I posted this in the Wiccaweys Blog a couple of months ago - I thought you guys might find it interesting.
The Cost of Rescue
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You know, I was thinking about the costs in Rescue, and accidentally came across something VERY interesting.
If you ever thought you were being taken for a ride by your vet because of the prices they charge, please remember that according to a report in the "Veterinary Business Journal" (yes you read that right - Business Journal) Vets are very hard done by.
Despite the fact that most people consider the cost of Neutering and Speying of their dogs prohibitive, the article claims that vets "Undercharge for perceived price-sensitive services such as neutering and spaying".
They aren't finished there. They also claim that vets "charge disproportionately less for smaller pets, resulting in less margin - again, with a declining dog population and a boom in cats and small mammals, there are important implications here".
If you've ever wondered whether your dog has been overprescribed, or really needs those drugs, the article hightlights that vets "rely heavily on drug income to subsidise the basic consultation, which in itself was consistently unprofitable - with an increasing tendency towards preventive veterinary care and routine health checks, it is difficult to see how long this can persist".
And if you thought the basic consultation fee was expensive, they disagree: "No matter what size a practice is, out-patient consultations are currently loss-making. The main element of cost involved is the vet's time and until the profession addresses the issues of its basic consultation fee, the situation is unlikely to change."
Interestingly, these figures were based upon "A salary of £60,000...for all partners with any return above this being termed profit." And according to the report, "veterinary surgeons do not fare well when compared with other professionals such as doctors or lawyers".
So, this publication has a conniption fit when Vets are struggling to make a £60,000 salary (and anything above that is deemed profit!!)
I wonder what they would consider of financial state of a rescue. As standard, we have a policy that all dogs should be vet checked, vaccinated, speyed or neutered (depending on age), wormed, flea treated and microchipped before going to their new home. So, what would this cost?
Speying : £160.00
Neutering : £135.00
Vaccinations (Full Course): £ 40.00
Microchip : £ 20.00
Flea & Worming : £ 20.00
For a bitch you could be paying £240.00, and for a dog £215.00
So, to reach the minimum standard we set ourselves, we're looking at spending between £215.00 - £240.00 at 'retail' prices so that a dog can go into a new home.
This of course doesn't take into account the other 'costs' of rescuing a dog, such as food, lighting, heating, upkeep, etc. This also assumes that the dogs are 100% healthy when they arrive. Should they need other treatment, then the bill can be even higher. Some dogs that have gone into new homes have had over £800 spent on them - and the donation fee is the same.
And what is this suggested donation? £100 - and some people think that's expensive. An average dog can have over £300 in medical bills alone, but only having to pay £100 for that care AND the dog is seen as expensive.
We have a suggested fee because there is no way we can say one dog is more expensive than another. How can you put a value on the life of a dog? Just because a dog needed more care doesn't mean it should cost more as a donation.
We just have to work harder and harder to bring the funds in so that we can keep rescuing collies.
So when I read that some vets are feeling hard done by on £60,000 a year, it makes me wonder.
source:
http://www.m-a-p.co.uk/Vetspub.html