Being a responsible pet owner means investing in preventive and emergency veterinary care for your pet. Sometimes, the cost of care can seem incredibly high; however, as with human medical care, many factors contribute to the prices you see on your veterinary bill. If you are wondering why veterinary care in Tucson, AZ, seems so expensive, keep reading to learn more about the factors that influence the cost of veterinary services.
Specialized Education, Licensing, and Training
Your veterinary clinic has at least one DVM or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine on staff. Becoming a DVM requires a four-year college education at an accredited veterinary college. In addition to the cost of education, veterinarians have to invest in the cost of licensing, insurance, and ongoing training. To stay up to date in industry advancements and research, most veterinarians attend lectures, seminars, training opportunities, classes, and conventions, all of which require fees.
Medication and Vaccinations
The cost of veterinary supplies, medications, and vaccines has been steadily rising over the past 20 years. Many veterinary clinics must keep a certain inventory of supplies on hand for emergencies or ongoing patient needs. However, the demand for specialized treatments and new medications, combined with the rising cost of supplies, has resulted in incredibly high overhead costs for most veterinary clinics and hospitals.
Veterinary Office Overhead Costs
Running a veterinary office is expensive. Depending on the services provided, your clinic may need a wide range of equipment, supplies, and vendor services. Each month, they may have to pay for:
- Rent
- Staff salaries
- Insurance
- Taxes
- Utilities
- Cleaning fees
- Maintenance
- Medications and supplies
- Administrative costs
- Hiring and training costs
They may also need to pay for unexpected costs like replacing equipment, investing in new technology, hiring additional staff, or renewing licenses or permits.
Tucson Veterinary Urgent Care is Committed to Transparency in Veterinary Billing
At Tucson Veterinary Urgent Care, we are committed to transparency in our veterinary billing practices. We carefully explain each procedure or service before it is provided to make sure our clients fully understand the need for the service and its cost. We also provide itemized bills that carefully outline each procedure, service, or medication, so there are no surprises.
We are also dedicated to helping our clients manage the cost of veterinary services. We accept CareCredit and Scratchpay as well as pet insurance. We understand how stressful it is to deal with a pet emergency, and we don’t want the cost of services to prevent you from getting your pet the care they need. We are happy to provide you with information about other resources that can help you cover veterinary costs.
We provide compassionate and skilled pet urgent care services in Tucson, AZ, seven days a week, 365 days per year. We are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and accept walk-in patients, and provide an easy online check-in process. You can also call ahead with questions or to let us know you’re on your way.
