new one in Yambo at the side of the bazar near the wood carrying lorries.
Medivet??

[Moscow_Wolf]

Sell Overseas Property

Having said that I agree that the Bulgarians probably wouldn't pay that sort of money,but then how many villagers would get their dogs/cats neutered/spayed??

Thank you for your replies so far. It seems VT has the most expensive Vet charges at 110 Lev for a Female to be spayed.

I separated my costs to those of the operation itself together with the usual anaesthetic from the costs of the after-care course of antibiotics and the Elizabethan collar. I am aware of the old saying, 'you only get what you pay for', but each and every Veterinary Clinic should have high standards of hygiene however, I am reluctant to leave mine overnight or any longer than possible as it seems to me, that more infections are picked up in the Vet Clinic that elsewhere. A bit like this MSA (or whatever it is termed) in UK Hospitals.

The quote above is the problem I believe, without a programme of reduced or free spaying of females AND male dogs throughout Bulgaria then it will continue to be a problem of drowning puppies at birth or, too many strays. Out of the 5 animals I have so far, 3 have been spayed or neutered and the total cost is quite a lot for the average person. Add to that, vaccinations, electronic chipping, worming and anti-flea/tick medicines, it can all work out expensive and that is before you add FOOD. No wonder the average Bulgarian Village Mutt is covered in ticks and fed on bread. Perhaps this is another reason why the Vet's charges appear high in Bulgaria - who uses them besides us?

[DANNIA]

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Perhaps this is another reason why the Vet's charges appear high in Bulgaria - who uses them besides us?

Exactly! Yanko in Yambol used to run his surgery from a tiny little place in the apartment blocks on the outskirts of Yambol, now has a nice shiny new surgery with all mod cons.
When I first bought Advantix over 3 yrs ago, it cost us 12 leva (as I remember thinking it was about £4 in the days of the 3 to 1 rate) it is now about 17 or 18 I think in Yanko's.
Immy's spay was about 80 leva (just over 2 years ago), but she also had the microchip and rabies jab done at the same time.

Nikki