Vets turning away patients who can't pay up front

SarahD1987 said:

 
I'm not saying it's ok for people to not pay their bills, but surely pet owners have some rights to stop people taking their pets? A pet isn't like a tv/computer/whatever else, it's a living thing.. As far as I know, at least here in the UK if you have debt and have bailiffs came to take things for example, they can't take pet's (I might be wrong, but I'm sure I read/heard that somewhe

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Pets are considered property in the US much like a car, that is like if you take your car to be fixed you don't get it back until the bill is paid.  You can prosecute people using Theft of Services, but it is legal to hold onto the pet (collateral) until the bill is paid. 

I've lost count of the number of sick or injured cats and dogs I presented my vet with. They never charged me for seeing the animals or for euthanasia in the cases where that was the only solution. They only asked for money if there was actual medical treatment and even that was heavily discounted. They are animal lovers, just like me, and if I bring in a dying dog or cat they would never send me away or ask for money, they would do the merciful thing, just as they would had they been the ones to come across it by the side of the road and not me.

I guess this is what bothers me the most about these stories. What happens when such a vet comes across a dying animal in pain that needs to be PTS'ed and has no owners? Would they just look the other way and ignore the animal's suffering? I know I wouldn't be able to work with such a vet. I completely understand they're running a business, but euthanasia does not cost them hundreds of dollars. I doubt the syringe and what goes in it costs them more than a few bucks? If they prefer to turn away a dog that is in such obvious distress and won't do this last act of mercy for him, just to save themselves a few bucks, something is very wrong with them, as vets and as human beings, IMHO.

I know the vet clinic that I take my kitties to does work for rescues and I don't know anything about the financial arrangements with the rescues.  I know they often have kitties for adoption.  I remember about a year ago they had one that had been abused and they had done surgery on him.  I am sure there was no payment for their services but I don't know anything about their adoption fees.  I have two kitties that get along well, they will be 11 this year and I'm not going to rock the boat.

I know it's a tough situation because vets do have to make a living, they go to school for a long time which means most vets under 40 are carrying a lot of debt for their education.  Whats bad about extending credit to regular clients for their pets word gets out and soon there are a lot of clients looking for credit, reduced cost or free care.

Like I said I know the vet clinic that I go to does do some pro-bono care or care just at cost but when it comes to regular clients they expect payment in full at the time of service.

SarahD1987 said:

I'm not saying it's ok for people to not pay their bills, but surely pet owners have some rights to stop people taking their pets? A pet isn't like a tv/computer/whatever else, it's a living thing.. As far as I know, at least here in the UK if you have debt and have bailiffs came to take things for example, they can't take pet's (I might be wrong, but I'm sure I read/heard that somewhere)

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cprcheetah said:

Pets are considered property in the US much like a car, that is like if you take your car to be fixed you don't get it back until the bill is paid.  You can prosecute people using Theft of Services, but it is legal to hold onto the pet (collateral) until the bill is paid. 

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It's the same here in the UK. Cats and dogs are classed as property in law the same as a car or TV. This means that vets are legally entitled to hold on to them until the bills are paid.
Also bailiffs are legally within their right to take any property owned by the debtor this includes animals. So if a person as a valuable horse at livery or if they own a pedigree dog or cat, bailiffs are within there right to detain and sell that animal to cover the money owed.
But bailiffs will seldom seize pets or livestock because of the considerable cost and paperwork involved in transporting them safely, caring for them and arranging sale.

I always find it strange that we in the U.S. consider pets property but speak of animal cruelty. You can't be cruel to "property" Hello, they are living, breathing creatures. Not a car, t.v.,,house ect.... I'd like to know what E.R. you went to that wouldn't treat without knowing if they'd get paid first.
I have a sister who feels everyone should take care of her. She has no health ins. and ends up in the hospitala couple times a yr because of just being a drunk. They have NEVER refused to treat her.By law they have to treat ALL who go! ,She probably has a 200,000 dollar bill.

