UGH!!! What's Your Rant?

[Miss Vicky]

Originally Posted by Sarah

I dunno. There's a huge difference in not being able to afford to take your pet to a regular visit and regular maintenance and not being able to afford exorbitant emergency fees. Some vets may be honest and charge fair prices, but many are not. It's a fact. I think my vet is a little bit on the more expensive side, but I like her and trust her with my dog. I don't like it when I buy supplies (like ear powder for instance) and then turn around see them for half the price at petsmart or wherever, but that's my fault for buying them at the vet's office, and it won't happen again. The only thing that really irks me, I guess, is how they push Science Diet food at x-times the price.

Have you ever asked your vet if they would be willing to match prices? The hospital where I work has a policy of matching the prices found on the internet or elsewhere (provided that the price is not below our cost) and will even ship the medication if convenience is the deciding factor between purchasing it with us or elsewhere. We'd rather make less profit on an item than none at all.

As for the pushing of the food - if you're talking about Prescription food, there's a huge difference between what is sold at vets and what is found in the stores and a reason why it is by prescription only. Also, when it comes to the prices you pay for regular pet food, there is a huge difference in quality between brands like Science Diet, Eukanuba, and Royal Canin versus other, lower cost, brands. People have it in their heads that it's all a money making scheme, but the fact of the matter is that if you feed higher quality foods, you're less likely to encounter problems like food allergies, urinary crystal formation, pancreatitis, and other food related issues.

That's not to say that there aren't veterinarians out there who care nothing for people (or animals, for that matter) and care only about money. I know this. I've worked with a few of them. So don't take me the wrong way. I'm not blindly defending the people in my field of work.

As for not being able to afford "exorbitant" emergency fees. Like I said, this wasn't something that just happened. She could easily have avoided those fees by simply showing up when we were open.