Veterinary costs can feel overwhelming! Choosing a veterinary practice, a referral centre or even a treatment plan can be daunting, with so many factors to consider. Naturally, your pet’s welfare will always be at the heart of your decision. However, none of us have unlimited budgets, so price also has to play a part. Importantly, “value” is actually more important than price. So, let’s take a look at the difference between price and value, and why value matters more.
What’s the difference between “price” and “value”?
“Price” is the amount of money that something costs.
“Value” includes the price, but also includes the quality and how much something is worth to the purchaser. Which means that “value” is more subjective. Everyone may have a different opinion on what improves the value of an item or service.
As an example of value, my bread is more expensive than the bread my friend buys. My bread is freshly baked, with minimal processing and no nasty additives. My friend’s bread has an ingredient list as long as the packet, and is cheaper. However, I think my bread is better value for money, because I place “value” on the fact that it is not ultra-processed. My friend thinks his bread is better value for money, as he places “value” on the fact that his bread has a longer shelf-life.
Another example could be a chest of drawers. If I buy a chest of drawers for £40, this may seem cheap, but it only lasts a year before breaking. If I buy drawers for £100 and they last 10 years, this is a higher “cost”, but definitely better “value” for money.
What factors affect the “value” of veterinary care?
Well, as discussed above, this largely depends on your values, and what feels important to you. Unfortunately there is no National Health Service (NHS) for pets. Vet practices ultimately have to operate as businesses, in order to keep caring for people’s pets. The costs of running the business (rent, utilities, VAT, insurance, equipment, staff training etc.) all play a role in the cost of their veterinary services to pet owners.
Important factors to consider when looking at the value of veterinary care include:
- Location, including availability of parking or public transport links (whichever is relevant to your situation)
- Opening hours and days (in relation to when you are available to take your pet to the vet)
- Facilities: what equipment and diagnostics are available in house
- Hospitalisation facilities
- Out of hours care: the cost of an out of hours appointment, and the location of the out of hours provision (if it’s not on site)
- The experience and qualification of team members, including the number of qualified veterinary nurses
- The availability of continuity of care: except in emergencies, can you see the same vet or vet nurse each time?
- The length of standard consultations: This varies between practices! Some offer 10 minutes as routine, while others offer 20 or 30 minutes. Consider whether you would have time to ask all your questions (for example).
- The follow up care offered
- The ethos or culture of the practice (does it align with your preferences?)
Of course, there may be other factors that you personally place value on.
Is value more important than price?
Absolutely! Value is much more important than price in veterinary care. Comparing prices between practices can be confusing and misleading. It’s more accurate to compare “value”, and here’s why:
The cheapest (lowest price) vet isn’t always the best value. To give a hypothetical example (with made up costs), one vet practice (practice A) may offer a surgery for £200, whereas another may offer the same surgery for £300 (practice B). The first practice is cheaper on paper. However, let’s break it down:
Practice A: Charges extra for pain relief to go home with, and for follow up appointments. Your pet ends up needing a few follow ups after the surgery. By the time these medications and appointments are added, the total cost actually comes to £380.
Practice B: The price quoted includes medication to go home with and post operative checks. The total cost is truly £300.
So, in reality, although Practice A is lower cost on paper, Practice B is better value for money. This highlights the importance of asking what’s included in an estimate, and what extra costs there may be.
To look at another scenario:
Practice X: The total cost of surgery and aftercare is £200. However, there is no Registered Veterinary Surgeon (RVN) monitoring your pet during recovery and they have basic hospitalisation and monitoring equipment.
Practice Y: The total cost of surgery and aftercare is £300, but they have more advanced monitoring equipment for general anaesthetics, place an intravenous line in all patients, an RVN monitors pets while they recover, and there is a separate hospital ward area for dogs and cats.
Practice B is higher cost, but Practice B is still better value for money.
Conversely, the most expensive option isn’t automatically the best! A practice may well be able to offer the same level of service for a slightly lower cost.
You need to consider whether the higher price is truly due to added value. £80 for a 15 minute consult is not better value than £80 for a 30 minute consult, unless the vet has more experience or further qualifications (for example).
Pragmatic care
In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, it’s important to consider pragmatism too. In the veterinary world, this is often referred to as ‘contextualised care’. This approach focuses on the pet (the patient) and also the owner’s specific circumstances. It means you and your vet taking into account:
- Your pet’s welfare and needs
- Your pet’s temperament (for example, will they let you clean their ears conscious, will they tolerate injections, are they anxious at the vets?)
- Your pet’s age and overall health
- Your financial situation
- Your ability to provide care (for example, could you inject your pet at home if they are diabetic? can you medicate your pet at home? do you have any mobility issues yourself, which may limit the number of times you can bring your pet in (for example)?)
- Your values or beliefs
Taking all this information into account, a high value vet will be able to offer you a treatment plan best suited to your and your pet’s unique situation. They can also offer different treatment options, so that you can decide together.
Please don’t feel embarrassed or worried about discussing any financial concerns with your vet. They will be very used to discussing finances and would much rather you be upfront. All vets will be able to offer estimates for treatment and different treatment options, so you can make an informed decision.
Preventative health care
Naturally, no one wants to see their pet unwell or suffering. While we can never entirely prevent this, preventative health care can reduce the risk of your pet becoming ill.
Preventative health care includes:
- having regular health checks,
- keeping your pet up to date with their vaccinations,
- giving parasite control as needed,
- maintaining dental hygiene
- feeding a good quality complete diet
- ensuring your pet has plenty of exercise and maintains a healthy weight.
Many vet practices offer preventative health schemes (or health clubs), which allow you to pay monthly for some of their preventative health care. A vet practice offering this may contribute to your sense of that vet practice’s value, since it spreads the cost over the year.
Final Thoughts
Comparing veterinary costs can be daunting! Directly comparing costs may also be misleading and is not the best way to compare vet practices. Hopefully you now have a better idea on how to compare “value”, rather than “cost”. It’s important that you understand veterinary fees and the treatment options available to your pet, so that you can make informed decisions about your pet’s care. Your vet will be happy to provide estimates and treatment options, based on your unique circumstances.
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