To follow up my video post on Twitter from last week, I made a graphic version of my “You would never say” message for sharing as image post on social media with a slight difference in (a couple more) occupations, which I left out of the video due to wanting to keep it under 30 seconds.
You would never say
“If they really loved…
Kids/people/food/pipes/cars/babies/computers
…they’d do it for free!”
Why would you say it about your vet?
Yes, I know love of pipes probably sounds ridiculous, but that’s precisely how ridiculous the situation is. If you think it’s “only right” to pay a plumber, mechanic, or computer repair person for their services, why is there a double standard when it comes to veterianarians, who have to purchase medical equipment, medications, and hundreds of supplies (medical and administrative) as well as pay rent, insurance, and wages before even opening their doors to see patients each day?
Yes, vet bills are expensive. But just as parents of human babies don’t expect their pediatrician to work for free, we can’t expect our vets to pick up the tab for our own fur babies.
And just as parents of human children get health insurance in order to afford health care for their children, as pet parents, it’s important that we do the same for our pets. Not only does pet insurance alleviate the contant worry about our pets getting sick. Instead of worrying about the bill, we simply focus on getting them to a vet and giving them whatever care they need to live their best life.
If you can’t afford the premiums, consider the options suggested in my previous post on alternatives to traditional pet insurance. Whether or not you are able have emergency funding in place, it’s NOT your vet’s responsibility to cover the costs or give you discounts on your pet’s care. Bullying a vet into giving you a discount by berating and shaming them for charging for their services is NEVER OK.
