We don't have any pets, so we have no comment to make, but clearly a lot of pet-owners are far from happy.
A large number of previously independent veterinary clinics have been taken over by big corporations and hedge funds, whose only object it seems is to make as much money as possible out of pet-owners' distress and anxiety.
Ruth Armstrong's Labrador Blackmore had a seizure and she suspected it was time to put him to sleep. The vet advised further investigation - an MRI scan, blood tests and a metabolic check. The bill would be over £7000. Blackmore had more seizures and she and her husband opted simply to put him to sleep.
Ruth believes many owners would rather see pets relieved of their suffering than have vets throw everything at them to extend their lives a bit longer.
There's a veterinary clinic very near to us, the Earlswood Veterinary Clinic. It's owned by one of the big companies, IVC Evidensia, which owns 1074 veterinary practices in the UK. Predictably there's no price list on their website, which suggests they charge whatever they can.
I know some of my blogmates have pets, and I would be interested to hear what you think of your veterinary clinic. Are you happy or unhappy?
I don’t have pets, but was surprised when I heard about pet insurance. I’ve only heard of private practice vets here, but yes, it’s just as costly.
ReplyDeleteThere's a Government Veterinary Service but I don't think it caters for the general public, only for public bodies.
DeleteVets here are usually in independent practice, but they display all the trends noted in your post...unnecessary tests, scans, you name it, followed by by incompetence. The only safe bet is to go to the university veterinary clinic.
ReplyDeleteHelen: Queen's University does have a veterinary department, but I don't know if it's available to the general public.
DeleteWe don't currently have pets. The nearest vet clinic to us takes only cats. The U of MN has a vet department but I don't know if they take pets. I suspect they take care of a lot of large animals like horses. If we still had pets, I would check them out.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: Strange that a vet clinic only takes cats. I see there's a Minnesota Veterinary Hospital, but again there's no sign of a price list!
DeleteI have 2 cats and their veterinarian is wonderful! She's personable, highly competent, compassionate, and doesn't push unnecessary tests or the like. She truly cares about her patients and their humans.
ReplyDeleteDamselfly: Good to know there are still a few vets out there who really care about their "patients" and aren't just out to make a fast buck.
DeleteJoanne said "I think it is best to follow ones conscience. If the animal is in distress, skip the expensive tests that will only add some miserable weeks or months to its life. Simply put it down, after a heartfelt goodbye."
ReplyDeleteJoanne: I agree. Why prolong a pet's misery for the sake of it? If it's obviously labouring, best to let it go.
DeleteThe problem is they won't commit to a diagnosis until all tests are done. Without diagnosis it's hard to form an action plan
DeleteIs this a different Kylie? Yes, if they're demanding hundreds of pounds before they'll actually treat your pet, that's a real bummer.
DeleteWhen our Harry broke his leg I knew it was almost certainly bone cancer because greyhounds get it a LOT. I had decided ahead of time that we would not treat it if that happened because it requires amputation and on average they only get another 6 months.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, it was after hours so my young adults took him to a big 24 hour vet hospital. I stayed home because I didn't feel i had anything to achieve by going.
One of the vets suggested it was likely cancer but the other said it wasn't and needed extra testing to find out what it was so extra tests were ordered.
First they confirmed cancer, at which point I said thats all I need to know but then because Liam was his registered owner they talked Liam into an MRI to see how far it had advanced.
In the end it cost $6000 to do testing I didn't want done and end up with a dead dog. It also prolonged his extreme pain by 24 hours.
I don't know if I would have had the presence of mind to call it quits when he first arrived at the hospital, I probably would have jumped at the possibility that it was just a sprain or something but I will always regret not being there.
I will also always resent that they preyed on our pain. With Harrys age and breed and symptoms it was almost certain to be cancer but they dragged us and him through all that palaver.
I understand that a proper diagnosis gives more information but in the "old" days when there were less options, they would have just made an educated guess and saved us a lot of money and Harry a lot of pain.
In general I am happy to pay a vet a fair fee but continuing to string people along like that is unethical and very traumatic.
I have already decided that there will be no extraordinary measures taken for Milly but if they muddy the waters, I might struggle to make the decision. And that leaves room for regret as well.
The loss of Harry has left Briony with a genuine fear of taking an animal to the vet and while we paid the bill we aren't really the kind of people who can afford to drop that much money in a hopeless situation.
Kylie: As you say, all the testing achieved was prolonging Harry's pain at a ridiculous cost (around £3000 sterling) that would be unaffordable for many. I agree you should rule out unnecessary testing for Milly when the time comes. Your decision to stay home was a perfectly reasonable one, so you shouldn't feel bad about that. It's just unfortunate that Liam fell for their sales talk.
DeleteWow, I think that's the longest comment I've ever had on my blog!
DeleteI wonder if you can write a health care directive for pets? The one for me says no extensive treatments or prolonging of life--just pain relief and let me go.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: Interesting question. If there isn't such a provision, there should be.
DeleteWhen my dog hurt his back last year I took him to the vet and after x-rays and an exam they told me he had a slipped disc in his spine. The exam, x-rays, pain meds, muscle relaxers and phone calls cost me almost $1000
ReplyDeleteYes, it was expensive but they were very nice, called me for every update while my dog was there for a few hours and even called me a few days later. He got better and wasn't in too much pain thanks to the pain meds so I would say it was money well spent.
Mary: That's a lot of money, but if you think it was money well spent because Falcor was in less pain, and they kept you informed about his condition, then that's what matters.
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