Pet Health Care Monopoly
A wave of corporatization is hitting the veterinary industry, but does a one-size-fits-all approach work?
Even if you don’t tend to, this truly is a must read! This explosive article in Bloomberg Business Weeklooks at what happens when big business monopolizes the pet health business and how this corporatization might not be in the best interests for our dogs cats and all 4 legged family members on many levels. It is not a new business model, it simply follows the human medical care business model.
You may be shocked after reading this article, to realize the extent that corporations have bought up veterinary practice. In fact, the small private independent clinic like mine is becoming more and more rare. Do you value being an informed advocate for your animal? You have the buying power to prove it. What is more important convenience and one stop shopping or an individualized plan?
Do you really want the pet food manufacturer to also own the veterinary clinic thus the suggested or prescribed treatment plan including a prescription diet that costs more money? Where is the integrity in that? Do you want the veterinarian that is prescribing medications to your animal to have their hands tied in making choices for best care and the only solutions they are allowed to give you are corporate algorithms?
Bloomberg points to an example from Banfield’s software program “Pet Ware,” used to instruct the veterinarians in diagnosing and prescription advice:
According to Jason Clenfield article, The High-Cost, High-Risk World of Modern Pet Care, “the book shows a checklist of therapies for a dog with atopic dermatitis, or itchy skin. Doctors are encouraged to recommend a biopsy, analgesics, topical medications, antibiotics, a therapeutic dietary supplement, an allergy diet, and a flea control package. They’re required to recommend antihistamines, shampoos, serum allergy testing, lab work, a skin diagnostic package, and anti-inflammatories. It’s a treatment course that might run $900 for symptoms that, in a best-case scenario, indicate something as prosaic as fleas. The manual reminds doctors: You cannot change items that were initially marked Required. They must remain required.”