AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
1931 N. MEACHAM ROAD, SUITE 100 • SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, 60173-4360
PHONE (847) 925-8070
• FAX (847) 925-1329 • www.avma.org
June 11,2003
Eileen Denver, Executive Editor Consumer Reports
101 Truman Avenue
Yonkers,NY 10703-1044
Dear Ms. Denver:
On behalf of
the more than 69,000 members of the American Veterinary Medical Association,
I would like to take this opportunity to express my concern and indignation
about the Consumer Reports July story, "Pets and Vets-Veterinary Care Without
the Bite." The article failed to report the most important component of
modern veterinary medical care. That is, how to provide high tech, quality veterinary
service at a fair and competitive price for today's animal owners. Your report
could have been more beneficial to pets and their owners if value, rather than
dollars alone, was used as the measurement of good care.
The sidebar, "20 Ways to Cut Vet Costs" includes many of the very
same suggestions that the AVMA and most practitioners routinely recommend to
animal owners. However, I deplore the overall cynical tone taken toward veterinarians.
This profession is committed to providing owners and their pets with the highest
quality healthcare at a reasonable cost. Over the years veterinary medicine
has been used as an example of how the human medical community could deliver
exemplary care in a cost-efficient manner.
Because pets cannot speak, veterinarians must use diagnostic tests to determine
the cause of a medical problem. Ultrasounds, x-rays, blood tests and biopsies
are often the only way to accurately diagnose a medical condition. Owners do
not want their pet's doctor "guessing" at what the problem might be,
especially when modern diagnostic tools are available. As veterinarians, we
must be exact in our assessments and writings; our patients' lives depend on
it.
Veterinarians, unlike other doctors, must purchase the diagnostic equipment
for these tests. Community-supported hospitals do not provide this equipment
for veterinary use. The cost for an ultrasound machine at a private practice
is approximately $30,000 to $50,000, and an x-ray machine costs approximately
$15,000 to $40,000.
Page two/Consumer
Reports
Veterinarians
choose this profession because they care for animals and the people who love
them. Most are math, science and biology scholars with the potential to earn
triple what a career in veterinary medicine offers. They know they have chosen
a profession where they will graduate, with a basic veterinary education after
approximately eight years of college, with a mean educational debt of $72,719
to be covered by an average starting salary of $46,339. Doctors who pursue advanced
degrees and specialty recognition require more education and incur greater debt.
Your article lacked a balanced perspective. It suggests that veterinarians are
looking to "get rich quick." Suggesting that most veterinarians increase
the price of a prescription by 100 to 250 percent is a disservice to the veterinarians
who offer many products at little or no mark-up as part of their practice.
All medicine is based on trust and a strong relationship between doctors and
the people and animals they serve. Veterinary medicine is a very public service
oriented profession. In emergencies, veterinarians have an ethical responsibility
to provide essential medical services necessary to save life and relieve suffering.
Unlike our colleagues in human medicine who practice from tax-free, community,
or endowed hospitals, veterinarians must often absorb at least a portion of
the cost of these emergency medical services themselves. The cost of these services
comes directly out of the net profits of their hospital.
Trust is critically important. Your article compared prices of select animal
products from on-line pet pharmacies, without acknowledging that one of the
most visible on-line pet pharmacies is on probation as a result of disciplinary
action by the state licensing authority. Would you want to obtain drugs for
your pet from a provider whose license is on probation? Many pet owners do not,
and choose instead to buy locally from a veterinarian who offers good value
rather than test the "buyer beware" atmosphere of some Internet businesses.
The AVMA was pleased to assist Consumer Reports by providing the statistical
data we have available. We are disappointed that the care, concern and compassion
of our more than 69,000 dedicated members was not communicated to your readers
in your July article.
Sincerely,
Joe M. Howell, D.V.M. President