There has been publicity over the years about the rising cost of vet fees. As a vet I am concerned about the misconception some people have about why vet fees are on the increase. The most common comment made directly to myself is ‘oh! You’re a vet, you must be loaded, vet bills are so high’. In fact most vets earn a respectable wage but generally still less then their medical equivalents- doctors and dentists.
The reason that vet fees are rising is because the service being offered is getting better and better. The body of professional knowledge continually increases. Vets are able to offer more diagnostics and treatments then ever before. If they don’t charge for these services how can they offer them?
Many practices now have ultrasound machines, endoscopes and some have digital x-ray machines. Some referral practices now also have CT and MRI facilities. These pieces of equipment allow vets to diagnose conditions which would have been much more difficult before their advent. Examples of such conditions include brain tumours, spinal cord lesions, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, elbow dysplasia and pancreatic tumours.
Previous diagnostic methods may have been much more invasive and dangerous to the animal. Some conditions may not even have been possible to diagnose.
Because of these technical developments animals are able to be diagnosed and then treated for a lot more conditions now then ever before. However, the cost of purchasing these pieces of equipment can reach hundreds of thousands of pounds. Unfortunately some of the cost must be passed on to the client in the fees.
As veterinary knowledge expands animals are also treated for a variety of conditions that may have resulted in euthanasia at other times in history. Examples include successfully managing kidney failure in cats, overactive thyroids in cats, diabetes in cats and dogs, dental disease in rabbits, bladder stones in guinea pigs. Many tumours are now successfully cured or palliated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Hip replacements are now possible for dogs with debilitating hip dysplasia.
I think these advances in veterinary care are amazing!
We are very lucky in the
Also, one needs to remember that the costs of running the actual premises of the surgery are increasing slowly all the time. There are mortgages, council tax, water bills, electricity and gas bills, buildings and indemnity insurance, telephone bills, internet connection, computer system hosting to consider. Waste disposal is also a huge expense for a veterinary surgery. There is clinical waste to consider as well as normal paper based waste. I’m sure there are other costs to consider that I’ve not mentioned!
Surgeries that employ fully qualified nurses will also have higher training and employment costs. It is very important the veterinary nurses and veterinarians continually refresh and update their knowledge by attending Continuing Professional Development courses. Again these cost money!
When you get your next vet bill, please remember that you are paying for the expertise of the veterinary staff and support staff, the medications and equipment costs and all the costs involved in running an actual building. Vet practices, in my experience, generally charge fairly for the services they provide and generally profits are ploughed back into the practice to keep offering better and better services.
I hope this has helped in providing some explanation about the costs of veterinary care. Also, please discuss pet insurance with your veterinary surgery. I highly recommend pet insurance so that if your beloved pet should need veterinary care for an illness or accident, the worry of the fees will be lessened.
Please visit my website www.veterinaryblonde.com
‘Compassion for animals, passion for nature’
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