Vet fees a lottery in Hong Kong, pet owners complain - but vets hit back

Living with 21 cats, housewife Cheung Ling ends up going to the vet more often than many pet owners. The bills add up to a substantial sum but Cheung is prepared for the expense of caring for her beloved felines. What infuriates her, however, is the large discrepancy in fees charged by veterinary clinics.

An overnight stay at a clinic can cost between HK$200 and HK$800. Charges for diagnostic tests, medicines, surgical procedures and miscellaneous services also vary considerably, Cheung says.

Bills for saline packs, to keep ageing cats hydrated as their failing kidneys lose the ability to filter and reabsorb fluids, can range from HK$100 to HK$300 each, and the tube connectors from HK$25 to HK$60.

"That's why I buy from a pet dispensary in Sham Shui Po now - the price of its products can be up to 10 times lower than in clinics," Cheung says.

There are 779 vets registered with the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong. Under its code of practice, vets must discuss with clients the anticipated outcomes of various treatment options along with cost estimates before taking action. Pet owners should be briefed about changes to prognosis and costs, and veterinary clinics should display information about normal fees and charges for consultations, routine tests and procedures.

However, Cheung says most of the vets she consults fail to do this. Among the outrageous examples, Cheung cites the time she accompanied a friend to a clinic to have the woman's cat neutered. Her friend needed to submit proof of procedure to government officials so that she could keep the cat at her public housing flat.

"The vet charged her HK$300 just for the proof. We argued with the vet over the arbitrary fee and he eventually relented, and agreed to charge us HK$150. But other vets provide documentation without seeking any payment," she says.