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| A repost from October 2010 |
From Veterinary News comes this report that the usual suspects (Ron DeHaven, CEO of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Banfield Pet Hospitals, Bayer, and Brakke Consulting) are planning a full-on campaign to rip-off the American people.
As the article notes:
John Payne, CEO of Banfield, The Pet Hospital called on professional leaders to form a comprehensive strategy to build access to veterinary care.
"It's time to act," Payne told attendees at a recent Banfield Pet Healthcare Industry Summit, especially in light of sluggish economy and receding client visits.
.... The idea, however, is to build a broad coalition of practitioners, animal-health companies and associations to... boost the number of times pet owners see their veterinarian....
... Over the last several years, the veterinary profession has removed trip drivers, Payne says. "We have changed vaccine protocols, which is a good thing. We have products changing distribution. That's a trip driver. And you are seeing this constant bombardment of messages on television about saving money and saving a trip to the veterinarian. It's dangerous for this profession."
... Heartworm prevention represents a huge opportunity for practitioners, Payne says, especially if the profession can improve compliance rates and convert pet owners who are not currently giving heartworm preventives to their pets. In fact, he believes a wholesale push could offset losses from flea and tick product revenue for practices.
Right.
Information to consumers is "dangerous to this profession" says a leader in the veterinary trades.
I bet!
The problem, it seems, is that folks have been educating themselves about the Billion Dollar Vaccine Scam.
People are rejecting the dependency model of veterinary care.
What to do?
Well, clearly we need to flog the dog with year-round heartworm "preventative" even as we pray to Baby Jesus that consumers don't find out about the Billion Dollar Heartworm Scam. What? You can get heartworm preventative for less, without a veterinary visit, and you don't have to dose year-round?
For God's Sake, no one read Terrierman's Daily Dose!
(Hat tip to Paul H. for sending me the Veterinary News article.)
- Related Links:
** A Business Plan Based on Fencing Out the Truth
** You Can Vaccinate Your Own Dog
** Over Vaccination Is Bad Medicine
** Year Round Dosing for Big Veterinary Profits
** Pearly White Profits From Teeth Cleaning
** Year Round Dosing for Big Veterinary Profits
** The Billion Dollar Heartworm Scam
** The Billion Dollar Lyme Disease Scam
** The Billion Dollar Vaccine Scam
** Vet Pricing Has Nothing To Do With Care
** Your Vet Has a Heartworm Medication Secret
** Heartworm In Winter?
** Puppy Mills, Veterinary Bills and the AVMA
** AVMA Says Fear Your Pet and Go to the Vet
** Veterinary Trades Say It's Time to Rip-off the Rubes .
4 comments:
They're losing business? I thought everyone wanted to go to the vet.
Time to crank up creative billing procedures.
What next.
Banfield is a large corporation and the vets that work for it have to follow its script. I always have a hard time because the veterinarians that I know are never described by you. Yes some vets are, but not all. But most corporations are and vaccines, heartworm etc are all pushed by large corporations.
Look at this incredible push for the human flu vaccine--everywhere.
That has got to be driven by money since Vit D is a more effective preventative.
I took Mabel to the vet recently for a distemper shot and ended up with a bill for an $80 'physical exam' as well. Sure, the vet did check her over, but I hadn't asked for a physical and Mabel didn't need one.
I paid the bill but resentfully, having had no idea until it was too late what a set-up this was.
Been thinking of taking Tigger in to get his allergies diagnosed, but then yesterday received a postcard from the vet's office 'reminding' me that Tigger 'needs' his annual physical. He has never had such a thing before.
The card went directly into the recycling bin, and I vow to be extremely specific when and if I call to make an appointment for allergy testing; that will be ALL I want.
Piracy.
Cassandra, anytime you walk through the door, there will be a charge, no matter how it's labeled. Anything else, like your dog's distemper shot, is just icing on the cake.
Unfortunately, it will probably be the same situation for Tigger...there will be an office call/exam charge on it first, and then the allergy testing on top of that. If the testing is done by blood, probably the only way you can avoid it is to have the blood drawn yourself and then drop it off. Not sure how to get around this if it's a skin test, though...
Roux, I have some friends at school who work for Banfield. Most of them hate it, just because they can see the lack of ethics and price-gouging going on right in front of them.
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