From:
Church, Robert Ray (UMC-Student)
Date: 2002-04-19 01:49:00 UTC
Subject: Bob C: Vets and Veterinary Costs
I have been mostly offline for the last month or so; my mother has been gravely ill. Consequently, answering email has been a low priority. Please forgive any delay.
A: "I have written you several times asking about medical care for [my ferret]...you will never give direct advice, only mention a couple of possibles and tell us to go to a vet. Vets just cost too much. I've met you and you are as smart as any veterinarian. Why won't you speak up and save us some money?"
Q: Speaking up has never been a problem for me. Unless you count the many, many times my mouth gets me into trouble....
Let me put it this way. I own every ferret-related veterinary book published, including a vast collection of ferret health advice columns printed in English newspapers at the turn of the century, and much of the recent published literature. I have read them and more-or-less understand what they have to say. Yet, the moment any single one of my ferrets becomes ill, I run to MY vets for advice. Why? Because they are veterinarians and I am not. It is that simple.
In my experience, most people tend to VASTLY underestimate the value of veterinary training, and the intelligence required to get accepted, train and graduate from what are, in fact, cross-species medical schools having academic standards in excess of most human-oriented medical schools. Do you think it is any easier to treat a ferret with a bleeding ulcer than a human? Think of it this way--a major difference between veterinarians and medical doctors is that a vet can save lives without access to most modern diagnostic equipment, and without access to the one type of data that assists medical doctors the most: they cannot ask questions of the animal that is ill. And they do it at a fraction of the cost charged by medical doctors.
As for the costs of vet treatment, for the most part, a veterinarian cannot control what it costs them to work. They are controlled by professional and legal requirements governing how they handle and store drugs, the way they use and sterilize equipment, how they maintain housing for client's pets, the cost of rent (or payment) for their facility, and many other aspects of their business you wouldn't believe, such as the way they dispose of unwanted dead pets. They have to find the money to pay the person at the front desk, the people who clean up the mess, assistants and technicians, equipment repairmen, and even the collection agent in their attempt to retrieve monies owed for services rendered in saving the life of their pet. Some of the costs you may not consider are paying for employee insurance and other benefits, and trying to save enough to retire. They run a business, a pet care business, and they are subject to the same rules and consequences of ANY establishment, with the bottom line being if they don?t make enough to meet their expenses, they embrace bankruptcy. To top it off, if a client disagrees with them, they become 'stupid,' and if an animal dies, they become 'incompetent.' Not a lot of people can put up with it.
Generally, each time a veterinarian cuts costs, the savings is reflected in basic care. Maybe the vet cleans up messes rather than hiring someone, slowing office visit turnover, or they cannot pay someone to spend the night to care for the animals in their care. Complicating the issue is the very real problem that if a vet charges what it costs to perform a specific service, a client may simply opt to put the animal down rather than saving them. Can you imagine what it must feel like to tell someone their animal could be easily saved, but it will cost $1000, just to hear in return that the animal should be killed so they "will not suffer?"
This is not meant to be an indictment of people who cannot afford to pay their vet bills, but, bluntly, the solution is actually quite simple. If you can't afford a veterinarian, don't take on the responsibility for owning an animal. When people ask me how many ferrets should they own, I always tell them that in a worst case scenario, a ferret could generate as much as $1000 per year (average) in vet bills (I've heard some have generated more, but I think they are statistically far and in-between). Honestly, I have more than 20 ferrets, and I don't hold back $20,000 in case they all require a thousand dollar vet treatment. What I have done is average the total veterinarian bills for the last decade and maintain that sum in a veterinary account for just that purpose. I call it "self-insurance," and make regular, monthly payments to the fund to maintain the account at what I consider to be an appropriate level. I can't afford to pay for a devastating illness at one time, but I CAN afford a small monthly sum, not more than a DVD and pizza, to maintain a fund that would prevent me from being financially forced to euthanize a beloved ferret. It is the only ethical thing I can do.
Finally, the reason I don't dispense veterinarian advice is because I am NOT a veterinarian. In some cases, in some places, it may be illegal. But my reason is because I never attended veterinary school. One of the most important things a person can do is to learn their limitations, and I know I am NOT a vet. I know archaeology, zoology, ecology, natural history, osteology, odontology, comparative nutrition, and more than a little of photography, but regardless of my knowledge and ability, I AM NOT A VET.
I suggest people self-insure to meet vet bills. I suggest they limit the number of animals owned, to assure their ability to met vet costs. I acknowledge the importance and support of internet health lists, but when my ferrets are ill, I see a vet IMMEDIATELY, then discuss the problem with my vet friends at a later time. And while I may earn internet awards for verbose question answering, I will NEVER be guilty of impersonating a vet. Vets are doctors; they deserve respect and they deserve the right to make a comfortable living. I will NOT steal bread from their mouths while pretending I have the same training and experience they do. I suggest you get over your anti-vet prejudice, stop worrying about a canine distemper shot costing a few bucks more at the vet office than buying them in bulk online, and accept the fact that your pet ferret MIGHT be worth more than a new set of fake fingernails.
Just my opinion.
Bob C