Why are Vets so dang Expensive??? I thought they were compassionate people to be working with animals?

Question

, but I was wrong, I have spend 2k on animals in the past 2 years, that didnt survive. one got attacked by a big dog, the vet had told me the first dog would be fine and in two days he died. I asked for at least 1/2 my money back and they said NO. (even though they assured me he was going to be fine)and the other hit by a car... They act as if we are supposed to have 600.00 right out of our purse to p ay their outrageous fees. or else they wont treat them. and putting them out of their misery is a last resort with vets, (which I can understand) however if the owner doesnt have the money, or ever will have money like that within a few months then they shouldnt be made to feel guilty..seems to me they should have some kind of a heart, and trust people to pay them... For goodness sakes, we dont take our animals to the vet because we like to. We do it to save their lives, and prevent sickness to them.. I had to pay 1000.00 in vet bills this week alone, due to my dog getting "parvo" from the yard. That was almost a whole months worth of paycheck for me. I asked them if i could have 2 months to pay them off, even offering post dated checks, they said NO..I will take a post dated check for the balance in full within 2 weeks. It just hurts my heart to know people could be so selfish. Maybe thats why im NOT rich..I waive my fees to my clients at least once a day...What can we do to help this situation....???

Answer 1

Rate of inflation which means everything goes up. Vets have never been cheap, ever.

That is why now so many people make sure that they get pet insurance so it covers these things that you have had to pay for, i would suggest this in the future for any other dogs which you get.

Not sure where you live but in England there is the PDSA which charge a lot less for those on benefits.

Though you have to look at the cost of owning dogs and making sure if they aren't insured you have enough money saved for any issues or problems which may occur in the future.

Have you thought about getting a loan from the bank or selling some of your possessions?? Its just a thought as i would look at doing this if i couldn't afford a vets bill.

Also when a vet says a pet is going to live, they tend to actually believe this as the time, though life has a funny way of working and things happen and to be honest there is no guarantee when a dog has suffered and been operated on, just like humans..

EDIT: Vets train hard and they spend more time at university training then doctors do. They have to learn about the anatomy of so many different animals, compared to doctors who learn only the human body.

A lot of the time the cost of the vets time is not that expensive its everything else that bumps up the costs, like medication and anaesthetic

Answer 2

"I waive my fees to my clients at least once a day"

That's YOUR choice now, isn't it? Maybe if Grandma goes to the hospital and dies, you'd expect half your money back on her???

This has got to be one of the most idiotic questions ever asked. Being a vet is...a...JOB. You want to work for free, or reduced rates, that's YOUR business. Don't expect others to short-change themselves because you can't afford their services.

Answer 3

Vets are one of the richest people? Please! What you don't understand is that MOST vets are privately run practices that have tons of expenses! Yes it sucks paying that much money but come on asking for a refund cause your dog died? That's like a human being sick, starts showing some signs of improvement and then dying and the family asking for their insurance premium back! When it comes to any living thing's health, nothing is EVER a sure thing. Plus vets tend to be expensive because of the fact that people hospitals deal in large quantities of say blood tests, maybe 50 a day where a vet may only have one a week that he has to send out for and gets charged a ton by the lab. I am sure the vet didn't want to see your animals die but let's face it, vets aren't God and they can't always control what happens no matter how hard they try. And as far as the making payments, they've probably been screwed out of a ton of money in the past by people promising to make payments that never do. Tell me, if you ran up a $1000.00 bill at a fancy restaurant, do you think they'd let you make payments?

Answer 4

They have bills and employees to pay as well as anyone else. They also pay as much for vet school as MD's pay for med school and their pay scale is ALOT lower. Also, do you think the clinic employees will take a post dated check from them on payday? Quite frankly, every clinic I have ever worked for, spent alot of time and resources trying to get money from people who "will have the money next week and promise to pay the balance then".  Do you think you could walk into a medical doctors office with no insurance, promise to pay later and be seen?  Having pets is a luxury, not a necessity, if you cannot care for them properly and be able to afford it, you should not have any. Kind of like children. Sorry about your dog getting parvo, I quess you now realize that vaccines are alot less expensive than treating them for diseases!  

Answer 5

Vets -the richest people in the UK!

They are only money grabbing when people are at the most needy time, call themselves animal lovers? shocking story. Its a lawyer you need now-not a vet! Sue them!

Answer 6

some vets just want your money.

Answer 7

Well, you really can't expect the vets to work for free, can you?  Veterinarians go to school for many years - rather like a medical doctor for people - and deserve to be paid for their expertise.

Answer 8

I'm sorry for your bad time and I understand your frustration as the seeming unfairness of this whole situation. However, I think when you've had time to loose some of your anger you'll understand that being a vet is an occupation not a charity.

Some vets are more expensive than others and I called around before settling on a vet to see what their fees are. I avoided them and have had a wonderful relationship with my vet for many years now.  He has overhead costs such as office, equipment, salaries, medicines and foods and he is still always taking in the old and sickly animals his clients leave tied to his dumpster when they are tired of them. He also has a family of his own and all the costs that come with that. Mortgages, cars, clothes, medical insurance, his animals and even though he has all these obligations he still donates his time to the spay/neuter clinic that the aspca does every year and he has a small account set up for animals in grave need that he goes to whenever he can. He can not always do something for free or a reduced rate.

Perhaps before the next time you require a vet you'll give a call around to price various services, vaccines and what not.  

