Vets turning away patients who can't pay up front

After reading all the replies I had to reply myself.

I consider my dog a member of my family and as such I would protect my dog like any other member in my family. If someone tried to shoot my dog I'd do whatever I could to keep my dog alive. Even if that meant stepping in front of the bullet or worse if I by some chance had a gun as well I would shoot that person.

That's a very extreme example. But now imagine what I may do when a vet is holding my dog because I couldn't pay.

Odds are I would be arrested and face prison time or worse. Who wouldn't do this to protect a family member they care about?

As I said my dog is JUST as important as a member of my family

If people didn't pay their bills, there wouldn't be any hospitals for pets. A veterinarian's salary isn't as lucrative as a human doctor's yet they have to learn about many species not just one. To run a hospital it costs a lot of money. They don't pay their employees well (I know I am an employee) so it's not like the employees are rolling in it. It is a business just like a human hospital is a business. My employer used to do payment plans but has stopped since too many people have not paid as promised. I have clients in collections for $100. So if someone cannot pay $100, how can a business expect someone to pay $500? I have had people give me their sob story and then I agreed to let them pay the next day. Of course, they didn't pay. Trust me, I do not like turning away sincere people because of money, which is part of the reason many employees at animal hospitals experience compassion fatigue, depression and burnout. Unfortunately, some bad payors make it bad for the clients who honestly would pay. The veterinary industry of today iz much different than it used to be. Before, vets didn't have the competition they do now. They gained revenue and didn't have to do much in terms of selling. So they had more freedom to offerpayment plans and doing pro bono work. Now that there is more competition as well as more knowledgeable clients, it has become a different story. Vets have to search for ways to increase revenue while serving a discriminating public and making themselves stand out amongst the ever-increasing number of vets. I totally understand that it may sound cold to deny care. One option we have is the Farley foundation. If a vet has an account they are allotted A certain amount of money each year to pay for vet services for disabled people. They have to provide proof of their disability pay. Maybe there is something like that in this man's area. As for the general public, there are many people who get a puppy or kitten and can't afford the basic vaccines and spay/neuter. Should the vet provide these for free? We get annoyed with these people because the puppy or kitten will suffer because of this. Not only because it won't be vaccinated or fixed, but what if it gets sick or even an ear infection? If they can't afford vaccines, then how can they afford treating an ear infection? Can they even afford food? Yes we do realize how hard it is and we do in fact care for animals. But unfortunately, vets cannot afford free treatment in this economy. If everyone didnt pay there wouldn't be any hospitals for pets. There are probably many vets who are greedy but there are just as many trying to stay afloat but also trying to provide compassionate care.

SweetPea24 said:

If people didn't pay their bills, there wouldn't be any hospitals for pets. A veterinarian's salary isn't as lucrative as a human doctor's yet they have to learn about many species not just one. To run a hospital it costs a lot of money. They don't pay their employees well (I know I am an employee) so it's not like the employees are rolling in it. It is a business just like a human hospital is a business. My employer used to do payment plans but has stopped since too many people have not paid as promised. I have clients in collections for $100. So if someone cannot pay $100, how can a business expect someone to pay $500? I have had people give me their sob story and then I agreed to let them pay the next day. Of course, they didn't pay. Trust me, I do not like turning away sincere people because of money, which is part of the reason many employees at animal hospitals experience compassion fatigue, depression and burnout. Unfortunately, some bad payors make it bad for the clients who honestly would pay. The veterinary industry of today iz much different than it used to be. Before, vets didn't have the competition they do now. They gained revenue and didn't have to do much in terms of selling. So they had more freedom to offerpayment plans and doing pro bono work. Now that there is more competition as well as more knowledgeable clients, it has become a different story. Vets have to search for ways to increase revenue while serving a discriminating public and making themselves stand out amongst the ever-increasing number of vets. I totally understand that it may sound cold to deny care. One option we have is the Farley foundation. If a vet has an account they are allotted A certain amount of money each year to pay for vet services for disabled people. They have to provide proof of their disability pay. Maybe there is something like that in this man's area. As for the general public, there are many people who get a puppy or kitten and can't afford the basic vaccines and spay/neuter. Should the vet provide these for free? We get annoyed with these people because the puppy or kitten will suffer because of this. Not only because it won't be vaccinated or fixed, but what if it gets sick or even an ear infection? If they can't afford vaccines, then how can they afford treating an ear infection? Can they even afford food? Yes we do realize how hard it is and we do in fact care for animals. But unfortunately, vets cannot afford free treatment in this economy. If everyone didnt pay there wouldn't be any hospitals for pets. There are probably many vets who are greedy but there are just as many trying to stay afloat but also trying to provide compassionate care.

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all very good and valid points!

i'm in the "low income" category, yet i still make sure my snick has the vet care she needs. i budget for her needs, it's just as simple as that. i cut back on anything i can for myself, so it's easier for me to pay for snick's medical needs. i still need to be selective about what tests are run for snick, what they'll tell the vet and how much they'll help in diagnosing/treating. both snick and i lead a very good life, even with my low income.

i can understand that some/many people don't fully understand the costs involved with adopting pets. i was raised with cats and dogs, so i had some idea as to the expenses related to properly caring for pets. my cats have always been my family, and my priority is to keep them happy and healthy. but i can't understand how people who have had pets for years don't make sure they provide proper vet care for their furry family members. i'm talking about annual physicals, vaccines, spay/neuter, and setting aside an emergency fund type of thing for when something comes up.  i do understand that sometimes the cost can be higher than we could possibly afford, but conditions such as ear infections, UTI's, and etc should be more or less expected as something that could come up.

Garrus said:

After reading all the replies I had to reply myself.

I consider my dog a member of my family and as such I would protect my dog like any other member in my family. If someone tried to shoot my dog I'd do whatever I could to keep my dog alive. Even if that meant stepping in front of the bullet or worse if I by some chance had a gun as well I would shoot that person.

That's a very extreme example. But now imagine what I may do when a vet is holding my dog because I couldn't pay.

Odds are I would be arrested and face prison time or worse. Who wouldn't do this to protect a family member they care about?

As I said my dog is JUST as important as a member of my family

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He's perfectly in his legal right to hold your pet. 

At the end of the day, it's a business.  Maybe not to you, but to him/her who has bills coming out their yahoo, including all those Vet. technicians who have to be paid somehow.  And who cares if they're driving BMW's or Mercedes.  Wouldn't you want to splurge a bit considering all the schooling you have to go through?   

Now, having said that, what I've experienced thus far is an eye opening experience.  Rates are considerably higher here than in the U.S. and it's not just cost of living differences either.  What I plan to do from now on is ask up front what he/she plans to do, and how much the total bill will be.   I've been surprised by the total amounts so far and I'm not going to be so passive next time.   Not unlike going into an auto shop to have your car serviced.   

If anything semi-major arises, I'm taking a trip to northern Michigan for Vet. treatment. 

Marc999 said:

 
He's perfectly in his legal right to hold your pet. 

At the end of the day, it's a business.  Maybe not to you, but to him/her who has bills coming out their yahoo, including all those Vet. technicians who have to be paid somehow.  And who cares if they're driving BMW's or Mercedes.  Wouldn't you want to splurge a bit considering all the schooling you have to go through?   

Now, having said that, what I've experienced thus far is an eye opening experience.  Rates are considerably higher here than in the U.S. and it's not just cost of living differences either.  What I plan to do from now on is ask up front what he/she plans to do, and how much the total bill will be.   I've been surprised by the total amounts so far and I'm not going to be so passive next time.   Not unlike going into an auto shop to have your car serviced.   

If anything semi-major arises, I'm taking a trip to northern Michigan for Vet. treatment. 

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Research your Michigan clinics first - most aren't that much cheaper than here and when you consider the drive (not sure where exactly you live), by the time you pay gas and currency exchange you might be equal. There's also a few things to mention here as well - do you know what something semi-major would be before any testing is done? Is the vet in Michigan going to want to run those same tests again? Are you going to have a good enough rapport with the clinic in Michigan that they will be willing to see you on short notice? What about medications, you can't get some of them here and same with there. There are also things that we have here that they may not there. What kind of semi-major issues are you considering, and will the border guards let you across with a sick animal? It's honestly something that I considered when I got my first pet after moving out of "home", but the more I looked at it the more it just didn't make sense. Rates can also be higher in the states as well, I have some friends that pay much more for an office visit than what is "normal" here. 

Please do ask them what they plan to do up front and how much the bill will be but also be prepared for it to go over the estimate if it's not something routine, be honest with them..

SweetPea24 said:

If people didn't pay their bills, there wouldn't be any hospitals for pets. A veterinarian's salary isn't as lucrative as a human doctor's yet they have to learn about many species not just one. To run a hospital it costs a lot of money. They don't pay their employees well (I know I am an employee) so it's not like the employees are rolling in it. It is a business just like a human hospital is a business. My employer used to do payment plans but has stopped since too many people have not paid as promised. I have clients in collections for $100. So if someone cannot pay $100, how can a business expect someone to pay $500? I have had people give me their sob story and then I agreed to let them pay the next day. Of course, they didn't pay. Trust me, I do not like turning away sincere people because of money, which is part of the reason many employees at animal hospitals experience compassion fatigue, depression and burnout. Unfortunately, some bad payors make it bad for the clients who honestly would pay. The veterinary industry of today iz much different than it used to be. Before, vets didn't have the competition they do now. They gained revenue and didn't have to do much in terms of selling. So they had more freedom to offerpayment plans and doing pro bono work. Now that there is more competition as well as more knowledgeable clients, it has become a different story. Vets have to search for ways to increase revenue while serving a discriminating public and making themselves stand out amongst the ever-increasing number of vets. I totally understand that it may sound cold to deny care. One option we have is the Farley foundation. If a vet has an account they are allotted A certain amount of money each year to pay for vet services for disabled people. They have to provide proof of their disability pay. Maybe there is something like that in this man's area. As for the general public, there are many people who get a puppy or kitten and can't afford the basic vaccines and spay/neuter. Should the vet provide these for free? We get annoyed with these people because the puppy or kitten will suffer because of this. Not only because it won't be vaccinated or fixed, but what if it gets sick or even an ear infection? If they can't afford vaccines, then how can they afford treating an ear infection? Can they even afford food? Yes we do realize how hard it is and we do in fact care for animals. But unfortunately, vets cannot afford free treatment in this economy. If everyone didnt pay there wouldn't be any hospitals for pets. There are probably many vets who are greedy but there are just as many trying to stay afloat but also trying to provide compassionate care.

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Thank you! I work at a clinic too. We used to do a lot of payment plans, did our own collections when people couldn't pay... guess what my big task is for tomorrow? Hiring a collection agency because we have so many outstanding debts that people will "come in and pay tomorrow" or the end of the week, end of the month, etc but they never come. Guess what - we do not offer payment plans lightly where I work, these are all clients that were considered "good", clients that had previously paid their entire balances, brought their pets in for everything, but something major comes up and we give them a payment plan - they bounce cheques, disconnect phones, ignore letters, etc. We are at the point now where we have no choice but to hire an agency, so now we're going to look like the bad guy because we need to get paid. 

Where I live I can think of 20 other clinics off the top of my head. There are probably another 20 within a half hour drive out of the city and, last I heard, another 5 opening in town. That's over 45 clinics within ~30 minutes from my (rented) house, it's ridiculous. 

I would say that cat owners are 90% of our outstanding debts with blocked cats being a good majority of those cases. We're at the point where if the client can't pay to have their cat unblocked, we'll euthanize - we never used to do this.

If you have halfway decent credit, your vet may offer applications for a special credit card for petcare. It is a separate agency from the vet. The CareCredit site or other sites may offer on-line sign-up. Google "pet care credit card."

Unfortunately there is no provision for pet care as there is for human emergencies, where your payment is billed to you later.

Get a loan to get your pet back home then get a credit card or find a vet who will take post-dated checks on a plan that deducts from your account monthly.

I feel very fortunate to have a vet that does this latter option because I do not have good credit right now.

Happybird -





Your Pooper is a cutie! I'm sad to hear you had the same vet issues, I'm just glad you ended up with a good one.

If pets are young, pet insurance is a great investment. It gets very expensive though for older cats. If it was less expensive I would get it, believe me!

nerdrock said:

 
Research your Michigan clinics first - most aren't that much cheaper than here and when you consider the drive (not sure where exactly you live), by the time you pay gas and currency exchange you might be equal. There's also a few things to mention here as well - do you know what something semi-major would be before any testing is done? Is the vet in Michigan going to want to run those same tests again? Are you going to have a good enough rapport with the clinic in Michigan that they will be willing to see you on short notice? What about medications, you can't get some of them here and same with there. There are also things that we have here that they may not there. What kind of semi-major issues are you considering, and will the border guards let you across with a sick animal? It's honestly something that I considered when I got my first pet after moving out of "home", but the more I looked at it the more it just didn't make sense. Rates can also be higher in the states as well, I have some friends that pay much more for an office visit than what is "normal" here. 

Please do ask them what they plan to do up front and how much the bill will be but also be prepared for it to go over the estimate if it's not something routine, be honest with them..

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Yes, I'll research them first.  Semi-major? No - I wouldn't know, not until testing is done - good point.   In dollar figures though - over $500 and I'd start shopping around.

Let's just say - a 'Recheck Consultation' for all of 15 minutes in the examination room - the charge was ludicrous.   That 15 minutes also included a test, where the Vet. used specialized equipment.  Two separate charges.  The Recheck is the fee that seemed completely steep, i.e. just for showing up and taking a very brief look at my cat's issue. 

I'd prefer not to mention the city/clinic I go to, if coincidently you work there  

I know in this area vet techs aren't paid well at all.  I know 2 that went to other jobs that required no education or training beyond high school but paid better than a vet tech job.  They both have very good benefits which they didn't have when working for a vet.

Katma said:

 
If pets are young, pet insurance is a great investment. It gets very expensive though for older cats. If it was less expensive I would get it, believe me!

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For young cats with no known medical history, yeah I agree, to an extent. 

Many pet insurance companies will not keep giving you that 80% coverage, for the same issue, in the event it crops up more than once in a given year.  That coverage starts decreasing, while your premiums keep increasing based on age of cat.  It's a gamble.

In my case, I got an adult cat from a shelter, which for sure had pre-existing issues. Which won't be covered. 

So, in retrospect - if I really wanted pet insurance, I would have gotten a kitten and have less issues contesting bills with an insurance company. 

SweetPea24 said:

If people didn't pay their bills, there wouldn't be any hospitals for pets. A veterinarian's salary isn't as lucrative as a human doctor's yet they have to learn about many species not just one. To run a hospital it costs a lot of money. They don't pay their employees well (I know I am an employee) so it's not like the employees are rolling in it. It is a business just like a human hospital is a business. My employer used to do payment plans but has stopped since too many people have not paid as promised. I have clients in collections for $100. So if someone cannot pay $100, how can a business expect someone to pay $500? I have had people give me their sob story and then I agreed to let them pay the next day. Of course, they didn't pay. Trust me, I do not like turning away sincere people because of money, which is part of the reason many employees at animal hospitals experience compassion fatigue, depression and burnout. Unfortunately, some bad payors make it bad for the clients who honestly would pay. The veterinary industry of today iz much different than it used to be. Before, vets didn't have the competition they do now. They gained revenue and didn't have to do much in terms of selling. So they had more freedom to offerpayment plans and doing pro bono work. Now that there is more competition as well as more knowledgeable clients, it has become a different story. Vets have to search for ways to increase revenue while serving a discriminating public and making themselves stand out amongst the ever-increasing number of vets. I totally understand that it may sound cold to deny care. One option we have is the Farley foundation. If a vet has an account they are allotted A certain amount of money each year to pay for vet services for disabled people. They have to provide proof of their disability pay. Maybe there is something like that in this man's area. As for the general public, there are many people who get a puppy or kitten and can't afford the basic vaccines and spay/neuter. Should the vet provide these for free? We get annoyed with these people because the puppy or kitten will suffer because of this. Not only because it won't be vaccinated or fixed, but what if it gets sick or even an ear infection? If they can't afford vaccines, then how can they afford treating an ear infection? Can they even afford food? Yes we do realize how hard it is and we do in fact care for animals. But unfortunately, vets cannot afford free treatment in this economy. If everyone didnt pay there wouldn't be any hospitals for pets. There are probably many vets who are greedy but there are just as many trying to stay afloat but also trying to provide compassionate care.

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I don't think anyone is advocating for the non payers. Your points are valid, but they really don't speak to what happened with this gentleman.

He is disabled, and on low income. But he still had a "rainy day fund" of $500 cash, which the vet was more than happy to pay the vet up front to treat the dog. But as soon as that $500 was gone, and there was no more cash to be paid up front immediately,  the dog was sent home to die, even though the man was an established customer.

If the vet had just charged the $75 office visit, and then told the man that it looked bad, was going to get expensive, and the whole amount was expected in cash, up front, I would have less of an issue with it. But nothing was said until the $500 changed hands, after that it was a straightforward demand for more cash up front.  That's just wrong. It deprived the owner of the money to have his dog euthanized or see another vet.

If a vet want to be honest, they should give an estimate for services required up front, and let the client how much cash will be expected up front to take care of the immediate issue. Once they accept money, if additional problems come up, they should be willing to set up a payment plan, or at least offer euthanasia if things look like they won't be able to collect.

Once they accept money, they should really try to care for their patient.

Katma said:

 
If you have halfway decent credit, your vet may offer applications for a special credit card for petcare. It is a separate agency from the vet. The CareCredit site or other sites may offer on-line sign-up. Google "pet care credit card."

Unfortunately there is no provision for pet care as there is for human emergencies, where your payment is billed to you later.

Get a loan to get your pet back home then get a credit card or find a vet who will take post-dated checks on a plan that deducts from your account monthly.

I feel very fortunate to have a vet that does this latter option because I do not have good credit right now.

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I also think it's important to research your vet first and find out if they deal with companies like CareCredit or any of the foundations (like the Farley Foundation mentioned above, not all do). I don't want this to sound the wrong way, but if you think you may need it at some point, it's good to have a relationship with that vet already. Some require that you are an established client before they will release the funds. 

Marc999 said:

 
Yes, I'll research them first.  Semi-major? No - I wouldn't know, not until testing is done - good point.   In dollar figures though - over $500 and I'd start shopping around.

Let's just say - a 'Recheck Consultation' for all of 15 minutes in the examination room - the charge was ludicrous.   That 15 minutes also included a test, where the Vet. used specialized equipment.  Two separate charges.  The Recheck is the fee that seemed completely steep, i.e. just for showing up and taking a very brief look at my cat's issue. 

I'd prefer not to mention the city/clinic I go to, if coincidently you work there  

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Sorry if what I wrote sounded rude, I didn't mean it to... had a long day at work then saw this thread and got my hackles up, lol. 

A lot of people shop around at that amount too, depending on what it was I would too. For example, I have a large breed dog, if he ever blew his ACL I would definitely be shopping around because I know the cost locally is ~$5000 and I know of some clinics in the states that charge as little as $1500 for the same surgery. With things like surgery you have to be extra careful when getting the quote from a clinic that is not your regular one because of what's included. IV fluids, monitoring, catheters, pain meds - all of that is included at some places and is extra at others - just some things to be aware of when shopping around. It would also be less likely to be a referral if for something non-life threatening so you may have to go twice and pay two office fees (consult and then consult + treatment). 

I just wanted to know city/area simply for the distance you'd have to drive. Since you're saying Northern Michigan, sounds like most likely more Northern Ontario-ish (Ste Sault Marie?) and I'm in Southwestern Ontario. I could be completely off though, lol. 

Jane11 said:

 
I don't think anyone is advocating for the non payers. Your points are valid, but they really don't speak to what happened with this gentleman.

