19/03/2024
The news today has been full of the CMA’s initial report into veterinary services and our pricing.
It has also been full of vet bashing.
I cannot speak for my entire industry but I can speak up on behalf of my colleagues on the frontline of veterinary practice and hopefully clear a few things up;
Firstly, the VAST majority of veterinary professionals have absolutely nothing to do with deciding the clinic's fees, even in independent practices. So whatever you do today, please don’t take any negativity from this news out on the people who are there to help your pets.
Secondly, there has been a huge amount of commentary over the difference in the prices of medications bought directly from your vet and from online pharmacies. We in surgeries simply cannot compete with huge warehouses on anonymous business parks, packed to the rafters, with a skeleton staff. And often the most commonly prescribed medicines are used as loss leaders, so the gap is even more stark.
The prices online are frequently less than what we pay with our suppliers and, no, we cannot just buy it from the pharmacies, we are legally bound to purchase from licensed wholesalers.
In fact, we are subject to a great deal of regulation the general public know nothing about but that restricts our pricing flexibility. Did you know, for example, that when we chose a drug for your pet, we cannot use price as a deciding factor? This means if there is a cheaper, often human, version, we cannot prescribe it on price alone if there is a pet version available.
Another point that I have heard made frequently today is the price comparison of paracetamol from vets as opposed to supermarkets. (And side note – this is only for dogs, paracetamol is highly toxic to cats.) The difference is marked but, again, because of rules few people know about, we cannot advise you to go and buy medicine over-the-counter for your dog. Even on the NHS prescribed paracetamol costs about 4 times that of getting from a shop, because of the costs involved in running a pharmacy and paying staff to oversee dispensing. This issue is not unique to veterinary and is certainly not our fault.
Much has also been made of the costs of veterinary treatments in general but the fact of the matter is good quality medicine and surgery by skilled professionals is costly and the service provided by your vet team actually represents incredible value for money.
We are shielded somewhat from the true cost of care by the NHS but even so, comparisons are difficult.
For example, it probably is cheaper to have routine dental treatment as a human but I presume you don’t need to be anaesthetised for the procedure, with all the drugs and monitoring that entails, you probably brush your teeth regularly so scaling is pretty quick and I doubt you often need to have multiple teeth pulled with x-rays taken as well.
Your local veterinary clinic is staffed by incredible, dedicated and phenomenally talented people whose sole focus is your pets. They can treat minor and major illness and injury, diagnose and treat a huge number of diseases in several different species and perform operations from the routine to the life saving.
They have access to equipment that means your pet never needs to leave the building for x-rays, blood tests, ultrasound scans and more.
They are there for your pet’s first visit and for their last, with compassion and dedication.
The standard of care animals, especially pets, receive these days is phenomenal. It does come at a cost but it is exactly what most owners want for their furry family members.
Are there some questions to be answered over the corporate influence on veterinary medicine? Absolutely. Do I welcome the CMA report and their investigation? Yes I do.
Do my colleagues and I deserve the onslaught we have had today? Definitely not.
