Is veterinary care too expensive?

Hello 👋

Welcome to another edition of Weekend Rounds!

We’re sorry that the newsletter is in your inbox a little bit lot later than usual today. After all, it is the first NFL Sunday of the year so we were busy setting our fantasy lineups, making nachos, and enjoying that crisp fall air.

It’s been a big day, so we will keep it brief:
🕵️ UK set to investigate veterinary prices
🚀 Quick hits

Is vet care too expensive?

We all know veterinary care is expensive. The common refrain when we have those clients who complain about the bill is something along the lines of “of course it’s expensive, it’s medical care.” But despite this, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into the cost of veterinary care in the UK. The CMA is concerned that prices of veterinary care are rising faster than other goods and services.

As the BBC reported this week, there are concerns that veterinary care is unaffordable in the UK. Its a nuanced issue, but the article doesn’t do itself many favors by giving the example of a French Bulldog who required back surgery quoted at £7000. Using spinal surgery as the example of expensive care is probably not the best illustration.

The article points to the possibility that increasing corporatization may be playing a role in the increased cost of care. But it probably isn’t quite that simple and there is some nuance here. It is likely that the cost of veterinary care started too low, so rising costs which outpace other services may bring veterinary care more in line with where they should be. But it is hard to ignore that when private equity or corporations are buying practices the bottom line has to factor in more. That is the nature of business. There are certainly some interesting factors to explore.

Whatever the cause, the investigation may not be a great look for our profession which struggles with the public perception of being focused on money. But we would suggest it may be an opportunity to welcome the scrutiny. An investigation such as this could figure out some of the root causes of the challenges we face with this negative public perception and if leveraged in the right way, bring more equity to the profession. This is a story we will be keeping our eye on as the outcome of the CMA investigation is likely to send ripples across the profession.

🚀 QUICK HITS 🚀

What if AI treats humans how we treat animals? [Vox]

Inspire veterinary partners set to acquire hospitals in Oregon [Yahoo News]

Why are animals so colorful? [Live Science]

Do animals dream and how can we tell? [Discovery Mag]

Veterinary schools transmit culture to students, not just data [Phys.org]