Now on vets, I have paid over 3500 this yr and have been with these vets along time and I know they would refuse me if I couldn't pay. No I don't think it's right but I know my thoughts don't mean doo doo! They should know their clients enough to know who will burn them and who won't but they they are in for the money unlike my old vet, who retired, and so they don't give a rats behind. I'm not rich. I also have my own bills but I have a love of animals that I've paid many vet bills for friends who couldn't afford and I've never ask to be paid back. My interests lies with the sick or injured. With vet cost going through the roof more animals will be only afforded by the rich.

It goes back to the time when all animals had a job to do rather than being companions so they were considered property.  Dogs had their various jobs, herding, guarding, hunting or pulling sleds.  Horses and mules were our tractors, cars and trucks.  Kitties performed pest control.   At one time horses were so important that in some places stealing a horse could earn someone a death sentence.

@JodieThierry64   Please don't make a blanket condemnation of all vets just on your experience. I have had the same vet for 20 years and last year she had to go to a no credit policy. Too many people were taking their animals in, getting treatment, and then telling her they couldn't pay right now, could they do it Friday. 90% of them never showed up again.

Yes I do understand you will always have those type but my arguments is that a human hospital will treat you and they also get stiffed.They are not a car or t.v. This creature feels pain just like us humans. Just like human hospitals an animal hospital should also be obligated to treat the suffering. Vets, unlike humans Dr's want payment up front even when you have pet ins. It's up to you to wait to get reimbursed. I don't know anyone who has thousands to spend. Vets never were this expensive. I know they have improved but simple test are outrageous. Like I said pets will only be for the wealthy.

I would be in deep trouble if I always had to pay up front.  I DO pay up front for routine services but when I do a rescue such as Grey Boy (see album by my signature), I don't HAVE the whole thing up front.  I pay my vets something every month.  Every so often I gt my balance down to zero, but usually that means there's another big injury coming up.  My vet is one of the owners of the animal hospital, so that helps, I'm sure, and he knows I do rescue.  I remember one time saying to him that I can't pay anything today but I'll pay something next week.  He said that's fine, as long as you're worrying about it, I don't have to, and he smiled.  I think generally they DO have a pay as you go policy, but they also have compassion for animals and I don't think they would ever turn away an animal in need because of money. 

JodieThierry64 said:

Yes I do understand you will always have those type but my arguments is that a human hospital will treat you and they also get stiffed.They are not a car or t.v. This creature feels pain just like us humans. Just like human hospitals an animal hospital should also be obligated to treat the suffering. Vets, unlike humans Dr's want payment up front even when you have pet ins. It's up to you to wait to get reimbursed. I don't know anyone who has thousands to spend. Vets never were this expensive. I know they have improved but simple test are outrageous. Like I said pets will only be for the wealthy.

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Hospitals get partial reimbursement from the government for care given to indigent patients.  It is only partial which is why some hospitals have been forced to close their emergency rooms.  

Well, as people who have spent in the five figures on vet bills every year for the past 23 years, and at the same clinic for the past seven plus years, we feel the vets should know by now who pays their bills and who doesn't.

I appreciate that some of you work in vets offices, or are otherwise associated with vet practices, and I realize that gives you a perspective that we don't have on people who do not pay or are looking for handouts. But we who operate rescues over a long period of time represent the other side of the coin, and we get a very different perspective on vet clinics.

Yesterday I drove by our former clinic on the way to go shopping. There is a big, new expansion put in last year. There were a Mercedes, a Lexus, and a Cadillac parked in the doctor's spaces. I don't doubt that some vets deal with deadbeats, but it would be hard to convince us this one is.

We are the people who pay for the expansions, and the new furniture, and the new technology, and medications and everything else, including the cars. We have been supporting our clinic for a long time. And when they institute new policies that don't take into account who has been paying them honestly, and expect a critically ill animal to wait while they demand someone brings them full payment up front, the we have to ask ourselves if we want to continue dealing with veterinarians who have these ideas about ethics and compassion.

