Affordable Options Are Everyone's Right.

Heather
Harford County Humane Society surrender

For a huge part of the pet owning population the ability to find affordable care for many aspects of their pets health is unattainable. Many cannot afford to make good routine nutritional choices, attain routine veterinary care, provide little to no vaccines or preventatives, and even more cannot begin to find affordable options for complex disease(s) or emergency care. The size of the chasm of need increases significantly for people as the small choices for basic care grow into more complicated health concerns.

The reality of the intensive side of veterinary pet care, and by that I mean; emergencies, life threatening disease or conditions, or pet care that requires specialists, referrals or hospitalization, is that if you have deep pockets you can, and will, get state of the art unimaginable high quality specialized care. The state of veterinary medicine is at the point where amazing things are possible when clients have access to immediate funds.

In the real-world of this small animal general practitioner there are too many cases where the degree of assistance and the altering of prognosis with the likelihood of cure is directly proportional to the power to pay immediately.

Let me explain. Many difficult cases require more than one vet visit and more information than our eyes, ears and nose can identify at the initial visit. Running tests and making repeat visits to the vets office are needed to find the critical clues that help lead to the answers your pet needs to provide optimal care and prognosis. These can be expensive. As the wallet shrinks these key critical pieces for a best case outcome scenario fade.

In some cases I cannot even get close to a diagnosis. Without at least $500 I often can't get a narrowed down list of possible rule-outs to allow focused effective meaningful care. Seasoned trained well established vets dole out a boat load of convincing "educated guesses" when we are presented with pets who need answers and pet parents who don't or can't pursue diagnostics. It is sad and true that huge numbers of fates are decided on "guesses" educated or otherwise.

Even in the few cases that I can almost 100% definitively diagnose for less than $100 or $200 dollars, let's say for example DKA, fractures, blocked cat, obstructions, pyometra, GDV,  IVDD, neuromuscular disease, toxins, cancer, behavior cases, (the list is endless), I cannot provide cheap AND prognostically favorable answers for less than $500 (plus). It is always a dance of managing expectations, resources, and open honest communication, and always, always, trying to figure out a way to keep a pet in a home and happy on all sides. It is why so many vets learn to walk away indifferent.

I believe that vets are an integral part of a pets quality of life. We are their advocate for all facets of their care. Why then is it that we shirk away from guidance when there are financial constraints? How on earth can denying affordable options help maintain our credibility and integrity? If there is a pet care problem there are ALWAYS options. There are even affordable options. Perhaps they are not attainable under our roof but shouldn't we be obligated to provide them regardless? Is withholding affordable options a part of who we want to be? My clinic provides clients in need with resources of low cost spay/neuter clinics, vaccine clinics, surgical facilities and trainers, even though  we provide all of these services under our roof. Why do we do this? Because ultimately our patients shouldn't have to pay for our inabilities (vet AND parent included).

Our most recent endeavor is to curb the need for shelter surrenders of our patients.

Undoubtedly there are many sides to the problem of why people surrender to shelters. There are many sides that I cannot help. Of them I cannot convince a pet parent to love their pet. I cannot build a bond between a person who doesn't want to make a place in their heart or family to care about them. I cannot convince someone to not be evicted, or not rent an apartment that won't take pets, etc. BUT, I can help in behavior and health care issues that might cause some loving pet parent to consider surrender, abandonment or economic euthanasia because the cost of care is too great.

PetFinder.com's  Top 10 Reasons for Relinquishment*

Dogs:

1. Moving (7%)
2. Landlord not allowing pet (6%)
3. Too many animals in household (4%)
4. Cost of pet maintenance (5%)
5. Owner having personal problems (4%)
6. Inadequate facilities (4%)
7. No homes available for litter mates (3%)
8. Having no time for pet (4%)
9. Pet illness(es) (4%)
10. Biting (3%)

Cats:

1. Moving (8%)
2. Landlord not allowing pet (6%)
3. Too many animals in household (11%)
4. Cost of pet maintenance (6%)
5. Owner having personal problems (4%)
6. Inadequate facilities (2%)
7. No homes available for litter mates (6%)
8. Allergies in family (8%)
9. House soiling (5%)
10. Incompatibility with other pets (2%)

Jarrettsville Veterinary Center can help with some of these. Here is what we are doing to help the pets in our community;

• Providing shelter for pets from excessive heat or cold for free. 
• Providing payment options when care is denied elsewhere. 
• Providing care when euthanasia is the only affordable options given, or, even taking surrendered pets when our clients pass away. 

We will do it. We can help and we will. Coming soon we will offer a pet food pantry and Pet Savings Plan to help our clients prepare for the rainy days every pet will at some point face.

This is our latest offer of assistance;

Dear Local Shelters/Rescues,

At Jarrettsville Veterinary Center we have a deep desire to help animals in need.  We want to be part of the solution in keeping pets out of shelters.  According to the ASPCA approximately 7.6 million animals enter shelters nationwide every year.  This number is shocking and we would like to do something to help with the problem in our community.  We are reaching out to the shelters and rescues in our area and asking for your cooperation.  When a pet is surrendered due to the owner’s inability to pay for the pet’s veterinary care we ask that you ask one additional question.  Please ask who their veterinarian is.  If Jarrettsville Veterinary Center is mentioned or listed on a vaccine history as the center where the pet received care please contact us at 410-692-6171 and ask to speak to Jennifer Taylor.  We would like to see what we can do to assist the owner and their pet.

