Yes…….and……. No. After all, you didn’t think the answer would be easy. One of the most common criticisms we hear about veterinary practices is how expensive it is to bring your pet to the vet. Over the past few years the quality of pet care has improved tremendously and with that improvement the cost of care has become, at times, unaffordable. As pet owners we need to figure out a way to afford medical care for our pet companions. Why has the cost of care risen and what can you, as a pet owner, do about it?

There is no question that advancing technology promotes better care but do we always need to take advantage of everything we can do diagnostically? At the Brockton Animal Hospital we frequently see patients who have been to other practices yet find them too expensive. It is always a challenge in dealing with a patient to figure out the problem without the patient being able to “tell you where it hurts”. But as veterinary practitioners that is what we do. For myself, though it would be easier to run a battery of tests that hopefully will tell me what is wrong, I find the challenge of having to limit my diagnostics an entirely different and challenging task. Here at Brockton Animal Hospital, we formulate a treatment plan for your pet but only run one test at a time utilizing the test most likely to yield results. If that test is normal then and only then do we move on to the next diagnostic. In this manner we assure that our clients spend only as much as needed to get answers. Often, in other hospitals, several tests are run at once and results evaluated together. Though this may be expedient, one or more diagnostics were often not necessary had the earlier results first been reviewed. As doctors in charge of the health of your family members, it is our responsibility to provide the best possible care even if one can’t afford to do every single test. Yet we must do whatever we can to cure the patient. This is what our profession is about and I don’t believe there is a greater job that exists in the world.

It is no secret that an animal hospital is a business. There are expenses such as medicine, equipment and laboratories. Collecting fees for what we do is essential to stay open and provide care for our pet companions. More importantly a practice is about people. The people who have committed their life to providing the best and most compassionate care that exists. Technicians, receptionists, doctors and of course you, the clients. Those of us that work in the field are the same as you. We are pet owners who often consider our dogs and cats the most important member of our family. We all struggle when our pets become ill and we all rejoice when they are well. At times it is difficult to deal with the financial aspects of medical practice. It can be very sad when expense stands in the way of the best care possible. But at the Brockton Animal Hospital we do everything to ensure that the care for your pet is never compromised by dollars and cents. It is a difficult task but one we do well.

You, the clients, are part of our family. We enjoy having you as part of our life and rejoice in the pleasure you receive from your pet companions. Please, if there is ever anything we can do to enhance your pet owning experience. let us know. We will do whatever we can to keep you and your pets together as long as possible.