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Posted by snakelass on November 09, 2002 at 05:15:41:
In Reply to: That vet clinic seriously overcharged! posted by DogStar on November 07, 2002 at 13:19:43:
:My vet clinic I WORKED at charged less than that to c-sec a DOG!
Working on a very small animal can be more difficult than with a larger one. Running a veterinary hospital well is expensive, and I've yet to see a rich vet in general practice.
In any case, everyone has to decide on their priorities when they spend money. For a few examples: I spent over $100 on a rat who was 4 years old, to keep her last months more comfortable, until she no longer seemed to enjoy living and was euthanized. I've spent over $100 on a doomed baby garter snake. Also about $400 on a rescued 19-foot retic who grew to resent the antibiotic shots she needed so that I had to work her with a hook and shield until I found a sanctuary where she will have a home for the rest of her life. I spent several hundred on a common boa who swallowed her jaw not once but twice, and now can't manage anything more than a fairly small rat, although she is 7 feet. Multiple small rats cost more than one jumbo rat the same size, but I do it because I love her. She is my pet, like my other snakes, some of whom have had much more money spent on them than they are "worth" if you are talking about marketability.
I decided long ago that I wouldn't take on any animal unless I was reasonably sure that I could provide for it properly, including vet care. That is part of the reason I don't have any dogs or cats now, and won't until I'm sure I can give them the care and attention they need to be enjoyable pets, rather than burdens.
I originally found the attitude of the original poster quite cynical, but then realized it might be the flippancy which people in various professions develop. I teach basic math and beginning algebra at a community college, and with my husband I sometimes privately make fun of some of my students. This doesn't mean that I don't respect the student and do my best to help them learn, but it is something of a coping mechanism. And after all, this is the humor forum... :-)
Denise Loving