Thank you so much for your cooperation in this matter, as a team we hope to help our patients who may find themselves in unfortunate circumstances.

Warm regards,
The staff of JVC

This is Heather. She was surrendered by her family to our local shelter. She is 3 1/2 years old and has not been treated for her diabetes diagnosed over a year ago. She was very, very sick from her neglected diabetes. Without immediate care she would have likely died within a few days. She was 113 pounds at arrival. This is almost 30 pounds more than she should be. If it weren't for the shelter staff calling us and our ability to help her she would have been euthanized. Somewhere someone failed her. This disease is avoidable and treatable. A lot could have been done for her to keep her from being surrendered. She needed to be given dietary options. Affordable, over the counter, options. She needed to be shown to how to be treated for diabetes. Affordably. She needed more than her family could provide. She is one of those pets in our community we are responsible for. We owe her more than she has been given and we will help her find her second chance at a new and healthier life.

Our goal is to offer options to help people so surrender or economic euthanasia isn't a needed option. Pawbly and Jarrettsville Vet are here for this purpose. We hope that you will join us in helping pets in your community. Education and options are often all that are needed to change and better the lives of those in our communities.

More on Heather soon.

If you would like to help a pet please join us at Jarrettsville Vet for one of our fundraisers, like Pets With Santa. Always the first Sunday in December. Or visit us on our Facebook page. You can ask me questions about your pet on Pawbly.com. It is free to use and open to anyone. I am also on Twitter @FreePetAdvice and YouTube.

Coot, our resident clinic cat, and I steal a snuggle selfie

Related Blogs;

What Are You Building? Leadership in a Compassion Based Clinic.

Medical bill madness: what if human medicine was like veterinary medicine?

Economic Euthanasia.

Veterinary Rescue Shaming and The Frank-Starling Law.

Rescue Economics. When The Expense Costs You Your Ability to Care.

Wellness Plans, Savings Plans, and Surprises.

Jarrettsville Veterinary Center Protocol for Clients with Financial Constraints.

Compassion Fatigue. When the candle you are burning at both ends consumes you.

Wellness Plans, Savings Plans and Surprises. Why your vet NEEDS to be your best friend.

Me and  Loon,,
a cat brought in to be euthanized because she wasn't using the litter box.
Our resident cat for 7 pus years now, she reminds me everyday why I am here.
...and PS she has never missed the box since arriving,,
Yes, of course, love can cure everything!

Surprises are not welcomed in veterinary medicine. Surprises in veterinary medicine end up with big decisions, somewhat tenuous consequences and all too often unplanned big price tags. As a veterinarian I know the realities of these surprises all too well. I also know that many clients are not prepared for them. If your pet lives long enough it is almost inevitable that a surprise will find you because somewhere down the twists and turns of life you will be thrown a curve ball.

In the last month at Jarrettsville Vet we have seen our clients scrambling to find funds to manage the following surprises;

1. Abdominal mass from a splenic tumor that needed emergency surgery ($1200).  

   

   This is Buddy. His whole belly is almost one splenic tumor.

2. Jumping out of truck bed and breaking femur ($3000).
   

   

   Read Henry's story here.

3.      Aute pancreatitis causing vomiting, anorexia, lethargy and painful abdomen ($1000). Required 6 days of iv fluids and hospitalization.

   

   Lilly gets her catheter to start her week of iv fluids

4. Newly adopted shelter cat falls apart within one week of being at new home. Diarrhea, anorexia, respiratory infection, corresponding diagnostics and hospitalization for one week, including placing a feeding tube ($1500).

Cuddling with Minnie after placing her feeding tube.

One of the most important parts of being a veterinarian is to educate my clients. A world class veterinarian will provide their client with helpful advice so that most of the time they don’t need us. We will provide a well laid out plan for optimal health and longevity. In essence great vets are both excellent communicators, educators, and personally invested in your pets healthcare now and also a decade from now.

A worried patient awaits her knee surgery, $1500 at JVC.

Successful pet parenting is no small task. The planning for today's activities; the walking, feeding, providing exercise and mental health balance and trying to plan for the unknowns lurking somewhere down the road. Pets share almost every medical and emotional need that we pet parents do. Every possible ailment, disease, accident, injury and treatment option that the human medical options offer. It is not inconceivable for an average pet to cost over $10,000 in their lifetime. If there is cancer, organ failure, or complicated disease you can burn through that price tag in a few weeks.

The best advice that I can give you is to be prepared;

• Get pet insurance. Hope you never need it, but being able to care for your pet when they need you most is worth the monthly payments. Know what the plans limits are, but, be prepared for those too.
• Plan ahead. The advent of assigning typical pet visits into a yearly cost divided up into small payments was the ingenuously profitable brain child of corporate veterinary America meets budget conscious Americans who have difficulty saving for that someday rainy day. The success of these Wellness Plans has brought many private practice veterinarians into also trying to provide clients some basic wellness options broken into monthly fees and a contract.

