There has been publicity over the years about the rising cost of vet fees. As a vet I am concerned about the misconception some people have about why vet fees are on the increase. The most common comment made directly to myself is ‘oh! You’re a vet, you must be loaded, vet bills are so high’. In fact most vets earn a respectable wage but generally still less then their medical equivalents- doctors and dentists.

The reason that vet fees are rising is because the service being offered is getting better and better. The body of professional knowledge continually increases. Vets are able to offer more diagnostics and treatments then ever before. If they don’t charge for these services how can they offer them?

Many practices now have ultrasound machines, endoscopes and some have digital x-ray machines. Some referral practices now also have CT and MRI facilities. These pieces of equipment allow vets to diagnose conditions which would have been much more difficult before their advent. Examples of such conditions include brain tumours, spinal cord lesions, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, elbow dysplasia and pancreatic tumours.

Previous diagnostic methods may have been much more invasive and dangerous to the animal. Some conditions may not even have been possible to diagnose.

Because of these technical developments animals are able to be diagnosed and then treated for a lot more conditions now then ever before. However, the cost of purchasing these pieces of equipment can reach hundreds of thousands of pounds. Unfortunately some of the cost must be passed on to the client in the fees.

As veterinary knowledge expands animals are also treated for a variety of conditions that may have resulted in euthanasia at other times in history. Examples include successfully managing kidney failure in cats, overactive thyroids in cats, diabetes in cats and dogs, dental disease in rabbits, bladder stones in guinea pigs. Many tumours are now successfully cured or palliated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Hip replacements are now possible for dogs with debilitating hip dysplasia.

I think these advances in veterinary care are amazing!

We are very lucky in the UK to have subsidised dental care and ‘free’ health care. Of course we pay for these services with our taxes but we don’t see the actual bills for individual treatments. If we did I’m sure we would appreciate what good value veterinary care actually is!

Also, one needs to remember that the costs of running the actual premises of the surgery are increasing slowly all the time. There are mortgages, council tax, water bills, electricity and gas bills, buildings and indemnity insurance, telephone bills, internet connection, computer system hosting to consider. Waste disposal is also a huge expense for a veterinary surgery. There is clinical waste to consider as well as normal paper based waste. I’m sure there are other costs to consider that I’ve not mentioned!

Surgeries that employ fully qualified nurses will also have higher training and employment costs. It is very important the veterinary nurses and veterinarians continually refresh and update their knowledge by attending Continuing Professional Development courses. Again these cost money!

When you get your next vet bill, please remember that you are paying for the expertise of the veterinary staff and support staff, the medications and equipment costs and all the costs involved in running an actual building. Vet practices, in my experience, generally charge fairly for the services they provide and generally profits are ploughed back into the practice to keep offering better and better services.

I hope this has helped in providing some explanation about the costs of veterinary care. Also, please discuss pet insurance with your veterinary surgery. I highly recommend pet insurance so that if your beloved pet should need veterinary care for an illness or accident, the worry of the fees will be lessened.

‘Compassion for animals, passion for nature’

Copyright © Shanson Ltd 2008

Most people think that the vet is somewhere they take their pet when it is ill. Of course this is true but vets also play an important part in preventing illness and recognising the symptoms of illness at early stages when it is generally easier to start treatment.

As a vet, I recommend vaccination to prevent against infectious diseases where this is possible. There are currently vaccines available for cats, dogs and rabbits.

Taking your pet to the vet for his or her regular vaccination is, in my opinion, very important. Not only does your pet receive the protection from infectious disease from the vaccine, he or she should also receive a full health check. This health check, in my opinion, involves a weight check, examination of the eyes, ears, mouth, listening to the heart and lungs, palpating the neck, groin and abdomen, checking the anus and genitals and checking the general mobility and demeanour of the animal.

Taking your pet regularly to the vets when he or she is healthy and well also allows your pet to find the experience enjoyable rather then painful and frightening and aids a happy long term relationship with your vet practice. It is also a perfect time to discuss any preventative care, for example reducing the symptoms of arthritis as your pet ages.

As Cesar Millan, ‘the dog whisperer’ commented, having a positive state of mind and happy energy when taking your dog to the vet will rub off on your dog so that their experience is happy. Obviously it is easier to be in this state of mind when your pet is healthy and you are going to the vet for routine, preventative care.