He is disabled, and on low income. But he still had a "rainy day fund" of $500 cash, which the vet was more than happy to pay the vet up front to treat the dog. But as soon as that $500 was gone, and there was no more cash to be paid up front immediately,  the dog was sent home to die, even though the man was an established customer.

If the vet had just charged the $75 office visit, and then told the man that it looked bad, was going to get expensive, and the whole amount was expected in cash, up front, I would have less of an issue with it. But nothing was said until the $500 changed hands, after that it was a straightforward demand for more cash up front.  That's just wrong. It deprived the owner of the money to have his dog euthanized or see another vet.

If a vet want to be honest, they should give an estimate for services required up front, and let the client how much cash will be expected up front to take care of the immediate issue. Once they accept money, if additional problems come up, they should be willing to set up a payment plan, or at least offer euthanasia if things look like they won't be able to collect.

Once they accept money, they should really try to care for their patient.

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The thing I see in this thread is that everyone is taking this against vets but we have a friend of a friend type story here. We don't know all the facts, the man not even know all of the facts. We don't know if the tech that called the person that called this person was new and didn't know the man's entire history with the clinic, we don't know if the tech hated her job and was making the situation seem much worse than it was, if he/she was overreacting, etc. How do we know that he hasn't done this before but stiffed the vet, either at that clinic or another? We don't know that he told them how much money he had to spend, or if the vet knew he was disabled (a lot of people try to say they are disabled), or if the man said "do anything to save my dog", or any other number of things. Maybe he wasn't adding it up as they told him how much things were going to cost. 

The whole point I'm trying to make is that some of this has to be on the client. They can always ask for an estimate, how much something will be, where their bill currently stands, etc. Most of the reasons vets often won't set up payment plans have already been explained above - there are many other options (CareCredit, pay day loans, bank loans, etc), if you aren't able to get something like that then unfortunately it creates a stigma that you won't be able to pay.

Marc999 said:

 

For young cats with no known medical history, yeah I agree, to an extent. 





Many pet insurance companies will not keep giving you that 80% coverage, for the same issue, in the event it crops up more than once in a given year.  That coverage starts decreasing, while your premiums keep increasing based on age of cat.  It's a gamble.





In my case, I got an adult cat from a shelter, which for sure had pre-existing issues. Which won't be covered. 



So, in retrospect - if I really wanted pet insurance, I woon'tnies 

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Marc999 said:

 



He's perfectly in his legal right to hold your pet. 



At the end of the day, it's a business.  Maybe not to you, but to him/her who has bills coming out their yahoo, including all those Vet. technicians who have to be paid somehow.  And who cares if they're driving BMW's or Mercedes.  Wouldn't you want to splurge a bit considering all the schooling you have to go through?   





Now, having said that, what I've experienced thus far is an eye opening experience.  Rates are considerably higher here than in the U.S. and it's not just cost of living differences either.  What I plan to do from now on is ask up front what he/she plans to do, and how much the total bill will be.   I've been surprised by the total amounts so far and I'm not going to be so passive next time.   Not unlike going into an auto shop to have your car serviced.   





If anything semi-major arises, I'm taking a trip to northern Michigan for Vet. treatment. 

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We definitely care if the vets all drive luxury cars!





If they charge much more than the other vets we simply can't afford to keep seeing them. If we support the vet's inflated car payments, we can't take care of as many sick or unwanted pets. For us, that's a no brainer. The pets lives are what matter.





We have no issue with the vets deciding to put business first, or raising their prices to support their luxury habits - that's their choice. But we prefer to support vets who put caring for the animals first.





The one thing we don't want to hear is vets crying poverty, or competition from lower priced vets, and complaining about deadbeats while they driving around in a Mercedes. That's a part of why we choose not to support them. At a certain point it starts to sound a little hollow.

Not only is this situation so very unfortunate for both this older gentleman and his beloved pet, but it goes against the code of ethics that members of the veterinary community accept and agree to be bound by, as members of this profession. Vets not only have a moral but a professional obligation to be honest and open with clients during the consultative process.

