How Wall Street Took Over Your Vet - Senator Elizabeth Warren

[Rhiannon12866]

People love their pets.

Private equity smelled that love — and that money — and now vet bills are through the roof.

I have a bill to put a stop to this. - 06/26/2026.

[CozyMystery]

1. This happened in the town I lived in, and it was awful.

I noticed that suddenly the prices went up at our vet and I did some research. Every vet in town was now owned by a corporation. I looked up the corporation -- a national company that owns a lot of vet practices across the country. I got suspicious when the practice opened an emergency clinic for a few hours every night. My daughter took our dog there and to walk in the door cost $250, and that was not including any services the dog needed. It was just a free $250 charge!

Is that really evil and greedy, though? Sure it is. The money wasn't earned. The next closest emergency vet was a bit over an hour away. And the town was full of poor people. This was no upscale place, believe me. The people were poor because they lacked education past high school and the town was too small to require a bunch of businesses that paid over minimum wage. It didn't used to be that way, but factories closed.

And the people in that town were generous and friendly. If someone needed helped, the folks didn't look the other way. I remember when my husband was helped when he had a medical problem while walking down the street. The people who helped him were young, riding a motorcycle, were covered in tattoos, were poorly dressed, etc. And so friendly and helpful! These are the same people my husband used to look down on. Like motorcycles and tattoos and so forth were the province of criminals or something.

Same thing happened with physicians' practices and hospitals.

Same thing happened with affordable housing -- new landlords bought it and the rents went way up and so did the prices of housing real people can afford to buy. Lots of fees tacked onto the rent, which I recently found out about. OMG, my daughter rented a super expensive 1 bdrm apt in Chicago's West Loop Gate area and then found out there are several hundred $$ in fees she also has to pay every month -- and the landlord has no responsibility to prove that the fees were for services she used because she no choice.

Always the private equity people. Lots of corporate models forced on these services we the people need.

It's the evilness and greed that, sadly, no longer surprise me. These characteristics have infested everything, including the no longer trustworthy Supreme Court.

The vast majority of people in this country are getting screwed over in major ways. They don't have the power to stop it, and the government is one of the evildoers.

I am enraged about many issues, and I'm sure tons of other people are too.

[Skittles]

3. worthy of its own thread

(and may I add, if the internet has proved one thing to me it's that heavily-tattooed folk are some of the biggest softies on the planet)

[WSHazel]

2. The laws exist to prevent this

There are monopoly rules about consolidated ownership of any industry within a market.

The can also reduce the benefit to PE’s by limiting non-compete language when a vet sells their practice.

[Grim Chieftain]

4. My vet bills are unreal

My eleven-year-old bichon has Cushing's disease, which requires meds and frequent blood tests. The last bill was over $800. Fortunately, I have terrific pet insurance that covers about 80-85 percent of it and the pet insurance is only $53 a month.

For pet owners, I'd seriously encourage you to look into pet insurance options.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Oh, my dog also had Cushings!

It was awhile back, but I remember arguing with her vet about the medication. The one he recommended had side effects so I believe the med I wanted instead was called Lysodren, so that's what we went with, along with acupuncture. I had acupuncture myself, hoping to avoid surgery, and it was non invasive and had allowed my older pup to walk comfortably again. Great that you have pet insurance. The clinic that I brought my dogs to offered a plan so both of my dogs were on it. I adopted older dogs from rescue, so it really helped. And wishing your bichon the best of luck, s/he's very lucky to have you.

[Grim Chieftain]

6. Thanks so much, friend

I have read that life expectancy for dogs with Cushing's is about two years. Our Paddington was diagnosed four years ago, so excellent vet care and the grace of God extended his life. Every day with him is a blessing.

[Rhiannon12866]

7. I sure know exactly what you mean, I would have done anything to help my pups

I lost my last dog, Jack (who I adopted at 5 months), at age 16 four years ago and I still miss him every day. I read once that it's tougher to lose a pet than a person since your pet is always with you. Since I've mostly adopted older dogs except the dog I grew up with and my last dog, Jack, I've had eight dogs in my life and I seem to miss each of them in turn. Wishing the best for your Paddington, but it sounds like he already has that.

[Grim Chieftain]

8. So sorry for the loss of your beloved Jack, Rhiannon

He was blessed to have you. I agree, losing a pet is often worse than losing a person. My last two bichons, Henry and Nathaniel, were brothers and the light of my life. Actually, those were their AKC names. Henry was named after Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel was named after Nathaniel Hawthorne. At home Henry was "Doodle" and Nathaniel was "Boo Bear".

They were the sweetest, most loving dogs I ever had. We lost Boo Bear at twelve and Henry at sixteen. I thought it would kill me. I had them cremated so they could be with me always. I have given my husband strict instructions that when I go, they are to go with me.

You know, whenever I talk about them, I tear up. I can talk about my parents and not a tear at all. I guess dogs give us unconditional love and leave paw prints on our hearts forever.