Vets say they are under pressure to bring in more income per pet.

escaped (and David49) my two dogs are my biggest regular outgoing. Two training groups each week, half a day for the big lad to run with other dogs under careful supervision of my trainer. They’re immunised, fed the best diet available and if I go away, the board with one of my trainer friends, home from home.
As escaped explained, her dogs are her hobby, exercise and family. Other than the dogs, I’m a cheap date

Took my dog to the vet a couple of weeks ago about a lump on her back leg. Diagnosed as a hystocytoma. Discussed the possibility of investigations, vet said she could do a biopsy to confirm but thought this would be a unnecessary expense. If the lump hadn't decreased or even disappeared within the next couple of weeks to go back. The surgery is part of a nationwide group, but there is no push to spend. Form what I've read so far I'm very lucky. The lump has almost vanished.

My vets was taken over some years ago. I’m lucky in having one vet I always book with, unless emergency. She’s so good, great vet skills, fantastic surgeon, patient and kind with my dogs but also with me. The first time I was at the surgery after mr I died, she hugged me and was so kind. She’s operated on three of my dogs, treated two for cancer and came to the house to help my poor little 6 year old spaniel cross to sleep after an inoperable tumour was found.
Yes bills and insurance costs make my eyes water.

David49

The pet owners apply human emotions to their pets demanding ever more complex treatment, some paying more for pet insurance than their car insurance.

Vets are in business to make money, so are insurance companies and drug suppliers. How some owners can afford 2 or 3 dogs I have no idea, not just vet and food etc but the cost of buying the dog, £2, 3, even 5000.

I can only assume you don’t have a dog or understand how much they mean to us and what joy and companionship they bring to our lives?

Cold fish David49. Of course vets need to ‘make money’. They train over years. They’re surgeons as well as skilled in diagnosing and treating complex health problems. The companies that bought individual practices out are driving costs because they’re all about profit. I’ve always lived with dogs, never had an experience where my vet didn’t care about my dogs (the sensitive care extends to the humans in my experience )

Not just dogs, horses too, vets put just as much effort into customer care as they do animal care, a neighbour of ours had 2 aged terriers, vet was very dedicated treating them, both died within 6 months, amassing a bill of over £2000 for each.

I’m glad to have had my wonderful independent vets for nearly 35 years. The three partners are my age, 68-69, and I dread the day any one of them bows out.

It’s up to owners how much they spend and whether life should be extended. There are two big dogs in my area who struggle to walk. One is on wheeled trolly with its back legs protected with leather over legs and feet as it can’t move them, they’re dragged as it moves forward on front legs with wheeled support pulled along
I’d eat my hat if the vets haven’t talked about the pain they suffer but owners refuse to euthanise
Awful

Our local vet hospital was bought out by a corporate company, and the prices have indeed risen, as well as many unnecessary (in my view) tests.

But I do see the reason why many vets have sold their clinics. Instead of being a business owner, in charge of managing staff, building, payroll, etc., the new corporation either pays them a salary, or they are part owners that get salary plus a percentage of the profits. The corporation can make the investment in updated equipment, which can be a hardship for smaller clinics. The corporation hires staff and pays them, as well as does all the bookkeeping. It's much easier for younger vets starting out to get a job a a clinic, rather than them needing to invest in a clinic themselves.

I miss the old way of things, and I think now we have to go to the clinic with our pets knowing that we could be up-sold procedures, food, flea prevention, etc. Kind of like going to a mechanic, do a bit of research before you go.

My vet practice is independent but has no out of hours cover so when a pet is ill or injured over a weekend we have to go 15 miles to a big animal hospital where every cost is double what our local vet charges. I knew that from comparing invoices. They also take your bank details before touching your pet.
People love their pets and daren’t say no when being told they need to pay huge unnecessary fees.

Things seemed to change when people started taking out pet insurance. I had to have one of my cats pts because I knew I couldn’t afford the escalating bill and the vet said if I was insured there wouldn’t have been a problem. But he was a Burmese that are notoriously bad patients and I honestly felt that the vet was keeping him alive when the prognosis wasn’t good. When I was first married we were very hard up but vets bills never seemed to cripple us, and our dog and cats were often at the vets.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Why do independent veterinarians allow themselves to be bought out? If they resisted, pet owners would have more choice. Word would get round and their businesses would boom.

What do you expect them to do?

My vet is 74. He had bowel cancer a few years ago and needed to reduce his workload and sold 2 of his 3 practices and no independent vet wanted to take over so the big companies snapped them up. He only (officially) works a couple of days a week (although he often comes in for emergencies on non working days).

My dd works for a smaller independent veterinary clinic chain and they interviewed recently for new vets and had loads of applicants from the big venture capital owned chains like Evidensia etc. Some were in really bad MH and even broke down in tears describing their working conditions - the expectation of bringing in a certain amount of money and being under cctv surveillance to check they have no downtime, even criticised for taking a 5 minute break after a difficult case.

