Moderator's note: posted in 2 parts which were combined.  BIGŁ
 
>From:    [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Cost of Adrenal Surgeries
>What I'm griping about are vets who charge way over the norm.  I know of
>one vet who's adrenal prices went from a very affordable $150 to over $400
>just because the head vet at the clinic called around and found out that
>the other less preferred vets were charging more, so he had to up the
>prices at his clinic too...
 
Are you really griping about vets who charge way over the norm or vets
who charge what it really costs to perform these procedures as safely as
possible?  According to what I have read in a couple of articles concerning
veterinary business and economics, as well several guest lecturers in my
veterinary business management course, as well as calculating some of the
actual costs - veterinarians routinely undercharge or just plain give away
their services.  The vet who went from $150 to $400 may have just gone
from charging what it cost in materials (ie. anesthesia, sponges, suture,
drapes, etc.) to charging for materials AND for his/her PROFESSIONAL TIME.
Vets who are trying to increase their competency in a specific procedure
may give you a discount while they are learning, but don't expect to get
it forever.
 
Remember that veterinarians have a lot of overhead as well as a lot of
educational loans (I have ~$140,000, although the average is probably about
half because most vet students go to a State University) and we would like
to make a comfortable living someday.  Is it fair for vets to be charging
an hourly rate less than professionals such as the plumber, electrician,
MD, or lawyer.  We do love animals and our jobs, but isn't everyone
supposed to love their job and get paid for doing it well?
 
>My ultimate question - is this conditon, which according to my survey
>happens to eleven percent of all ferrets, really that expensive to do?  I
>can spend an afternoon on the phone and find prices like these: $185, $245,
>$455, $650 - there is almost a 300% price hike between the first and last
>figures.  I can call the same clinics and get prices for spays at $75 to
>$150.
>
>If the fees for such surgeries are within reason, then vets will get more
>ferrets in as clients, and owners won't hold back until there is no choice
>but surgery, euthanisia, or abandonment.  My earlier post may have been
>unrealistic as to compare spays and adrenals as the same cost operation,
>but the concept is still sound.  Adrenals are too overpriced for many
>people, and instead of calling around, they take other less costly
>alternatives.  It is not fair to the ferrets, the owners and the shelters.
>One reason pet health insurers will never cover ferrets is because the
>surgeries are too costly.  We have to do something, and all I am offering
>is an idea.
 
I have another observation - spays, although common are not necessarily
easy.  Remember that this is MAJOR abdominal surgery and although vets
are trained to specifically perform this procedure and often do it very
quickly, it isn't without risk or cost.  Furthermore, vets routinely
undercharge on this procedure because we as a profession feel that it is
our obligation to decrease the unwanted pet population and a spay is one
of the two most effective methods.  Therefore, using the cost of a spay to
calculate the cost of the rest of the procedures that a vet might do for
your pet is not appropriate and results in the underestimation of the cost
of other procedures.  Like I said above, vets routinely undercharge or
don't charge for their professional time and the spay is probably the best
example.
 
Getting more patients is not always the best situation for the vet or the
pet.  Economically, it is better for veterinarians to increase the number
of patients they see in day only up to a certain point - one lecturer told
me that his research indicated that it might only be 12 to 14 patients in
a 10 hour day and that more actually decreased patient care and economic
rewards for the vet.  Therefore, doing more is not always better.  In fact,
you have to ask yourself, do you want a vet who has 20 patients a day, but
only spends 10-15 minutes with each patient or do you want a vet with 12
patients a day who spends 30-45 minutes with each one.  Who is going to get
better care?
 
We all make financial decisions every day.  Do I go out to dinner and a
movie every weekend this month or do I pay for my pet to have a necessary
surgery?  Pet owners need to remember that having a pet is a priviledge and
they have to be financially responsible for that pet and not expect vets to
cut them a discount - no one subsidizes or discounts our bills.  My wife
and I have ONLY two ferrets because that is all we can afford right now.
We would love to have a third ferret, a dog (maybe a Welsh Corgi), a couple
of Pygmy Goats and some other stumpy legged creatures, but we made a
decision to keep our flock small until we can afford all aspects of their
care.  If someone has more animals than they can care for (and sometimes
this means one), it is not the vet's responsibility to take on the cost of
taking care of those animals.
 
Furthermore, I see no evidence that pet insurance will "never cover
ferrets" because "the surgeries are too costly".  Pet insurance is a
relatively new phenomenon and you have to give the industry time to sort
out the details.  Ferrets are just uncommon relative to dogs and cats and
therefore the demand isn't there yet.  If you want ferrets to be insured,
contact the insurance companies - that is what many owners of exotic birds
are doing and they will probably start to be insured in the next couple of
years.
 
Also, surgery in the ferret is no more expensive than in other species.
The problem is that owners feel that because the animal is smaller the
surgery should be less expensive - this is not true unless you are
examining the differences in cost between the horse and the ferret and
that is because there is a lot less anesthesia and drapes, etc. consumed
in performing surgery in the ferret than in the much larger horse.  Surgery
in any animal requires at least the basics which are generally the same
for all mammalian species.  We could also gets into perceived value of
the animal, but I am not willing to get into that discussion.
 
All in all, pet owners have it really good.  Vets charge a fraction of what
a MD would charge for a comparable surgery.  Vets discount the cost of
spays and castrations because of a perceived professional responsibility to
society.  And vets often cut shelters a break because of a desire to save
lives.  Don't attack vets for charging what it costs to perform a
procedure.  Instead, work to provide insurance for our pets, strengthen the
legal protection of our domestic animals, increase public awareness of the
responsibilities of pet ownership, and reduce the unwanted pet population.
Thanks.
 
-Sean
 
******************************
Sean D. Sawyer V'00
University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2690]