Comments on the dilemma in the January/February issue: Clients who cannot afford to pay

摘要

In the dilemma discussed in the January/February issue of In Practice, Anne Fawcett and Myles Chadwick describe a scenario where a four-month-old puppy is presented with parvovirus. The veterinary surgeon works in a veterinary shelter that also provides a private service. Practice policy stipulates that clients must pay 50 per cent of the estimate on admission (IP, January/February 2018, vol 40, pp 38-39). Alternatively, the client can seek treatment elsewhere, euthanase the animal, or surrender it to the shelter. The owner insists that the puppy is treated at the shelter. Colleagues are overhead accusing the owner of being irresponsible, and one advises including everything in the estimate, which would effectively double the cost, to cover costs in the event that the dog is later surrendered. The increased cost may mean that the dog is surrendered in the first place.