Answer 9

It is actually more difficult to be a vet than a doctor because an animal can't tell you where it hurts ;)  Betcha didnt think of that did you

Answer 10

why do owners get so  irresponsible with their pets & let them get into lifethreatening preventable situations and them blame the vet cause it cost money to fix

Iffn you didn't change the oil in your car for 2 yrs should the mecanic give you half off on the engine rebuild?  How about if you ran into a tree and the mecanic though he could salvage it but ende up not beaing able to?

Answer 11

im going to be an equine vet, and we are way more expensive.

they go to school for almost 10 years. just like a normal doctor.

they deserve to be paid alot.

i do think its wrong though if your dog is dying and they want half of the money then and there.

Answer 12

It's called LEGAL ROBBERY.  They know you you have no other choice but to take your pet to the vet so they charge you whatever they want.

Answer 13

Um... being a vet is a profession, they have bills to pay to keep themselves in business.

Things happen, and if you were prepared for these incidences, you wouldn't "be hurting" financially every time an unexpected vet visit comes up.  

Answer 14

They just want to make money off of you.

Answer 15

Maybe some vets are only out for your money. And that's why it's important to find a good vet. But vets can't work for free. You've been through an unlucky time and have had to pay a lot of money. If it really concerns you, find another vet. But vets don't have a miracle cure for every case and depending on the problem, treatment can be very costly. You can either find a new vet or stop owning dogs.

Answer 16

there are some vets that are higher priced than others. the vet we use was recommended by the humane society that we adopted our dog from, and the prices are very reasonable. when we took him in to get heartworm preventative, we were only charged about $25 for the whole visit and 6 months worth of heartworm/intestinal worm preventative. that was essentially the price of just the preventative.

Answer 17

I understand your level of frustration but it is what it is.You might want to look into dog insurance to see if it might help defer some of this cost in your future.Good Luck Tilks Mom

Answer 18

They are.

Do you want them to work for free for you and ride to work on a donkey like Jesus?

They spent a half a million dollars going to school for 8 years after highschool.

They have a business to pay for and staff. and taxes and..........

if you can't afford a pet don't blame the vet!

If you didn't have health insurance you would pay the same for your recovery.

I would bet there is more to this story which is why they won't accept your credit.

Answer 19

The same concepts as to why people healthcare is so expensive.  Vets have become a multi-billion dollar a year industry.  Just like with people, Animal pharmaceutical companies charge so much for drugs due to the growing demand for research and development of new animal medicines.  Because our pets are increasingly becoming a member of the family so to speak, they know you'll spend the money on your furry friend.  Demand in that area has increased ten-fold over the last decade alone.  As a result, prices have shot up and now we are able to buy medical insurance for our pets!

Answer 20

Look for low cost vets.But wow that is ridiculous youre bills.

Answer 21

I feel bad for your situation but I don't think it's fair to lump all vets in a negative category. If you think about it, Vets like human doctors provide a service, compassion is a big part of it but also they need to stay in business. They need to pay for their facilities, vet techs, ancillary services, prescriptions, state of the art equipment and diagnostic machines as well as make a living. If they were to go out of business, that would Not help any other animal . Also as an owner that has made the choice to bring an animal into their home, should take every step to ensure they can financially afford all the care such as buying an extra vet insurance policy for your pets. And in your case, the proper 30.00$ vaccine would have prevented your dog from acquiring Parov virus in the first place.  

Answer 22

Vets are not a charity, just because they work with animals.  They have overhead, utilities, staff salaries to pay.  They pay up front for the medication they have in stock.  The testing equipment such as x-rays and blood analyzing machines are just as expensive as the equipment used by M.D.s   If vets "trusted" everyone to pay them that didn't have the money at the time, they would have to shut down their doors within 6 months.    Vets have their own families to feed too.   Maybe if you didn't waive your fees to your own clients once a day, paying your vet bill wouldn not be a problem.  Its a business, not selfishness, and not a charity.

add: As far as your 6 month old puppy contracting parvo, preventative care for dogs, cats, people, whatever--is in the long run the best measure against paying higher bills for treatment of disease later.  If your puppy had been vaccinated (which you said he was not), the $1000 parvo treatment would have been unnecessary.

Answer 23

They're expensive because they spend a ton of money to get the schooling necessary to become vets... then they have to find a building to have an office in, hire assistants and receptionists, hire cleaners, buy supplies etc etc..

Sounds like you've had some very bad luck with your dogs.  I hope you've learned how to avoid such situations.

FWIW-- *I* would not own a dog unless I had the ability to pay for any emergency situations that might come up.

FWIW#2- Most vets will not take post dated checks or make financial arrangements with anyone who they don't have a longterm relationship with because so many lousy clients have stiffed them.

Answer 24

Dear Dap,Sorry to hear of the terrible luck you seem to have with pets.Most pets seen on an emerg. basis in a Vet. office today could have ben avoided if only the owner had exercised some caution.Car accidents....leash is a must for any pet outside today, no matter how well trained.Most communities today have leash laws.Parvo...if you move into new residence with pets, first priorty should be to spray area with a bleach/water solution,,1 part bleach/10 part water.On $$$$$,todays Vet can make a comfortable living but most likly will not get rich. Look at the cost of running todays clinic. Staffing and the insurace and matching taxes for them is a killer.Cost of diag. equip.x-ray and the like is on a same cost level as used by your local MD.Dap,shop around for a new DVM. Go talk to the office manager and ask about payment/treatment plans.Good Luck