The price of veterinary care has always been a point of contention among pet owners, who tend to have difficulty accepting the costs of some of the more expensive treatments and drugs involved in animal health care. To view the profession objectively however, it needs to be remembered that a veterinary hospital is much like any other business, in that it needs to show a profit or close it’s doors. While there is no doubt that some animal health care providers do charge excessive fees and price gouge based upon the emotion of a particular pet owner, most are merely passing on the cost of treatment with a moderate profit margin factored into the bill. The unfortunate fact in all of this is that in an economic recession, the price of health care makes it unobtainable not only for pets, but for their human owners as well in many instances.
The fixed costs associated with veterinary medicine are staggering if viewed collectively, beginning with the cost of employing staff. When considering the price of wages, taxes, and health insurance for even a small veterinary hospital staff of 3 or 4 employees, it is quite a hefty sum on a monthly basis. The price of maintaining an adequate physical facility including utilities, building maintenance and janitorial services adds a few more dollars to the average veterinarian bill. Next comes the cost of equipment and supplies necessary to treat an animal in an appropriate manner, including some very expensive diagnostic equipment like x-ray machines and laboratory equipment, which can easily cost over $10,000 for a single piece of equipment. Lastly, there is the price of round-the-clock care for those animals that are too ill to go home, and must be cared for as in-patients.
When attempting to consider the reason for the high cost of veterinary care, it is important to remember the price of a college education in today’s world. The cost to become an accredited Veterinarian is along the lines of any other graduate degree, and added to this is the expense of state licensing fees, professional associations and continuing education. Similarly, the veterinarian’s staff has paid for a lesser but still expensive education as well. When a Veterinarian graduates from school and hangs out his or her shingle for business, there are already tens of thousands of dollars in debt before they have ever made a penny.
Int he final analysis, the cost of veterinary care is in line with the level of expertise and skill provided by an average veterinarian. While it is painful for an owner to write those large checks to a veterinarian, the service they provide is one that your pet cannot live without.
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