Owning a pet may be expensive, with costs ranging from food to grooming.
Many Canadians believe that those fees are simply too pricey when veterinary expenses are added on top of that.
Four out of five respondents in a recent Angus Reid Institute survey claimed to have received “good” or “excellent” service from their veterinarian when going in for a routine checkup or emergency care.
However, at least 3/5 of Canadians believe that the prices charged by veterinarians for these services are excessive, particularly in light of the country’s rising cost of living.
“They know that we’ll spend the money because they’re our family,” Toronto resident and dog mom Meg W. told CP24.com.
Meg, 36, knows first-hand about exorbitant vet bills after having to pay for two surgeries in a seven-week span for one of her two dogs, Beau.
In September, Meg’s seven-year-old lab mix had to have his toe removed due to a growth, and earlier this month, Beau had to undergo another surgery to remove a tumor near his anus.
Overall, both surgeries cost Meg over $12,000.
“It is astronomical and it adds up. And when there’s two (surgeries) in a row like that I just, you know, put it all on my credit card,” she said.
Meg currently works full-time in marketing and is studying part-time to become a psychotherapist. With a roughly $35,000 income in the past year, Meg knows it will take her some time to pay off the bills.
However, Meg says she would have spent whatever she could to help Beau.
“I don’t have kids. So these dogs are my babies, right. I would have spent $20,000 if that’s how much it costs because he is that important to me…you could be paying off that hole for years,” she said.
To curb rising veterinarian costs, Meg says the industry needs to be stabilized because “at the end of the day, it is health-care.”
Source_ cp24.com
