A hit wild animal on the side of the road – fortunately, many people decide to help the suffering animal. But who is actually responsible for paying veterinary costs?
We are currently receiving a few requests for a status post on Facebook that is shared in groups. It's about the fees that are due when a private individual takes a wild animal to the vet.
Strictly speaking, it's about a fee of 50 euros that was due for the emergency service and also the treatment costs for a hedgehog that was hit:
The fact check
Emergency service fee of 50 euros
Yes, since February 14, 2020, according to the Federal Veterinary Association , a fee of 50 euros is due if the treatment is/was carried out during emergency service hours. ( Download PDF )
A flat-rate “emergency service fee” of EUR 50 (net) must be charged for a visit to the vet during emergency service times.
In addition, at least twice the GOT rate must be billed for emergency veterinary services. In addition, the veterinarian is able to charge up to 4 times the rate for emergency services.
The times are clearly defined:
– daily from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. of the following day (night),
– from Fridays 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. of the following Monday (weekend) and
– from midnight to midnight on a public holiday.
However, if a veterinary practice offers regular consultation hours in the evening until 7 or 8 p.m., no emergency service fee will be charged.
This fee is intended, among other things, to ensure the quality and survival of veterinarians and clinics that offer night services.
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Treatment of wild animals
Whether a veterinarian treats a wild animal free of charge is the responsibility of the veterinarian himself. In general, whoever brings the wild animal also pays for the treatment.
However, many veterinarians also treat brought wild animals free of charge. Veterinarian Nannett Welk from the Elz Veterinary Practice is happy when people take responsibility for injured animals and take them to veterinarians for care, even though they don't know what costs they will incur. Depending on the animal and location, an application can also be submitted to the municipality or city for reimbursement of the costs if the finder pays in advance. Some veterinarians also use a “wild animal fund” where the finder can donate voluntarily.
If you want to be on the safe side, you can call your vet first and ask whether they will treat wild animals free of charge. You can also find fees for the treatment of wild animals in the fee schedule for veterinarians ( download PDF ).
Another option is to contact animal rescue or, if the situation requires it, the fire department . In the second case, however, it is important to consider the emergency situation in which the animal is. Not all cases are really enough for the fire department to arrive. With animal rescue you are well advised in an emergency.
Here is the NABU website with various care and rescue stations for birds and mammals.
Conclusion:
Unfortunately, it is not generally known that if you take a wild animal to the vet, you are considered the client and have to pay for the treatment yourself. Many veterinarians provide free treatment for animal welfare or moral and ethical reasons.
However, everyone should be aware that treating animals costs money. Medicines and sterile tools are not a given. Bringing found wild animals is also not something to be taken for granted – it is an act of selflessness.
A call to the relevant vet can prevent frustration and still save a life.
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Further sources: Süddeutsche
Article image: Shutterstock / By Mr. SUTTIPON YAKHAM
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )