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A veterinary blog for pet lovers, vet voyeurs and the medically curious...
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For the second time in as many weeks, I’ve been berated for the prices OTHER vets charge. 1-The emergency room visit for accidental snail bait ingestion that ended up costing $2,800 for less than 72 hours of care. 2-The specialist’s masterful treatment of a severe congenital heart defect that tapped his owner’s savings to the tune of $6,000.
Both cases demonstrate the extreme expenses many pet owners face if they’re to grant their pets access to modern veterinary medicine.
Can it be found for less? Was this care exorbitantly priced? While I could go on about that aspect of these cases at length, that’s not the point of this post.
Though both these clients were angry at the individual hospitals for charging extreme amounts of money for their pets’ unexpected health problems, I could only offer these words of comfort: “You paid fair market rates. Your pets are alive and well. And your only other option was euthanasia.”
Though they chose not to realize it, even after my explanations, their complaints were not against the individual hospitals but against the veterinary medical establishment in general.
We all cheer when we read about the amazing new techniques in veterinary medicine: The heartwarming stories of successful brain tumor treatments, spinal surgeries and cancer survival thanks to new medications—not to mention more widespread innovations as simple as superior anesthetics, more effective flea preventatives, gentler heartworm treatment and revolutionary pain control regimens.
But we suffer when we’re asked to pay for it.
No doubt all of us here can attest to the benefits of modern veterinary medicine. No doubt all of us here understand the complexities involved in providing and paying for care better than most. And yet we all still harbor mixed feelings about veterinary medicine and its relentless drive to conquer animal disease—at any cost.
None of us wants to be in the unenviable position my two clients above found themselves in. Facing “pay up or put to sleep” is a horrible scenario. And yet it’s easy to forget that twenty years ago the chances of survival for either of these cases would have been next to nil.
Would we want to go back to that era? One where the IV Kool-Aid was more readily passed around whenever serious accidents occurred? One where pain medications weren’t used to ease our pets’ post-surgical pain? One where we didn’t need to wring our hands over whether we could spend $5,000 or not?
Remember when $5K vet bills were almost unheard of in pet medicine? When we gasped to hear of such expenses and assumed them the exclusive realm of the rich and eccentric? We’re long past that time. In fact, here's my Sophie Sue during her $5K spinal surgery:
And despite its new challenges (financial stress, guilt, grief), knowing the up-side is there for some lucky pets among us is worth it for me. But then, I’m a vet and that’s my business, right? Right. But think hard: Can’t none of us have things both ways. And it’s too late anyway—we’ve already picked our poison.
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"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
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- Mohandas Gandhi
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I ultimately learned to assuage this guilt once I perused the itemized bill from my health insurance company - a 5 day stay for me (including triage in the ER for an asthma attack) topped out at just over $67,000. And, unlike the aforementioned GDV, I left with my spleen intact and without a stomach tack to the body wall. I chuckled when I reviewed the charges for radiographs, Pepcid and prednisone, IV fluids and a fluid pump. I wasn't hand-fed, rotated, bathed/brushed out or walked at least four times daily, and my sole contact with a doctor lasted five minutes once daily. I also paid a hefty daily premium for use of a phone from the Reagan administration and a TV with a whopping 12 channels. But I digress...
Fortunately, the majority of charges for my stay were covered by insurance, but it did provide an alarming perspective on the costs of healthcare in this country. And also how much cheaper (relatively speaking without co-pays) veterinary medicine bills out compared to our human counterparts.
I think itemising a bill helps make is clear what direct costs are involved--especially for people who would be charging more for their own billable hours that a vet charges.
I love my vet's office. I've been taking my animals there for probably over 15 years. They are great and are good about giving me advice that I can try before taking more drastic measures.
I'm chiming in as someone who, while not low-income, is struggling to pay her basic expenses (including pet care.) I have no beef with the costs of veterinary services. It is a vital industry and one I'm grateful we have.
The problem is sometimes just coming up with the money. I don't have any credit cards, nor vast savings to draw upon. What do I do? I talk to my vets. (Yes, "vets." I go to an office that has multiple vets and have worked with all of them at different times.) I am up front about my situation, and they tend to be up front about my options in light of my situation. Somehow, I have managed to make it through some very costly times.
I'm rambling--sorry.
What I'm trying to say is that, as a pet owner, you weigh your options against your available resources. Sometimes, the balance absolutely sucks, and you have to make tough choices. (Luckily that has not happened to me.)
I do not feel that I deserve free pet care, just because I am broke. What I do feel I (and all pet owners) deserve is good vet-patient communication. HONEST communication. Do I wish offices would allow for payments to be made over time? Yes; however, I understand fully why practices do not generally do this.
Thanks. This is a great blog.
Jen M.
I think most of the public realizes that these procedures aren't cheap and expertise has advanced a long way. I wouldn't think of complaining one bit, for the costly spinal surgery my "Pearl" underwent. But to be fair, I sure wouldn't make the comparison to a human counterpart, or in a human hospital setting, either.
The charge for Pearl's MRI was equal to human cost. Some other veterinarian based fees are equal to human fees (for those without medical insurance), and some diagnosis/treatments (besides teeth cleaning) exceed human charges.
People become most upset, when they learn or suspect they have been taken to the cleaners, misled, or paid for unnecessary services----and can anyone blame them??
Also, I took out a Care credit card and have zero interest for 18 months. This is a good option for people that aren't broke but can't afford thousands up front...