SINGAPORE: Only those who own a pet will understand the immense joy and love animals can bring to our lives. Unfortunately, their lives are much shorter than ours, even more so if they suffer from ailments.
A Singapore couple recently made headlines for spending S$60,000 to treat their French bulldog’s chronic illnesses, which ranged from skin allergies to an enlarged prostrate and a spinal disorder. Though the owners emptied their savings to pay the vet bills, the dog died at the age of four.
While there is a growing number of licenced veterinarians in Singapore, the cost of vet care has been increasing steadily each year. The vet bills for the dogs at our shelter go up by 10 per cent to 20 per cent every year, and have risen even more sharply in the post-COVID era due to inflation.
Common ailments like diarrhoea and vomiting can now set dog owners back anywhere from S$100 to S$500, while more complex but routine procedures like sterilisation can cost from S$400 to S$1,000.
This trend could be attributed to how vets structure their treatment. Back in the day, when I visited my family vet about my dog’s upset tummy, she prescribed anti-diarrhoea pills and instructed me to call if things aren’t resolved within a week.
Fast forward to today, in the same situation, the vet might order a battery of tests, scans and more medication than necessary to cover all bases. The sense I get when interacting with dog owners is that vets these days do not want to risk making a wrong decision.
Another trend is that vet clinics may not perform urgent or complicated procedures, and will refer owners to vet hospitals that are open 24/7 and have more sophisticated equipment. This may escalate the pet’s vet fees.
Case in point: We sent a dog with cancer to a vet hospital for emergency treatment after official hours. After 20 days of treatment, the bill came up to S$23,300. Such eye-watering costs would be difficult for most pet owners to afford.
