Treat Me Like a Dog: What Human Health Care Can Learn from Pet Care

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ReasonTV | February 25, 2010

When it comes to health care, who gets treated better—man or man's best frien...

ReasonTV | February 25, 2010

When it comes to health care, who gets treated better—man or man's best friend?

Of course, it's hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison when you're comparing four-legged patients to people, and there are many ways in which human care tops pet care.

But pet owners told Reason.tv there are some ways where it would be a step up to be treated like a dog.




Pet owners like the convenience of animal care; they also like the client-focused atmosphere. "I think one of the things that human health care can learn from veterinary medicine is the client service side of things, the relationship side of things," says Dr. Peter Weinstein, executive director of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association.

Various reasons explain why people often find animal care so pleasant, says Weinstein. One reason—animal care workers love what they do. Another reason—competition. 

Weinstein notes that vets work hard to differentiate themselves from their competitors because "there are a large number of vet hospitals, many located very closely to one another."

And vets know even more competitors could emerge because less red tape makes it easier to open an animal hospital. Weinstein recalls opening his clinic, which offered everything from X-rays to operations: "I believe it was 12 weeks from the time I signed the lease to the time I saw my first client. Try doing that with human health care."



It would take at least 20 times as long to open a comparable human hospital in California. It can take even longer in the 34 states with "certificate of need" (CON) laws, where state agencies—not consumers—decide how many hospitals there should be. These laws even allow existing hospitals to hold up plans for new hospitals. "The existing hospitals go in front of these government agencies and say, 'we don't need any competitors; we're taking fine care of the people,'" explains Reason magazine's Ronald Bailey.

Recently, certificate of need—often called CON law—provoked a showdown in Tennessee where frustrated residents resorted to protests and petition drives to pressure the state to green-light a new hospital.

Weinstein is happy veterinarians don't have to deal with anti-competitive CON laws, "In veterinary medicine we could have two practices right next to each other and then it's the consumer deciding to whom they want to go."

Consumer choice and competition—maybe we could use more of that in human health care.


"Treat Me Like a Dog" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. The director of photography is Alex Manning, the field producer is Paul Detrick and the animations were done by Hawk Jensen.

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Highest Rated Comments

  • It took my cat 2 hours to get care, it took my mom half a year.

    Granted I live in Sweden and we have universal(ly unavailable) healthcare.

  • This is what infuriated me while watching that "health care summit" today. It is the government's fault that our costs so high. They mess with the free market and then claim that the free market failed.

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All Comments (72)

  • Go old lady!

  • What's up with this. I have 4 hospitals within 10 minutes of my house.

  • Ok, I actually like and approve of the idea behind this video...I have 2 dogs myself, and they are more precious than life to me...BUT...there is really no comparison here! Until obozo care, I had NEVER been refused or delayed for treatment...now, if I needed a hip replacement like either of my dogs...I would be lucky to find a doctor that was either competent enough or available enough to do it! Thanks to Obozo, our Doctors are leaving the US for more friendly shores!

  • Vets are groovy. 

  • reminds me of a discussion/argument i had with a liberal once. could not explain to her why drug cost are different between humans and animals when i tried to explain that you are purchasing "liability" with human drugs her eyes glazed over with wealth envy and "evil" corporations screwing people over.

  • When obama gets done pets will have more rights.

  • Vet care is and always will be an out of pocket thing for the owner, never paid for or free. All you are trying to do is spread fear you ignorant bumpkin.

  • Fuck Nixon.

  • While I agree with the point of view and parallel to human care plz note that almost all animal care costs are out of pocket. If your dog needs a heart/lung transplant YOU pay up front.

    This is triage-by-wallet; the very thing that upsets people now about the human health care industry and why it is all so expensive. We are demanding that all people (citizens at the moment but....) have access to ALL tests and ALL procedures REGARDLESS OF COSTS. This is the reason it is all so expensive.

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