Whenever pets come to the clinic I prefer to weigh them. Changes in weight can be a warning sign. Sometimes pets start to get overweight so slowly that their owner doesn’t actually notice. However the scales don’t lie and often the move towards obesity can be stopped in its tracks. Likewise weight loss, especially if consistent or rapid can also cause alarm bells to ring. Weight loss can be an early warning sign of many conditions, for example, kidney and thyroid disease in older cats, heart disease in older cats and dogs and dental disease in rabbits.

Many owners find it difficult to look into their pet’s mouth which can provide a wealth of information on general health. The colour of the gums, the smell of the pet’s breath and the state of the teeth can all be evaluated. Dental disease is common in all species and can be the cause of chronic pain. I have also found tumours in pets’ mouths at routine vaccination which could be removed quickly, before they had a chance to cause major problems.

Obviously pet owners are unable to listen to their pet’s heart and lungs properly. Diagnosing heart conditions before the pet becomes debilitated is very useful for implementing a long term treatment plan.

I have also palpated masses inside pets’ abdomens at routine vaccination which allowed investigation and treatment to be initiated before the animal had become very unwell.

The anus and penis or vulva of their pet, are regions many pet owners do not check themselves. Again the vaccination is a great time to make sure these areas are all normal.

There are no vaccinations for guinea pigs or ferrets but these animals can live for up to six and eight years respectively. Chinchillas can live for ten- fifteen years. It is therefore useful for these species to have a yearly check up too, checking for any changes that may indicate early signs of illness.

I love seeing happy healthy pets at vaccination or health checks, having a quick cuddle with the pet and chat with their owner. I’m sure other vets feel the same way!

‘Compassion for animals, passion for nature’

Copyright © Shanson Ltd 2008

When I walk my dog I’m often astounded at the number of people I see allowing their dogs to carry sticks, play with sticks and fetch sticks that they have thrown. As a vet I see the potential disasters that can occur from this practice and wonder why people think that sticks are safe toys for dogs. I suppose that the main reason is that sticks are natural, abundant and can be left in the park at the end of the walk. Unfortunately sticks can cause a variety of injuries of varying severity, are relatively common in dogs and can in fact actually cause death.

The simple act of carrying a stick in the mouth can cause small splinters to become embedded in the soft tissues of the mouth- the lips, cheeks, tongue and oropharynx which is the area at the back of the mouth where the larynx and oesophagus start. The small splinters can create a problem because they drag bacteria into the tissues and create inflammation as the body tries to expel them, what is known as a ‘foreign body’ reaction. Often the dog does not show any signs of a problem until eventually an abscess forms. Then they experience pain in the mouth, go off their food and can start drooling.

The only way to correct the problem is to surgically excise the offending splinter. This is often easier said then done. Wood does not show up on x-ray at all and even with advanced imaging techniques such as MRI they can still be difficult to find.

If the veterinary surgeon can see the abscess itself then the whole area can be excised. This is often difficult because there are many important blood vessels and nerves in the face which can be damaged during surgery. If any abscess or splinter is left behind then the whole problem will re-flare at a later date.

Splinters can also migrate through the tissues of the mouth into the area behind the eye, into the neck and all the important structures there and even down into the chest. There is one report of splinter migration causing an abscess in the spine of the dog’s neck resulting in quadriparesis so the dog was unable to move any legs.

Abscesses forming behind the eyeball cause severe pain and often result in the whole eye being removed. Migrating splinters can cause intermittent symptoms of fever and pain as well as potentially resulting in release of bacteria from the abscesses into the blood causing septicaemia and death. Splinters reaching the chest cavity can cause abscess in the lungs which can be practically impossible to locate and excise This can mean that long term medication with antibiotics is required in a dog that has become chronically debilitated. Long term infection can even lead to immune mediated diseases such as diabetes occurring. All this is possible from a small wood splinter.

Catching a moving stick can be very dangerous for a dog. If the stick splinters on impact, then splinters can be sent deep into the tissues of the mouth and neck, lacerating important structures such as blood vessels, nerves and the oesophagus. Sometimes the whole stick can become impaled in the eye, mouth, neck or even chest if the dog catches it at the wrong angle.

Fatal injuries occur if the stick lacerates the carotid arteries in the neck or causes a ruptured oesophagus.

Please don’t take a chance with your dog.

It is natural for dogs to want to carry things, catch and fetch. If your dog likes these games please buy him or her an appropriate sized ball, Frisbee or rope toy- these toys are much cheaper financially then the vet bills associated with treating stick injuries and will avoid the emotional risk of having an ill dog or even a fatal accident from a stick injury.

‘Compassion for animals, passion for nature’

Copyright © Shanson Ltd 2008