The vets need to unionise! These ‘working practices’ sound cruel and unrealistic. There is strength in numbers. They could stick together to reshape their terms and conditions.

Perhaps they are already? I’m just surmising but shocked at how the big boys and bean counters seem to now have a monopoly here.

It doesn't matter if you go to an independent vet or a
large company you won't see a poor vet !
It's money what counts to them all . I am fed up of vets always asking if I need any worm or flea treatments .
Why would you give a dog/cat medication when it doesn't have any problems ? Because it brings in more money for the vet.

Since our local practice was taken over we never seem to see the same vet twice. Anything needing investigation seems to lead to the need to be referred to another of their practices for heart checks and blood tests. We always refuse to put our boy through these invasive procedures and so far so good.

This is not surprising. I expect these companies are, in many cases, American owned. Every pet (like every person, medically, to the American mind) is a client. If you sell them a medication and it doesn't work, you just sell them another. The last thing you want (from their point of view) is to make a "patient" better. That way you loose a lucrative client.

There was something on tv the other day, countryfile I think, about excessive use of pet flea powder which then comes off pet fur and is poisoning wildlife birds and other creatures when the fluff is used for nests,
It is recommended not to use flea powder unless the pet actually has fleas and then carefully

PoliticsNerd

This is not surprising. I expect these companies are, in many cases, American owned. Every pet (like every person, medically, to the American mind) is a client. If you sell them a medication and it doesn't work, you just sell them another. The last thing you want (from their point of view) is to make a "patient" better. That way you loose a lucrative client.

The one I highlighted who owns many veterinary practices is a Norwegian billionaire!

This was being discussed on our local FB page and our three local practices are either independent or, in the case of one, in a very small group.
Still expensive, so I understand.

www.galgonews.com/2024/04/vets-in-the-uk-taken-over-by-hedge-funds-and-insurance-companies-result-in-exorbitant-fees.html

The UK veterinary sector has seen significant consolidation, with many independent practices being acquired by larger corporate entities, including conglomerates and private equity firms. These conglomerates, like Mars and Pets at Home, have been actively buying up practices, and private equity firms like Medivet (controlled by CVC Capital Partners) have also been heavily involved. This consolidation has raised concerns about competition and potential impacts on pricing and patient care.

- if it wasn’t highly lucrative the hedge funds & insurances wouldn’t touch this sector. A licence to print money it seems for the CEOs and shareholders/pension fund investors.

Be good if they could be avoided but they seem ubiquitous now with little choice in some towns.

I think, rather than us having to avoid them, it would be good if the goverment had more control over who owns what in the UK, ensuring that all business owners here pay there tax, on everything to do with that business, here

Pensioners minding their pennies for pet care have been subjected to awfully high fees. Inflated as the market could do so in a monopoly. Not good.

silverlining48

There was something on tv the other day, countryfile I think, about excessive use of pet flea powder which then comes off pet fur and is poisoning wildlife birds and other creatures when the fluff is used for nests,
It is recommended not to use flea powder unless the pet actually has fleas and then carefully

Why would you use flea powder or worming tablets if your pet hasn't got worms or fleas ? It's like a human taking paracetamol in case we get an headache.

I've never had to worm or flea my pets . It's just money making. If a vet gives you a painkiller for your dog it's twice the price you have to pay than if you buy it from an online pet pharmacy. Big profit for the vet .

Problem is vets are encouraged to give pet owners a lower upfront price by giving them cost for first 24 hours only. Then the cost increases, which bring more profits for the venture capitalists who own so many of these companies.
People should know how much the treatment will cost in total at the outset, not drip fed.

Nanato3

silverlining48

There was something on tv the other day, countryfile I think, about excessive use of pet flea powder which then comes off pet fur and is poisoning wildlife birds and other creatures when the fluff is used for nests,
It is recommended not to use flea powder unless the pet actually has fleas and then carefully

Why would you use flea powder or worming tablets if your pet hasn't got worms or fleas ? It's like a human taking paracetamol in case we get an headache.

I've never had to worm or flea my pets . It's just money making. If a vet gives you a painkiller for your dog it's twice the price you have to pay than if you buy it from an online pet pharmacy. Big profit for the vet .

Puppies are born with worms; a pregnant butch is part of their lifecycle. And dogs can pick up heart worm throughout their lifecycle. They can pick up fleas or ticks on a walk or even from their own garden and once you get an infestation in your house are difficult to eradicate. Ticks also carry Lyme disease. However, I no longer give my dog spot on flea and tick treatment, or the tablets, because I’ve heard of some dogs having bad reactions to them, but I do worry about her picking up a tick and tend to avoid letting her run through long grass so it limits the fun she can have on walks. I do think that such medication is over prescribed. I’m not sure how to get the balance right, to be honest.