An open letter to current and future pet owners, from your friendly neighbourhood ER veterinarian:
So you’ve decided to get a pet? Fantastic! What a wonderful way to enrich your life. We know that the human-animal bond is powerful and such a meaningful connection. You’ve purchased the doggy bed, you’ve purchased lots of toys and prepared your home to welcome your new family member!
Now what?
Now it is time to plan for when this new family member gets sick.
Guess what! Animals are living creatures and not immortal bundles of joy. They get sick. They get in accidents. They age. And inevitably, after hopefully many years together, there will come a time when we need to say goodbye.
Guess what! We live in a world where veterinary medicine costs money.
Guess what! When you adopted that pet, you took responsibility for their care and all of the costs associated with that.
Believe it or not, your veterinarian is well aware that the cost of medicine is high. We understand that this can be prohibitive for many families. But we need you to understand that we did not accept the financial responsibility of that care when you adopted your pet.
The good news is there are options. For some families, saving a little bit of money each month can be helpful, though there are limitations to this approach. Alternatively, there are many companies that offer pet insurance. For a monthly fee, you buy the knowledge that should your pet have a crisis, money does not need to be the reason that you cannot proceed with care.
I am a veterinarian. If my cat gets sick, I have the knowledge that allows me to assess him and treat him. I have pet insurance. Because regardless of my skills and education, I know that at some point in my cat’s life, he will need diagnostics or treatment that may be a tough financial burden for me all at one time. I have pet insurance, because I do not want money to be the reason I lose my dear friend.
Insurance isn’t right for you? Honestly, that’s fine! Every pet owner is different and has different needs. If you come see me at 3am, your pet is super sick and requires extensive care, I will never judge you for not having the means to move forward with treatment. However this means that we may need to make some hard decisions. These hard decisions might include humane euthanasia. In some cases, relinquishment may be offered as a last resort to save your pet’s life.
Your veterinarian does not enjoy euthanizing animals. Our hearts break with you. We will explore every alternative. It is emotionally draining when you are euthanizing an animal that you know you might be able to save. But we understand that treatment isn’t always an option. We will do what we can to help you through the crisis.
Why not offer payment plans you ask? Great question! Let me tell you about the 3 or 4 times in my short career that I gave a client the benefit of the doubt and trusted that they would pay their bill. Let me tell you about the 3 or 4 times that my goodwill led to a financial loss to the clinic. Let me tell you about the financial loss that impacted the ability to maintain equipment and inventory in our hospital to the detriment of current and future patients. Let me tell you about the financial loss that prohibits hospitals from giving our amazing support staff the wages they deserve. Payment plans are a great option in theory. If every sick animal that came through the door was put on a payment plan I would be surprised if that hospital would stay open for long.
So dear pet owner, we need a bit of understanding. We want you to enjoy as many years as possible with your new furry friend. You need to be prepared for the bumps and hurdles along the way. You need to work with your veterinarian. Should you find yourself in a situation where your pet has a treatable condition and you are faced with euthanasia or relinquishment, you need to understand that your veterinarian did not want for that to happen.
Increasingly we are seeing stories in the media. These stories are slanted against veterinary clinics, painting us as villains coming between families and their beloved pets. What these stories never talk about is the pet owner failing to take accountability for their pet. What these stories never talk about is the mounting number of suicides in the veterinary profession. The loss of loving, caring people, that were only doing what they humanly could, and made to feel like they had failed.
“You are only in this for the money!” We as a profession hear this all the time.
Guess what. It is not easy to become a veterinarian. We spent years in school. Your veterinarian was smart enough to become a doctor, a dentist, a lawyer. Your veterinarian chose to become a veterinarian. They chose to do what they love. I will never complain about my income, but from a purely financial perspective, becoming a veterinarian was a poor investment.
If your veterinarian was in it for the money, let me assure you, they would not have become a veterinarian.
End rant.
By: Dr. Patrick Boelsterli
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
