Why do I feel guilty for charging what I'm worth? (A vet's guide to pricing confidence)

"HOW MUCH???"

Have you ever cringed and wished you could disappear when you give an estimate to an owner and they respond like this? Or with "Blimey, I could get a new dog/cat/hamster/car/phone for that!!"

Or my all time favourite, when someone was calling around asking for c-section prices (gotta love some breeders!! Guess the breed...), and when I told them they answered with "I won't be held to ransom by money grabbing vets", implying I was giving them no choice but to cough up money or else ... B*tch, you already HAD a choice and you MADE it by breeding a dog that can't possibly deliver by itself! But I digress...

Most often we have NICE owners in front of us. Now we have to first tell them what we think could benefit their pet in terms of diagnostics and treatment, and THEN have the uncomfortable conversation around how much is this actually going to cost. Why is this so uncomfortable? Let's break it down:

First and foremost, veterinary medicine (hell, ALL medicine!) has evolved a LOT over time, which means we no longer stick animals together with super glue and fishing wire, and we actually have diagnostic tools so we can as precisely as possible hone in on what's actually wrong here, as opposed to wildly throwing steroids, antibiotics and vit B at it and see if anything sticks.

All this costs a lot of money, both in human and animal medicine, and most owners are just not aware of the extent of this. A lot of people still think of vet med as this elderly gentleman driving around in a battered old car with magical stuff in it, "and it was alright back then". Yes, because we misdiagnosed wildly and never knew, AND a lot of times got lucky. A lot of things weren't even treatable in the "good old days". So to some owners it can come as a huge and nasty surprise that things have changed.

Second, being a veterinary professional, per definition you're going to have a lot of empathy. You can read the room better than most, and will anticipate changes in the owner's body language and energy towards you. You're also likely a nice person (you're a vet, duh!), and your overactive brain is likely going to analyse these people's finances and whether they can afford it, immediately feeling somehow responsible for "taking money from them". A zero sum game in our minds, where the clinic benefits, and they lose (conveniently forgetting they get their dear pet home, or a way to stop them from suffering). This feels wrong to most people who are in a profession because they want to help others.

Third, are you even good enough to charge so much money? I mean - do you consider yourself qualified enough to charge hundreds for an ultrasound? What if you don't find anything - now you wasted their money! This comes up in various forms for so many of us, because we're constantly swimming in this pool of self doubt, perfectionism and imposter syndrome. I catch myself doing this, and then being totally ok with referral centers saying they'll charge 8 - 12000 if I send them a case over, because they REALLY know what they're doing!! The adults in the room!

Fourth - now we have the additional wonder of social media (and media in general!), in a frenzy over veterinary prices. I personally think it's a lot of bollocks for as long as no one is also questioning the prices of dentists, gynecologists, lawyers,mechanics, electricians... all professional people we NEED and pay for.
Why all the beating the vets up?? NO ONE goes into vet med because they want to be rich. I literally have no patience for that conversation anymore.

SO, in order to stand in a consult, COMFORTABLY giving the estimates (different prices for different options, so the owner can choose, right?), CHARGING for what you have done, and sleep at night knowing you're not like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons, here is what I suggest you do:

1) Filter out social media and news around the bashing of vets. Engorging ourselves on owners typing "I was also forced to pay 7 grand and now I can't afford to buy a cake for my grandchild" only triggers us and gives us a warped perspective of what people actually think, and how many there are hating on vets. Happy owners sit at home enjoying their pets, they're not going to war armed with a keyboard.

2) If you need facts to lean on, ask your manager to show you how much it costs to run the clinic, cost of equipment etc. So you don't believe you're robbing people for them. See with your own eyes how f*cking expensive health care IS, from the ground up. As an ex-clinic owner, I will tell everyone it's unbelievable how many hidden costs there are, and how hard it is to maintain a profit margin that makes sense.

3) You've got to work on your confidence and really believe that your service matters and makes a big difference for the pets and their owners. Didn't see anything conclusive on the ultrasound? Well, you've ruled out a pyo, bladder stones, pregnancy, tumors, free fluid, at LEAST. Negative findings is ALSO a diagnosis. Didn't nail the skin disease in the first consult, or the second, or the third? I had dermatitis since I was a child, until a few years ago, saw MULTIPLE specialists and all I ever got was cortisone creams (and an experience with sulphur, and one with tar, I'd rather not dwell on). I could go on. This is internal work you've GOT to do, on yourself, so you can feel comfortable saying the price of your work.

4) Your empathy wants you to make all people happy, all the time. And we can't. We've got to get our people pleasing tendencies under control, and we've got to be ok with other people being uncomfortable, and not pleased with what we're saying to them, because we work in medicine, not selling sex toys to happy couples or donuts in a bakery. Notice the uncomfortable feelings coming up, and practice sitting in them, as opposed to trying to avoid the situation by underestimating to make the owners like you more.

5) Move the responsibility back to the owners, with no judgement. "What I see today is xyz, and I think abc could be good next steps. I don't know what you guys think about this, let me give you the estimate because I don't know your situation, and then you can have a chat about it. Alternatively, we could do 123 which is also a viable option, and would cost less. What do you think?" It's up to them how much they can/will spend on THEIR pet. You can't magically make them have money where there is none, or convince them to do something they're really not prepared for. You listen, you examine, you say what you think, and then THEY decide, and you don't judge them either way. COULD we do a CT scan and full bloods? Absolutely! CAN we also just do an EPOC, give fluids and pain relief for 6-8 hours and see if anything changes and then decide? ALSO absolutely.

It's never about your worth. It's about what the pets needs, and what the owners can/will do. Sometimes you will FEEL it's about your worth due to the way the owners speak to you. But that's all about THEM, and the tension they're seeking to release by lashing out at someone. You just happen to be in front of them. Your knowledge and your experience is, in reality, invaluable.

In your corner,

​

Ready to fall back in love with Vet Med?

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or doubting yourself — I get it. I've been there. Here's how I can help:

• Book a Free 50-Minute Coaching Session — Let's chat about where you are and where you want to be. Book here
• Download the Free Burnout Guide — 10 ways to overcome burnout in the veterinary clinic. Get it here
• Explore the Happy in Vet Med Programme — Beat burnout and imposter syndrome. Learn more

You don't have to do this alone.