Consultation Fees For 2 Dogs

[raz]

Fair enough. What about a Doctor. Husband and wife have an appointment each but go into the consulting room together. They both get equal consultation time for different maladies, general check up etc etc. Would it be fair to charge for 2 consults?

snap staff

Edited December 28, 2010 by raz

[piper]

My vet it varies. If it has been 2 quick things then I have just had the 1 fee. If a bit more time has been needed then it has usually been a long consult fee. I dont think I have ever paid 2 full consult fees though.

If I am taking in 2 I do always mention it on booking and I guess it is left to the vets discretion as to how it is billed. I have been using the same vet for 16 years and rarely pay full consult fee these days anyway. Although he has just retired and sold the clinic so I guess I am prepared for a full price bill for the next visit.

[stormie]

Lo Pan if you go in with more than one animal, you're going to take longer with the vet than you would if you just took one.

If a consultation fee is $60 for a 15min consult, that's roughly $240 an hour. So if you go in with two animals and take half an hour, why shouldn't you be charged $120, like other tradies you mentioned?

Perhaps we should start doing it like that. We just had a client have a 25min consult because they had a few things to talk about, but only charged them the regular 15min fee. Perhaps we should have charged them according to the hourly rate?

[karly101]

Where I work a consult fee is per animal though we do have breeders consults which are cheaper. Regular clients may also only get charged 1 consult and quite often are not charged for revisits. Consult time is meant to be per 15 minutes but often goes longer than that and is not charged.

It all depends on the practice, but I've found most do charge 2 consults which is only fair as they do take longer and they are examining 2 animals.

[Danois]

I took my dog and cat in recently and they shared the consult room (and oddly my dog was more settled than usual) and I paid a consult fee for both of them - new consult rate for the cat and a repeat consult fee for the dog as it was about a previous matter.

I have absolutely no issues with the 2 fees as I took up at least 1/2 hour of my vets time.

2 fees, a urine test and some cortisone still only set me back just over $100.

[dancinbcs]

None of the vets I have used have ever charged more than one consult fee if the dogs are taken in at the same time. My current vets don't charge a consult at all to breeders if the visit is just for vaccinations or ultrasounds, they just charge for whatever procedure they do. They also never charge a consult for follow up visits for the same condition.

[Nekhbet]

I've never paid double consult fee for 2 dogs. It has come under extended consult fee which is cheaper then a double booking. Everything else is at the same price.

[raz]

Perhaps we should start doing it like that. We just had a client have a 25min consult because they had a few things to talk about, but only charged them the regular 15min fee. Perhaps we should have charged them according to the hourly rate?

Why dont you do it like my GP who is just down the road from you guys. He has fees for normal and long consults. I think most GPs probably do that these days. I'd still expect to pay 2 consult fees if OH and I both went in and shared the room because we're taking double time. I'd also expect to pay per consult per animal if I lobbed up at your clinic with my lot. As I said earlier, the consult is per animal, not room space if we're all in there together.

I still want my coffee when I come in tomorrow, Stormie. Infact I want a double shot because I'm bringing two dogs

[Zhou Xuanyao]

Human medical is subsidized, thats the difference. I don't see doctors very often, but if I recall, after rebate I think a GP consult costs around $15. People don't mind paying it because its nothing. Now if GP's were not subsidized, things would be different, people would be demanding lower prices, people would be complaining about paying 2 x consult fees for two people, and many GP's would earn market share by lowering their charges for multiple patients in a single consultation. This is the competition we see amongst vets.

Now some people might say but thats not fair, well, yes it is fair. Any service is only worth what people are willing to pay, it doesn't matter how much someone thinks they should earn.

I could turn around and say hey, you know what, I dig holes all day like an arse hole, this is hard work. So I am going to double my price from now on because that is what I think I deserve. I can do that if I wish, but customers can refuse to hire me and go elsewhere if they wish just as easily.

[raz]

Any service is only worth what people are willing to pay

Sure for sure. I have multiple dogs so I'll pay my vet's rates per consult per animal. I think that's fair. I know he's not going to rip me off so I'm not going to quibble about fees when he's there to keep my dogs healthy and happy.

[~Anne~]

To my knowledge, my Vet charges only one fee and has no restriction on the number of dogs. However, I don't pay consult fees and haven't for many years so I really am not 100% sure.

I personally feel 2 seperate consultation fees when the dogs are taken in together is a bit much, particularly if it is for something simple, like yearly vaccs and check-ups.

[raz]

I personally feel 2 seperate consultation fees when the dogs are taken in together is a bit much, particularly if it is for something simple, like yearly vaccs and check-ups.

How funny. What if you take one in this morning and one in this afternoon? You're still getting two different consults whether they're in the room together or not.

[~Anne~]

I personally feel 2 seperate consultation fees when the dogs are taken in together is a bit much, particularly if it is for something simple, like yearly vaccs and check-ups.

How funny. What if you take one in this morning and one in this afternoon? You're still getting two different consults whether they're in the room together or not.

That is 2 separate consults though in my view and, if I paid consult fees, I would expect to pay twice in that example.

Taking them both in together, in my view, is one consultation.

[raz]

Taking them both in together, in my view, is one consultation.

Even if it takes the time for two consults? The consult is for the dogs, not for the owner

I'm taking two dogs in tomorrow so I'll test this out

Edited December 29, 2010 by raz

[Bullmastiff Addict]

our clinic ( well the clinic i previously worked at) would charge out 1 consult at the normal rate, and then charge another consult 1/2 price.

Same with vacc's etc etc 1 was full price, the other dog would get its vacc at half the price

[stormie]

Perhaps we should start doing it like that. We just had a client have a 25min consult because they had a few things to talk about, but only charged them the regular 15min fee. Perhaps we should have charged them according to the hourly rate?

Why dont you do it like my GP who is just down the road from you guys. He has fees for normal and long consults. I think most GPs probably do that these days. I'd still expect to pay 2 consult fees if OH and I both went in and shared the room because we're taking double time. I'd also expect to pay per consult per animal if I lobbed up at your clinic with my lot. As I said earlier, the consult is per animal, not room space if we're all in there together.

I still want my coffee when I come in tomorrow, Stormie. Infact I want a double shot because I'm bringing two dogs

We have a long consult fee too - only gets used for litters though cause SV's too nice. Most of our new puppy consults go on for ages, sometimes 45mins or longer because there's so much to talk about. But they only get charged the normal consult fee. Our second animal consult is cheaper than the first.

But hey, maybe we should be doing things for cheaper so people can afford to have lots of animals. We'll just stop doing all the discounted/free rescue work, stop treating wildlife and strays and dealing with all the stray kittens we get lumped with and have to vacc, chip, desex, board for free and then find homes for.

[raz]

But hey, maybe we should be doing things for cheaper so people can afford to have lots of animals. We'll just stop doing all the discounted/free rescue work, stop treating wildlife and strays and dealing with all the stray kittens we get lumped with and have to vacc, chip, desex, board for free and then find homes for.

Yeah exactly you thieving bastards

I'll see you tomorrow with my lot. I dont care what you charge - I know where you live if you rip me off :D

[Staff'n'Toller]

I will offer all our clients a coffee from now on.

If the boss buys me an espresso machine.

[~Anne~]

Taking them both in together, in my view, is one consultation.

Even if it takes the time for two consults? The consult is for the dogs, not for the owner

I'm taking two dogs in tomorrow so I'll test this out

Gosh, oh my, I thought the consult was for the owners.

It really doesn't matter Raz regardless as it is obvious that we all have to pay what the negotiated or fixed price is. As I said, I don't pay consult fees at all and haven't for many many years. Because of this, I have never even looked at how they are normally charged. Going back even further though, when I was a Vet Nurse, we only charged one consult fee and so this is where my thinkign currently sits.

[Staff'n'Toller]

But hey, maybe we should be doing things for cheaper so people can afford to have lots of animals. We'll just stop doing all the discounted/free rescue work, stop treating wildlife and strays and dealing with all the stray kittens we get lumped with and have to vacc, chip, desex, board for free and then find homes for.

Yeah exactly you thieving bastards

I'll see you tomorrow with my lot. I dont care what you charge - I know where you live if you rip me off :D

Watch out Stormie, Raz is coming for your LCD as a refund.