I am a skeptic of Wellness Plans for a few reasons;

1. Your pet is not a numbered entity cast by a cookie cutter. Every pet has individual needs. The way a typical wellness plan addresses a participant is as a “typical” case. For example, if you have a dog like my pit bull you will never need ear cytology. Never mind need it twice a year  which many plans provide. If you are however my beagle, you will need it four times a year and both knees fixed within 3 months of each other. My pit bull has cost me nothing more than food, vaccines, and preventatives. My adorable beagle, the farm.
2. Contracts equate to consequences. You cannot get out of them easily. 
3. Life has too many twists and turns. Sure every vet will advocate the importance of an ounce of prevention, and the incredible importance of examinations, diagnostics, preventive care, a good solid relationship built around the vet, the pet and you, BUT, disaster will not be covered by your wellness plan. Many of the heart wrenching cases revolve around a surprise disaster and most pet parents are simply not prepared financially for these. 
4. Gimmicks. Wellness plans have gimmicks to influence and entice. What a pet parent wants is assurance that they will have options at affordable costs they can manage not a gimmick to influence a pet care decision.

Peanutty, Bella, and Pepper
all rescues and all a part of the JVC family.

If you are considering a wellness plan think about the following; 

1. How invested is your vet in your pets care? A great vet will go to bat for your pet at every instance. You are not a cookie. Every step in your pets care has options. The best vets have you prepared for both the foreseeable and unplanned events. Sit down with your vet and draw up a plan for the year. List all foreseeable needs, goods, and services. Make a yearly budget based on these.
2. What does the Wellness Plan entail? Break down the cost for each line item covered. For example; most plans provide preventatives (heartworm and flea & tick). But, they are calculated for the biggest size and most expensive preventative. Your chihuahuas year supply of heartworm prevention is about one quarter the cost of a St Bernard. Don’t pay for a giant when you have a portable peanut pup. Further, your peanut pup might not need both? 
3. I know of clinics who “use up” your plans services, (for instance the two free ear cytologies), on your first two visits in the hopes you will need more down the road. The plan can set people up for being taken advantage of and you will never know it. 
4. It is widely discussed in vet circles but not published that about 60%* of people will not take advantage of the wellness plan items they pay for. Whether it is fear of over anesthetizing your pet, inability to meet the calendar of available services, or lack of need? Wellness plans are sold to the client as a “convenience frequent-buyer program with small monthly payments, but they favor the vet practice. The game is always set up to protect the house.

Rye

Some pet insurance companies offer monthly payment plans to help offset routine care. I do not recommend these. Your money in someone else’s pocket leaves your decisions to others scrutiny. Do your best to be prepared for the routine stuff. If you think you want to purchase pet insurance look for those that just cover accidents and illness. These are the ones that will ruin you financially and lead to treatment plans that include “economic euthanasia.”

What’s the reality? Sadly, Americans are very bad at saving, planning, and preparedness for disaster. A monthly plan is a way to help defray some of the big financial hits at the vet, BUT, it will not help when surprises arise or disaster picks your number.

Have your own emergency fund. 

In my neck of the woods I recommend having three things;

1. $2500 in your own pets savings account. I know it sounds like a huge amount. But at least have $1,000. Almost every savable emergency can be started on $1,000. 
2. Have a credit card with room on it. Or, have available credit so you will be approved for CareCredit if needed. 
3. Have a vet and their cell phone number in your back pocket. I cannot over emphasize how much heartbreak, money, and guilt ridden consequences this can cost you.

Me and my shadow, Wren

If you aren’t good at saving and don’t have a vet to go to bat for you, get an insurance plan for surprises and disasters AND start looking for a vet you trust at some point your chips will fall and you need to be prepared for that.

What’s my solution? Jarrettsville Veterinary Center now offers a Pet Savings Plan through Vet Billing Solutions. We will tailor a monthly savings plan for your pet and provide an affordable easy way to do this. What’s the catch? Nothing. Not one single thing! It’s your money to use for your pet whenever and wherever you need it! No catch. No gimmicks. No contracts. Just more happy endings!

Madeline

Call us today and ask about it. Or find me trying to save the pet world anytime at Pawbly.com.

* Data from lectures at Idexx Management 2015 lectures on Wellness Plans.
In the end my veterinary practice is here to serve one purpose,,, help my community take better care of their companions. So, I am all ears. What can we do to help you do this? Please leave me a comment, or suggestion.

Related blogs;

Economic Euthanasia.

Vet Billing Solution; Medical Madness. 

Helpful related articles;
DVM360, 8 Mistakes to Avoid In Your Veterinary Wellness Plans.

Veterinary Practice News. Wellness Plans Allow Clients to Budget for Pets Preventive Veterinary Care

If you have a veterinary, or pet, related question you can find me anytime on Pawbly.com. Pawbly is open to anyone who has a pet in need or experience that they would like to share.

Appointments for your pet assistance can be made by visiting me at Jarrettsville Veterinary Center in beautiful Harford County Maryland.

Or try me on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.