Is your Vet taking advantage of you?

[Ironwood_Cebu]

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just for your own readings and reflections... these articles lifted from the net might help you "diagnose" your respective vets/vet clinics... how are they treating you? are they really caring for you and your pets or just your pocket? reflect. it may help you save - your pocket and your pet.

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Do vets take advantage of the love we have for our pets?
by Rachel Johnson

I work with veterinarians all day. I work in a four Vet practice, and I would say some do, and some just don't. In the end it is you who makes the choice to get what you want or get taken.

When you go to the vet's office you need to be specific. Think about it before you come in. What are you willing to do, or not do? What are you as the client willing to spend? Set a limit and know what you want. Also realize what it might take to help your pet and be realistic.

If your dog is old or very ill and generally in bad health it is going to cost a lot to get them back healthy. If it is just a routine vaccine appointment, know that your doctor is going to recommend important things, like flea and heart worm protection. These two things eliminate so much. They take care of what could be eating at your pet. They also mean your pet has a better chance of being and staying healthy.

If you are going because your pet is ill the doctor is likely to want blood work and possibly some x-rays. The same thing we would do for a very sick human. The doctor has to eliminate possible reasons for the illness of find the true cause. That is what a good doctor does.

If that doctor uses only expensive medicines, seems to keep wanting more and more tests, and finds reasons to keep spending your money, ask where is this going. What are you expecting to find or are looking for. Let them know if money is tight and what you expect to spend.

I work with doctors who respect the wishes of the clients and want only the best for every pet. Now whether they agree or not is another thing. In the end you are only taken if you let yourself get taken. Call ahead and ask prices. Tell someone what is going on and what needs done. Work with the vet and his or her staff and ensure quality help is being delivered. No one can take advantage if you don't let them.

Remember if you take good care of your pet and make sure you keep them healthy they will live a long happy life. Get to know your pet's doctor. If you are not happy with your vet or feel that they are taking advantage of your wallet look for someone who is willing to do a good job for your pet without the hefty price tag. Some vets become doctors for the money and others do it for love.

Get your pet checked annually and let your doctor know if there is some issue you are having trouble resolving. Note any lumps bumps and allergies they have. Make sure you know what needs checked. Set a price in your head. Go vet shopping. See if your vet is on the up and up or if you are paying for their lavish lifestyle.

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[Ironwood_Cebu]

Do vets take advantage of the love we have for our pets?
by Danielle Davis

Why I Think Veterinarians Take Advantage of Pet Lovers

As a pet owner of two loving little kitties I want to stress how much I feel that veterinarians take advantage of pet lovers. One of my two kitties came down very sick and like most of America I can't afford to set aside $100 out of every paycheck for possible needed pet care.

My kitty had a severe urinary blockage, and I tried to get him into a vet to be seen. I had to call 5 vets before I finally found one that would see my beloved little kitty without money up front. To make matters worse in the process of trying to find a vet to see my baby I found one who had the nerve to tell me that they would gladly euthanize him at no charge but would not see him with out payment in full first. I was shocked, basically they were telling me they wouldn't see him to make him better but they would see him to euthanize him.



Now I don't know about you, but an offer to euthanize my cat was not what I needed to hear after searching for over two hours to find help. I was really upset and felt completely lost, I was beginning to believe there wasn't anyone out there that would help me, when I finally found an older vet at a local clinic that would take payments. They were willing to take a photo copy of my prepaid credit card, and then begin taking the first of nine payments when I got my next paycheck, which is direct deposited on my card. The bill ran around $250.00 for all services, including medications.

I was not looking for free treatment for my kitty, I was looking for a vet that would be willing to take payments. While I understand that veterinarians have bills to pay just like the rest of us, I feel that they should be more concerned with helping to make a pet better, than being concerned with getting their money up front.

I will always be thankful to the vet at that clinic for caring more about my cat than about her money. I still take all of my animals there to date and have no plans of ever changing.

