But after cataract surgery we put in intraocular lenses specifically designed for that animal. Advancements in veterinary medicine have lengthened life spans. In the 1970s, when he first started practicing, heart valve disease was common in animals. Today, he said, because of better treatment for periodontal disease, which can lead to vascular disease, that disease is no longer the killer it used to be. If there's a downside to all these developments, it's cost.
Some care is covered by pet insurance.
But, compared to human health-care insurance, pet insurance provides far less coverage. For him, as for most veterinarians, insurance-covered care accounts for only a small part of practice revenues. For many animal owners, cost isn't the issue it once might have been. Partly that's because people are more affluent. Partly, it's because today's pets are treated by owners as family members.