The cost of taking your pet to the vet.

As reported by DVM News Magazine this month, local newscasts have targeted veterinarians to do their i-reports, with hidden cameras and other tactics. The goal is to sensationalize the rising costs of veterinary care and to question the integrity of the veterinarians involved in the report. I understand how this can be intriguing, because many people do feel that the cost of veterinary care has risen dramatically in the last few years.

The cost of veterinary care has risen dramatically. This is basically due to the changing status of pets as family in our society. Pet owners now demand a much higher standard of care, and that comes with a price. This has turned veterinarians to invest in high tech equipment (ultrasound, digital xrays, and Laser ) that is as expensive as the human equipment, but only being able to charge a fraction of what the same service in human medicine would cost. In addition, the cost of retaining good quality health care team members has risen. Keeping a stable and competent staff is required to be able to offer the quality of animal care expected by pet owners. Veterinarians offering a lesser standard of care have to worry about legal liabilities that weren't a consideration in the past.

Not everybody is willing to pay for the high level of care offered by veterinarians today, but the largest percentage is. The bar has been raised in what the animal standard of care is, and we can't go back. The pet's owner cost of veterinary care has gone up as a result. An so has the cost of providing that care.