why vet bills are soaring: corporate ownership fleecing vets and customers alike

[Perris]

This on today's BBC website: Vets say they are under pressure to bring in more money per pet
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62zzegvk33o

Some highlights: "In 2013, only 10% of vet practices in the UK were owned by large corporate groups. Now that figure stands at 60%.

Bills for pet owners have risen as corporate ownership has increased - by more than 60% between 2015 and 2023, figures from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) show. This is almost double the rate of inflation or the increase in vet salaries over that time....

A survey of 275 veterinary staff, carried out by the British Veterinary Union (BVU) for the CMA last year, and now shared exclusively with File on 4 Investigates, indicated that monitoring and targets had an impact on the decisions of almost 40% of nurses and just over 17% of vets.

The BVU says the sector has become more profit-driven since non-vets were allowed to take over practices in 1999."

The unnecessary prophylactic dispensing of wormers and flea treatments for the profit of these companies (and at the cost of significant harm of wildlife) is a facet of this exploitation of pet owners and their animals. See e.g.
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/243875/toxic-flea-tick-treatments-polluting-uk/

 

[Debbie292d]

I wonder if anyone's got similar findings in the U.S. For bug killer, that's all I've bought this past year, Permethrin, for our parrot cages, and that was the same price as it was nearly a year ago.

We have to take a few of our four-legged pets to the vet in a couple of months, and that's always a huge bill. I will cringe if they went up.

 

[chickengr]

anything about pets have unreasonable high prices. the other day I went to the local discount supermarket to get some disposable underpads. there was a pack of 15 pieces, 60x90 cm, price 5,99 eur. the very same thing, a pack of 15 pc, 60x90 cm BUT for people use cost 2,99 eur.

as for medicines even some of our vets prescribe human pills for pets as they are 10+ times cheaper. pets can get human pills but humans cannot use animal pills as they are not made in 100% sterile environment. nevertheless animal medicines are so much more expensive. go figure.