I personally feel that I should not have had to call five vets before I found one who would help me. I even called an animal hospital and got the same answer. Veterinarians should be required to be like Doctors and accept payments, not expect money up front. I feel that it's wrong for them to make low income people feel like owning a pet is a rich persons privilege.

In short, please future veterinarians out there, please, please, think of the animal first, not your pocket book.

Thank You.

[Ironwood_Cebu]

Do vets take advantage of the love we have for our pets?
by Kathy Prather

Veterinarians enter into the profession for many reasons. Some of them think they will make a lot of money, others like the interaction with the people. As clients, we hope that our veterinarian truly cares about animals.

I have been told that vet school is harder to get into than med school. The main reason for this is there are not nearly as many vet schools in the United States as med schools. Competition is fierce. Most new graduates come out of vet school with intense enthusiasm, but that enthusiasm can wane after years of staffing problems and non-appreciative clients.

My veterinarian took a big financial hit several years ago while investigating the efficacy of vaccines. He discovered that pets were receiving too many vaccines and some animals were actually suffering from over-vaccination. He had a traveling vaccine clinic which made a lot of money, but after learning about the vaccine studies, he decided it was time to close the traveling vaccine clinic. He does still have a vaccine clinic, but due to the reduction in the amount of vaccines given, the vaccine clinic has been limited to Saturdays only.

He also sees many pets every year at his hospital and he always puts the pets first. In an emergency situation, money is not discussed until after the pet is stabilized. If the owner does not have enough money, he will work with them. He does not require the client to open their billfold before treating their pet.

Occasionally, his clients do think they are being taken advantage of, but most of the time it is because they don't understand what it takes to run a clinic. He would love to give away his services for free, but the clinic has to make a profit in order to stay in business. Clients often forget the vet has to purchase supplies, pay the staff and the electric bill. These prices have to be passed along to the client. Specialty clinics will cost even more because they have more expensive equipment and their doctors receive more training.

It is important as a pet owner to think about what it is like on the other side of the exam table before jumping to conclusions about the false pretenses of their veterinarian. Most of them are in the business because they truly love what they do.

[baning]

nice info for people with pets...

[Ironwood_Cebu]

for one, i know a well-known vet clinic.. probably the most preferred clinic in cebu... who has little consideration of the dogs theyre attending to... the color of money, thats more important.

[Baby Wipes]

or ... are WE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE VETS? Hehe.
Daghan baya nato kusog mu-complain kung tigpaningil na. Wa kunoy kwarta ... na diay. Hehe.

[Ironwood_Cebu]

or ... are WE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE VETS? Hehe.
Daghan baya nato kusog mu-complain kung tigpaningil na. Wa kunoy kwarta ... na diay. Hehe.

dont think so... kutob ra man ta sa hangyo but in the end, bayad man.
dog owners taking advantage of the vets? very very unlikely...
the other way around that is highly prevalent.

[Baby Wipes]

or ... am I TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE VETS?
Panagsa. hehehe.

[Ironwood_Cebu]

or ... am I TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE VETS?
Panagsa. hehehe.

hehe if thats the case, then lucky you.
thats not always the case tho.

[Baby Wipes]

I'll be serious now.

If we compare our Filipino vet with U.S. and European vets, our dear Pinoy practitioners are really TAKEN ADVANTAGE of.

I once had my dog done on with caesarian, and I spent about P9,000 more or less. But in the US or Europe, most probably we will be spending half of what a Filipino human procedure will cost:
Dog Caesarian (Philippines) - P9,000
Dog Caesarian (US) - P30,000 to P60,000
Human Caesarian (Philippines) - P60,000 to P100,000

Poor Pinoy vets. How can they enjoy a LAVISH LIFESTYLE if we don't even pay them what they deserve?
Contrary to what you are saying, we are UNKNOWINGLY taking advantage of our Filipino vets.