It’s a very taboo question that few pet owners discuss openly, for fear of being stigmatized. At what amount would you inform the veterinarian that, no, it’s over, I don’t have the financial means or I refuse to pay this staggering sum, it’s over, I will have to let my beloved puppy go?
Posted at 7:15 a.m.
Just thinking about it makes me feel very uncomfortable. In theory, the life of a furry companion is priceless. In practice, yes.
In a fairly drunken dinner, I asked this forbidden question to friends, who all live with adorable doggies and who make ends meet, it’s a detail not to be overlooked in this debate.
Result of this unscientific survey? A bill under $5,000 is still reasonable, especially for a young animal that still has many good years ahead of it. But this is the psychological threshold that must not be crossed. Afterwards, it’s euthanasia. You have to name things.
Around the table, one of the guests had recently laid down nearly $15,000 to finance a delicate surgical operation, which saved the life of his aging dog.
Yes, he was tried. Cibole is almost the price of a brand new Mitsubishi Mirage! At the same time, it’s his money, he spends it as he pleases and he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to his darling little beast. My dog, my choice.
Prices in veterinary clinics have exploded in recent years, the show recalls Investigation in a powerful episode that - relays this Thursday at 9 p.m. At the Montreal SPCA, one in six animals has been abandoned for medical and financial reasons. Understand: their owners lack money to care for them.
The head does not connect with the heart when our loving baby is suffering and we arrive, in extreme panic, at an emergency veterinary center. Do all the tests! It will cost whatever it costs! Keep him alive!
PHOTO ANDRÉ PICHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Prices in veterinary clinics have exploded in recent years.
And if pitou and kitty care eats up an even greater share of the budget than before, it is because 20% of family veterinary clinics in Canada have been bought by multinationals, reveals the report fromInvestigation. These large brands, which operate in complete discretion, impose performance indicators on veterinarians on the food sold in clinics, on recorded hospitalizations and on the number of surgical procedures performed. In short, there are quotas to fill. Like with tickets for police officers.
-Concretely, these efficiency measures translate into more unnecessary or unnecessary blood tests, x-rays or scans. This reminds me of my old veterinarian who strongly advised me to consult a canine oncologist to examine my old pug’s warts. Excuse, sorry?
When I refused, he looked at me with contempt as if I had murdered my own dog in front of him, hello guilt. I flushed it. The vet, of course. Not my beautiful pug.
The journalist ofInvestigation Annie Hudon-Friceau explains that a local clinic recently inflated its prices by 80% when it became part of a large international company. For the same services provided by the same employees, the bill has practically doubled.
Honestly, it’s indecent. Under cover of anonymity, veterinarians denounce the arrival of large commercial brands who only think about money to the detriment of the well-being of animals.
In Quebec, two of these giants have their hands on a total of 136 clinics without necessarily clearly displaying it. To maintain its warm and friendly appearance, investment funds do not automatically add their name to the trade marquee.
So, you think you’re encouraging the business of two nice local veterinarians. You end up dealing with a mega-corporation registered in Sweden, which digs its hands straight into your wallet.
Still in the animal-financial field, The invoice revealed on Tuesday evening a tip to reduce your vet bill: buy medication for your four-legged companion directly at the pharmacy. Yes, yes. At Jean Coutu, at Pharmaprix, it doesn’t matter.
I had a dog for over ten years and never considered this option. In fact, I didn’t even know it was possible.
According to The invoicea canine anti-epileptic medication costs $160 per month in clinic. It’s very expensive. In pharmacies, the price of the same molecule fluctuates between $57 and $71. More than twice as expensive.
Identical pills can also be purchased on online Ontario pharmacy sites such as Pets Drug Mart, which accept Quebec prescriptions. Good information to know.
Obviously we love them, our charming little creatures. We pamper them, we cuddle them, we cuddle them and we treat them like members of our family, which they are. We love them, that’s undeniable, but we would also like to have funds left in our RRSPs when we retire. The cruel question at the start remains unresolved: how far are we prepared to go into debt to keep them in good health?
