Vetnews | Januarie 2025 16 « BACK TO CONTENTS As mentioned in UK legislation, German legislation defines the responsibilities of pet ownership as follows: Your duties are to offer a diet, care and accommodation according to the needs of the pet. You may not restrict species-appropriate movement if this causes unnecessary suffering and pain. You have to acquire appropriate knowledge about the points mentioned above [9]. The animal’s expectations can be defined as the fulfilment of basic needs, such as the Five Freedoms, but also the quality and quantity of life should be maximized. The Five Freedoms are defined as freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to behave normally; and freedom from fear and distress [10]. The freedom from pain, injury and disease can especially be addressed by pet health insurance. Veterinary surgeons often find themselves in a difficult situation, on the one hand wanting to care for the animal, and on the other hand considering the owner’s financial capabilities and value system. It is a conflict between the original decision of becoming a vet, with the fulfilment of the animal’s needs as the highest value and letting owners decide which diagnostic and therapy they want to choose. “For in any veterinary consultation in any branch of the profession, there are three interested parties: the client, the animal and the practitioner him- or herself” [11]. One possible solution for this conflict may be understanding the patient’s needs. These are as described by Coe [12] as follows: “Care of the animal should take precedence over monetary aspects. [ . . . ] There was an expectation among some participants that out of a shared interest in the pet, the veterinarian would work with the client to find a solution if the client could not immediately afford veterinary care. [ . . . ] Discussions of costs should be initiated upfront. Costs of veterinary care should be placed in a meaningful context. [ . . . ] Costs should be discussed within the context of their pet’s health and prognosis, stating, for instance, that “I want the information about cost in the context of what’s a reasonable prognosis.” Client suspicion should be addressed. [ . . . ] The most consistent suspicion arose from the conflict between the idea of veterinary medicine as a health-care profession versus a business.” Meeting the needs of clients is important to satisfy both veterinary surgeons and clients in daily veterinary practice. It may also make a huge difference in a better working environment with fewer daily conflicts. Johanna Kersebohm [4,13] has identified vets’ expectations of their workplace and working environment. The two most important ones are a good working atmosphere and an appropriate salary. These two factors are largely determined by how the vet experiences their time in consult: most of the time is spent in consults every day, which are also the main contributors to the revenue of a practice. During this time, discussions about cost and ethical dilemmas can arise [14]. Insurers, as one of the stakeholders of pet health insurance, see an interesting niche market in Germany that they would like to tap into. They are aware of the problem of unpaid veterinary bills and would like to establish veterinarians as multipliers to create a win-win situation [15]. Despite pet health insurance being a solution to improve pet health care, many owners choose not to take out a policy for their pets due to financial constraints or restricted coverage. The current study investigates if a voluntary pet insurance system could resolve these conflicts and provide accessible care for pets. Would this have a direct effect on animal welfare (“According to studies, dog owners with pet health insurance spend 29 per cent more annually for veterinary care; cat owners 81 per cent more.”[16]) or only an indirect one by enabling the vet to have discussions with the owners which are not financially restricted and to see cases on routine health check-ups? As mentioned above, veterinary surgeons have a fundamental interest in the well-being of their patients. However, in contrast to the patients’ owners, there is one additional point: to be able to work in the profession in a financially sustainable and healthy way (physically and mentally). This work aims to find out if pet health insurance is really as helpful as is claimed in the veterinary press. “Since the 2005 change in the law preventing veterinary surgeons from recommending particular insurance products, we have lost a very useful symbiotic relationship with the insurance industry” (GB) [17]. “[ . . . ] [Owners] will no longer have to worry whether or not they can afford the necessary veterinary attention. If an animal is insured by a caring owner for this laudable reason, it frees us to consider only the animal’s health and welfare and ensure we reach an accurate diagnosis and satisfactory conclusion [ . . . ]” (GB) [4]. 2. Methods To find out how to solve price discussions, it is worth taking a look at their origin. This work is based on a theoretical model. Due to the fact that surveys often distort the picture of reality, we have deliberately chosen a thought model. This effect has already been demonstrated in the area of price sensitivity for fresh meat. In surveys, the majority of consumers stated that they would accept a price premium of just over 30% if more animal welfare could be guaranteed [18]. In a supermarket study, however, this willingness to buy was disproved [19]: “The results are surprising, as various surveys have shown that many consumers are willing to spend significantly more money on meat if it has been produced according to higher animal welfare standards. The results of the present suggest that the observed reality of actual purchasing behaviour is more differentiated and complex. The basic willingness to spend more money on such meat in the test for such meat is only pronounced to a limited extent. General statements on willingness to buy should therefore be viewed critically.” Although the consumption of meat is a voluntary purchase, while consulting a veterinarian in the event of illness is not a voluntary decision, the parallel is intended to illustrate how large the gap often is between a statement made and actual action in society. Therefore, the added value of this theoretical model is that supported by the existing literature and a theoretical analysis of the current situation, potentials and limitations of animal health insurance can be shown. The basic idea of the following thought model is that price discussions often arise for two reasons: either the owner does not have the financial means to pay, or he does not want to use the required resources. Thus, financial conflicts can be reduced to two fundamental factors: willingness to pay and dispensable funds. Article
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