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People often wonder why it is so expensive to get their pet treated at the Veterinary Clinic. After all, it is just an animal! But what they don't consider is the expenses towards setting up the clinic, which includes the cost of the Veterinary Medical Equipments.

All the equipments one would find at a veterinary clinic are specialized medical equipments especially because the size of the pet animal varies (from small mice to enormous Wolfhounds). The equipments also vary depending on the type of animals the veterinarian treats (i.e. whether the animal is a pet or a food animal). In the case of pets, the pet owners visit the clinic with their pets and thus the Veterinarian can have bulky equipments in his/her clinic. But in the case of food animals (like pigs, goats, cattle, sheep etc), or horses, or animals kept in zoos or aquariums, where the Veterinarian goes to the place where the animal is reared to treat the animal, the veterinarian is supposed to have equipments that are portable and light and do not cause much discomfort to carry them.

The need for such sophisticated instruments is due to the fact that animals cannot talk. For humans, the doctor would ask the patient the symptoms, listen to him/her, and prescribe suitable medication. But for an animal such interactions between the Veterinarian and the animal is not possible except if the Veterinarian is “Doctor Do-little (a movie, starring Eddie Murphy, about a veterinarian who had an uncanny ability to understand what animals says)”. Thus, the Vet would have to use his diagnostic abilities and would have to take extra care in prescribing the animal a suitable medication.

Typical equipments (and an approximate price of the same (in USD)) used in a small animal veterinary practice includes the following:

X-ray machine ($4,000-$50,000), microscopes ($500-$1,000 each), EKG & ECG monitors ($1,500 used) lab equipment, laser surgical equipment ($1,500-$50,000), weight scale ($700+), surgical equipment and lighting, examination tables, dental equipment ($500-$1,800), blood analyzers ($1,500-$40,000). Apart from these, the vet would also have to spend on disposables such as hypodermic needles, syringes, IV solutions, bandages, cleaning supplies, medications, office supplies etc.

What we find from these is that there is not much of a difference between the equipments used in a hospital for humans and a clinic for animals.

It is not possible for a veterinarian to get rich and have a 'real' life outside of caring for animals. Next time you think your vet bill is outrageous, stop and consider what goes on behind the closed doors.