Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five funny cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
I recently spoke with you about the importance of insurance when it comes to being able to provide for your beloved pet, and touched on a troubling topic: the corporation of veterinary practices. Like all vets (probably), I love animals, and I chose this career so I could make a difference in their lives. It’s not always an easy or straightforward path, involving years of study, holidays sacrificed to gain practical experience, and a hefty student loan to pay off. But to be fair, vet school was also one of the best times of my life. I met people who, almost twenty years later, are still some of my closest friends, and although we worked hard, we also shared a lot.
The Business of Being a Vet
I think all vet students enter the profession with wide eyes covered in rose-colored glasses, imagining days of saving lives, healing the sick and fixing the broken ones, and that has a moderate value. But the reality for most general practice vets is days filled with vaccinations, itchy dogs, sneezing cats, and the pressure of meeting KPI targets. When you spend five or six years learning everything there is to know about the anatomy, physiology, diseases, and treatments for multiple animal species, it’s easy to forget the fact that most veterinary practices are businesses. , and in order for us to have a nice building, decent equipment, good staff, and get paid, that business has to make a profit.
I always take personal offense when I hear people accuse vets of being “in it for the money” or “overcharging for services”. I can’t tell you how many times people have come to pick up their pets after a major surgery, where they agreed after being given an estimate, only to be told they can’t pay until next week, or to everyone. Well madam, that wouldn’t exactly fly at the mechanic or the supermarket, would it? But because our profession is emotional, we are demonized by the hope of being paid for the service we provide. And trust me, we’re not all driving our brand new Teslas back to our luxury mansions every night.
One thing I’ve come to understand is that vets don’t always make the best business owners unless they remove themselves from the consulting room. By nature, veterinarians are compassionate, and want to provide each animal with the best possible care, regardless of cost. When you are faced with a pet in need of help, with an owner who doesn’t have the money, we often don’t appreciate our services to ensure the animal receives the treatment it needs. I’ve worked with my share of practice owners who got mad at me for ‘a little knock on the price’ to help a client, only to turn around and do the exact same thing; we’re just too soft!
So it has become more and more common for practices to be run by vets who no longer do clinical work, or by non-vet practice managers, who can keep track of the books and get very angry at us when cut back. we our services. The truth is, if we don’t charge correctly, we will soon be out of business, and we won’t be able to help anyone. But this knowledge doesn’t make it any easier when you have a pet in need and the pleading eyes of their owner in front of you.
Vets = Big Investment
As veterinary practices evolved from a simple business based on simple medicine, to complex medical businesses, large corporations began to see their value. After all, the veterinary industry is one that is constantly growing and evolving; the investment opportunities are endless.
Over the past decade or so, I have seen dozens and dozens of small, independent veterinary practices succumb to financial pressure and sell their business to larger veterinary chains like Vet Partners, VCA and IVC Evidensia. Often this happens very quietly, without changing the name of the practice or branding, leaving pet owners none the wiser, but in the background, decisions about pricing, protocols, products , and payroll is done by people working in an office. hundreds of miles away. Sure, they send a representative out every month or so to check in and put a human face on the company, but for the training staff, that means every decision has to be run by someone at headquarters. ; even if you are talking to your boss, you are not talking to the person who can make the decision.
While owning a company brings certain benefits and opportunities, such as gym memberships, training opportunities, and better equipment, many veterinarians feel that the perceived loss of control over their management in case not a worthwhile trade-off.
And for the paying client, this means that your money not only goes to the cost of veterinary training, equipment, and staff, it must also generate enough revenue to pay office workers, managers, members of the board and shareholders of the parent company.
Over time, these large veterinary groups began to expand beyond purchasing veterinary practices, merging with drug companies and laboratories, even online veterinary pharmacies – it doesn’t matter where spend your money, it all goes somewhere! Even Mars, one of the world’s largest conglomerates has taken a bite of the gigantic veterinary apple. Of course, it’s all for a good cause. According to Pamela Mars, they entered the veterinary business “because we love pets, not for financial gain.” That’s easy to say when your net worth is just over $6.2 billion, Pam!
The Corporate Fallout
Recently in the UK, the Competitions and Market Authority (CMA) announced that there would be an investigation into veterinary fees and billing. The immediate objection was that public anger was aimed at veterinary staff, rather than where it should be directed, and what the investigation will focus on: the effect of the growing corporation on dictating prices and controlling competition. So it’s almost impossible for small, independent practices to survive.
For many vets, myself included, the pressure to provide an excellent standard of care, while keeping in mind the client’s financial limitations, and making sure we follow the protocols and medication recommendations dictated by head office, begins to do our vocation like a sales job. Not that there’s anything wrong with working in sales, it’s just not what I went to vet school for. It’s no secret that the veterinary industry is seeing an unprecedented number of vets leaving the profession, with poor work/life balance, mental health, and the increased caseload since COVID being listed as the main reasons for their decision. Not to mention the fact that the veterinary profession continues to have one of the highest suicide rates.
How It Affects You and Your Cat
You may be wondering how important all of this is to your cat’s care. No matter what, your pet will get the best possible care, but as more veterinarians move away from clinical work, they bring their expertise and experience with them. Which, from the point of view of vet groups hoping to streamline their services, is probably a good thing, because it’s easier to mold newly graduated vets into the practitioners they need, than to talk to people who like me, that takes a little. of satisfaction in pushing back against decisions founded on bureaucracy and profit margins rather than patient and client interests.
Am I being a bit cynical? Absolutely.
But if you want to know that decisions about your cat’s veterinary care begin and end with your veterinary practice, it’s worth looking around for a vet to own and support them before they’re gone forever.
