My son is a vet. He says patients' owners frequently try to wheedle him into doing services for reduced fees (or free). He has owners who throw mini tantrums when they are told the price of a treatment, and sometimes demand to know whether he really cares about animals at all or is only in it "for the money."

He is so stressed and works so hard. The clinic is expensive to run and while he would love to give services for reduced fees, he can't. Besides, he worked hard to complete rigorous medical training and is a professional offering a real specialized service: most people would never dream of trying to talk a medical specialist for humans down to lower fees, or question their intentions in offering a treatment.

Why are doctors for humans somehow considered more ethical and trustworthy than vets? You don't become a vet for the money, because there just isn't that kind of money in it. If someone capable of completing medical training wishes to go for $$$, he/she is more likely to treat humans because that is where you make the kind of high income people seem to think vets achieve.

Anyway, my kid is only in his first year of work and I am shocked at how much role the owners' behavior has on his job satisfaction, and also at how rude and insulting people can be to him when he truly just wants to help the animals. Please be nice to your vet, people. There are no ulterior motives and they aren't making fortunes.

Anonymous wrote:As others have stated in recent threads about veterinary care, please be mindful that those working in the veterinary profession are under tremendous stress, especially right now. What you view as evidence that a practice is a "money making machine" might simply reflect higher standards to at least offer every possible diagnostic test and treatment for your pet. More people have pets, their pets are living longer, and people are willing to do more and spend more on their pets' health and to prolong their lives. For every person who gets angry and leaves a practice for promoting "unnecessary" or expensive tests, there are others who will complain that a veterinary didn't do more to recommend and advocate for more extensive diagnostics and treatment. Client financial realities interfere with veterinarians' ability to provide the best possible care, yet clients blame veterinarians for not doing more to save their pets. Burnout and compassion fatigue are common.

By all means, find a practice with prices and business practices that work for you. That's your right as a consumer. However, exercise some compassion before judging the profession, including both veterinarians, technicians, and other staff, because they are under incredible stress.

Well said.

Anonymous wrote:I've visited a ton of practices over the years and the only ones I felt were really rip-offs were Old Dominion Animal Hospital and Region Veterinary Referral Service (Springfield). Everywhere else I've taken my dogs has been very transparent about costs, priorities, and likely outcomes. When people like OP complain, I tend to think they've either ignored a problem for too long and now it's a major issue, or their expectations for what's involved in pet ownership in general are way, way lower than mine.

I have no experience with the 2 vets listed here, but I have also had great experiences with the veterinarian that I use - McLean Animal Hospital - most recently we had an emergency with my cat and they were wonderful. Not cheap, but they know him, they were very compassionate (the cat is on the mend), understanding, and allowed me to call the next day to make my payment because I ended up needing to transfer the cat to a different vet for overnight care/surgery that they helped me schedule for the next day. They aren't cheap, but they also don't demand unnecessary treatment, have excellent hours/availability, and every vet we've seen has been wonderful. I don't find their prices to be unreasonable or overly expensive.

I've visited a ton of practices over the years and the only ones I felt were really rip-offs were Old Dominion Animal Hospital and Region Veterinary Referral Service (Springfield). Everywhere else I've taken my dogs has been very transparent about costs, priorities, and likely outcomes. When people like OP complain, I tend to think they've either ignored a problem for too long and now it's a major issue, or their expectations for what's involved in pet ownership in general are way, way lower than mine.

As others have stated in recent threads about veterinary care, please be mindful that those working in the veterinary profession are under tremendous stress, especially right now. What you view as evidence that a practice is a "money making machine" might simply reflect higher standards to at least offer every possible diagnostic test and treatment for your pet. More people have pets, their pets are living longer, and people are willing to do more and spend more on their pets' health and to prolong their lives. For every person who gets angry and leaves a practice for promoting "unnecessary" or expensive tests, there are others who will complain that a veterinary didn't do more to recommend and advocate for more extensive diagnostics and treatment. Client financial realities interfere with veterinarians' ability to provide the best possible care, yet clients blame veterinarians for not doing more to save their pets. Burnout and compassion fatigue are common.

By all means, find a practice with prices and business practices that work for you. That's your right as a consumer. However, exercise some compassion before judging the profession, including both veterinarians, technicians, and other staff, because they are under incredible stress.

In addition to all the reasons listed here, I assume vets can’t see as many animals per day as they used to, due to covid protocols, without working overtime. Their time and expertise are worth what the market will bear. I’ll skimp on something else to make sure my pet has quality care. Our vet is great; I don’t think he orders unnecessarily tests, but yes, veterinary care is expensive.

Just stay away from "corporate vets", find a local small guy.

Medical care—especially modern diagnostics and life-sustaining treatment—is pricey. Be it for people, or for animals. The difference is, with people, the true cost is obscured by health insurance.

Ask your vet questions: is this necessary? what alternatives are available? what are the likely outcomes of this treatment? Should I be considering palliative care (for older/sicker animals—obviously not for a UTI or whatever).

Also, use the Costco pharmacy instead of the in-house one at the vet. I regularly save 20-50% on my dog’s prescriptions.

Yes. I have had 2 vets who are not pushy with tests and procedures.

clarendon animal care has been amazing to us for the last 6 years. our vet always tells us where we can get alternate products or what scans we can skip, etc. I think prices are high at every vet, but at least this one tells us what we honestly need

We are happy with Value Vet. Locations in McLean and Falls Church.

We have an older vet who does not seek to explore/investigate every single abnormal result, and indeed, does not believe in doing regular bloodwork or invasive exams on healthy young animals. I'm sure that a younger vet would seek to treat pets the same way humans are treated, and I have no problem with that, but I very much appreciate having this old-fashioned alternative. One of my nephews is in vet school, one of my kids is thinking about becoming a vet, and we have discussed all these different philosophies on treating animals.

Our vet used to have time to chat, but every since the pandemic and everyone acquiring pets, he's rushed off his feet and recently declined to see my (young, healthy) dog for a well-visit. It's fine, we'll see him when the rabies shot is due.

Nope

Vets do seem to be charging a lot more - but they're doing a lot more. People want to keep their pets alive and want to fight for their health, and vets are acquiring equipment to keep up with that demand. Price of everything has gone up, and their expenses such as rent/salaries/etc have also gone up. Your salary is probably higher than it used to be, right?

I've had to shop around to try to locate veterinary care for my many pets without breaking the bank. I know some people who no longer have pets because they can't afford the veterinary care. I don't know what the answer is. Vets have to make a living just like everyone else, and the COL in the metro area is ridiculous these days. A million dollars for a middle class family home? It takes two incomes to support a middle class lifestyle these days. Nothing is inexpensive anymore.

Been a pet owner since 2003 and feel most vets are overpriced scams in NoVa at least.