If you have read any of my other articles, you may have noticed that I have a lot to say about the veterinary world. I work very hard every day to help clients give their pets the best life possible, and it can be upsetting to hear some of the things said about us, especially when it comes to finances.
Money can be a touchy subject, especially when it comes down to taking care of your pet. You emotionally want to do whatever you can, although you may not have the funds to do so.
Here are some key considerations to keep in mind regarding finances and veterinary medicine.
Although we hear it all the time, veterinary medicine is not more expensive than your own healthcare.
The truth is that without health insurance, you would be amazed at how much it costs to go to the doctor, let alone spend time in the hospital or have surgery.
In fact, we should really charge more than we do.
Veterinary medicine is a business, and we need to generate sufficient revenue to thrive. We are constantly purchasing medications, in addition to covering our rent (or mortgage) and all the other supplies necessary to keep our office open.
We are barely getting paid what we are worth.
Veterinarians graduate from veterinary school with as much debt as your own doctor, yet we don’t earn as much money as they do. Technicians and receptionists barely make enough to make ends meet. In fact, many of them have to work two or three jobs in order to survive.
Nobody is in the business of veterinary medicine in order to make money! Please repeat this. We aren’t making as much money as you think.
That being said, we all wish that we could give away everything!
When your pets aren’t feeling well, we want to help you as much as possible. However, we simply can’t give everything away.
If we did this with every patient that walked in the door (or even one or two a day), it would significantly hurt the practice.
Do not take advantage of your veterinarian’s good graces.
For this reason, you should never ask for discounts or see what you can get for free! Too many veterinarians will try to go above and beyond what they should in order to help you as much as possible.
In fact, please let us know about your financial concerns before we begin.
If we know that you have a budget, we will do our best to get as much “bang for your buck.” If we believe that one test is more important than the others (even though you need them all to receive the best diagnosis), we will suggest that one if we know you can only afford to do one.
If we are considering expensive medications, we may be able to find something more affordable within your price range. We may even have some medications that were donated to us that you may be able to use.
We also want to assure you that there are no kickbacks for recommending specific food brands.
We want to ensure that your pet has a good chance of leading a healthy life, so we recommend the brands of food that have shown good results, without the worry of recalls. If we do sell food, we aren’t making a lot of money off of it. We try to pass the savings off to you, so the profit margins on food are pretty slim.
The same could be said about preventative medicine.
We recommend heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives because we have seen the consequences of a patient contracting heartworms or succumbing to a disease transmitted by fleas and ticks. To encourage you to continue purchasing the medication, we maintain a very low profit margin. We just want to ensure that your pet lives a long, healthy life.
Discussing finances can be the most challenging aspect of being in veterinary medicine. We know how tight money is. Most of us live paycheck to paycheck. Some even have to work more than the recommended forty hours a week or take on another job to keep a roof over their head and food on the table.
For this reason, please don’t comment that we don’t care about your pet and only worry about the money. It is simply not true. If we could afford to give everything away, we would! We barely break even on medications and food. We just want to ensure that they receive the care they deserve.
Instead, let us know if you have concerns about your finances. It is much better to know how much you have to spend, then figure out how you are going to pay for it after it is all done. We may be able to identify the most important factors that could still help us obtain a decent diagnosis.
Maybe instead of complaining, you should just thank them. It goes a long way to making us feel better and allows us to keep going.
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Can’t get enough? You can catch up on the rest of the series right here!
The original: Things Vet Techs (and Vets) Want Pet Owners To Know
The second part: More Things Vet Techs (and Vets) Want Pet Owners To Know
The third part: Even More Things Vet Techs (and Vets) Want Pet Owners To Know
Followed by: Choose the Right Pet
The last one: We Don’t Want To Talk About Money
Want to read the original? Catch up on it right here!
The original: Things Vet Techs (And Vets) Are Tired of Hearing
The second part: More Things Vet Techs (And Vets) Are Tired of Hearing
The third part: Even More Things Vet Techs (And Vets) Are Tired of Hearing
The last one (I think): Some More Things Vet Techs (And Vets) Are Tired of Hearing
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Please note that the information provided is for educational and informational purposes only. Although I am a veterinary professional, this blog should not be used as a substitute for professional veterinary advice.
If your pet is experiencing a medical problem or concern, please contact a veterinary health professional immediately.