Dear West Coast private vets
We’ve all been battling financially over the last few years, especially with the high costs you charge us.
Part of the problem is that you’re also doing “an Eskom” – pricing yourselves out of the market into a death spiral, especially for pensioners and lower income groups.
We can’t afford to pay you, or even pay you off, on the exorbitant rates you’ve charged from a few years ago. Yes, I know you’re going to react by saying how much the cost of living is and how expensive it is to run a private practice, and how expensive medicines are and so on. We already know this. We’re battling too.
I’ve found the people of the West Coast to be the best part about living here in the last 21 years. I really love them as they make the area so special. They’re considerate, kind, polite and go out of their way to try to help you, even if it’s just a tiny bit. For example, on occasion I’ve been just short of 20 cents or a rand or two at the supermarket till and the customer behind me bails me out and pays for me. Whenever I have the chance I play my part so the next person in need can be helped.
Won’t you please consider something similar, such as a sliding scale based on income for those of us who love our animals? Sassa, other low-income earning pensioners and earners are desperate. Why not open a special clinic for these people for the first one-and-a-half hours every day and charge R100 per consultation and medicines at cost? Or medicines at cost plus 10%? Yes, I know I’m asking a lot, but if we all help one another a little it brings huge relief to the whole community.
Last year I paid one of you thousands from a pension of R1 990 pm, a nightmare from hell for months. And to top it all, the death of my pet a few days after your treatment.
The SPCA and Animal Welfare Society do a great job, but can’t do everything. Their resources are limited and they can manage only one visit a month to each dorpie. We need far more help, but have none to turn to.
I have the impression that, over the last few years, to the private vets money has taken precedence over animals. Please prove me wrong.
After all, that’s why you went into studying to become a vet in the first place, didn’t you? Because you loved animals so much and wanted to help them?