I believe Jane's experience with this man and his dog is genuine as I have unfortunately seen this kind of situation first-hand. These situations are not a reflection of vets everywhere, but they are a symptom of a problem that is not exclusive to the vet industry but an indication of the way some businesses choose to do business. Vets have the right to run their practices as they see fit, but they first and foremost have an obligation to do no harm and to serve their clients to the best of their ability.

Here are some sections from the AVMA Principles of Medical Ethics that speak to the obligations that vets are bound by :

Professional Behavior

A.    Veterinarians should first consider the needs of the patient:  to relieve disease, suffering, or disability while minimizing pain or fear.

B.    Veterinarians should obey all laws of the jurisdictions in which they reside and practice veterinary medicine.  Veterinarians should be honest and fair in their relations with others, and they should not engage in fraud, misrepresentation, or deceit.

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E.    Veterinarians may choose whom they will serve.  Both the veterinarians and the client have the right to establish or decline a Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (See Section III) and to decide on treatment.  The decision to accept or decline treatment and related cost should be based on adequate discussion of clinical findings, diagnostic techniques, treatment, likely outcome, estimated cost, and reasonable assurance of payment.  Once the veterinarians and the client have agreed, and the veterinarians have begun patient care, they may not neglect their patient and must continue to provide professional services related to that injury or illness within the previously agreed limits.   As subsequent needs and costs for patient care are identified, the veterinarians and client must confer and reach agreement on the continued care and responsibility for fees.  If the informed client declines further care or declines to assume responsibility for the fees, the VCPR may be terminated by either party.
 

F.    In emergencies, veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to provide essential services for animals when necessary to save life or relieve suffering, subsequent to client agreement. Such emergency care may be limited to euthanasia to relieve suffering, or to stabilization of the patient for transport to another source of animal care.

Regarding the comments made suggesting that vets have the right to hold someone's pet until they receive payment, I don't believe this is legal to do, and I doubt the AVMA would condone this. There are other avenues such as collection agencies for recouping payment for services.

Nerdrock-

We were comfortable enough with what we'd been able to ascertain that we were willing to spend our money to try and help a stranger's dog, even though we are usually strictly involved with cats. I don't know what else to tell you about that.

I would be careful trying to place too much of the onus on the owners. I agree that ten years ago 90% of the cats we took in were entirely due to unprepared or irresponsible owners. That number has changed drastically from what we have seen, and today we figure the problems are caused about 50 percent by bad owners, and 50% by high vet costs, and generally poor or indifferent vets.

We take in a lot of pets whose owners have been presented with vet bills that exceed their weekly take home pay for just an exam and some preliminary tests. Three years ago a simple blood test at one vet here ran $48 - last December the same test was $150. If you can drive another 30 miles, the same test still costs $48 from a different practice, but a lot of people don't know that, or cannot drive that distance in the case of the elderly and disabled. 

Five years ago we took in a cat with hyper thyroid. The vet had told her owner she would need to get methimazole through her clinic each month for the rest of the cat's life. The figure quoted was astronomical, and the vet refused to write her an Rx to take to the pharmacy even the state  law required that she do so.

She was going to have her poor boy euthanized, but brought him to us after a friend suggested it. We took the cat, got the Rx, and got the pills very cheaply. He lived almost 4 more years in good health.

Oneandahalfcats - 

What more can be said? If you didn't explain it perfectly, I certainly cannot do any better. 

Thank you for posting this. I'm going to print it out and bring a copy to the next vet we have to argue with. I pray it is not soon. After reading a lot of these posts, I think our last good vet must have spoiled us. I was horrified to read about the vet who now euthanizes cats with a simple blockage if the owner cannot pay up front.

I was wondering how much they must charge that someone could not pay it, but could afford euthanasia? 

There's wiggle room there, for the lawyers to have a good time. 

It's not just the underlined sections.  Read it, in its entirety. 

Marc999 said:

 
There's wiggle room there, for the lawyers to have a good time. 

It's not just the underlined sections.  Read it, in its entirety. 

Click to expand...

You're right, of course. I saw some of them. It's the parts about ethics that I think they would find enlightening.

what it boils Down to is only the rich should have pets. I guess the Humane society and aspca should just close their doors. The rich don't go there.