04/11/2025
After careful consideration, we are going to change the way we do things here at the veterinary clinic in order to continue to serve our community in a manner that is mutually beneficial to both our patients and our family.
We are living through historic times... what with record inflation, the stock market down and no end in sight of the relentless government oversight of prescription medicines and doctors of veterinary medicine. It's a roller coaster all the time, but we have to adjust in order to better align our business with our personal goals and needs.
Over the years, we have continued to extend credit to our large animal customers. Going forward, we will no longer allow charges on account for products or lab fees for folks with history of non-payment or slow payment. Payments not made upon receipt of the invoice/statement will result in our having discretion to revoke credit extended. We have bills to pay, too.
You may be asking yourself who in the world carries out medicine or asks for a farm call and doesn't pay for it?! Well, it happens all the time and here are just a few scenarios where we have trouble.
In good faith, we have sent vaccines and supplies home and then finally a partial payment is made after months and months, sometimes a year, long after we have had to pay the vendor on our side.
That means we are doing without needed resources all the while trying to serve YOU and YOUR animal in YOUR time of need.
We have established customers who have invited us to draw Coggins tests on an entire herd of horses and never remit payment. Coggins tests are $40 each but much of that goes to paying the lab fees associated with the test and the shipping to that lab facility. Never mind the fuel it takes to get to the farm call and the opportunity cost for spending a portion of our day with folks who never do pay.
You would not be allowed to take an entire cart through the Walmart checkout line and then turn to the Walmart checker and insist you would be back in a month or two to pay so why do that to your local veterinarian?
Dr. Rob is near and dear to many of our hearts and works tirelessly taking care of clients and patients alike. As always we certainly appreciate those of you who keep your accounts current but the overarching theme here is that we cannot and will not continue in this manner.
If you have questions about your account it's time to reach out and let's get paid up so we are all in good shape going into the rest of 2025. Many accounts are on collection right now but we have many more that will be going directly or our local courts for payment to be rectified. You probably know who you are. I would make the phone call to the clinic rather than wait around and read it in the paper.
Thanks for your understanding.
