Letters to the Editor
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It really does have a lot to do with the Vet...
I worked at an animal clinic for five years. I got my first dog a couple years after working there. I paid practically nothing because I worked for the clinic. Everything was "at cost" meaning that I paid the same price for drugs that the clinic paid. Services didn't cost hardly anything.
When I graduated from college and got a full-time job, I quit the animal clinic job. Then I took in my dog for a routine check-up. I knew what I was in for because I had seen people's bills, but I thought they would still give me some break. I paid about $250 for shots.
I decided to find a different clinic. I have a few friends who worked at the clinic with me who also moved on. We try to help each other find good, cheap vets. We finally found one too! My vet is great, gives me lots of freebies, and loves my dogs. I think that if vet bills are too high, people can look for other vets. There is a big variation in cost when it comes to animal care.
One thing the humane society does is advertises not rescuing pets if you don't have the money. Pet care does cost money, and to avoid abandoned pets and economically-euthanized pets, don't adopt an animal until you can financially.
Most vets, even with high prices, can work something out with the owner. From my experience working at the clinic, we never frowned on people who couldn't afford to keep their animal alive a little longer. In fact, we tried to help people see their animal was suffering and encourage them to do what was best for the animal (not themselves). And that usually meant euthanasia. Coincidently, I ended up working in the hospice field.