Blood analysis, echoscope, physiotherapy and acupuncture: in the Zuidplas Animal Clinic in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, pets get the best care veterinary science has to offer.

The Van de Made family regularly visits the clinic with their dogs. James, the oldest, gets physiotherapy for 25 euros a half-hour. “Physiotherapy eases pain. James doesn’t let it show much, but we know that dogs suffer a great deal of pain from a stiff back like his,” says Herma Verton, an animal physiotherapist who works one shift a week in the clinic. The fact that the treatment costs quite a bit – around fifty euros a month – doesn’t bother owner Van de Made: “You want the best for your dog.”

Anaesthetic gas
Vet Monique van der Meer believes owners must decide for themselves how far to go with their pets’ health. In practice she maintains one standard only: Good Veterinary Practice. “I treat animals on the basis of animal welfare.”

Van der Meer does admit that it is hard to determine how far veterinary science should go. "I had visitors from Zimbabwe. They thought we had gone too far. Just the way we anaesthetize a dog, with a little gas, they don’t even have that option for human beings." A tricky issue, says Van der Meer. "But we live here, with the possibilities for veterinary science we have before us here."

Ten thousand euros
Even so, some treatments for pets never actually take place because the owner can’t spare the money. To prevent decisions motivated by a lack of money, Van der Meer increasingly advises taking out animal insurance. "For people with less money it can be a real solution. They pay a fixed sum a month and are covered if anything serious happens to their cat or dog." The Van de Made family has taken out one of these policies for its youngest dog.

Monique van der Meer is particularly aware that the costs for four-legged friends can really mount up. She works out how much the family has paid in veterinary fees over the past twelve years. Nearly ten thousand euros.

The Van de Mades are shocked. “That’s a small car!”  Nevertheless the couple does not believe they are spending too much money on their dogs’ health. “If you begrudge that money for your pet, then you shouldn’t have one.”