Letters to the Editor
-
I bet you're a person who demands I underwrite health insurance for poor people too.
In my lifetime no person will have health insurance but all pets will. All Hail the United States of Dumbass.
-
I would pay
$1,300 on a vet bill for my cat, but probably not for a hamster. Then again, I've never had a hamster - do they have the same wit, charm, and heartbreaking vulnerability as my sweet kitty?
I don't think of my cat as my child, but the idea of putting it down rather than pay a steep bill for a simple procedure that would almost certainly restore it to good health? Yep, I might die first.
-
there's a fine line
And it's different for everyone. I've got 2.2 pets, 2 cats and 2 goldfish... One of my cats is my gold plated "free" cat. Counting everything, food, toys, cat tree, vaccines, medical issues, etc. he's running about a grand a year. Some years a little more, some less. I have never spent more on him that I could afford at the time nor would I ever do so. He'll be 13 in the spring and he's a little stiff on cold mornings but still healthy. I'm very fond of that cat, I'll get more of the same breed because of him to try and get a similar temperament and personality, but a cat is not a person. I will treat any illness that will give him a good chunk of good quality of life but I will not beggar myself for an animal. I will not put the cat through any treatment that would cause the animal suffering like chemo or dialysis. I hope he makes it to a ripe old age but I would rather put him down early than make him suffer in the end. I must be living in a cheaper area because his last urinary tract infection was $850 and that was pushing a fine line.
My other cat is a half tame feral born cat that will be 11 in the spring. She has been spayed of course, and had all her shots over the years. She's afraid of almost everything. She has two very specific sets of circumstances where she'll let me pet her and she's old enough to enjoy sleeping in the sun in the window of an empty room for most of her time. The last time I took her to the vet for a shot that was due the poor animal literally collapsed in fear. It was pretty grim and ugly. The vet got her a tranquilizer on my suggestion (I was calmer than he was) and I took her home. He's a nice man and understands that I won't be bringing her back. She's indoors only and the risks are very low of illness without vaccines. I think she's having a good time now, I've given her a quiet safe environment and when she's not having a good time anymore he said he'd drive over for an extra few bucks so she wouldn't have to go through that degree of trauma again. She's averaged about $200 a year for good quality food and vaccines. She has her sweet moments and doesn't cause any trouble but she's not worth more.
The softer hearted would probably not want to hear what I did to the goldfish I had for 10 years. I turned off its light one night and it was fine. In the morning it was obviously dying so I made it quick. It was dead in under ten seconds once I pulled it from the tank. It was sad, but I couldn't let even a goldfish suffer.
Lastly, I don't have kids; I honestly don't like kids under about 8 at all. My cats are not my kids. They are animals. I am fond of them and treat them well, but they are not equal in worth to a human. They're worth more care than a nice TV or a potted plant because they're alive but they aren't people. If one of my nieces or nephews needed medical treatment I'd be right there checkbook in hand to help however I could without a second thought, an animal no matter how fond I am of it isn’t worth the same.
-
one veterinarian' perspective
Veterinary medicine has made leaps in the last 10-20 years in terms of what we can offer. Does this cost money? Yes, and not just to the client. You should see the whopping bills our clinic gets from drug companies, utilities, insurance, rent, overhead, workers comp, salary, benefits, etc. As a vet, I went to eight years of post-secondary education and get paid half of what a GP makes. I knew that going into it, and I don't regret it. Most days I love what I do, and I'm proud to practice a high quality of medicine that, yes, does cost a bit of money to clients. But how many people compare the prices for what we charge vs what their physician is billing? It's a fraction for the same high quality of care.
Pet insurance is a great thing. There are a lot of plans out there, so ask your vet if they recommend any particular company. Care credit is wonderful too. Our clinic does not do billing. For every honest person out there who swears they will come in next payday to make a payment there are 10 others who we'll never see again. Some just leave the hospital thinking they'll be billed later and we never see them again either. Costs that we don't collect, we eat. In order to provide excellent care and pay our bills, we would need to spread that loss over our other clients, which we don't think is fair. So that's why we don't take payments. Owning an animal is a luxury, not a right, and as a luxury, they should only be taken on when an owner is serious about providing for its health and other needs. (If you can't afford something, let us work with you to provide some kind of care, even if it's not optimal, for a price you can afford. But don't sign the estimate with the intention to never pay us. That's stealing.)
I don't "push" "unnecessary" procedures or tests. I am an advocate for the animal, and that means ensuring that they will not endure unreasonable suffering or pain, even if that decision is humane euthanasia. (For those truly indigent whose animals are suffering I will provide free euthanasia.) I always recommend the "gold standard," or what in my opinion are the diagnostics and/or procedures that would yield the most information and provide the most relief. As the pet's advocate I need to offer every owner the optimum plan according to my medical opinion. I am willing to work with people if it's not in their means, and I am happy to meet someone halfway. However, too many times I see people come in with their Louis Vuitton bags, Mercedes keychains, and fake nails who complain when I charge a $34 recheck fee - as well as the poor 18 year old kid whose cat is open mouthed breathing and said cat needs its chest tapped for relief (I can't perform $300 in treatment and diagnostics if they only have $50, it's sad but true). I had a man with a $600 bill ask me at his pet's pickup if he made my car payment that month. Nope, but he did help pay for the techs who took xrays and bloodwork, for the supplies used, the receptionist's salary, utilities, rent, and yes, my salary (of which I will be paying over 100K in students loans from just vet school). I feel sometimes that as a vet I can't win (I'm either "gouging people" and "manipulating them" or I didn't offer the right [expensive] diagnostics and treatments right away). Veterinary medicine is not like the auto mechanic - life forms are complex in a way that an automobile is not - but rather an art and a science, a balance between knowing how much and what's enough, and the balance between what's best and kindest for owner and animal alike. When I work with clients who realize that what I do isn't easy, I go the extra mile to help them and their pets. But I cannot give of myself and my resources until there's nothing left just because someone feels entitled to top-notch care and service at cutthroat or free rates.