Discounts cost owners plenty

As the owner/office manager of a small animal clinic, I found your answer to the question about discounts pretty one-sided ("I Want My Discount Back," Ask the Experts, September/October 2006). Do these employees consider the cost the practice owner bears for this benefit? The employees' hearts are in the right place—they want to help all of the pets that come their way. The problem is that it's at the practice owner's expense. Some employees feel that they can take home pet after pet because the cost is minimal. This becomes a problem when several employees have multiple-pet households that the clinic is basically supporting.

Veterinary medicine is definitely changing. Some of these changes are for the better, but there is always a cost. Many practices like mine are in a socioeconomic area that meets the needs of the clientele by not charging high prices. This means that we can't afford to treat every stray that comes along and still make ends meet. Every veterinary practice offers its share of freebies and discounts, but there really is a limit. Your answer didn't address this side of the issue at all.

Susan Mauck

Owner/Office Manager

Farview Veterinary Hospital Inc.

Independence, Mo.

Dr. Karen Felsted responds:

You make some good points. There are definitely hospitals where employees take advantage of policies about employee pet care. And if practice owners and managers don't pay attention to the bottom line, there won't be a practice left for anyone to work at.

However, owners need to consider many factors when making a policy change this drastic. For example, you'd think about how the change affects employees, how the new policy compares with what other practices offer, and whether the change punishes all team members for the behavior of a few. When you look at all sides of the question, it's not an easy call.

Karen Felsted, CPA, MS, DVM, CVPM

Brakke Consulting

Dallas, Texas