Today’s pets are just like us. They received birthday cakes, day care items and rubber boots for walking in the snow. Their health care is also becoming more humane – for better and for worse.
Decades ago, animal care was relatively primitive. Veterinarians often own their own clinics, and options for treating sick or injured pets are limited. Today, veterinary hospitals are equipped with expensive MRI machines, 24/7 intensive care units and teams of oncology, cardiovascular and neurology specialists. For pets and the people who love them, the advances are welcome.
But as animal health care becomes more like ours, it also suffers from some of the problems of the human system, including the biggest: cost. Veterinary care prices have increased more than 60% over the past decade, far outpacing inflation. Private equity firms have acquired hundreds of independent clinics, in a trend reminiscent of corporate groupings of physician offices. Veterinarians across the country told me they’re worried this is changing the way they practice, as they face increasing pressure to promote expensive and demanding treatments. Request more tests.
The changing landscape means that even as veterinarians can do more for dogs and cats than ever before, pet owners are sometimes faced with heartbreaking decisions about whether Are they capable of providing care? (Read more in our story on this topic.)
Industry changes
According to Brakke Consulting, which focuses on the veterinary industry, about a quarter of primary care clinics and three-quarters of specialty clinics are owned by corporations. Sometimes, a company’s ownership is unclear: Many private equity firms do not change the name of a veterinary clinic when they take over.
Most veterinarians are paid, at least in part, based on how much money they bring into their practice, whether it’s ordering tests, selling prescription dog food, or performing procedures. One veterinarian said she quit her job after being told the “cost per client” was too low; another said she was asked to see 21 animals a day, about half a dozen more than her current workload.
Other veterinarians said the pressure does not affect the care they provide. In interviews, they said they bore the brunt of complaints from pet owners, even when they had nothing to do with pricing. Veterinarian do much less money in comparison many doctors for people, and are also often in debt after many years of schooling. Price increases are due in part to rising costs of drugs, vaccines and other supplies, as well as worker wages in a tight labor market.
One veterinarian I interviewed, Dr. Pam Nichols of South Jordan, Utah, witnessed the transformation firsthand. When she first started her job in the 1990s, she said she used to sneak dachshunds into the hospital where her father was a radiologist to get MRI scans on them. If the dog needs surgery, the bill will be around $2,000. Now, she said, a similar dog might have an MRI and CT scan, and would likely have surgery by a specialist with the assistance of several nurses. The cost can be up to $10,000.
Tough choice for owners
Veterinary care differs from human health care in one big way: Most pet owners pay out of their own pocket — and pay in full — before leaving the veterinarian’s office. Although pet insurance is available, only a small percentage of pet owners have it.
A generation ago, pet owners with seriously ill pets may have had little choice but to opt for euthanasia if they wanted to reduce their pets’ suffering. Now, they have to choose between prolonging the animal’s life and falling into debt, or letting an animal die. I’ve talked to several pet owners who are still paying off credit card debt years after their pets died. And animal rights groups say owners frequently surrender their pets to shelters because they can’t afford veterinary bills.
However, for many people, the sacrifice is worth it. That was the case for Claire Kirsch, who was earning less than $10 an hour as a veterinary technician in Georgia when her dog, Roscoe, and her horse, Gambit, each had medical emergencies. medical, resulting in bills of more than $13,000. The animals would die if she did not choose to provide additional care. She took a higher-paying job, maxed out her credit cards, and dipped into her husband’s retirement account to pay off debt.
“I knew I would never be able to forgive myself if we didn’t try,” she said.
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2024 election
SUNDAY DEBATE
Does Louisiana’s Ten Commandments constitute a religious establishment?
Correct. The requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools puts it on a par with documents like the Declaration of Independence. It views them as “a mere historical document that undermines faith, mischaracterizes the origins of scripture, and violates the Constitution,” Eli Federman writes for CNN.
ARE NOT. The Ten Commandments offer universal values and decrees for all religions and beliefs. “The prohibitions against murder, theft, and false accusations hardly constitute controversial ‘religious’ ideas,” Miranda Turner writes for Patheosa religious news site.
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INTERVIEW
The subject of this week’s The Interview is Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who co-chairs the Biden campaign. We talked about her new book, “True Gretch,” her hopes for Generation X politicians and President Biden’s challenges in this election.
What you write about a lot in the book is the power of texting. In 2017 and 2018, your slogan was “Fix the damn roads.” I learned a lot about Michigan roads from reading your book. [Laughs.] But my editor had to use Google to find out what Biden’s slogan was, and it was “Get the Job Done,” which I have to say was no fuss at all. I’m curious if you have any sharper ideas, since you seem to be good at this. And right now, Democrats across the country are really having a hard time getting their message across about where the party stands.
National messaging is always a challenge. Washington, DC, is so far from the average person’s life that it’s tempting to imagine what a $3 trillion investment in overseas supply chains would mean for your daily life. something almost imperceptible. That’s why I’ve always learned that when you show up and ask people, they will tell you what they want. “Fix the damn roads” is not something we tested in polling or focus groups. It was just conversation after conversation. What do you need me to do if I am elected? Fix the damn roads.
It’s ironic because President Biden passed the infrastructure bill. He To be Fix the damn roads. And bridges! And the internet!
Yes, but he doesn’t get credit for it. Why do you think that? For the same reason. I think the pandemic has taken a heavy toll. Everyone is stressed. They’re just trying to pay the grocery bill, get the kids to school, get to work, and maybe get some sleep at night. They don’t consume everything. They cannot understand what the CHIPS Act means. And so we have to tell that story better.
NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE
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