Warning! Dr. Cheapvet Could Be Hazardous to Your Pet's Health

Does your vet brag about low, low prices? Imply that "other" vets are greedy while their only motive is love for animals? Boast that they don't do "unnecessary" tests?

Be Warned: While you're idolizing your vet for saving you money, your pets could be paying the ultimate price. 

It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? A vet who provides competent, ethical medical care, is the nicest person on earth, doesn't recommend all those "unnecessary" tests, and comes out the generous, saintly hero who isn't like all those "greedy" vets. Clients love him. After all, a person like that must love animals because they sure don't care about money, right? 

Not necessarily.

If the wonderful Dr. Cheapvet sounds unbelievable, that's because he might very well be. While animal guardians think they're savvy enough to be wary of a vet who might overcharge -- and some certainly do -- it never occurs to most of us that a vet could put your pet's health and life at risk in order to be known as an "honest" vet. But make no mistake -- it happens.  

If you're a guardian who would do anything for your pet -- almost every animal survey indicates that there are an awful lot of us out here -- and you have a history of pulling out all the stops to make sure your pets get everything they need, be sure you thoroughly check out your vet for a history of complaints, investigations, or disciplinary actions. Dr. Cheapvet may be in more trouble than you know, but that's nothing compared to the trouble your pet could be in.  

How does Dr. Cheapvet pull it off? Simple. When you think about it, it's downright brilliant -- if you're the trusting type. Dr. Cheapvet plays on the innate fear of consumers who believe that every vet is out to rip them off at an emotionally vulnerable time. Just look at some vet bills to see those costs racked up in the four and five figures, and you are a prime target for a vet who could quickly identify your outrage and exploit it for his own advantage. 

Dr. Cheapvet can spot a mark a mile away. The cost of veterinary care is ridiculous, right? Your friends balk at their vet bills. People gripe about mysterious tests and vague charges. You go into debt to give Fido and Fifi the best. And for what? All vets are rich and greedy and will take you for every cent, right? Of course!

Enter Dr. Cheapvet. He feels your pain. He shakes his head and commiserates about all those  vets who take advantage of the poor, hapless pet guardian who wouldn't know they're getting rooked without the wonderful Dr. Cheapvet to enlighten them. You listen in rapt attention. You can hardly believe it. A vet who truly loves animals! A vet who doesn't care about the almighty dollar! A vet who isn't out to take your life savings! A vet you can trust!

A vet, in short, who is not like all those other vets.

If you ever find yourself around a vet who is "not like all those other vets," you need to grab your pet and your car keys and head for the nearest second opinion as soon as possible. While you might be duly impressed that you've found an "honest" vet, your problems may have just begun. In fact, if a vet is bragging about not being like those other vets, you and your pet may be at real risk. 

Your vet better be like all those other vets. The statutes of the Veterinary Practice Act that govern the practice of vets in all 50 states were written to guarantee that vets are supposed to be more or less alike, meaning, no vet can treat based on a whim or worse, a personal philosophy that he feels entitled to implement no matter how much it deviates from the standard of care. Vets will certainly have differences of opinion, but they cannot, by law, administer treatment that differs substantially from what any other vet in the same or similar community would do for the same animal in the same or similar condition. (If you suspect your vet has violated the professional standard of humane care, see How to File a Complaint Against A Veterinarian.)

That's why second and third opinions are paramount. That ensures that you are comparing more than just cost. Dr. Cheapvet may have lured you in with the implied promise of standard of care at bargain basement costs, but you can always get your pet out before it's too late. As a layperson, it's highly unlikely that you have any idea what the standard of care is anyway. And who knows? Dr. Cheapvet might just like it that way. That's why second opinions are paramount and, when choosing one, you might want to select one with no connection to the first vet. And be especially careful when dealing with a sole practitioner -- there may not be any other vets around for good reason. Dr. Cheapvet may not want his or her practice under too much scrutiny from colleagues who might not agree with their peculiar form of bargain-basement medicine.

To be fair, there are highly qualified, dedicated, and ethical vets who, for whatever reason, consistently choose not to charge what the going rate is. Perhaps they don't need the money. Perhaps they inherited it, invested it wisely, won it, or married it. They may have no expertise or interest in complicated or chronic cases and refer patients to specialists when the need arises. It's hard to know.  

