Vets and the prices they charge

[Ellie May]

I've been thinking.

I created this thread three years ago:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...s-venting.html

...and I think most people agree (to an extent) with it.. It seems that very few people think that vet prices are fair and that's understandable. But here I am three years later and I'll say I disagree with my own thread. lol.

I hear so many people say the fees are just crazy (and I used to one of them), but consider:

It costs between $20-$50 (ish) for each year of vet school which is usually taken out in loans. So, some vets are still in debt 10-20 years after graduation.

Undergrad isn't cheap either and all of these upper division science classes are very difficult.

They have sacrifice time away from their friends just to do this.

They actually do give away services...clients just don't realize it.

The equipment they have to have is extremely expensive (thousands to tens of thousand for each major thing). Well, they could skip some of this stuff, but then their clients would question whether or not the safest and best protocols were being used.

Any vet can get cheap anesthesia in and charge less. Is that really what we want them to do?

And it costs, what, $150 or so to have a vet tech there overnight (and don't get me wrong, somebody should be there). That is over $1000 a week!

If they treat emergencies for free when an owner doesn't have the money because "they love animals so they should," what happens when others get word that they will do this? It would take very little time for them to go under completely. And can they really trust new clients to make payments? Probably not.

Some vets make as little as 40K - $50K a year, btw.

Anyway, I've changed my mind. Cheap care is available and it usually (not always) is nowhere near the standard I look for for Ellie (dangerous anesthesia, very little monitoring, no xray...preferably digital...on site, etc.). I'd rather pay more and be comfortable with the standard of care. Vets should charge a lot (and most don't charge near enough) because they have bills to pay too.

PS - Prince's Mom thread (about them charges a ridiculous price for a med...which they were...) inspired this thread. Or maybe I'm just avoiding homework.

[Britster]

I agree with you, actually. Vets need to make money, too. And they sacrifice a lot of time and schooling to become one. From what I hear, it's even harder to get into vet school than med school. Plus, with being a vet, you need to know ALL animals inside and out, whereas human doctors only need to know one mammal: the human.

However, I will say I disagree with a few things. Not all vets are like this obviously. But I feel they DO overcharge for meds (flea/tick, heartworm, etc). And little things bother me: when Jackson came up limping earlier this year, and it ended up being Lymes, the first thing the vet did was immediately take him to the back and get x-rays. We barely talked, it was just go get x-rays. Well, those x-rays were over $100 a piece, and she did two angles of his one leg. Then when nothing was wrong... she then decides to do the Lyme test. OK, a $40 test could have fixed my dog, yet it ended up being a $400 vet visit. All she would have had to do was that test FIRST, then still if nothing came up wrong, THEN do x-rays. But of course she was trying to make money for her practice. That kind of stuff irritates me, then again all businesses will try to make as much money as possible, so I suppose it should be expected.

[Ellie May]

That would irritate me too!!! Ellie's vets don't do that kind of crap, thank God.

They get their meds in such small amounts compared to pet pharmacies, so they don't make much on some of it. And a lot of times, food is just a hassle to carry because somebody has to stock and handle it.


And ETA: Cheap care is more likely to be okay if it is a non-prof, etc.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Prince's Mom thread (about them charges a ridiculous price for a med...which they were...) inspired this thread. Or maybe I'm just avoiding homework.

LOL .

There have been times when prices at the vet drive me nuts...mostly bc I hate it when money/costs influence any kind of care (canine, human, or otherwise) or choices about care.

But honestly, I really think most vets' "mark-up" for goods or services is probably not out of line with any other goods and services professional. Sure, some things are marked up more than others, but this is no different from any other sector. They likely mark other things down too, and this may be why other things are marked up higher.

In human healthcare, those of who are lucky to have Insurance probably don't fret as much about costs (even w/ high deductibles these days ), bc we know we have some safety nets, and some costs covered. I have no idea, now that I think of it, what my Primary Doc charges for an "office visit" or tetanus shot. But you can be sure that I'm very curious about what vets charge for office visits. Which is odd. And sad, really, in a way.

IMO, most vets fees, at the end of the day, are fair and reasonable, for all that they are expected to do.

What ticks me off, in terms of fees/costs, are vets (OR doctors! etc) who are consciously trying to generate extra profit, to the detriment of the owners' pocketbook . And it makes me more mad in vet care, than in human care (most of the time). Not that it's right either way (!), but in vet care, the extra costs are usually straight out of pocket...and in the end, this could hurt the animal, bc the owner could be placed in a decision about money vs. care. Whereas in human care, the inflated costs are less likely to affect the choice of care, and more likely to affect the Ins Company, for those who have Insurance (again, which isn't right).

But don't get me started on what I think of human Health Ins Companies, where CEOs are making 30M bonuses, while their consumers are denied procedures bc of "costs" and "efficacy". Oy.

[Deuce]

Great post! I always wanted to go to school to be a vet, but I'm too weak and would be taken advantage of by any client that came in saying "you love animals so fix my pet". I'd wind up paying all the vet bills for people who couldn't afford the care and in more debt than what I had left from school

[Ellie May]

Recommending something just for the sake of $$$ is...terrible. I'm sure quite a few do it too. I honestly don't know how I could trust a vet if I thought they were doing that.

And then there are some8 who do extra things (esp. when they have the animal in the back) for free that the client doesn't see (extra, extremely safe diagnostics like cytology, etc.). The clients in these cases either can't or won't pay for all of the stuff and the vet just wants to make sure everything is ok. But that isn't the side people see. They just see a bill and get upset.

[107barney]

I am so glad you posted this Crystal! I spend a fortune on veterinary care for my dogs and they are in excellent health because of it. As you know my Daisy has a lot of medical issues due to very poor breeding and we have managed to call her our little miracle dog because you'd never know she's sick. This is due in large part to my efforts and unrelenting advocacy and commitment to her, but is also due to her very excellent team of vets that have found answers for her. I could not pay them enough for saving my dog and improving the quality of her life.

As an aside, my vets are regular people - no one is making a gazillion bucks a year - and they work very hard and long hours.

[katy-yorkie]

I used to think my vet charged a lot but I have sort of changed my mind. There are several people in my neighborhood that don't use him any more as they think he is too expensive. But, he has always gotten me in on short notice, he has even gotten us in on a Saturday after he was closed. He just happened to be there finishing up for the day. I do think he pushes too much stuff but I have learned to say no if I don't need them. I do buy the heartworm medicine and the Frontline from him. All in all, I don't think he's that expensive.

[orlnurse]

I used to go to a vet (used to) that charged for the nurse to administer a medication...not only the medication itself, but an additional charge for the nurse to give it. Umm, I'm a nurse can I just give it? Just kidding, but really? I've since found a new vet and I'm extremely happy with them.