The veterinary profession has gotten very greedy. Like unscrupulous funeral directors, they play on the emotions of the family of the loved one; family pets in this case. The tragedy is that animals are sitting in shelters because people just can't afford veterinary care. Some vets will virtually hold a pet hostage; ex. your pet is in for teeth cleaning; they know that you can't very well say "no," when they have the pet sedated, and they paint horrible pictures of impending doom. Wouldn't it be nice to have sliding scale veterinary service? Healthy pets equals happy owners.