But some could be charging less simply because the feed off the hero worship of ignorant, trusting people who equate "cheap" with "honest." Besides, Dr. Cheapvet could be raking in the bucks in other ways that you know nothing about. 

Surgery, for example. Dr. Cheapvet could be receiving an inordinate amount of surgical referrals from his friends and colleagues, while yawning over  his "boring" routine patients who don't give the adrenaline rush of cutting. Some vets might even avoid long term chronic care cases because they are so labor and time-intensive. The only thing worse than a Dr. Cheapvet is a lazy Dr. Cheapvet. 

So before you run and recommend that "wonderful" cheap doctor to all your friends, waxing poetic about how he doesn't charge thousands and thousands of dollars like all the other moneygrubbers, make sure you know what you're talking about. 

And take your friends' recommendations with a big block of salt if the first words out of their mouths are "Oh, he's so nice, and he doesn't charge much!" Referrals from friends are fine, but be wary of any friend who tells you that all vets are alike -- the only difference being cost. By law, vets are supposed to provide more or less the same treatment for the same animal with the same condition within the same or similar community, but we as consumers have no way of enforcing those laws and veterinary boards dismiss complaints against vets more often than not.  

So what can you do to make sure your pet is getting STANDARD OF CARE at FAIR PRICES? 

- FIRST, DO YOUR HOMEWORK -- online and off.  Check out every aspect of the vet's professional life. Does he or she have a history of professional problems, complaints, investigations, and/or disciplinary actions? The cheapest vet on earth is of no use if they have been under a cloud of suspicion, no matter what the outcome. Dr. Cheapvet could have a history that dictates that he's had to lower his prices considerably because of bad publicity. Check court files, including small claims court,  for hints of veterinary malpractice claims or other legal entanglements.  Dr. Cheapvet may have needed to downshift his prices in a hurry to boost his "good guy" image. After all, nobody can resist a bargain.

- Compare prices. Call around to at least three different practices (more is better) to ask about costs for specific procedures. 

- Don't wait until your pet is in critical condition. Get regular routine care to familiarize yourself with how much your vet costs and if he or she is in line with other vets' prices -- extremes on either end could indicate a problem.

- Get second and third opinions -- yes, it bears repeating and are absolutely essential with geriatric animals, those with chronic conditions, or a pet who needs surgery. You need to distance yourself from "liking" your vet to doing what is BEST for your pet, not what is best for the vet. Watch for any signs of manipulation (and some of them are EXTREMELY subtle), so take along a friend who can witness what is being said and done to you and your pet at a vulnerable time. 

- Watch the "poormouthing" talk. Some vets are masters at zeroing in on your weak points in order to justify doing whatever they want to your pet and patting themselves on the back for doing you a "favor." Did you have a lot of medical bills lately? Did you just lose your job? Did your kid get into trouble at school? Are you worried about money? IRRELEVANT. Be careful how much personal financial information you give a vet who seems so "nice" that he just wants to help. You don't really know what he wants to do. But guess what? HE knows. 

- Some veterinarians brag about how they are saving their clients money by not running any unnecessary tests. How do you know they're unnecessary? Because the wonderful Dr. Cheapvet says so? Get another opinion, fast. Your pet could need any number of tests and treatments that you know NOTHING about. Make sure that when Dr. Cheapvet brags about how he's saving you money that your pet is also receiving appropriate treatments. Don't just automatically gush with gratitude.  And ALWAYS get copies of all test results. 

- If a vet is doing in-house testing of any kind -- GET COPIES OF THE RESULTS. Dr. Cheapvet could have the latest gizmo or gadget, claiming that in-house testing is more economical. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but like any other lab work, you should get copies of it. Lab work is part of the entire patient record that you are paying for, no matter where it's coming from, so make sure you get a complete copy of your pet's medical record after every visit. 

Finally, never equate "cheap" with "honest." They can be synonymous, but not always, and how would you know anyway? Although it may be a tremendous sacrifice to pay those vet bills, veterinary care may not be the best place to cut corners. Trusting Dr. Cheapvet could be the biggest mistake you make in the life of your pet, and once your beloved companion is gone, no amount of money will bring them back. 

--Julie Catalano