I think that pet healthcare is just like human health care- advanced. We've reached a time when there are many more treatments and medications available then there were 25 years ago or even 10 years ago for that matter.
I don't believe the vet is trying to rip you off. He's just letting you know that there are tests and treatments that could make your pet healthier.
It really boils down to your philosophy. Is the pet a member of the family? Deserving of the level of healthcare that you would provide your children? or He's just a pet? You feed him and get just basic, necessary healthcare- like maybe only the shots required for the annual license and antibiotics if he's sick. There are all ranges of middle ground.
I'm not saying either is right or wrong- just different philosophies.
I'd agree. I grew up on a farm and culling the herd was part of the life, including pets. My folks would never have spent the money I do now on pets.
Veterinarians graduate with some impressive student loans. My vet finished in 1998 with about $100K in loans. Salaries for new graduates are around $50,000, give or take, and they're not rising like they once did. The loans, however, remain.
Many vets are associates--employees. They don't set the prices but they're responsible for productivity, esp. since many established practices are being purchased by veterinary corporations as the original owners age. New vets can barely get traction in buying a practice. The current credit environment is only making things worse.
I vaccinate my horses myself for the same reasons many of the posters on this thread have mentioned: expense. But in doing so, I assume the responsibility if something goes wrong. I do take the dog and house cats to the vet but I'm about to vaccinate a barn cat myself. You can locate a vaccine with feline leukemia, panleukemia, chlamydia, Calicivirus, and rhinotracheitis.
I had some other barn cats until the end of December. Never even thought about vaccinating them, even though "something" had come through in the summer and a stray and one of the (then) unvaccinated house cats got sick.
Well, they were off in their appetites and then they were dead. That's it. I'm never going to leave an animal I'm feeding go unvaccinated again, although I would vaccinate them myself.
As far as teeth cleaning, I have learned that's a basic maintenance that gets done annually for the dog, soon to be 14. Her liver enzymes elevate. I still don't understand the correlation but there is one, and I love this dog too much not to have the cleaning done. I'll cut corners somewhere else but not with her.
With the advances in animal medicine and the useage of human pharmaceuticals in the animal population, I think consumers have come to expect more and better care for their pets and livestock. That comes at a cost. The other issue is so many diseases are zoonotic, crossing species. Veterinarians provide an invaluable service and deserve adequate renumeration for the long hours they work. Like any other profession, there will be those who poorly represent their vocation, but by and large, they have to have a broad medical knowledge base and continue to learn throughout their working lives.