In our case, there will be consequences for this clinic, both in lost revenue and word of mouth among our friends and associates. Not that we expect they will ultimately care much, their business appears to be quite lucrative at present.

I think what upsets me the most is that if we had run into vets with attitudes like this back in the late 80's when we first started rescuing sick and abandoned pets, we probably would have been so discouraged we would have given up. I think if I had been asked to take home my first rescue who was deathly ill with a URI, fleas, and worms, because I could not pay the full $470 bill up front, and just had to watch her die in pain, we would have never been able to do what we've done for these cats over the years.

Fortunately, our first vet was a compassionate man who accepted the $180 I had and let us pay off the rest over the next two months as we got paid. It took us almost five years to really get established. If we had run into one of these "money or nothing" vets before we had, I think we would have been so so dismayed we'd have just given it up as hopeless. Thank heaven we ran into a good one.

JodieThierry64 said:

Yes I do understand you will always have those type but my arguments is that a human hospital will treat you and they also get stiffed.They are not a car or t.v. This creature feels pain just like us humans. Just like human hospitals an animal hospital should also be obligated to treat the suffering. Vets, unlike humans Dr's want payment up front even when you have pet ins. It's up to you to wait to get reimbursed. I don't know anyone who has thousands to spend. Vets never were this expensive. I know they have improved but simple test are outrageous. Like I said pets will only be for the wealthy.

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Eloquently put. 

I don't know how many pets we have taken in over the years because some vet told their owner -  "If you can't afford a cat you shouldn't have one."

That statement is going to prove prophetic. Pretty soon, only the rich and the shelters will have pets.

Amen Jane and God bless you for what you do!!!

I'm glad Jane you brought up this topic. I'm sorry about the circumstance that brought you here but I've had this discussion many times with my husband. I'm always seeing people on this site begging for help with their furbabys medical care. Yes I do believe if you can't afford basic care, spay,neuter or vaccines, you have no business having a furbaby but you do need to be in the upper financial bracket to afford emergency care.

Remember that cats are a luxury like the Mercedes, Lexus, and etc.  Unfortunate, but true.  I love cats just like everyone else here, and like everyone else here I find the OP's story very sad.  But cats are a luxury, therefore there aren't many programs out there like we see for children (free school lunch programs, etc.).

I'd also like to thank the OP and others for what they do.  I think it's awesome what anyone does to save these poor animals.

Children are also a luxury too!!!!!!!!!!

JodieThierry64 said:

Children are also a luxury too!!!!!!!!!!

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I don't think so.  We have programs in place like Medicaid, WIC, and etc for children. 

Children cost enough to be a luxury!  

Well I was a single 23 yr old parent who never received any government aide what so ever and I paid for my son to go to a private school. I also bought not one but two of his cars but children are a choice so yes a luxury except we do have choices when having them. These poor creatures breed by instinct. It's up to humans to help them.

JodieThierry64 said:

Well I was a single 23 yr old parent who never received any government aide what so ever and I paid for my son to go to a private school. I also bought not one but two of his cars but children are a choice so yes a luxury except we do have choices when having them. These poor creatures breed by instinct. It's up to humans to help them.

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If you could afford for your son to go to a private school and buy him 2 cars, then you didn't need government aide.  However, many do need government aide.  I can't force sterilization/abortion of people.  Yet shelters are putting cats to sleep everyday.

Pets are luxuries.  A person can sell his Mercedes.  He can rehome his cat.  But to ask him to rehome his children? Hmmm...good luck with that.  I understand your position, as I love cats too.  I hate what happened to the OP.  And the OP is voting with her feet by not using that practice anymore.  I hope they find a practice that is more helpful.  I hope they find answers that are more helpful to many people everywhere, not just in their area.