Dr Liesel van der Merwe is a small animal medicine specialist. Send her your questions: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Dr Liesel van der Merwe

End of year is the time to assess your medical aid package. As medical costs are rising it is becoming increasingly important to plan for veterinary expenses. As with ourselves, there are many options out there and we can decide on full cover or emergency cover with gap co-payments.

A few months ago I wrote a column on spectrum of care where level of treatment and diagnostics – up to a point – can be tailored to a patient, based on the patient’s temperament, the owner’s ability to manage the care and treatment and financial factors.

I still hear people complaining about the cost of veterinary care, yet we have to realise that over the last 30 years or so in South Africa, the options available in veterinary care have expanded to be very similar to that in people. It is not fair to expect that same treatment for a fraction it would cost in people. In fact, it is still a fraction of what it would cost in people.

The cost involves equipment, which costs money to purchase and maintain. It also involves trained staff members who need remuneration. This has benefits – sonar (ultrasound) is almost available everywhere and is a major help in making diagnoses without invasive surgery.

Additionally I feel that the “client care” offered by most practices far exceeds that of doctors in a hospital. This is not to negate the quality of these doctors’ medical care, but anyone who has had family hospitalized for long periods can attest to how difficult it is to speak to the doctor and then trying to get information from the hospital staff, which maybe was not on duty earlier. It is a nightmare.

Yet, in practice, and where I work, clients are contacted twice a day and after big procedures. This takes staff. Staff members need to be remunerated. The more we can diagnose, the more we treat, the more we often need to monitor. Medication costs money. Testing costs money, check-ups cost money.

So, put your pets, yourselves and your vet on your Christmas shopping list this year and take out a pet medical aid or medical insurance. It’s the same price as a meal out or a few cups of nice coffee per animal, but will take so much of the stress away for you and your vet when your pet needs medical care.