Taxing veterinary services could put pets’ health at risk

Dear Dr. Forsythe: Have you heard about the plan our governor has to tax veterinary services?  It seems like another hair-brained idea to tax services on your profession when they could just as easily raise taxes on gasoline or tobacco again or alcohol or luxury items. I think the “governator” is being lame again if he thinks that pets should suffer from taxed veterinary care. What do you think the effects would be?
A.S. in Sonoma

Dear A.S.: I think implementing a tax on veterinary services would create an additional strain on people’s ability to pay for veterinary care for their pets during an already difficult economic time. I suspect that because California is facing a terrible deficit, Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing the nine-percent tax believing that the benefits of the money for the state will outweigh the terrible consequences of the damage such a tax could have on the pets of California. I think there is a high likelihood that such a tax would keep people from taking their pets to the vet and more pets would go without necessary vaccines, preventative medications and other life-saving services. Cost-cutting measures would become more commonplace and standards could potentially go down to offset the additional financial strain, so the profession could suffer. In addition, if the measure were to pass, veterinary care would be the only medical service taxed in California, which seems unfair. Thanks for a compelling question.
Dr. F

Dear Dr. Forsythe: I think it would be a great idea if you could tell your readers how they could feed their pets from ordinary food they have in their kitchen. With the high cost of pet food these days, some of us just don’t have the money to buy expensive pet food from the store. Aren’t there some recipes that would allow us to use the ingredients we have in our own cupboards?

Trying to save in Sonoma

Dear Trying to Save: Yes, there are many ingredients you can use to cook for your own dog or cat, and there are many recipes available online or in published literature. However, it is not advisable to switch up a pet’s diet frequently. With dogs and cats, their GI tracts are not as “flexible” as ours, so if you are going to make a home-cooked diet, you’d be well advised to stick to it for the long haul to avoid a “plop, plop – fizz, fizz” situation when Fido’s colon decides to boycott that night’s leftovers. Unlike humans, dogs and cats can’t take a variety of foods and various spices. Also, it can actually be quite expensive in terms of dollars spent on ingredients and time spent cooking for your pet. I believe a premium brand of dog or cat food made by Hills, Eukanuba or Purina is very much worth the price and peace of mind – knowing you are getting good quality and consistent ingredients over time.

Dr. F