Why are Vets bills so High?

I too love my pet dearly but I think we are taken advantage of...£250 for an X Ray seems excessive but Vets have a monopoly and we have no choice but to pay...as other replies have said the charges are based on the fact we are so emotionally involved with our pets and will pay almost anything...its one of the perils involved with owning a pet we know the vets bills will take our eyes out..

Because people are demanding the same level of care they get at a hospital, and are insisting on suing for every little thing, and are also suing for pain and damages when something goes wrong, even if it's not the vet's fault. People want vets to be able to do bloodwork, x rays, IV fluid therapy, surgery, ultrasound, etc, etc, but now they are surprised that the bills have gone up!!! Of course vets pass the costs on to their clients-- they have to make a living, and as clients demand more sophisticated care, it costs more. In this lawsuit happy world, vets can't afford to offer symptomatic treatment any more-- they have to offer every diagnostic available, and sometimes have to refuse to treat without doing every diagnostic first to protect themselves in case of a lawsuit. Their clients have forced them to do this, and the prices have gone up accordingly. I would suggest a good joint supplement for your dog-- they are available without a prescription, and they really do help a lot of dogs. Good Luck!!

Edit: The next question I saw after this one was "My Great Dane?" where a dog is limping a little the day he got his vaccinations. There are already recommendations to sue the vet...and the cost to defend that lawsuit was already factored into the office call and the vaccine, I'm sure. You would be amazed at how little a vet takes home out of what his practice makes.

Just picture this. Say your boss comes to you one day & says, "This person is complaining about how much we charge, so I'm gonna do this for him really cheap, and I'm not gonna pay you this week." Would you agree to that? Neither will the technician, the receptionist, the kennel help, or any other employee at your vet clinic. Vets have bills to pay. I work at a fairly new vet clinic. My boss opened his first clinic about a year and a half ago, after working several years at a multi vet clinic. I helped open this clinc, ordered equipment, supplies, watched the building being built, everything from start to finish. He made sure I never missed a paycheck. He, however, did not see one penny of profit go to him for almost 15 months. And I make more than he does to this day. And probably will continue to do so for a few years. You have no idea how frightening it can be to finance over a quarter of a million dollars on a dream, and just hope it works out. Good luck to you and your dog. I hope he gets the treatment he needs.

First, there are many Veterinarian Science college students who change their major to Medical Science. That tells you that Veterinarian training is harder, which students of both majors find out and agree. Secondly, your veterinarian must rely on the owner's observations, if any. Thirdly, neither person can ask the animal how it feels or what it's been doing out of the ordinary. Your Vet notices more than your own doctor, because his work is based on observation and experience. It takes much more than a love of animals to become a second guesser and diagnosing animals.

I worked at a vet's office before and it doesn't make any sense to me. I know they have to pay there staff and all that but some of the thing's are just crazy! Like when you go in to get your dog's their shot's the vet's give them a 7 in one shot and charge you 100 dollars. You can go to the feed store a buy the same shot for 5 bucks! Which is what I do! Rabies shot's are the only thing I take my dog to the vet to get. And that's just because it's the law here.

Vets have more schooling that human doctors. They have to pay for their schooling & all the expensive machinery to treat your purebred dogs & cats that have more problems than mutts...

Because vet school, building rent, electricity, x ray machines and all the other equipment, plus training to read the xrays and use equipment, and salary for vet techs, is expensive.

Plus, a vet likes to eat, wear clothes without holes and pay his household bills.

Many vets pay back loans (for under graduate school as well as vet school) for years.

I can't stand vets for the most part. It's CRIMINAL the prices they charge. Here in VA it's mandatory that every dog has a rabies shot. But how hard is it to find a place that will just charge me for a reasonably priced shot? Nearly impossible! They often demand an office visit just to go in for the shot. Then they push you to get other shots that are rarely needed for a house dog, and are definately not needed yearly. :(

Dogs and cats vet bills are more expensive than horse vet bills because the cats and dogs are more prone to getting sick than the horse is so they raise the price to rip you off most of the time.

People are crazy about their pets and will pay big bucks to keep them alive.