November 2025 "What You Do Not See" by Anapaula ochoa

When you go to a vet clinic, you are paying for the expertise of these medical professionals, no different from seeing a doctor who studies the human body. Clients subconsciously downplay the professional advice they are receiving and complain that vet care is so expensive because they do not view it as real medicine. Vet clinics are a business, and they must charge what is necessary to make a profit to stay in business and continue to do their job of helping animals. Often, people view what is being done at a vet clinic as simple, when in reality it is far from that. Professionals who work in vet clinics, such as veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary assistants, have jobs that are far from simple. They are expected to be competent even in a learning environment, and often work long, laborious hours. Working in a clinic as a vet technician requires difficult schooling, and often, their pay does not reflect that of a medical professional.

It is often said by individuals that the price of vet care is so expensive and that “vets are only in it for the money.” Though the first statement is true, the second is definitely not. Veterinarians are often kind, considerate people who genuinely wish to care for animals. They are subject to verbal ridicule from customers because of these prices, referring to vets as greedy, when they have no real perception of what it is like to own a practice or work as a vet.

To begin, vets go through the same amount of schooling as doctors who study the human body, yet are often discredited and are not perceived as “real doctors.” They too undergo four long years of undergraduate studies followed by four years of vet school to earn their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, along with additional schooling if they wish to specialize. In these four years of vet school, they learn more than one species of animal, such as reptiles, exotics, large animals, marine animals, and more. They are expected to be knowledgeable about a wide range of various topics as well, such as dentistry, anesthesiology, surgery, etc.

To add to this, many vet techs are forced to pick up multiple jobs due to the unsatisfactory pay they receive, often spread thin over the responsibilities they care for. Veterinary professionals are subject to unsatisfactory pay, long hours, and the frequent ridicule of clients who speak from an uneducated perception. Both Vets and Vet techs are great, and what they do deserves appreciation for putting their soul into their work and having to turn off what they feel to help the next client. There are plenty of things that clients do not see when it comes to the veterinary clinic. Veterinary professionals are people who advocate for animals who themselves do not have a voice, often putting everything on the line just to help your pet. They are faced with disheartening scenes such as cases of neglect, euthanasia, and the results of overpopulation of animals. Seeing how animals are treated as subhuman is distasteful to say the least.

If you are a pet owner and have muttered or thought the words “Vets are only in it for the money” or “Why is vet care so expensive?”, rethink and consider what you are missing from the big picture. Having animals is a PRIVILEGE, and it is an owner’s responsibility to be able to care for them. Veterinary professionals are impacted by the same economic pressures as the rest of the world, and they are doing their best to help the animals that come in. I will forever be grateful for their help and for their work.