I did not see the original thread about vet bills, but I will respond to this statement posted in this one.
There are unscrupulous people in every profession. Those that are incompetent, or greedy, and cause harm and heart ache. It comes with dealing with other humans.
But......if we want advanced medicine and treatments and cures in the veterinary world, it costs money, just like it does in the human world. The research, development, manufacture, and training to have all of today's 'miracles' at our disposal for our pets, isn't free. Those that spend nearly a decade post high school to educate and train to be in the medical profession, human or animal, deserve like everyone else to be compensated for their investments, knowledge, talent and skill.
In our area, many vets are still in single practice, some with just one other vet. The cost of running their businesses is like every other business as well. The cost of the equipment and technology to diagnosis and treat is high, they must charge for it.
As to how did the vets back in the day treated animals, well, they did it very basically, and animals suffered and died often before they would have today, because they didn't have the ability to see and treat what is done today with the advancements (costly ones at that).
Basic vet services are great when the pet is young and healthy, and that is what we do. We do a yearly, with all the vaccines and a good overall exam. When our pets get sick, we watch them closely and don't panic and run straight in, we adopt a watch and see approach. That alone has saved us a ton. Oftentimes the issue resolves itself, and we know when the time arrives to seek a professional.
Many of the 'basic' vets don't have what the big hospitals have as far as testing and treatments. We have always known that we have a set amount (based on where we were financially at the time in our lives) to spend on an animal once it is apparent it is truly 'sick'. If we have to then move on to the more expensive practice, we go in telling them where we are financially, and what can they tell us/treat for that amount, what is available beyond that, what is the prognosis, etc.
We love our animals, but we know we cannot go into excessive debt to keep them alive, especially as they get to be elderly. We do the best we can with what our resources are at the time. They don't have us over a barrel. Yes, we love our pets, but we have always known we cannot jeopardize our financial security should their health come to be more than we can financially sustain. That number will be different for everyone, and vary at various times in one's life. But it is a reality that we deal with, know ahead of time, plan for, and resign ourselves to. It is what it is. We do what we can do, we will sacrifice, we will incur some debt in a bad situation, but we understand that as much as we love them, there are limits to what we can and will do.
I don't see the issue as always unbridled greed. I see it as good health care and treatment costs money. Yes, there are some vets out there that will be greedy. But people need to understand that when they take on pets, they need to be prepared to make the hard decisions that could come with illness and injury, and part of that is the monetary cost of preserving/extending the pet's life, and possibly the dollar limit that might make it devastating to let them go. It's just part of the real world adult choices/decisions we face, and we can't always blame others as greedy because we aren't equipped to spend endlessly on medical treatment for a much beloved pet. It's just a financial reality.
My best practice advice is choose a good basic vet that is 'reasonable' in price, and keep up on the important basics (vaccines, yearly visits, good nutrition, good daily care), and when something comes up that is extraordinary or advanced, know before it comes where you are financially, and what you realistically can do, then proceed through the process of choosing a more advanced clinic and go from there.
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