Veterinarians are getting more expensive all over the world

Since modern veterinarians invest their own money in learning new technologies and methods of work, improving their professional skills, their services should be paid accordingly.

“In Germany, from October 2022, the cost of veterinary treatment is expected to increase. The reason for this is the increase in the cost of advanced training and the introduction of technology. - Writes Jan Dahlke on the Agrarheute.com portal. - The Federal Cabinet approved the new version of the list of veterinary fees presented by the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir. As a result, veterinary services must be adapted to the level of veterinary medical knowledge, and remuneration rates to the economic requirements of running a veterinary practice.

The list of veterinary fees in Germany last changed so much in 1999. A lot has happened in veterinary medicine since then. Therefore, the most modern methods of research and treatment of diseases should also be billed.

The cost of treating animals is expected to increase, which will ensure the continued existence of many veterinary clinics.

For services provided at night, on weekends or holidays at the request of the owner of the animal, the rates of simple payment are increased by 100 percent, and for farm animals used for paid work by their owners - by 75 percent. There is also an emergency fee of 50 euros.”

In CANADA, the shortage of veterinarians is also driving pay increases and creatives to help fewer veterinarians reach more of their patients.

Roy Lewis, Alberta large animal veterinarian and part-time veterinarian for Merck Animal HEALTH, presented his vision for the future of the industry in an article on www.grainews.ca.

“Due to much talk about the shortage of veterinarians, especially large animal specialists, as well as small animal veterinarians and emergency veterinarians, steps are being taken to increase the number of veterinary school graduates.

it was recently announced that the University of Calgary Veterinary School will expand from its current 50 students to 100 over the course of several years. The plan sounds good, but the bottom line is that we won't see a significant influx of graduates for about seven years, so what do we do in the meantime?

I suggest that breeders consider some strategies that can help in this situation. The largest apparent shortage of available farm animal veterinarians appears to occur during calving season emergencies. I would advise breeders with a clinic equipped for emergency care, such as calving and caesarean sections, as well as routine procedures such as calf examination and surgery, semen evaluation.

If you find one, be prepared to deliver the animal yourself. This makes the veterinarian efficient and able to serve a large area in an emergency if they don't have to travel a lot.

On farms, it is important to help female veterinarians. They are now the dominant sex in the profession, and what they lack in brute strength they make up for in ingenuity.

Veterinarians may limit the number of new clients. I just recently started hearing about veterinary clinics not accepting new clients when I thought it was for human medical care only.

Some veterinarians can provide telemedicine services if they know your stock and you provide a short video or photo series. These calls must be charged or the cost will be included in your herd health agreement, but they will still save you time and money.

The veterinary technician is a valuable part of the team, so in the future, perhaps normative work, sampling and special visits to the herd - perhaps even pregnancy testing - will be performed by animal technicians. Currently, there is a course in Canada in which animal technicians, under the supervision of a veterinarian, learn how to perform pregnancy tests. The team approach in clinics is what wins.

Finally, if you live in an area where there is a shortage of veterinarians, it's time to consider efficiency measures and incentives. Perhaps a community clinic should be set up or a scholarship should be set up to cover tuition costs for a particular veterinary student to return to the area to work. The bottom line is to work towards creating an environment that is sustainable and fulfilling for the young veterinarian now and in the future.”